At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study inside 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!
Today, the gospel presents the famous parable of the good Samaritan (cf Lk 10:25-37). Interrogated by the doctors of the law about what is needed in order to enter into eternal life, Jesus invites them to find the response in the scriptures and says: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself (Lk 10:27). There were however various interpretations about the meaning of the word neighbour. In fact, the man asked for further clarification: And who is my neighbour (Lk 10:29). At this point, Jesus responded with the parable, this beautiful parable: I invite all of you to take up the gospel today, the gospel of Luke, chapter ten, verse 25. It is among the most beautiful parables in the gospel. And this parable has become a paradigm for Christian life. It has become the model for how all Christians should act. Thanks to the evangelist Luke, we have this treasure.
The protagonist of this short story is a Samaritan, who meets a man who has been robbed and beaten by brigands along the way and takes care of him. We know that the Jews treated the Samaritans with contempt, considering them foreigners to the chosen people. It is therefore no coincidence that Jesus chose a Samaritan as a positive character in the parable. In this way he wants to overcome prejudice, showing that even a foreigner, even one who does not know the true God and does not attend his temple, is able to behave according to his will, feeling compassion for his needy brother and helping him by all means.
On that same road, prior to the Samaritan, a priest and a Levite had already passed by, that is, people dedicated to the worship of God. However, seeing the poor man on the ground, they had gone on ahead without stopping, probably so as not to be contaminated with his blood. They had put a human rule before them - not contaminating themselves with blood - linked to the great commandment of God, which first of all desires mercy.
Therefore, Jesus proposed the Samaritan as a model, precisely one who had no faith! We can also think of so many people we know, perhaps agnostics, who do good. Jesus chose as a model one who was not a man of faith. And this man, by loving his brother as himself, shows that he loves God with all his heart and with all his strength - the God he does not know! -, and expresses at the same time true religiosity and full humanity.
After recounting this beautiful parable, Jesus turned back to the doctor of the law who had asked him Who is my neighbour" And he said to him: Which of these do you think was close to him who fell into his hands of the brigands? (Lk 10:36). In this way he reversed the question proposed by its interlocutor, and also the logic of all of us. It helps us understand that it is not we who, according to our criteria, define who is our neighbour and who is not; our neighbour is the person in need who must be able to recognize who is his neighbour, that is who has had compassion for him (Lk 10:37). Being able to have compassion: this is the key. This is our key. If you do not feel pity before a needy person, if your heart is not moved, then something is wrong. Be careful, be careful. We should not let ourselves be carried away by selfish insensitivity. The capacity for compassion has become the touchstone of the Christian, indeed of Jesus' teaching. Jesus himself is the compassion of the Father towards us. If you go down the street and see a homeless man lying there and pass by without looking at him or think: He's under the influence of wine, he's a drunk, ask yourself if that man is drunk, ask yourself if your heart has not stiffened, if your heart has not become like ice. This conclusion indicates that mercy towards a human life in need is the true face of love. This is how one becomes a true disciple of Jesus and the face of the Father is manifested: Be merciful, as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). And God, our Father, is merciful, because he has compassion; he is capable of having this compassion, of approaching our pain, our sin, our vices, our suffering.
May the Virgin Mary help us to understand and above all to always live more and more the unbreakable bond that exists between love for God our Father and concrete and generous love for our brothers, and give us the grace to have compassion and to grow in compassion.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Once again, I wish to express my closeness to the beloved people of Venezuela, particularly tried by the enduring crisis. Let us ask the Lord to inspire and to illuminate the parties involved, so that they may finally achieve an agreement that will bring an end to the suffering of the people, and be for the good of the country and for that entire region.
I warmly greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and from various parts of the world: families, parish groups and associations.
In particular, I greet the young people from the Diocese of Pamplona y Tudela, those who are participating in the formation course organized by Regnum Christi, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who are here to celebrate their General Chapter, and the young people from Bolgare (Bergamo) who have recently been Confirmed.
I send a cordial greeting to the Polish faithful, to you (indicating the Polish faithful in the Square), and to those who are participating in the annual pilgrimage organized by Radio Maria at the Shrine in Czestochowa. Let us all greet the Polish pilgrims.
And 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!
Today, the gospel presents the famous parable of the good Samaritan (cf Lk 10:25-37). Interrogated by the doctors of the law about what is needed in order to enter into eternal life, Jesus invites them to find the response in the scriptures and says: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself (Lk 10:27). There were however various interpretations about the meaning of the word neighbour. In fact, the man asked for further clarification: And who is my neighbour (Lk 10:29). At this point, Jesus responded with the parable, this beautiful parable: I invite all of you to take up the gospel today, the gospel of Luke, chapter ten, verse 25. It is among the most beautiful parables in the gospel. And this parable has become a paradigm for Christian life. It has become the model for how all Christians should act. Thanks to the evangelist Luke, we have this treasure.
The protagonist of this short story is a Samaritan, who meets a man who has been robbed and beaten by brigands along the way and takes care of him. We know that the Jews treated the Samaritans with contempt, considering them foreigners to the chosen people. It is therefore no coincidence that Jesus chose a Samaritan as a positive character in the parable. In this way he wants to overcome prejudice, showing that even a foreigner, even one who does not know the true God and does not attend his temple, is able to behave according to his will, feeling compassion for his needy brother and helping him by all means.
On that same road, prior to the Samaritan, a priest and a Levite had already passed by, that is, people dedicated to the worship of God. However, seeing the poor man on the ground, they had gone on ahead without stopping, probably so as not to be contaminated with his blood. They had put a human rule before them - not contaminating themselves with blood - linked to the great commandment of God, which first of all desires mercy.
Therefore, Jesus proposed the Samaritan as a model, precisely one who had no faith! We can also think of so many people we know, perhaps agnostics, who do good. Jesus chose as a model one who was not a man of faith. And this man, by loving his brother as himself, shows that he loves God with all his heart and with all his strength - the God he does not know! -, and expresses at the same time true religiosity and full humanity.
After recounting this beautiful parable, Jesus turned back to the doctor of the law who had asked him Who is my neighbour" And he said to him: Which of these do you think was close to him who fell into his hands of the brigands? (Lk 10:36). In this way he reversed the question proposed by its interlocutor, and also the logic of all of us. It helps us understand that it is not we who, according to our criteria, define who is our neighbour and who is not; our neighbour is the person in need who must be able to recognize who is his neighbour, that is who has had compassion for him (Lk 10:37). Being able to have compassion: this is the key. This is our key. If you do not feel pity before a needy person, if your heart is not moved, then something is wrong. Be careful, be careful. We should not let ourselves be carried away by selfish insensitivity. The capacity for compassion has become the touchstone of the Christian, indeed of Jesus' teaching. Jesus himself is the compassion of the Father towards us. If you go down the street and see a homeless man lying there and pass by without looking at him or think: He's under the influence of wine, he's a drunk, ask yourself if that man is drunk, ask yourself if your heart has not stiffened, if your heart has not become like ice. This conclusion indicates that mercy towards a human life in need is the true face of love. This is how one becomes a true disciple of Jesus and the face of the Father is manifested: Be merciful, as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). And God, our Father, is merciful, because he has compassion; he is capable of having this compassion, of approaching our pain, our sin, our vices, our suffering.
May the Virgin Mary help us to understand and above all to always live more and more the unbreakable bond that exists between love for God our Father and concrete and generous love for our brothers, and give us the grace to have compassion and to grow in compassion.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Once again, I wish to express my closeness to the beloved people of Venezuela, particularly tried by the enduring crisis. Let us ask the Lord to inspire and to illuminate the parties involved, so that they may finally achieve an agreement that will bring an end to the suffering of the people, and be for the good of the country and for that entire region.
I warmly greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and from various parts of the world: families, parish groups and associations.
In particular, I greet the young people from the Diocese of Pamplona y Tudela, those who are participating in the formation course organized by Regnum Christi, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who are here to celebrate their General Chapter, and the young people from Bolgare (Bergamo) who have recently been Confirmed.
I send a cordial greeting to the Polish faithful, to you (indicating the Polish faithful in the Square), and to those who are participating in the annual pilgrimage organized by Radio Maria at the Shrine in Czestochowa. Let us all greet the Polish pilgrims.
And 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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