This morning's General Audience began at 10:15 in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who were present, having come from various parts of Italy and every part of the world.
In his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Pope focused his mediation on the significance of Lent, which begins today: Ash Wednesday.
After having presented resumes of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father spoke greetings to various groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today, Ash Wednesday, the forty-day Lenten itinerary begins, which will lead us to the Easter Triduum, memorial of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, heart and centre of the mystery of our salvation. Lent prepares us for this moment that is so important, for this intense time, a turning point which can foster a change in each one of us, a conversion. We all need to become better, to change for the better. Lent helps us and thus allows us to come out of our weary habits and lazy addictions to the evil that deceives us. In the Lenten season the Church addresses to us two important invitations: to have a more lively awareness of Christ’s redemptive work and to live our Baptism with greater commitment.
The awareness of the wonders that the Lord has done for our salvation disposes our minds and our hearts to an attitude of gratitude to God, for all that He has given us, for all that he fulfills for His people and the whole of humanity. Our conversion begins here: it is our grateful answer to the stupendous mystery of the love of God. When we see this love that God has for us, we feel the need to come closer to him: this is conversion.
To live our Baptism through and through – this is the second invitation – means not to be accustomed to situations of degradation and misery, which we meet when walking through the streets of our cities and our countries. There is the risk of passively accepting certain behaviours and of not being astounded in the face of the sad realities that surround us. We are accustomed to violence, as if it were daily news taken for granted; we are accustomed to brothers and sisters sleeping on the street, who have no roof for shelter. We are accustomed to refugees in search of liberty and dignity, who are not received as they should be. We are accustomed to living in a society that pretends to do without God, in which parents no longer teach their children to pray or to make the sign of the cross. I would like to ask you: your children, do they know how to make the sign of the cross? Think about it. Do your grandchildren know how to make the sign of the cross? Did you teach them? Think about it and respond in your hearts. Do they know how to pray the Our Father? Do they know how to pray to Our Lady with the Hail Mary? Think and answer for yourselves. This addiction to non-Christian behaviours and to comfort drugs our heart!
Lent comes to us as a providential time to change course, to regain the capacity to react in the face of the reality of evil that always challenges us. Lent is to be lived as a time of conversion, of personal and communal renewal through drawing close to God and confident adherence to the Gospel. In this way, it enables us also to look at our brothers and their needs with new eyes. For this Lent is the favourable time to be converted to love of God and of our neighbour; a love that is able to make its own the attitude of gratuitude and mercy of the Lord, who became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9). By meditating on the central mysteries of the faith, the Passion, Cross and Resurrection of Christ, we will realize that the immeasurable gift of the Redemption was given to us by God’s gratuitous initiative.
Rendering thanks to God for the mystery of His crucified love; genuine faith, conversion and openness of heart to brothers: these are essential elements, necessary to live the Lenten season. On this journey we wish to invoke with particular trust the protection and help of the Virgin Mary: may She, the first believer in Christ, accompany us in our days of intense prayer and penance, to be able to celebrate, purified and renewed in the Spirit, the great mystery of the Easter of her Son. Thank you!
Following the syntheses of this catechesis, the Holy Father spoke greetings to each linguistic group of the faithful who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. May the Lenten journey we begin today bring us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your families I invoke joy and peace in Christ our Redeemer!
To Italian-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I give a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful. I greet the women religious nurses of USMI; the inspectors of Catholic schools, gathered around the Italian Federation of Institutes of Educational Activity; the Politrasfusi Italiani Association; the partners of AVIS of Livorno and Castelraimondo; the National Association of Alpine troops and members of ANAS. I am happy to welcome the numerous young people, in particular the Gen Tre girls of the Focolare Movement, and the students of the Fermi High School of Aversa. I exhort all of you to live the faith with joy, witnessing the Lord’s love for every person.
A special thought goes to young people, the sick and to newlyweds. Today, Ash Wednesday, the Lenten journey begins. Dear young people, I hope you will live this time of grace with a genuine penitential spirit, as a return to the Father, who waits for all with open arms. Dear sick people, I encourage you to offer your sufferings for the conversion of those living far from God; and I hope that you, dear newlyweds, will build your families with courage and generosity on the solid rock of divine love.
In his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Pope focused his mediation on the significance of Lent, which begins today: Ash Wednesday.
After having presented resumes of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father spoke greetings to various groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Today, Ash Wednesday, the forty-day Lenten itinerary begins, which will lead us to the Easter Triduum, memorial of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord, heart and centre of the mystery of our salvation. Lent prepares us for this moment that is so important, for this intense time, a turning point which can foster a change in each one of us, a conversion. We all need to become better, to change for the better. Lent helps us and thus allows us to come out of our weary habits and lazy addictions to the evil that deceives us. In the Lenten season the Church addresses to us two important invitations: to have a more lively awareness of Christ’s redemptive work and to live our Baptism with greater commitment.
The awareness of the wonders that the Lord has done for our salvation disposes our minds and our hearts to an attitude of gratitude to God, for all that He has given us, for all that he fulfills for His people and the whole of humanity. Our conversion begins here: it is our grateful answer to the stupendous mystery of the love of God. When we see this love that God has for us, we feel the need to come closer to him: this is conversion.
To live our Baptism through and through – this is the second invitation – means not to be accustomed to situations of degradation and misery, which we meet when walking through the streets of our cities and our countries. There is the risk of passively accepting certain behaviours and of not being astounded in the face of the sad realities that surround us. We are accustomed to violence, as if it were daily news taken for granted; we are accustomed to brothers and sisters sleeping on the street, who have no roof for shelter. We are accustomed to refugees in search of liberty and dignity, who are not received as they should be. We are accustomed to living in a society that pretends to do without God, in which parents no longer teach their children to pray or to make the sign of the cross. I would like to ask you: your children, do they know how to make the sign of the cross? Think about it. Do your grandchildren know how to make the sign of the cross? Did you teach them? Think about it and respond in your hearts. Do they know how to pray the Our Father? Do they know how to pray to Our Lady with the Hail Mary? Think and answer for yourselves. This addiction to non-Christian behaviours and to comfort drugs our heart!
Lent comes to us as a providential time to change course, to regain the capacity to react in the face of the reality of evil that always challenges us. Lent is to be lived as a time of conversion, of personal and communal renewal through drawing close to God and confident adherence to the Gospel. In this way, it enables us also to look at our brothers and their needs with new eyes. For this Lent is the favourable time to be converted to love of God and of our neighbour; a love that is able to make its own the attitude of gratuitude and mercy of the Lord, who became poor, so that by his poverty we might become rich (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9). By meditating on the central mysteries of the faith, the Passion, Cross and Resurrection of Christ, we will realize that the immeasurable gift of the Redemption was given to us by God’s gratuitous initiative.
Rendering thanks to God for the mystery of His crucified love; genuine faith, conversion and openness of heart to brothers: these are essential elements, necessary to live the Lenten season. On this journey we wish to invoke with particular trust the protection and help of the Virgin Mary: may She, the first believer in Christ, accompany us in our days of intense prayer and penance, to be able to celebrate, purified and renewed in the Spirit, the great mystery of the Easter of her Son. Thank you!
Following the syntheses of this catechesis, the Holy Father spoke greetings to each linguistic group of the faithful who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. May the Lenten journey we begin today bring us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your families I invoke joy and peace in Christ our Redeemer!
To Italian-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I give a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful. I greet the women religious nurses of USMI; the inspectors of Catholic schools, gathered around the Italian Federation of Institutes of Educational Activity; the Politrasfusi Italiani Association; the partners of AVIS of Livorno and Castelraimondo; the National Association of Alpine troops and members of ANAS. I am happy to welcome the numerous young people, in particular the Gen Tre girls of the Focolare Movement, and the students of the Fermi High School of Aversa. I exhort all of you to live the faith with joy, witnessing the Lord’s love for every person.
A special thought goes to young people, the sick and to newlyweds. Today, Ash Wednesday, the Lenten journey begins. Dear young people, I hope you will live this time of grace with a genuine penitential spirit, as a return to the Father, who waits for all with open arms. Dear sick people, I encourage you to offer your sufferings for the conversion of those living far from God; and I hope that you, dear newlyweds, will build your families with courage and generosity on the solid rock of divine love.
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