At noon today in Rome, 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 who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the expected Sunday meeting.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday, the gospel presents the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mt 14:13-21). Jesus did this on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in an isolated place where he had gone with his disciples after having learned of the death of John the Baptist. But many people followed after him and found him; and Jesus, seeing them, had compassion for them and cured their sick, all day long, until it was evening. The disciples, concerned about the late hour, suggested that he send the crowd aay so that they could go into the villages to find something to eat. But Jesus calmly responded: You yourselves, give them something to eat (Mt 14:16); they brought to him five loaves of bread and two fish which he blessed and began to tear apart and give to the disciples. They in turn distributed them to the people. Everyone ate until they were full and they even had leftovers!
In this event, we can find three messages. The first is compassion. Faced by the crowd which had come looking for him and - so to speak - would not leave him alone, Jesus doesn't react with irritation; he doesn't say: These people are a nuisance. No, no. He reacts with compassion because he knows that they aren't coming after him out of curiosity, but because they have a genuine need. Let's be careful: compassion - like Jesus had - is not simply a matter of piety; there's more to it! It means with-passion, that is, identifying with the suffering of others, to the point of taking this suffering upon oneself. This is what Jesus is like: he suffers along with us, he suffers with us, he suffers for us. The proof of his compassion is shown in the numerous cures that he accomplished. Jesus teaches us to put the needs of the poor ahead of our own needs. Our needs, even if they are legitimate, will never be as urgent as those of the poor who lack even the necessities of life. We often speak of the poor, but when we speak of them, do we consider that this man, this woman, these children don't have everything that is necessary for them to live? That they don't have enough food, that they don't have clothing, that they don't have access to medicine ... even that children aren't able to go to school. This is why, our needs, even if they are legitimate, are never as urgent as those of the poor who lack the necessities of life.
The second message is that of sharing. The first is compassion, that Jesus felt, the second is sharing. It's helpful to consider the reaction of the disciples when they were faced with the tired and hungry people, and to compare it with Jesus' reaction. They are very different. The disciples think that it would be better to send the crowds away, so that they can go in search of food. However, Jesus says: you give them something to eat. Two different reactions which reflect two opposing points of reference: the disciples are reasoning according to worldly thoughts, thinking that everyone has to take care of him or herself; as if to say: Take care of yourself. Jesus is reasoning according to God's way of thinking, which is that of sharing. How many times we turn the other way, so as not to have to see a brother of ours in need! Looking the other way is a polite way of saying, while keeping our own hands free of involvement: Take care of yourself. This is not Jesus' way: this is selfish. If the crowd had been sent away, many of them would have been left without anything to eat. Instead, those few loaves of bread and fish, shared and blessed by God, were enough for everyone. Be careful! This is not magic, it is a sign, a sign that invites us to have faith in God, a Father who provides, who makes sure that we always have enough of our daily bread, and it's up to us to share this daily bread with our brothers and sisters.
Compassion, sharing. And the third message: the multiplication of the loaves prefigures the Eucharist. We see it in Jesus' example as he says the blessing (Mt 14:19) before breaking the bread and distributing it to the crowd. This is the same gesture that Jesus would do at the Last Supper, when he instituted the perpetual memorial of his redemptive sacrifice. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us not bread but the bread of eternal life, the gift of Himself, offered to the Father out of love for us. We must go to Mass, carrying within us the same sentiments that Jesus had: compassion and the willingness to share. If anyone tries to go to Mass but is unwilling to be compassionate or unwilling to share the good things we have received, that person will not be pleasing in Jesus' eyes.
Compassion, sharing, Eucharist. This is the path that Jesus opens for us in this gospel passage. This journey will allow us to face the needs of our world with a spirit of fraternity, but it will also lead us over and above the concerns of the world, because it comes from God our Father, and we will all one day return to him. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, always accompany us on this path.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I wish to greet all of you - you are very brave to come here in all this rain! - faithful Romans and pilgrims who have come from various other countries.
I greet the visitors from the Parish of Stella Maris in Lido di Latina, along with the Vatican Guards and the Swiss Guards and I bless this small flame that remains lit during the month of August, a sign of devotion to Our Lady.
I greet the young people from the Parish of Sacro Cuore in Pontedera, in the Diocese of Pisa, who have come to Rome on foot along the Via Francigena.
I also greet the scouts from AGESCI who are here today, with a blessing for the thousands of Italian scouts who are journeying toward the great national jamboree at San Rossore.
Remember: compassion, sharing, Eucharist.
I wish you all a good Sunday. And please, don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch, good bye!
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday, the gospel presents the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mt 14:13-21). Jesus did this on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in an isolated place where he had gone with his disciples after having learned of the death of John the Baptist. But many people followed after him and found him; and Jesus, seeing them, had compassion for them and cured their sick, all day long, until it was evening. The disciples, concerned about the late hour, suggested that he send the crowd aay so that they could go into the villages to find something to eat. But Jesus calmly responded: You yourselves, give them something to eat (Mt 14:16); they brought to him five loaves of bread and two fish which he blessed and began to tear apart and give to the disciples. They in turn distributed them to the people. Everyone ate until they were full and they even had leftovers!
In this event, we can find three messages. The first is compassion. Faced by the crowd which had come looking for him and - so to speak - would not leave him alone, Jesus doesn't react with irritation; he doesn't say: These people are a nuisance. No, no. He reacts with compassion because he knows that they aren't coming after him out of curiosity, but because they have a genuine need. Let's be careful: compassion - like Jesus had - is not simply a matter of piety; there's more to it! It means with-passion, that is, identifying with the suffering of others, to the point of taking this suffering upon oneself. This is what Jesus is like: he suffers along with us, he suffers with us, he suffers for us. The proof of his compassion is shown in the numerous cures that he accomplished. Jesus teaches us to put the needs of the poor ahead of our own needs. Our needs, even if they are legitimate, will never be as urgent as those of the poor who lack even the necessities of life. We often speak of the poor, but when we speak of them, do we consider that this man, this woman, these children don't have everything that is necessary for them to live? That they don't have enough food, that they don't have clothing, that they don't have access to medicine ... even that children aren't able to go to school. This is why, our needs, even if they are legitimate, are never as urgent as those of the poor who lack the necessities of life.
The second message is that of sharing. The first is compassion, that Jesus felt, the second is sharing. It's helpful to consider the reaction of the disciples when they were faced with the tired and hungry people, and to compare it with Jesus' reaction. They are very different. The disciples think that it would be better to send the crowds away, so that they can go in search of food. However, Jesus says: you give them something to eat. Two different reactions which reflect two opposing points of reference: the disciples are reasoning according to worldly thoughts, thinking that everyone has to take care of him or herself; as if to say: Take care of yourself. Jesus is reasoning according to God's way of thinking, which is that of sharing. How many times we turn the other way, so as not to have to see a brother of ours in need! Looking the other way is a polite way of saying, while keeping our own hands free of involvement: Take care of yourself. This is not Jesus' way: this is selfish. If the crowd had been sent away, many of them would have been left without anything to eat. Instead, those few loaves of bread and fish, shared and blessed by God, were enough for everyone. Be careful! This is not magic, it is a sign, a sign that invites us to have faith in God, a Father who provides, who makes sure that we always have enough of our daily bread, and it's up to us to share this daily bread with our brothers and sisters.
Compassion, sharing. And the third message: the multiplication of the loaves prefigures the Eucharist. We see it in Jesus' example as he says the blessing (Mt 14:19) before breaking the bread and distributing it to the crowd. This is the same gesture that Jesus would do at the Last Supper, when he instituted the perpetual memorial of his redemptive sacrifice. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us not bread but the bread of eternal life, the gift of Himself, offered to the Father out of love for us. We must go to Mass, carrying within us the same sentiments that Jesus had: compassion and the willingness to share. If anyone tries to go to Mass but is unwilling to be compassionate or unwilling to share the good things we have received, that person will not be pleasing in Jesus' eyes.
Compassion, sharing, Eucharist. This is the path that Jesus opens for us in this gospel passage. This journey will allow us to face the needs of our world with a spirit of fraternity, but it will also lead us over and above the concerns of the world, because it comes from God our Father, and we will all one day return to him. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, always accompany us on this path.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I wish to greet all of you - you are very brave to come here in all this rain! - faithful Romans and pilgrims who have come from various other countries.
I greet the visitors from the Parish of Stella Maris in Lido di Latina, along with the Vatican Guards and the Swiss Guards and I bless this small flame that remains lit during the month of August, a sign of devotion to Our Lady.
I greet the young people from the Parish of Sacro Cuore in Pontedera, in the Diocese of Pisa, who have come to Rome on foot along the Via Francigena.
I also greet the scouts from AGESCI who are here today, with a blessing for the thousands of Italian scouts who are journeying toward the great national jamboree at San Rossore.
Remember: compassion, sharing, Eucharist.
I wish you all a good Sunday. And please, don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch, good bye!
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