At the conclusion of the Mass celebrated on the occasion of the First World Day of the Poor, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year, the gospel presents the parable of the talents (cf Mt 25:14-30). Prior to departing for a trip, a man entrusts to his servants a number of talents - which at the time were coins of considerable value: to one of the servants, he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his ability. The servant who had received five talents was enterprising and made them grow to include five more. In the same way, the servant who had received two also procured two more. However, the servant who had only received one talent dug a hole in the earth and hid his Master's coin.
This same servant explained to his Master, upon his arrival, the reason for his decision. He says: Lord, I know that you are a hard man, who harvests where you did not sow and gathers where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid and so I went and hid our talent in the ground (Mt 25:24-25). This servant did not have a relationship of trust with his Master, rather he feared him, and this stopped him. Fear always immobilizes and often causes us to make wrong choices. Fear discourages us from taking initiatives, encourages us to take refuge in safe and sure solutions, and in this way, end up not achieving anything good. In order to continue growing, to continue the journey through life, we should not be afraid, we need to trust.
This parable helps us to understand how important it is to have a true idea of God. We should not think that He is a bad, harsh and severe Master who wants to punish us. If this incorrect image of God still exists within us, our lives cannot be fruitful, because we will live in fear and this will not lead to anything constructive; instead, fear will paralyze and destroy us. We are called to reflect and to discover what our idea of God truly is. In the Old Testament, He is revealed as a merciful God who is slow to anger and rich in love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6). Jesus has always shown us that God is not a stern and intolerant Master, but rather a father who is full of love, tenderness, a father who is full of goodness. Therefore we can and must have immense trust in Him.
Jesus shows us the generosity and the care of the Father in many ways: with his word, wit his gestures, with his welcome extended to everyone, especially toward sinners, the little ones and the poor - today we are celebrating the first World Day of the Poor - but also with his warnings which reveal his concern that we do not waste our lives unnecessarily. In fact, this is a sign that our God has great esteem for us: this awareness helps us to be personally responsible for every one of our actions. Therefore, the parable of the talents reminds us of our personal responsibility and our fidelity which also becomes a capacity to continually begin the journey again and again on new paths, without burying our talents, the gifts that God has entrusted to us, and which he will ask us to account for.
The Holy Virgin intercedes for us, so that we can remain faithful to the will of God's will by fostering the talents he has given to us. Using them wisely, we will be helpful to others and on the last day, we will be welcomed by the Lord who will invite us to take our place in his everlasting joy.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Detroit, in the United States of America, Francis Solanus, a priest of the Capuchin Friars Minor was beatified. A humble and faithful disciple of Christ, he distinguished himself as an untiring servant to the poor. His witness helps priests, religious and lay people to joyfully live the relationship between the proclamation of the gospel and love for the poor.
This is how we wanted to celebrate todays World Day of the Poor, which in Rome and in the dioceses throughout the world is expressed with many initiatives of prayer and sharing. I hope that the poor are the centre of our communities not only in moments such as these, but always; because they are at the heart of the gospel, in them we encounter Jesus who speaks to us and challenges to respond to their sufferings and their needs.
Today, I want to remember in a special way all those who are suffering due to poverty which has been caused by war and conflicts. Therefore I renew to the international community a heartfelt appeal to engage every possible effort to foster peace, especially in the Middle East. A special thought goes out to the beloved people of Lebanon. I am praying for stability in that country, so that they may continue to be a message of respect and sharing for all sectors of that region and indeed for the entire world.
I am also praying for the crew of the Argentinian submarine of which all traces have been lost.
Today is also the Day of remembering victims in the streets, an objective which was instituted by the United Nations. I encourage all public institutions to engage in prevention, and I call upon drivers to be prudent and to respect the rules of the road, as a first way of respecting yourselves and caring for others.
I greet all of you, families, parish groups, associations and individual faithful, who have come from Italy and from every corner of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims from the Dominican Republic; those from Košice (Slovakia) who are taking part in the solidarity race here in Rome; and the Ecuadoran community living here in Rome, who are celebrating the Virgin of Quinche. I greet the Fraternity of the secular Trinitarians in Italy, the faithful from Civitanova Marche, Sanzeno, Termoli, Capua and Nola, and the young people from Mestrino (Padua) who have recently been Confirmed.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
On this penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year, the gospel presents the parable of the talents (cf Mt 25:14-30). Prior to departing for a trip, a man entrusts to his servants a number of talents - which at the time were coins of considerable value: to one of the servants, he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his ability. The servant who had received five talents was enterprising and made them grow to include five more. In the same way, the servant who had received two also procured two more. However, the servant who had only received one talent dug a hole in the earth and hid his Master's coin.
This same servant explained to his Master, upon his arrival, the reason for his decision. He says: Lord, I know that you are a hard man, who harvests where you did not sow and gathers where you did not scatter seed. I was afraid and so I went and hid our talent in the ground (Mt 25:24-25). This servant did not have a relationship of trust with his Master, rather he feared him, and this stopped him. Fear always immobilizes and often causes us to make wrong choices. Fear discourages us from taking initiatives, encourages us to take refuge in safe and sure solutions, and in this way, end up not achieving anything good. In order to continue growing, to continue the journey through life, we should not be afraid, we need to trust.
This parable helps us to understand how important it is to have a true idea of God. We should not think that He is a bad, harsh and severe Master who wants to punish us. If this incorrect image of God still exists within us, our lives cannot be fruitful, because we will live in fear and this will not lead to anything constructive; instead, fear will paralyze and destroy us. We are called to reflect and to discover what our idea of God truly is. In the Old Testament, He is revealed as a merciful God who is slow to anger and rich in love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6). Jesus has always shown us that God is not a stern and intolerant Master, but rather a father who is full of love, tenderness, a father who is full of goodness. Therefore we can and must have immense trust in Him.
Jesus shows us the generosity and the care of the Father in many ways: with his word, wit his gestures, with his welcome extended to everyone, especially toward sinners, the little ones and the poor - today we are celebrating the first World Day of the Poor - but also with his warnings which reveal his concern that we do not waste our lives unnecessarily. In fact, this is a sign that our God has great esteem for us: this awareness helps us to be personally responsible for every one of our actions. Therefore, the parable of the talents reminds us of our personal responsibility and our fidelity which also becomes a capacity to continually begin the journey again and again on new paths, without burying our talents, the gifts that God has entrusted to us, and which he will ask us to account for.
The Holy Virgin intercedes for us, so that we can remain faithful to the will of God's will by fostering the talents he has given to us. Using them wisely, we will be helpful to others and on the last day, we will be welcomed by the Lord who will invite us to take our place in his everlasting joy.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Detroit, in the United States of America, Francis Solanus, a priest of the Capuchin Friars Minor was beatified. A humble and faithful disciple of Christ, he distinguished himself as an untiring servant to the poor. His witness helps priests, religious and lay people to joyfully live the relationship between the proclamation of the gospel and love for the poor.
This is how we wanted to celebrate todays World Day of the Poor, which in Rome and in the dioceses throughout the world is expressed with many initiatives of prayer and sharing. I hope that the poor are the centre of our communities not only in moments such as these, but always; because they are at the heart of the gospel, in them we encounter Jesus who speaks to us and challenges to respond to their sufferings and their needs.
Today, I want to remember in a special way all those who are suffering due to poverty which has been caused by war and conflicts. Therefore I renew to the international community a heartfelt appeal to engage every possible effort to foster peace, especially in the Middle East. A special thought goes out to the beloved people of Lebanon. I am praying for stability in that country, so that they may continue to be a message of respect and sharing for all sectors of that region and indeed for the entire world.
I am also praying for the crew of the Argentinian submarine of which all traces have been lost.
Today is also the Day of remembering victims in the streets, an objective which was instituted by the United Nations. I encourage all public institutions to engage in prevention, and I call upon drivers to be prudent and to respect the rules of the road, as a first way of respecting yourselves and caring for others.
I greet all of you, families, parish groups, associations and individual faithful, who have come from Italy and from every corner of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims from the Dominican Republic; those from Košice (Slovakia) who are taking part in the solidarity race here in Rome; and the Ecuadoran community living here in Rome, who are celebrating the Virgin of Quinche. I greet the Fraternity of the secular Trinitarians in Italy, the faithful from Civitanova Marche, Sanzeno, Termoli, Capua and Nola, and the young people from Mestrino (Padua) who have recently been Confirmed.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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