At noon today, 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!
Today's gospel (Lk 15:1-32) begins with some people who are criticizing Jesus, while seeing him in the company of tax collectors and sinners, and they say with disdain: He welcomes sinners and eats with them (Lk 15:2). This phrase actually turns out to be a wonderful announcement. Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. This is what happens to us, in every Mass, in every church: Jesus is happy to welcome us to his table, where he offers himself for us. This is a phrase that we could write on the doors of our churches: Here Jesus welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. And the Lord, responding to those who are criticizing him, recounts three parables, three stupendous parables, which show his predilection for those who feel distant from him. Today it would be nice for each of you to take the Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and read these three parables. They are wonderful.
In the first parable he says: Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and goes in search of the one who is lost? (Lk 15:4) Who of you? A sensible person does not: he does a few calculations and sacrifices one to keep the ninety-nine. On the other hand, God does not resign himself to loss: he really cares about you, even if you still do not know the beauty of his love, you who have not yet received Jesus at the centre of your life, you who cannot overcome your sin, you who perhaps because of the bad things that have happened in your life do not believe in love. In the second parable, you are that little coin that the Lord does not resign himself to losing and he searches relentlessly: he wants to tell you that you are precious in his eyes, that you are unique. No one can replace you in the heart of God. You have a place, it is you, and no one can replace you; and even me, no one can replace me in the heart of God. And in the third parable God is a father who awaits the return of the prodigal son: God always awaits us, he does not get tired, he does not lose heart. Because each of us is that re-embraced son, that rediscovered coin, that sheep caressed and put on his shoulders. He waits every day for us to notice his love. And you say: But I've combined so many sins, I've combined too many lies! Don't be afraid: God loves you, loves you as you are and knows that only his love can change your life.
But this infinite love of God for us sinners, which is the heart of the Gospel, can be rejected. This is what the eldest son in the parable does. He does not understand love at that moment and has more of an image of a master than a father. This is also a risk for us: to believe in a more rigorous than a merciful God, a God who defeats evil with power rather than forgiveness. It is not so, God saves with love, not with force; posing, not imposing. But the eldest son, who does not accept the mercy of his father, closes himself off, makes a worse mistake: he presumes himself to be right, presumes himself betrayed and judges everything on the basis of his idea of justice. So it is that he gets angry with his brother and reproaches his father: You have killed the fat calf now that this son of yours has returned (cf Lk 15:30). This son of yours: he does not call him my brother, but your son. He feels like an only child. We are also wrong when we believe ourselves to be right, when we think that other people are the bad ones. Let us not believe ourselves to be good, because alone, without the help of God who is good, we do not know how to overcome evil. Today, do not forget, take the Gospel and read the three parables of Luke, chapter 15. It will do you good, it will be good for you.
How do you defeat evil? By accepting God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of our brothers. It happens every time we go to confession: there, we receive the love of the Father who overcomes our sin: there is no more sin, God forgets it. When God forgives, he loses his memory, he forgets our sins, he forgets. God is so good to us! God is not like us, who after speaking do nothing, at the first opportunity we remember the injuries that we have suffered. No, God cancels the evil, makes us new inside and thus makes us give birth to joy, not sadness, not darkness in our hearts, not suspicion, but joy.
Brothers and sisters, take courage, with God no sin has the final word. May Our Lady, who unties the nots in our lives, free us from pretending that we believe ourselves to be righteous, and helps us to feel the need to go to the Lord, who is always waiting for us, waiting to embrace us, waiting to forgive us.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last week the long-awaited exchange of prisoners between the Russian Federation and Ukraine was carried out. I rejoice for the people who have been freed, who have been able to re-embrace their loved ones, and I continue to pray for a quick end to the conflict and for lasting peace in eastern Ukraine.
Yesterday in Forlì Benedetta Bianchi Porro, who died in 1964 at just 28 years old was proclaimed Blessed. Her whole life was marked by illness, and the Lord gave her the grace to endure it, indeed, to transform it into a luminous testimony of faith and love. And today in Limburg (Germany) Father Riccardo Henkes, a Pallottine priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Dachau in 1945 is being proclaimed Blessed. The example of these two brave disciples of Christ also supports our journey to holiness. A round of applause for the new Blesseds!
I affectionately greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims who have come from various countries: families, parish groups and associations.
I greet the faithful from Honduras and from Bolivia; the young African entrepreneurs committed to working together - harambe - for the future of Africa; and the electric car pilgrimage from Poland.
I greet the soldiers gathered in memory of the Servant of God Father Gianfranco Chiti; the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer; the faithful from Montecchio Emilia with their Venezuelan friends; and the recently Confirmed young people from Crotone. I greet the UNITALSI group and I bless the great national pilgrimage to Lourdes which will take place in the coming days.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel (Lk 15:1-32) begins with some people who are criticizing Jesus, while seeing him in the company of tax collectors and sinners, and they say with disdain: He welcomes sinners and eats with them (Lk 15:2). This phrase actually turns out to be a wonderful announcement. Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. This is what happens to us, in every Mass, in every church: Jesus is happy to welcome us to his table, where he offers himself for us. This is a phrase that we could write on the doors of our churches: Here Jesus welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. And the Lord, responding to those who are criticizing him, recounts three parables, three stupendous parables, which show his predilection for those who feel distant from him. Today it would be nice for each of you to take the Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and read these three parables. They are wonderful.
In the first parable he says: Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and goes in search of the one who is lost? (Lk 15:4) Who of you? A sensible person does not: he does a few calculations and sacrifices one to keep the ninety-nine. On the other hand, God does not resign himself to loss: he really cares about you, even if you still do not know the beauty of his love, you who have not yet received Jesus at the centre of your life, you who cannot overcome your sin, you who perhaps because of the bad things that have happened in your life do not believe in love. In the second parable, you are that little coin that the Lord does not resign himself to losing and he searches relentlessly: he wants to tell you that you are precious in his eyes, that you are unique. No one can replace you in the heart of God. You have a place, it is you, and no one can replace you; and even me, no one can replace me in the heart of God. And in the third parable God is a father who awaits the return of the prodigal son: God always awaits us, he does not get tired, he does not lose heart. Because each of us is that re-embraced son, that rediscovered coin, that sheep caressed and put on his shoulders. He waits every day for us to notice his love. And you say: But I've combined so many sins, I've combined too many lies! Don't be afraid: God loves you, loves you as you are and knows that only his love can change your life.
But this infinite love of God for us sinners, which is the heart of the Gospel, can be rejected. This is what the eldest son in the parable does. He does not understand love at that moment and has more of an image of a master than a father. This is also a risk for us: to believe in a more rigorous than a merciful God, a God who defeats evil with power rather than forgiveness. It is not so, God saves with love, not with force; posing, not imposing. But the eldest son, who does not accept the mercy of his father, closes himself off, makes a worse mistake: he presumes himself to be right, presumes himself betrayed and judges everything on the basis of his idea of justice. So it is that he gets angry with his brother and reproaches his father: You have killed the fat calf now that this son of yours has returned (cf Lk 15:30). This son of yours: he does not call him my brother, but your son. He feels like an only child. We are also wrong when we believe ourselves to be right, when we think that other people are the bad ones. Let us not believe ourselves to be good, because alone, without the help of God who is good, we do not know how to overcome evil. Today, do not forget, take the Gospel and read the three parables of Luke, chapter 15. It will do you good, it will be good for you.
How do you defeat evil? By accepting God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of our brothers. It happens every time we go to confession: there, we receive the love of the Father who overcomes our sin: there is no more sin, God forgets it. When God forgives, he loses his memory, he forgets our sins, he forgets. God is so good to us! God is not like us, who after speaking do nothing, at the first opportunity we remember the injuries that we have suffered. No, God cancels the evil, makes us new inside and thus makes us give birth to joy, not sadness, not darkness in our hearts, not suspicion, but joy.
Brothers and sisters, take courage, with God no sin has the final word. May Our Lady, who unties the nots in our lives, free us from pretending that we believe ourselves to be righteous, and helps us to feel the need to go to the Lord, who is always waiting for us, waiting to embrace us, waiting to forgive us.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last week the long-awaited exchange of prisoners between the Russian Federation and Ukraine was carried out. I rejoice for the people who have been freed, who have been able to re-embrace their loved ones, and I continue to pray for a quick end to the conflict and for lasting peace in eastern Ukraine.
Yesterday in Forlì Benedetta Bianchi Porro, who died in 1964 at just 28 years old was proclaimed Blessed. Her whole life was marked by illness, and the Lord gave her the grace to endure it, indeed, to transform it into a luminous testimony of faith and love. And today in Limburg (Germany) Father Riccardo Henkes, a Pallottine priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Dachau in 1945 is being proclaimed Blessed. The example of these two brave disciples of Christ also supports our journey to holiness. A round of applause for the new Blesseds!
I affectionately greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims who have come from various countries: families, parish groups and associations.
I greet the faithful from Honduras and from Bolivia; the young African entrepreneurs committed to working together - harambe - for the future of Africa; and the electric car pilgrimage from Poland.
I greet the soldiers gathered in memory of the Servant of God Father Gianfranco Chiti; the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer; the faithful from Montecchio Emilia with their Venezuelan friends; and the recently Confirmed young people from Crotone. I greet the UNITALSI group and I bless the great national pilgrimage to Lourdes which will take place in the coming days.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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