This morning's General Audience began at 10:15am local time in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from every corner of the world.
During his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding a meditation on the gift of fortitude.
Following the summaries of His catechesis, spoken in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of faithful who were present. Then the Pope invited the faithful to pray for the miners who died in the mines in Soma, Turkey and for the migrants who recently lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have reflected in recent catecheses on the first three gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, intellect and counsel. Today, we think about what the Lord does: He comes to sustain us in our weakness, and this he does with a special gift - the gift of fortitude.
There is a parable recounted by Jesus which might help us to understand the importance of this gift. A sower goes out to sow; not all of the seed he scatters though, bears fruit. The seed that lands on the street is eaten up by birds; the seed that falls on rocky ground or in the midst of thorns sprouts but is soon dried up by the sun or choked by the thorns. Only the seed that falls on good earth can grow and bear fruit (cf. Mk 4:3-9; Mt 13:3-9; Lk 8:4-8). As Jesus himself explains to his disciples, this sower represents the Father, who scatters the abundant seed of his Word. The seed, however, often clashes with the dry realities of our hearts and even when it is welcomed, risks the possibility of remaining sterile. With the gift of fortitude however, the Holy Spirit frees the soil of our hearts, awakens it from slumber, from uncertainty and from all the fears that can hold us back, so that the Word of the Lord can be put into practice, in an authentic and joyous way. This gift of fortitude is a real help, it gives us strength and it frees us from so many impediments.
There are also some difficult moments and some extreme situations in which the gift of strength comes to our help in extraordinary and exemplary ways. Take for instance the case of those who find themselves confronted with particularly difficult or sad experiences, who disrupt their own lives and the lives of those who are close and dear to them. The Church shines with the testimony of so many brothers and sisters who did not hesitate to offer even their vert lives, for no other reason than so that they could remain faithful to the Lord and to his gospel. Even today, there are Christians who in many parts of the world continue to celebrate and to testify to their faith, with profound conviction and serenity, and to resist even when they know that to do so could demand a high price. Even we, all of us know people who have experienced difficult situations, so much suffering. But, we think of the men and women who lead difficult lives, fighting for the good of their families, to educate their children; they do all this because they have the spirit of fortitude to help them. How many men and women - we do not know their names - honor our people, honor our Church because they are strong; strong in their commitment to bettering their lives, their families, their work, their faith. These brothers and sisters of ours are saints, everyday saints, saints hidden among us: they have the special gift of fortitude to continue their personal duties as fathers, as mothers, as brothers, as sisters, as citizens. There are so many of them! Let us thank the Lord for these Christians who are hidden saints: and may the Holy Spirit that they bear within them strengthen them so that they can continue to bear witness. It's good for us to think about these people: if they can do all this, if they can do it, why can't we? We should all ask the Lord to give us the gift of strength.
We should not think that the gift of fortitude is only necessary in some situations or in certain cases. This gift should be the foundation of our Christian identity, a part of our everyday lives. As I said, every day of our lives we should be strong; we need fortitude, so that we can continue living our lives, supporting and encouraging our families, reinforcing our faith. The apostle Paul spoke some words that we should listen to: I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). In the course of our daily lives, when difficulties arise, remember this: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. The Lord gives us the strength we need, always, don't ever forget this. The Lord doesn't ask us to do anything that he thinks we cannot do. He is always with us. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Dear friends, we can at times be tempted by laziness or even by anxiety to take things a bit easy, especially when we are confronted by the hardships and trials of life. In these cases, don't lose heart; let us call on the Holy Spirit, because with the gift of fortitude, we can lift up our hearts and communicate with renewed strength and enthusiasm for our lives and for our commitment to following Jesus.
Following the conclusion of this catechesis, a shortened version of this text was translated into various languages and offered to those who were present at the Audience. The Holy Father also offered greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Sweden, Denmark, India, the Philippines, China, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you!
At the conclusion of today's Audience, the Holy Father issued a special call for prayers for miners in Turkey and for those who have recently lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea:
Dear friends, I invite you to pray for the miners who died yesterday in the mines in Soma, in Turkey, and for those who are still trapped in the mine. May the Lord welcome all the dead into his house and give comfort to their families.
And let us pray also for the people who during these most recent days have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea. If we consider human rights as primary among our concerns, let us pray for this: let us put human rights at the top of our list of concerns, and unite our efforts to prevent these terrible tragedies.
During his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding a meditation on the gift of fortitude.
Following the summaries of His catechesis, spoken in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of faithful who were present. Then the Pope invited the faithful to pray for the miners who died in the mines in Soma, Turkey and for the migrants who recently lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have reflected in recent catecheses on the first three gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, intellect and counsel. Today, we think about what the Lord does: He comes to sustain us in our weakness, and this he does with a special gift - the gift of fortitude.
There is a parable recounted by Jesus which might help us to understand the importance of this gift. A sower goes out to sow; not all of the seed he scatters though, bears fruit. The seed that lands on the street is eaten up by birds; the seed that falls on rocky ground or in the midst of thorns sprouts but is soon dried up by the sun or choked by the thorns. Only the seed that falls on good earth can grow and bear fruit (cf. Mk 4:3-9; Mt 13:3-9; Lk 8:4-8). As Jesus himself explains to his disciples, this sower represents the Father, who scatters the abundant seed of his Word. The seed, however, often clashes with the dry realities of our hearts and even when it is welcomed, risks the possibility of remaining sterile. With the gift of fortitude however, the Holy Spirit frees the soil of our hearts, awakens it from slumber, from uncertainty and from all the fears that can hold us back, so that the Word of the Lord can be put into practice, in an authentic and joyous way. This gift of fortitude is a real help, it gives us strength and it frees us from so many impediments.
There are also some difficult moments and some extreme situations in which the gift of strength comes to our help in extraordinary and exemplary ways. Take for instance the case of those who find themselves confronted with particularly difficult or sad experiences, who disrupt their own lives and the lives of those who are close and dear to them. The Church shines with the testimony of so many brothers and sisters who did not hesitate to offer even their vert lives, for no other reason than so that they could remain faithful to the Lord and to his gospel. Even today, there are Christians who in many parts of the world continue to celebrate and to testify to their faith, with profound conviction and serenity, and to resist even when they know that to do so could demand a high price. Even we, all of us know people who have experienced difficult situations, so much suffering. But, we think of the men and women who lead difficult lives, fighting for the good of their families, to educate their children; they do all this because they have the spirit of fortitude to help them. How many men and women - we do not know their names - honor our people, honor our Church because they are strong; strong in their commitment to bettering their lives, their families, their work, their faith. These brothers and sisters of ours are saints, everyday saints, saints hidden among us: they have the special gift of fortitude to continue their personal duties as fathers, as mothers, as brothers, as sisters, as citizens. There are so many of them! Let us thank the Lord for these Christians who are hidden saints: and may the Holy Spirit that they bear within them strengthen them so that they can continue to bear witness. It's good for us to think about these people: if they can do all this, if they can do it, why can't we? We should all ask the Lord to give us the gift of strength.
We should not think that the gift of fortitude is only necessary in some situations or in certain cases. This gift should be the foundation of our Christian identity, a part of our everyday lives. As I said, every day of our lives we should be strong; we need fortitude, so that we can continue living our lives, supporting and encouraging our families, reinforcing our faith. The apostle Paul spoke some words that we should listen to: I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). In the course of our daily lives, when difficulties arise, remember this: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. The Lord gives us the strength we need, always, don't ever forget this. The Lord doesn't ask us to do anything that he thinks we cannot do. He is always with us. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Dear friends, we can at times be tempted by laziness or even by anxiety to take things a bit easy, especially when we are confronted by the hardships and trials of life. In these cases, don't lose heart; let us call on the Holy Spirit, because with the gift of fortitude, we can lift up our hearts and communicate with renewed strength and enthusiasm for our lives and for our commitment to following Jesus.
Following the conclusion of this catechesis, a shortened version of this text was translated into various languages and offered to those who were present at the Audience. The Holy Father also offered greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Sweden, Denmark, India, the Philippines, China, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord. God bless you!
At the conclusion of today's Audience, the Holy Father issued a special call for prayers for miners in Turkey and for those who have recently lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea:
Dear friends, I invite you to pray for the miners who died yesterday in the mines in Soma, in Turkey, and for those who are still trapped in the mine. May the Lord welcome all the dead into his house and give comfort to their families.
And let us pray also for the people who during these most recent days have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea. If we consider human rights as primary among our concerns, let us pray for this: let us put human rights at the top of our list of concerns, and unite our efforts to prevent these terrible tragedies.
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