This morning's General Audience began at 9:45am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from every part of the world.
Prior to the General Audience, the Pope greeted a group of sick people who had intended to be present in the Square, but who were suffering from the effects of the heat (as of 2:00pm local time in Rome today, the reported temperature was 33C and with humidity factored it, the temperature felt like 41C).
In his address today, the Holy Father concluded the cycle of catecheses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding a meditation on the gift of Fear of the Lord, otherwise known as Wonder and Awe in God's presence.
Following the summaries of his teaching, spoken in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the linguistic groups of the faithful who were present. He then addressed a call to the International community on the occasion of the World Day against the exploitation of child labour which will be observed tomorrow (June 12).
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
We thought that it would be a bit better for you to stay here, quiet ... It's a bit cooler here, no? It's better for you here rather than in the baking sun, right? You'll be able to see the Audience on the jumbotron. Which one of the jumbotrons? This one, eh? You'll be able to see everything, to follow everything here without suffering in the heat of the sun; they say that today will be the hottest day! Thank you.
Now, all together, let's pray to Our Lady and then I'll give you my blessing.
Hail Mary .... (blessing)
Now, make yourselves comfortable, all of you; you'll be able to see the Audience and please pray for me! See you soon, thank you!
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The gift of fear of the Lord, of which we speak today, concludes the series of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It does not mean that we are afraid of God: we know well that God is our Father and that he loves us and wants us to be saved, that he always forgives, always; this is why there is no reason for us to fear Him! Fear of the Lord, however, is the gift of the Holy Spirit that reminds us how small we are before God, in the face of his love ... and that it is good for us to abandon ourselves in love, in all humility, with respect and faithfulness into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment to the goodness of our Father who loves us so much.
When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, she gives us the gifts of consolation and peace, and we sense her presence and we in turn feel so small, with an attitude - so recommended by Jesus in the Gospel - that places all our preoccupations and our expectations in God while we ourselves are convinced of His warmth and His protection, like a child in the presence of his father! This is what the Holy Spirit accomplishes in our hearts: she makes us feel like children in the embrace of our father. In this sense, we understand well how fear of the Lord takes the form within us of docility, gratitude and praise, and fills our hearts with hope. Many times, in fact, we fail to understand the plan of God and we realize that we are not capable of attaining happiness and eternal life through our own efforts. It is only through our experience of our own limits and our own poverty that the Spirit comforts us convinces us that the only thing that is important is that we allow ourselves to be guided by Jesus into the loving embrace of his Father.
This is why we need this gift of the Holy Spirit so much. Fear of the Lord helps us to know that everything comes from grace and that our true strength can only be found in following the Lord Jesus, allowing the Father to bestow upon us His goodness and His mercy. Open your hearts, so that the goodness and the mercy of God can enter in. This is the work of the Holy Spirit through the gift of fear of the Lord: to open our hearts. Our hearts must be open so that forgiveness, mercy, goodness and the caress of the Father can find a home in us, for we are His precious children.
When we are pervaded by fear of the Lord, we are compelled to follow the Lord in humility, docility and obedience. However, this is done not in a sense of resignation or lament; it is done with the amazement and joy of a child who knows that he is served and loved by the Father. Fear of the Lord does not therefore make us timid or submissive Christians, instead it stirs up in us courage and strength! It is a gift that makes us committed, enthusiastic Christians who are not submissive to the Lord our of fear but because we are enticed and seduced by His love. To be seduced by the love of God! This is a beautiful thing. Let us allow ourselves to be seduced by the love of the Father, who loves us so much, he loves us with all his heart.
However, we must be careful, because this gift of God, the gift of the fear of God is also an alarm in the face of the tenaciousness of sin. When a person lives in evil, when he blasphemes against God, when he exploits others, when he tyrannizes them, when he lives only for money, for vanity or power or pride, then the holy fear of God puts us on alert: be careful! With all this power, with all this money, with all your pride, with all your vanity, you will not be happy. No one can take money with him to the other side, or power, or vanity or pride. Nothing! We can only take the love that God the Father gives us, God’s caresses, accepted and received by us with love. And we can take what we have done for others. Be careful not to put your hope in money, in pride, in power, in vanity, because all this cannot promise us anything good! I am thinking, for instance, of persons who have responsibility over others and who allow themselves to be corrupted; do you think a corrupt person will be happy on the other side? No, all the fruit of his corruption has corrupted his heart and it will be difficult for him to go to the Lord. I am thinking of those who live from the traffic of persons and of slave labor; do you think that these people who traffic in persons, who exploit people with slave labor have the love of God in their heart? No, they do not have the fear of God and they are not happy.
They are not. I am thinking of those who manufacture arms to foment wars, but think what an occupation this is. I am sure that if I now ask the question: how many of you are manufacturers of arms? No one, no one. Manufacturers of arms do not come to hear the Word of God. They manufacture death, they are merchants of death and make death into merchandise. May the fear of God make them understand that one day everything will end and they will have to render an account to God.
Dear friends, Psalm 34 makes us pray thus: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them (vv. 7-8).
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to unite our voices to that of the poor, to receive the gift of fear of the Lord and to be able to recognize ourselves, together with them, clothed with the mercy and love of God, who is our Father, our Daddy. Amen.
Following the summaries of this catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the linguistic groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking visitors, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Scotland, Sweden, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus and the manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of his greetings, the Pope issued a special call to the International community to observe the World Day against the exploitation of child labour, tomorrow:
Tomorrow, June 12, the World Day against the Exploitation of Child Labor will be observed. Tens of thousands of children, did you hear that? Tens of thousands are constrained to work in degrading conditions, exposed to forms of slavery and exploitation, as well as of abuses, maltreatment and discriminations.
I earnestly hope that the international community will be able to extend the social protection of minors, to eradicate this plague of exploitation of children. Let us all renew our commitment, particularly families, to guarantee every child the safeguarding of their dignity and the possibility of healthy growth. A serene childhood enables children to look at life and the future with confidence. I invite you all to pray to Our Lady, who held the Child Jesus in her arms, for these children who are exploited with work and also with abuses. Ave Maria ...
Prior to the General Audience, the Pope greeted a group of sick people who had intended to be present in the Square, but who were suffering from the effects of the heat (as of 2:00pm local time in Rome today, the reported temperature was 33C and with humidity factored it, the temperature felt like 41C).
In his address today, the Holy Father concluded the cycle of catecheses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, adding a meditation on the gift of Fear of the Lord, otherwise known as Wonder and Awe in God's presence.
Following the summaries of his teaching, spoken in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the linguistic groups of the faithful who were present. He then addressed a call to the International community on the occasion of the World Day against the exploitation of child labour which will be observed tomorrow (June 12).
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the sick in the Paul VI Audience Hall
We thought that it would be a bit better for you to stay here, quiet ... It's a bit cooler here, no? It's better for you here rather than in the baking sun, right? You'll be able to see the Audience on the jumbotron. Which one of the jumbotrons? This one, eh? You'll be able to see everything, to follow everything here without suffering in the heat of the sun; they say that today will be the hottest day! Thank you.
Now, all together, let's pray to Our Lady and then I'll give you my blessing.
Hail Mary .... (blessing)
Now, make yourselves comfortable, all of you; you'll be able to see the Audience and please pray for me! See you soon, thank you!
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
The gift of fear of the Lord, of which we speak today, concludes the series of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. It does not mean that we are afraid of God: we know well that God is our Father and that he loves us and wants us to be saved, that he always forgives, always; this is why there is no reason for us to fear Him! Fear of the Lord, however, is the gift of the Holy Spirit that reminds us how small we are before God, in the face of his love ... and that it is good for us to abandon ourselves in love, in all humility, with respect and faithfulness into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment to the goodness of our Father who loves us so much.
When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, she gives us the gifts of consolation and peace, and we sense her presence and we in turn feel so small, with an attitude - so recommended by Jesus in the Gospel - that places all our preoccupations and our expectations in God while we ourselves are convinced of His warmth and His protection, like a child in the presence of his father! This is what the Holy Spirit accomplishes in our hearts: she makes us feel like children in the embrace of our father. In this sense, we understand well how fear of the Lord takes the form within us of docility, gratitude and praise, and fills our hearts with hope. Many times, in fact, we fail to understand the plan of God and we realize that we are not capable of attaining happiness and eternal life through our own efforts. It is only through our experience of our own limits and our own poverty that the Spirit comforts us convinces us that the only thing that is important is that we allow ourselves to be guided by Jesus into the loving embrace of his Father.
This is why we need this gift of the Holy Spirit so much. Fear of the Lord helps us to know that everything comes from grace and that our true strength can only be found in following the Lord Jesus, allowing the Father to bestow upon us His goodness and His mercy. Open your hearts, so that the goodness and the mercy of God can enter in. This is the work of the Holy Spirit through the gift of fear of the Lord: to open our hearts. Our hearts must be open so that forgiveness, mercy, goodness and the caress of the Father can find a home in us, for we are His precious children.
When we are pervaded by fear of the Lord, we are compelled to follow the Lord in humility, docility and obedience. However, this is done not in a sense of resignation or lament; it is done with the amazement and joy of a child who knows that he is served and loved by the Father. Fear of the Lord does not therefore make us timid or submissive Christians, instead it stirs up in us courage and strength! It is a gift that makes us committed, enthusiastic Christians who are not submissive to the Lord our of fear but because we are enticed and seduced by His love. To be seduced by the love of God! This is a beautiful thing. Let us allow ourselves to be seduced by the love of the Father, who loves us so much, he loves us with all his heart.
However, we must be careful, because this gift of God, the gift of the fear of God is also an alarm in the face of the tenaciousness of sin. When a person lives in evil, when he blasphemes against God, when he exploits others, when he tyrannizes them, when he lives only for money, for vanity or power or pride, then the holy fear of God puts us on alert: be careful! With all this power, with all this money, with all your pride, with all your vanity, you will not be happy. No one can take money with him to the other side, or power, or vanity or pride. Nothing! We can only take the love that God the Father gives us, God’s caresses, accepted and received by us with love. And we can take what we have done for others. Be careful not to put your hope in money, in pride, in power, in vanity, because all this cannot promise us anything good! I am thinking, for instance, of persons who have responsibility over others and who allow themselves to be corrupted; do you think a corrupt person will be happy on the other side? No, all the fruit of his corruption has corrupted his heart and it will be difficult for him to go to the Lord. I am thinking of those who live from the traffic of persons and of slave labor; do you think that these people who traffic in persons, who exploit people with slave labor have the love of God in their heart? No, they do not have the fear of God and they are not happy.
They are not. I am thinking of those who manufacture arms to foment wars, but think what an occupation this is. I am sure that if I now ask the question: how many of you are manufacturers of arms? No one, no one. Manufacturers of arms do not come to hear the Word of God. They manufacture death, they are merchants of death and make death into merchandise. May the fear of God make them understand that one day everything will end and they will have to render an account to God.
Dear friends, Psalm 34 makes us pray thus: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them (vv. 7-8).
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to unite our voices to that of the poor, to receive the gift of fear of the Lord and to be able to recognize ourselves, together with them, clothed with the mercy and love of God, who is our Father, our Daddy. Amen.
Following the summaries of this catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the linguistic groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking visitors, he said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Scotland, Sweden, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus and the manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of his greetings, the Pope issued a special call to the International community to observe the World Day against the exploitation of child labour, tomorrow:
Tomorrow, June 12, the World Day against the Exploitation of Child Labor will be observed. Tens of thousands of children, did you hear that? Tens of thousands are constrained to work in degrading conditions, exposed to forms of slavery and exploitation, as well as of abuses, maltreatment and discriminations.
I earnestly hope that the international community will be able to extend the social protection of minors, to eradicate this plague of exploitation of children. Let us all renew our commitment, particularly families, to guarantee every child the safeguarding of their dignity and the possibility of healthy growth. A serene childhood enables children to look at life and the future with confidence. I invite you all to pray to Our Lady, who held the Child Jesus in her arms, for these children who are exploited with work and also with abuses. Ave Maria ...
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