At 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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the weekly appointment.
On this third Sunday of Advent, some children from the Central Roman Oratory were present for the blessing of the Bambinelli, statues of the Christ-child which the children will place in the crèches in their family homes, in their schools and in their respective parish churches. To all of them and to the faithful who were present in Saint Peter's Square today, the Pope presented a prayer book, prepared by the Apostolic Elemosinieri (the office responsible for the Pope's charitable work) and published by the Vatican's publishing house, as a gift.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Dear children,
Dear young people, good morning!
For two weeks now, the Season of Advent has invited us to be spiritually vigilant and to prepare the way for the Lord who is coming. On this third Sunday of Advent, the liturgy proposes another interior attitude with which we can experience this period of waiting with the Lord: that is with joy. The joy of Jesus, as the sign says: With Jesus, joy is in this house. So, we focus today on the joy of Jesus!
Every heart desires joy. All of us aspire to joy. Every family, every people desires happiness. But what is the joy to which the Christian is called to live and to bear witness? It is joy that comes from the closeness of God, of his presence in our lives. Since Jesus entered into history, through his birth in Bethlehem, humanity has received the seed of the Kingdom of God, just like the earth receives a seed, the promise of a future harvest. We don't need to look elsewhere. Jesus came to bring joy to everyone and for ever.
It is not a joy that is merely anticipated or set in paradise -- here on earth we are sad but in paradise, we'll be happy. No. It's not that way. Rather, it is a joy that is already real and that can be felt now, because Jesus himself is our joy; He is our home.
As that sign of yours says, With Jesus, joy is part of the home, let us repeat this again, With Jesus, joy is part of the home. And without Jesus, is there joy? No. Jesus is alive. He is the risen one and he works in us, especially with his word and the sacraments.
All of us who are baptized, the children of the Church, are called to welcome again and again the presence of God in our midst and to help others to discover it, or to rediscover it if we've forgotten it. This is a beautiful mission, similar to that of John the Baptist: to point people toward Christ -- not to ourselves -- because He is the final goal toward which the human heart reaches when it seeks joy and happiness.
Again Saint Paul in today's liturgy indicates for us the conditions for being a missionary of joy: to pray with perseverance, to always give thanks to God, to follow his Spirit, to seek the good and avoid evil. If this would be our style of life, then the Good News could enter into so many houses and help people and families to discover that salvation is in Jesus. In Him, it is possible to find interior peace and the strength to face daily the various situations of life, even the most difficult and costly ones.
A sad saint or a saint with a face of mourning has never been heard of. Never been heard of. That would be a contradiction.
The Christian is a person who has his heart full of peace, because he knows how to place his joy in the Lord, even when the difficult moments of life arise.
To have faith does not mean to not have difficult moments, but to have the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone. And this is the Peace that God gives to his children.
With eyes set on Christmas, which is approaching, the Church invites us to bear witness to the fact that Jesus is not a figure from the past. He is the word of God who today continues illuminating our path. His actions, the sacraments, are the manifestations of the tenderness, of the consolation, of the love of the Father for every human being. The Virgin Mary, cause of our joy always brings us back to joy in the Lord, who comes to free us from so many interior and exterior slaveries.
The Pope then led the recitation of the Angelus. After the Angelus, he continued:
Dear brothers and sisters. I forgot the phrase. There, we see it: With Jesus, joy is part of the home. Let's say it together: With Jesus, joy is part of the home.
I greet those present: families, parish groups and associations that have come here to Rome, from Italy and from so many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims from Civitella Casanova, Catania, Gela, Altamura, and the youth from Frosinone.
In greeting the Polish pilgrims, I unite myself spiritually to your compatriots who today light the Christmas candle and reiterate the efforts toward solidarity, especially in this Year of Charity being celebrated in Poland.
Now I greet with affection the children, who have come for the blessing of the Bambinelli (Baby Jesus), organized by the Centro Oratori Romani. Congratulations. You've done very well, you've been full of joy here in the Square. Congratulations. And now, each of you will take your blessed Infant Jesus to your local nativity. Dear children, I thank you for your presence and I wish you a happy Christmas. When you pray in your homes, before your nativity scenes, I ask you to remember me, as I remember you.
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is important to find moments during the day to open the heart to God, also with simple and brief prayers of the Christian people. That's why I decided to give you today a gift, for everyone here in the Square, a surprise, a gift. A little pocket-sized book that has some prayers, for various moments of the day, and for various situations in life. Some volunteers will pass them out. Everyone take one and carry it with you always, as a tool to help you live the day with God.
Let us not forget this beautiful message that they have brought here on this sign. With Jesus, joy is part of the home. And to all of you I wish you affectionately a good Sunday and a good lunch. And don't forget, please, pray for me. Goodbye.
On this third Sunday of Advent, some children from the Central Roman Oratory were present for the blessing of the Bambinelli, statues of the Christ-child which the children will place in the crèches in their family homes, in their schools and in their respective parish churches. To all of them and to the faithful who were present in Saint Peter's Square today, the Pope presented a prayer book, prepared by the Apostolic Elemosinieri (the office responsible for the Pope's charitable work) and published by the Vatican's publishing house, as a gift.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
Dear children,
Dear young people, good morning!
For two weeks now, the Season of Advent has invited us to be spiritually vigilant and to prepare the way for the Lord who is coming. On this third Sunday of Advent, the liturgy proposes another interior attitude with which we can experience this period of waiting with the Lord: that is with joy. The joy of Jesus, as the sign says: With Jesus, joy is in this house. So, we focus today on the joy of Jesus!
Every heart desires joy. All of us aspire to joy. Every family, every people desires happiness. But what is the joy to which the Christian is called to live and to bear witness? It is joy that comes from the closeness of God, of his presence in our lives. Since Jesus entered into history, through his birth in Bethlehem, humanity has received the seed of the Kingdom of God, just like the earth receives a seed, the promise of a future harvest. We don't need to look elsewhere. Jesus came to bring joy to everyone and for ever.
It is not a joy that is merely anticipated or set in paradise -- here on earth we are sad but in paradise, we'll be happy. No. It's not that way. Rather, it is a joy that is already real and that can be felt now, because Jesus himself is our joy; He is our home.
As that sign of yours says, With Jesus, joy is part of the home, let us repeat this again, With Jesus, joy is part of the home. And without Jesus, is there joy? No. Jesus is alive. He is the risen one and he works in us, especially with his word and the sacraments.
All of us who are baptized, the children of the Church, are called to welcome again and again the presence of God in our midst and to help others to discover it, or to rediscover it if we've forgotten it. This is a beautiful mission, similar to that of John the Baptist: to point people toward Christ -- not to ourselves -- because He is the final goal toward which the human heart reaches when it seeks joy and happiness.
Again Saint Paul in today's liturgy indicates for us the conditions for being a missionary of joy: to pray with perseverance, to always give thanks to God, to follow his Spirit, to seek the good and avoid evil. If this would be our style of life, then the Good News could enter into so many houses and help people and families to discover that salvation is in Jesus. In Him, it is possible to find interior peace and the strength to face daily the various situations of life, even the most difficult and costly ones.
A sad saint or a saint with a face of mourning has never been heard of. Never been heard of. That would be a contradiction.
The Christian is a person who has his heart full of peace, because he knows how to place his joy in the Lord, even when the difficult moments of life arise.
To have faith does not mean to not have difficult moments, but to have the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone. And this is the Peace that God gives to his children.
With eyes set on Christmas, which is approaching, the Church invites us to bear witness to the fact that Jesus is not a figure from the past. He is the word of God who today continues illuminating our path. His actions, the sacraments, are the manifestations of the tenderness, of the consolation, of the love of the Father for every human being. The Virgin Mary, cause of our joy always brings us back to joy in the Lord, who comes to free us from so many interior and exterior slaveries.
The Pope then led the recitation of the Angelus. After the Angelus, he continued:
Dear brothers and sisters. I forgot the phrase. There, we see it: With Jesus, joy is part of the home. Let's say it together: With Jesus, joy is part of the home.
I greet those present: families, parish groups and associations that have come here to Rome, from Italy and from so many parts of the world. In particular, I greet the pilgrims from Civitella Casanova, Catania, Gela, Altamura, and the youth from Frosinone.
In greeting the Polish pilgrims, I unite myself spiritually to your compatriots who today light the Christmas candle and reiterate the efforts toward solidarity, especially in this Year of Charity being celebrated in Poland.
Now I greet with affection the children, who have come for the blessing of the Bambinelli (Baby Jesus), organized by the Centro Oratori Romani. Congratulations. You've done very well, you've been full of joy here in the Square. Congratulations. And now, each of you will take your blessed Infant Jesus to your local nativity. Dear children, I thank you for your presence and I wish you a happy Christmas. When you pray in your homes, before your nativity scenes, I ask you to remember me, as I remember you.
Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is important to find moments during the day to open the heart to God, also with simple and brief prayers of the Christian people. That's why I decided to give you today a gift, for everyone here in the Square, a surprise, a gift. A little pocket-sized book that has some prayers, for various moments of the day, and for various situations in life. Some volunteers will pass them out. Everyone take one and carry it with you always, as a tool to help you live the day with God.
Let us not forget this beautiful message that they have brought here on this sign. With Jesus, joy is part of the home. And to all of you I wish you affectionately a good Sunday and a good lunch. And don't forget, please, pray for me. Goodbye.
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