At 12:00 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 who had come to Saint Peter's Square for his usual Sunday gathering.
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
This Sunday's gospel is the parable of the talents, spoken of by Saint Matthew (25:14-30). It is the story of a man who, before leaving for a trip, assembles his servants and divides his inheritance among them in talents, an ancient measure of money of great value. The master confides to the first servant five talents, to the second two, to the third one. During the master's absence, it's up to the three servants to make the money grow. The first and the second servants redouble the capital they each had at the beginning; the third however, out of fear of losing everything, buries the talent he received in a hole. At the master's return, the first two receive praise and a reward, but the third, who returns only the money he received, is scolded and punished.
The significance of all this is clear. The man in the parable represents Jesus, we are the servants and the talents are the patrimony that the Lord confides to us. What patrimony? His Word, the Eucharist, faith in our heavenly Father, his forgiveness ... that is, many things, his most precious treasures. This is the inheritance that He confides to us. Not only to care for it but to make it grow! Whereas in common parlance, the term talent indicates a specific individual quality - for example a talent for music, for sport, et cetera - in this parable, the talents represent the Lord's possessions which He confides to us, hoping that we will help them to grow. The hole dug in the ground by the wicked and lazy servant (Mt 25:26) indicates the fear associated with risk, which can block creativity and the fruitfulness of love. Fear of taking risks with love stops us. Jesus does not ask us to protect his grace in vaults! Jesus never asks this of us, but he wants us to use his treasures for the benefit of others. All the treasures that we have received are to be given, shared with others, and in this way, they grow. It is as if He were saying: Here, take my mercy, my tenderness, my forgiveness; take them and make good use of them, and we, what have we done with them? Who have we infected with our faith? How many people have we encouraged with our hope? How much love have we shared with our neighbour? It would be good to ask ourselves these questions. Any environment, even the most distant and most unlikely, can become a place where these talents can bear fruit. There are no situations of places which are precluded from the presence of Christian witness. The witness that Jesus asks of us is not something that is closed; it is open, it depends on us.
This parable urges us not to hide our faith and our belonging to Christ, to not bury the Word of the gospel, but to make it known in our lives, in our relationships, in concrete situations, as a force that helps us in times of crisis, that purifies, that renews. The same can be said of the forgiveness that the Lord offers, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: it is not something that should be held onto, for our own sakes, but shared with others so that its strength can grow, so that it can tear down the walls which have been built up by our selfishness; so that we can take the first steps toward resolving differences, opening channels for dialogue where communication has become difficult ... and so on. Use these talents, these gifts which the Lord has given to us for the sake of others, so that they might grow, bear fruit through our witness.
I believe that today it might be good if each of your were to take this gospel home with you, the gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter 25, verses 14 to 30. Matthew 25: 14-20, and read it, meditate upon it for a while: The talents, the riches, all the spiritual goodness that God has given me, in such abundance, the Word of God, how do I help them to grow in others, or do I only hide them in a vault?
And also, the Lord gives to all people in the same way: he knows us personally and confides to us the things that we need, but in all of us, there is something that is the same: under everything else, along with everything else, there is trust. God has confidence in us, God has hopes for us! This is the same for all of us. Let us not be misled! Don't be fooled by fear, but replace fear with trust and confidence! The Virgin Mary has the best and most beautiful example of this attitude. She received and welcomed the most sublime gift, Jesus himself, and in turn, she offered him to humanity with a generous heart. Let us ask her to help us to be good and faithful servants, so that we may know the joy of the Lord.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In recent days here in Rome, there have been some rather strong tensions between the residents and the immigrants. These are caused by events which are taking place in other European cities, especially in neighbourhoods on the outskirts which are marked by discomfort. I invite the Institutes, at all levels, to see this situation as a priority which constitutes a social emergency which, if it is not controlled quickly and in an adequate fashion, can degenerate and worsen. The Christian community is committed in concrete ways to promoting not confrontation but encounter. Citizens and immigrants, along with representatives of various institutions, can meet each other, even in one of the rooms of a parish church, to speak together about the situation. What is important is that we do not fall into the temptation to fight, that we resist every kind of violence. Dialogue is possible, listen to one another, plan things together, and in this way we will overcome suspicions and prejudice and build up a coexistence which is more and more safe, peaceful and inclusive.
Today, we observe the World Day of victims of the street. Let us remember in our prayer, all those who have lost their lives, and let us pray for the success of efforts being made to prevent such accidents, as well as to promote prudent behaviour and respect for the rules by all motorists.
I greet you all, families, parishioners, associations and single faithful, who have come from various parts of Italy and from so many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims who have come from Murcia (Spain), Cagliari, Teramo, Gubbio and Lissone; the Amadeus choir from Villafranca, the Friends of the Marian Sanctuaries throughout the World and the recently-confirmed youth from Monte San Savino and from Torano Nuovo. I greet the residents from the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Rome and the group of musicians from the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome.
Don't forget, when you get home today, to take the gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 14, and to read it, and ask yourselves the questions that arise from it.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and goodbye!
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
This Sunday's gospel is the parable of the talents, spoken of by Saint Matthew (25:14-30). It is the story of a man who, before leaving for a trip, assembles his servants and divides his inheritance among them in talents, an ancient measure of money of great value. The master confides to the first servant five talents, to the second two, to the third one. During the master's absence, it's up to the three servants to make the money grow. The first and the second servants redouble the capital they each had at the beginning; the third however, out of fear of losing everything, buries the talent he received in a hole. At the master's return, the first two receive praise and a reward, but the third, who returns only the money he received, is scolded and punished.
The significance of all this is clear. The man in the parable represents Jesus, we are the servants and the talents are the patrimony that the Lord confides to us. What patrimony? His Word, the Eucharist, faith in our heavenly Father, his forgiveness ... that is, many things, his most precious treasures. This is the inheritance that He confides to us. Not only to care for it but to make it grow! Whereas in common parlance, the term talent indicates a specific individual quality - for example a talent for music, for sport, et cetera - in this parable, the talents represent the Lord's possessions which He confides to us, hoping that we will help them to grow. The hole dug in the ground by the wicked and lazy servant (Mt 25:26) indicates the fear associated with risk, which can block creativity and the fruitfulness of love. Fear of taking risks with love stops us. Jesus does not ask us to protect his grace in vaults! Jesus never asks this of us, but he wants us to use his treasures for the benefit of others. All the treasures that we have received are to be given, shared with others, and in this way, they grow. It is as if He were saying: Here, take my mercy, my tenderness, my forgiveness; take them and make good use of them, and we, what have we done with them? Who have we infected with our faith? How many people have we encouraged with our hope? How much love have we shared with our neighbour? It would be good to ask ourselves these questions. Any environment, even the most distant and most unlikely, can become a place where these talents can bear fruit. There are no situations of places which are precluded from the presence of Christian witness. The witness that Jesus asks of us is not something that is closed; it is open, it depends on us.
This parable urges us not to hide our faith and our belonging to Christ, to not bury the Word of the gospel, but to make it known in our lives, in our relationships, in concrete situations, as a force that helps us in times of crisis, that purifies, that renews. The same can be said of the forgiveness that the Lord offers, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: it is not something that should be held onto, for our own sakes, but shared with others so that its strength can grow, so that it can tear down the walls which have been built up by our selfishness; so that we can take the first steps toward resolving differences, opening channels for dialogue where communication has become difficult ... and so on. Use these talents, these gifts which the Lord has given to us for the sake of others, so that they might grow, bear fruit through our witness.
I believe that today it might be good if each of your were to take this gospel home with you, the gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter 25, verses 14 to 30. Matthew 25: 14-20, and read it, meditate upon it for a while: The talents, the riches, all the spiritual goodness that God has given me, in such abundance, the Word of God, how do I help them to grow in others, or do I only hide them in a vault?
And also, the Lord gives to all people in the same way: he knows us personally and confides to us the things that we need, but in all of us, there is something that is the same: under everything else, along with everything else, there is trust. God has confidence in us, God has hopes for us! This is the same for all of us. Let us not be misled! Don't be fooled by fear, but replace fear with trust and confidence! The Virgin Mary has the best and most beautiful example of this attitude. She received and welcomed the most sublime gift, Jesus himself, and in turn, she offered him to humanity with a generous heart. Let us ask her to help us to be good and faithful servants, so that we may know the joy of the Lord.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In recent days here in Rome, there have been some rather strong tensions between the residents and the immigrants. These are caused by events which are taking place in other European cities, especially in neighbourhoods on the outskirts which are marked by discomfort. I invite the Institutes, at all levels, to see this situation as a priority which constitutes a social emergency which, if it is not controlled quickly and in an adequate fashion, can degenerate and worsen. The Christian community is committed in concrete ways to promoting not confrontation but encounter. Citizens and immigrants, along with representatives of various institutions, can meet each other, even in one of the rooms of a parish church, to speak together about the situation. What is important is that we do not fall into the temptation to fight, that we resist every kind of violence. Dialogue is possible, listen to one another, plan things together, and in this way we will overcome suspicions and prejudice and build up a coexistence which is more and more safe, peaceful and inclusive.
Today, we observe the World Day of victims of the street. Let us remember in our prayer, all those who have lost their lives, and let us pray for the success of efforts being made to prevent such accidents, as well as to promote prudent behaviour and respect for the rules by all motorists.
I greet you all, families, parishioners, associations and single faithful, who have come from various parts of Italy and from so many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims who have come from Murcia (Spain), Cagliari, Teramo, Gubbio and Lissone; the Amadeus choir from Villafranca, the Friends of the Marian Sanctuaries throughout the World and the recently-confirmed youth from Monte San Savino and from Torano Nuovo. I greet the residents from the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Rome and the group of musicians from the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome.
Don't forget, when you get home today, to take the gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 14, and to read it, and ask yourselves the questions that arise from it.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and goodbye!
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