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 these past few Sundays, the liturgy has demonstrated the image of the tenderness of Jesus who goes out to meet the crowds and to meet their needs. In today's gospel passage (cf Jn 6:24-35) the perspective changes: this time, it is the crowd, having been fed by Jesus, who sets out in search of Him, who go to Jesus. But for Jesus, it is not enough that the people are looking for him, he wants the people to know him; he wants their search for him and their meeting with Him to go beyond the mere satisfaction of their immediate material needs. Jesus came to bring us something more, to open our existence to a broader horizon than just the daily preoccupations of eating, dressing ourselves, our careers, and so on. Therefore, turning to the crowd, he exclaims: You seek me not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten your fill of those loaves (Jn 6:26). In this way, he motivates people to take a step forward, to wonder about the meaning of the miracle, and not just to take advantage of it. In fact, the multiplication of the loaves and of the fish is a sign of the great gift that the Father has given to humanity, and that gift is Jesus himself!
He is the true bread of life (Jn 6:35); he wants to satisfy not just our bodies but also our souls; he wants to give us spiritual food that can satisfy our deepest hunger. For this reason, he invites the crowd to consider not the food that does not last, but the food that remains for eternal life (cf Jn 6:27). This is food that Jesus gives us every day: his Word, his Body, his Blood. The crowd hears the Lord's invitation, but does not understand its meaning - as so often happens to us - and asks him: What must we do to do the works of God? (Jn 6:28). Those who are listening to Jesus think that He is asking them to observe the precepts in order to obtain other miracles like the multiplication of the loaves. This is a common temptation, reducing religion only to the practice of laws, projecting on our relationship with God the image of the relationship between servants and their master: servants must perform the tasks that the master has assigned in order to enjoy his favour. We all know this. Therefore, the crowd wants to know from Jesus what actions they must do in order to please God. But Jesus gives an unexpected answer: This is the work of God: believe in him whom he has sent (Jn 6:29). Today, these words are also addressed to us: God's work does not consist in the doing of things, but in believing in the One He has sent. This means that faith in Jesus allows us to do the work of God. If we allow ourselves to be involved in this relationship of love and trust with Jesus, we will be able to do good works that have the odour of the Gospel, for the good and the needs of our brothers and sisters.
The Lord invites us not to forget that if we need to worry about bread, it is even more important to cultivate our relationship with Him, to strengthen our faith in Him who is the bread of life, who came to satisfy our hunger for truth. , our hunger for justice, our hunger for love. On the day when we remember the dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, may the Roman Salus populi, sustain us on our journey of faith and help us to abandon ourselves joyfully to God's plan for our life.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Forty years ago, Blessed Pope Paul VI was experiencing his final hours on earth. In fact, he died on the evening of 6 August 1978. Let us remember him with much veneration and gratitude, while we await his canonization which will take place on 14 October of this year. From heaven, he intercedes for the Church, who really loved him, and for peace in the world. This great Pope of modernity, we greet with our applause, all of us!
With affection, I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various other countries: families, parish groups, associations and single faithful.
In particular, I greet the cycle pilgrims who have come from Velehrad (Moravia), the faithful from Lorca (Spain) and the young people and children from Nòvoli.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you! And enjoy your lunch!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In these past few Sundays, the liturgy has demonstrated the image of the tenderness of Jesus who goes out to meet the crowds and to meet their needs. In today's gospel passage (cf Jn 6:24-35) the perspective changes: this time, it is the crowd, having been fed by Jesus, who sets out in search of Him, who go to Jesus. But for Jesus, it is not enough that the people are looking for him, he wants the people to know him; he wants their search for him and their meeting with Him to go beyond the mere satisfaction of their immediate material needs. Jesus came to bring us something more, to open our existence to a broader horizon than just the daily preoccupations of eating, dressing ourselves, our careers, and so on. Therefore, turning to the crowd, he exclaims: You seek me not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten your fill of those loaves (Jn 6:26). In this way, he motivates people to take a step forward, to wonder about the meaning of the miracle, and not just to take advantage of it. In fact, the multiplication of the loaves and of the fish is a sign of the great gift that the Father has given to humanity, and that gift is Jesus himself!
He is the true bread of life (Jn 6:35); he wants to satisfy not just our bodies but also our souls; he wants to give us spiritual food that can satisfy our deepest hunger. For this reason, he invites the crowd to consider not the food that does not last, but the food that remains for eternal life (cf Jn 6:27). This is food that Jesus gives us every day: his Word, his Body, his Blood. The crowd hears the Lord's invitation, but does not understand its meaning - as so often happens to us - and asks him: What must we do to do the works of God? (Jn 6:28). Those who are listening to Jesus think that He is asking them to observe the precepts in order to obtain other miracles like the multiplication of the loaves. This is a common temptation, reducing religion only to the practice of laws, projecting on our relationship with God the image of the relationship between servants and their master: servants must perform the tasks that the master has assigned in order to enjoy his favour. We all know this. Therefore, the crowd wants to know from Jesus what actions they must do in order to please God. But Jesus gives an unexpected answer: This is the work of God: believe in him whom he has sent (Jn 6:29). Today, these words are also addressed to us: God's work does not consist in the doing of things, but in believing in the One He has sent. This means that faith in Jesus allows us to do the work of God. If we allow ourselves to be involved in this relationship of love and trust with Jesus, we will be able to do good works that have the odour of the Gospel, for the good and the needs of our brothers and sisters.
The Lord invites us not to forget that if we need to worry about bread, it is even more important to cultivate our relationship with Him, to strengthen our faith in Him who is the bread of life, who came to satisfy our hunger for truth. , our hunger for justice, our hunger for love. On the day when we remember the dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, may the Roman Salus populi, sustain us on our journey of faith and help us to abandon ourselves joyfully to God's plan for our life.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Forty years ago, Blessed Pope Paul VI was experiencing his final hours on earth. In fact, he died on the evening of 6 August 1978. Let us remember him with much veneration and gratitude, while we await his canonization which will take place on 14 October of this year. From heaven, he intercedes for the Church, who really loved him, and for peace in the world. This great Pope of modernity, we greet with our applause, all of us!
With affection, I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various other countries: families, parish groups, associations and single faithful.
In particular, I greet the cycle pilgrims who have come from Velehrad (Moravia), the faithful from Lorca (Spain) and the young people and children from Nòvoli.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you! And enjoy your lunch!
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