At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), 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!
In today's gospel account (cf Mk 4:26-34), Jesus speaks to the crowds about the Kingdom of God and about the dynamism of its growth. He does so by recounting two sort parables.
In the first parable (cf Mk 4:26-29), the Kingdom of God is compared to the mysterious growth of seeds, that have been thrown on the ground and then germinate, grow and produce the ear (of corn) regardless of how much care they receive from the farmer who waits until the end of the growing season to provide for the harvest. The message that this parable gives us is this: through the preaching and actions of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is proclaimed, has burst onto the field of the world, like this seed; it grows and develops all by itself, by its own doing and according to criteria that are indecipherable to human beings. As it grows and germinates throughout history, it is not so dependent on the work of mankind, but above all, it is an expression of the power and the goodness of God, of the strength of the Holy Spirit who carries on Christian life in the People of God.
Sometimes, history - with its events and heroes - seems to go in the opposite direction compared with the plan of our heavenly Father, who wishes justice, fraternity and peace for all his people. But we are called to live these periods as seasons of trial, hope and vigilant waiting for the harvest. In fact, yesterday and today, the Kingdom of God continues to grow in the world in a mysterious way, a surprising way, revealing the hidden power of the little seed, its victorious vitality. Within the folds of personal and social events, and sometimes even seeming to mark the tragedies that hope encounters, we can and must remain confident in the quiet but powerful actions of God. For this reason, in moments of darkness and difficulty, we should not give up, but rather we should remain firmly anchored to faith in God, to his presence which always saves us. Remember this: God always saves. He is our saviour.
In the second parable (Mk 4:30-32), Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. It is a very small seed, yet it develops so much that it becomes one of the greatest plants in the garden: unpredictable and surprising growth. It is not easy for us to enter into this logic of God's unpredictability: to accept it in our lives. But today, the Lord encourages us to develop an attitude of faith that looks beyond our plans, our calculations, our forecasts. God is always the God of surprises. The Lord always surprises us. This is an invitation for us to open ourselves up more generously to the will of God, either his will for us personally or for our community. In our communities, we need to pay attention to the small and the great opportunities for good that the Lord offers to us, allowing ourselves to get involved in the dynamics of love, welcome and mercy offered to all people.
The authenticity of the mission of the Church is not measured by the success or the gratification of the results, but by going forward with courage of trust and the humility of abandoning ourselves in God. Going ahead in our confession of Jesus and with the strength of the Holy Spirit. It is a matter of being aware that we are small and weak instruments, which in the hands of God and with his grace can accomplish great works, advancing his Kingdom of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). The Virgin Mary helps us to be simple, to be attentive, to collaborate with our faith and with our work in developing the Kingdom of god in our hearts and in the context of history.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Caracas (Venezuela), María Carmen Rendiíles Martiínez, the founder of the Sisters Servants of Jesus of Venezuela, was Beatified. Mother Carmen, who was born and died in Caracas in the last century, together with her sisters, served lovingly in parishes, schools and close to those who are most in need. Let us praise the Lord for this faithful disciple of his and let us confide to her intercession our prayers for the Venezuelan people. And let us greet the new Blessed and the people of Venezuela with applause!
With much preoccupation, I am following the dramatic news concerning the people of Yemen, who have already been exhausted by years of conflict. I call upon the international community to spare no effort to bring the parties involved urgently to the negotiating table and to avoid any worsening of the already tragic humanitarian situation. Let us pray to Our Lady for Yemen:
Hail Mary ...
Next Wednesday will be the World Day of Refugees, organized by the United Nations in order to draw attention to those of our brothers and sisters who are living, sometimes with great anxiety and suffering because they have been forced to flee their homelands due to conflict and persecution. This is a day which, this year, falls in the midst of the consultations that are taking place among various governments who are working toward the adoption of a World Pact concerning Refugees, which should be adopted by the end of the year in order to ensure secure, ordered and regulated migration. I hope that the States involved in these processes will be able to reach an agreement in order to ensure responsibly and humanely, assistance and protection to those who have been forced to leave their own countries. But each of us is also called to be close to refugees, to find moments of encounter to be experienced with them, to value their contributions, so that they too can better incorporate themselves into the communities that receive them. In such meetings and in such mutual respect and support, we can find solutions to many problems.
I greet all of you, dear Romans and pilgrims alike, in particular those who have come from Spain, from Malta, from Brazil - those Brazilians are noisy! - from the United States of America; the students from the London Oratory School and those from the Colegio Oratorio Festivo from Novelda (Spain).
I have heard that among you, there is a group from Argentina. Remember that today in your country, it is Father's day, the day for daddies. Remember your fathers in your prayers.
I greet the faithful from Teramo, Francavilla and Mare and the group from Catholic Action Trento; the young people from Campobasso who have recently celebrated Confirmation; the Italian Ecclesiastical Biblical Association and the group known as Un incontro, una speranza (One encounter, one hope) from Olbia.
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!
In today's gospel account (cf Mk 4:26-34), Jesus speaks to the crowds about the Kingdom of God and about the dynamism of its growth. He does so by recounting two sort parables.
In the first parable (cf Mk 4:26-29), the Kingdom of God is compared to the mysterious growth of seeds, that have been thrown on the ground and then germinate, grow and produce the ear (of corn) regardless of how much care they receive from the farmer who waits until the end of the growing season to provide for the harvest. The message that this parable gives us is this: through the preaching and actions of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is proclaimed, has burst onto the field of the world, like this seed; it grows and develops all by itself, by its own doing and according to criteria that are indecipherable to human beings. As it grows and germinates throughout history, it is not so dependent on the work of mankind, but above all, it is an expression of the power and the goodness of God, of the strength of the Holy Spirit who carries on Christian life in the People of God.
Sometimes, history - with its events and heroes - seems to go in the opposite direction compared with the plan of our heavenly Father, who wishes justice, fraternity and peace for all his people. But we are called to live these periods as seasons of trial, hope and vigilant waiting for the harvest. In fact, yesterday and today, the Kingdom of God continues to grow in the world in a mysterious way, a surprising way, revealing the hidden power of the little seed, its victorious vitality. Within the folds of personal and social events, and sometimes even seeming to mark the tragedies that hope encounters, we can and must remain confident in the quiet but powerful actions of God. For this reason, in moments of darkness and difficulty, we should not give up, but rather we should remain firmly anchored to faith in God, to his presence which always saves us. Remember this: God always saves. He is our saviour.
In the second parable (Mk 4:30-32), Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. It is a very small seed, yet it develops so much that it becomes one of the greatest plants in the garden: unpredictable and surprising growth. It is not easy for us to enter into this logic of God's unpredictability: to accept it in our lives. But today, the Lord encourages us to develop an attitude of faith that looks beyond our plans, our calculations, our forecasts. God is always the God of surprises. The Lord always surprises us. This is an invitation for us to open ourselves up more generously to the will of God, either his will for us personally or for our community. In our communities, we need to pay attention to the small and the great opportunities for good that the Lord offers to us, allowing ourselves to get involved in the dynamics of love, welcome and mercy offered to all people.
The authenticity of the mission of the Church is not measured by the success or the gratification of the results, but by going forward with courage of trust and the humility of abandoning ourselves in God. Going ahead in our confession of Jesus and with the strength of the Holy Spirit. It is a matter of being aware that we are small and weak instruments, which in the hands of God and with his grace can accomplish great works, advancing his Kingdom of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). The Virgin Mary helps us to be simple, to be attentive, to collaborate with our faith and with our work in developing the Kingdom of god in our hearts and in the context of history.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Caracas (Venezuela), María Carmen Rendiíles Martiínez, the founder of the Sisters Servants of Jesus of Venezuela, was Beatified. Mother Carmen, who was born and died in Caracas in the last century, together with her sisters, served lovingly in parishes, schools and close to those who are most in need. Let us praise the Lord for this faithful disciple of his and let us confide to her intercession our prayers for the Venezuelan people. And let us greet the new Blessed and the people of Venezuela with applause!
With much preoccupation, I am following the dramatic news concerning the people of Yemen, who have already been exhausted by years of conflict. I call upon the international community to spare no effort to bring the parties involved urgently to the negotiating table and to avoid any worsening of the already tragic humanitarian situation. Let us pray to Our Lady for Yemen:
Hail Mary ...
Next Wednesday will be the World Day of Refugees, organized by the United Nations in order to draw attention to those of our brothers and sisters who are living, sometimes with great anxiety and suffering because they have been forced to flee their homelands due to conflict and persecution. This is a day which, this year, falls in the midst of the consultations that are taking place among various governments who are working toward the adoption of a World Pact concerning Refugees, which should be adopted by the end of the year in order to ensure secure, ordered and regulated migration. I hope that the States involved in these processes will be able to reach an agreement in order to ensure responsibly and humanely, assistance and protection to those who have been forced to leave their own countries. But each of us is also called to be close to refugees, to find moments of encounter to be experienced with them, to value their contributions, so that they too can better incorporate themselves into the communities that receive them. In such meetings and in such mutual respect and support, we can find solutions to many problems.
I greet all of you, dear Romans and pilgrims alike, in particular those who have come from Spain, from Malta, from Brazil - those Brazilians are noisy! - from the United States of America; the students from the London Oratory School and those from the Colegio Oratorio Festivo from Novelda (Spain).
I have heard that among you, there is a group from Argentina. Remember that today in your country, it is Father's day, the day for daddies. Remember your fathers in your prayers.
I greet the faithful from Teramo, Francavilla and Mare and the group from Catholic Action Trento; the young people from Campobasso who have recently celebrated Confirmation; the Italian Ecclesiastical Biblical Association and the group known as Un incontro, una speranza (One encounter, one hope) from Olbia.
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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