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 usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Last Wednesday, Lent began with the rite of Ashes, and today is the first Sunday of this liturgical time which makes reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, after his baptism in the Jordan river. Saint Mark writes in today's gospel: The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert and in the desert he remained for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts and the angels took care of him (Mark 1:12-13). With these few words, the evangelist describes the tests that Jesus willingly faced, before beginning his messianic mission. This was a test over which the Lord was victorious, a test which prepared him to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. During those forty days spent in solitude, he faced Satan one on one, disproved his temptations and was victorious. And in Him, we too are victorious over everything, but it is up to us to protect this victory every day.
The Church reminds us of this mystery at the beginning of Lent, for it gives us the perspective and the sense of this time, which is a time of combat - you have to fight during Lent - a time of spiritual combat against the spirit of evil (cf the Opening Prayer for the liturgy of Ash Wednesday). And while we cross the desert of Lent, we keep our eyes fixed on Easter, which is the definitive victory of Jesus against the Evil One, against sin and against death. This then is the significance of the first Sunday of Lent: let us set out decisively on the road with Jesus, the road that leads to life. Look toward Jesus, what did Jesus do, and go with Him.
And the way of Jesus travels through the desert. The desert is the place where we can listen to the voice of God and the voice of the tempter. In the midst of noise and confusion, it is not possible; we hear only superficial voices. However, in the desert, we can delve to the depths, where our destiny is truly at play: life or death. How do we listen for the voice of God? We listen to his Word. This is why it's important to know the scriptures, otherwise we won't know how to respond to the cunning of the evil one. Here, I want to return to my suggestion to read the gospel every day: every day, read the gospel, meditate on it, just a little bit, ten minutes; and always carry it with us: in our pocket, in a purse ... Keep the gospel at hand. The Lenten desert helps us to say no to worldliness, to idols, it helps us to make courageous choices according to the gospel and to strengthen our solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
Therefore, let us enter into the desert without fear, for we are not alone: we are with Jesus, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. As it was for Jesus, it is truly the Holy Spirit who guides our Lenten journey, the same Spirit that descended upon Jesus and that was given to us at our Baptism. Lent, therefore, is a favoured time which should lead us to be ever more aware of how much the Holy Spirit, received at Baptism, has been at work and can work in us. At the end of the Lenten journey, at the Easter Vigil, we can renew our baptismal covenant and the commitments that flow from it.
May the Holy Virgin, a model of docility to the Spirit, help us to allow ourselves to be guided by Him who wants to make new creations out of each of us.
To Her, I confide in particular, this week of Spiritual Exercises which will begin this afternoon and in which I will participate along with my colleagues in the Roman Curia. Pray that in this desert of Exercises, we may listen to the voice of Jesus and also that we may correct the many faults that we have. May we also face the temptations that attack us every day. I ask you in the meanwhile to accompany us with your prayers.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I wish to cordially greet the families, the parish groups, the associations and all the pilgrims from Rome, from Italy and from various other countries.
I greet the faithful from Napoli, Cosenza and Verona, and the young people from Seregno who have come to make their profession of faith.
Lent is a journey of conversion which is centred on the heart. Our hearts need to be converted to the Lord. Therefore, on this first Sunday of Lent, I want to present each one of you who is here in the Square with a little pocket book entitled: Take care of the heart. This is it (he shows them a copy). This book includes all the teachings of Jesus and the essential components of our faith, such as the seven Sacraments, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the ten commandments, the virtues, the works of mercy, et cetera. Now, the volunteers will distribute them; among them are many homeless persons who have come on pilgrimage. As it always is, even today, here in the Square, it is the ones who are in need who themselves offer a great gift: the gift of our doctrine, in order to take care of the heart. Take one book each and carry it with you, as an aid to help your conversion and your spiritual growth, which always begins in your heart: that is where you play the game of daily choices between good and evil, between worldliness and the gospel, between indifference and sharing. Humanity needs justice, peace, love and we will only discover them when we return with all our hearts to God, who is the source of all of them. Take the book, and read it, all of you.
I wish you a good Sunday. Please, especially during this week of the Exercises, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Last Wednesday, Lent began with the rite of Ashes, and today is the first Sunday of this liturgical time which makes reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, after his baptism in the Jordan river. Saint Mark writes in today's gospel: The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert and in the desert he remained for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts and the angels took care of him (Mark 1:12-13). With these few words, the evangelist describes the tests that Jesus willingly faced, before beginning his messianic mission. This was a test over which the Lord was victorious, a test which prepared him to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. During those forty days spent in solitude, he faced Satan one on one, disproved his temptations and was victorious. And in Him, we too are victorious over everything, but it is up to us to protect this victory every day.
The Church reminds us of this mystery at the beginning of Lent, for it gives us the perspective and the sense of this time, which is a time of combat - you have to fight during Lent - a time of spiritual combat against the spirit of evil (cf the Opening Prayer for the liturgy of Ash Wednesday). And while we cross the desert of Lent, we keep our eyes fixed on Easter, which is the definitive victory of Jesus against the Evil One, against sin and against death. This then is the significance of the first Sunday of Lent: let us set out decisively on the road with Jesus, the road that leads to life. Look toward Jesus, what did Jesus do, and go with Him.
And the way of Jesus travels through the desert. The desert is the place where we can listen to the voice of God and the voice of the tempter. In the midst of noise and confusion, it is not possible; we hear only superficial voices. However, in the desert, we can delve to the depths, where our destiny is truly at play: life or death. How do we listen for the voice of God? We listen to his Word. This is why it's important to know the scriptures, otherwise we won't know how to respond to the cunning of the evil one. Here, I want to return to my suggestion to read the gospel every day: every day, read the gospel, meditate on it, just a little bit, ten minutes; and always carry it with us: in our pocket, in a purse ... Keep the gospel at hand. The Lenten desert helps us to say no to worldliness, to idols, it helps us to make courageous choices according to the gospel and to strengthen our solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
Therefore, let us enter into the desert without fear, for we are not alone: we are with Jesus, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. As it was for Jesus, it is truly the Holy Spirit who guides our Lenten journey, the same Spirit that descended upon Jesus and that was given to us at our Baptism. Lent, therefore, is a favoured time which should lead us to be ever more aware of how much the Holy Spirit, received at Baptism, has been at work and can work in us. At the end of the Lenten journey, at the Easter Vigil, we can renew our baptismal covenant and the commitments that flow from it.
May the Holy Virgin, a model of docility to the Spirit, help us to allow ourselves to be guided by Him who wants to make new creations out of each of us.
To Her, I confide in particular, this week of Spiritual Exercises which will begin this afternoon and in which I will participate along with my colleagues in the Roman Curia. Pray that in this desert of Exercises, we may listen to the voice of Jesus and also that we may correct the many faults that we have. May we also face the temptations that attack us every day. I ask you in the meanwhile to accompany us with your prayers.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I wish to cordially greet the families, the parish groups, the associations and all the pilgrims from Rome, from Italy and from various other countries.
I greet the faithful from Napoli, Cosenza and Verona, and the young people from Seregno who have come to make their profession of faith.
Lent is a journey of conversion which is centred on the heart. Our hearts need to be converted to the Lord. Therefore, on this first Sunday of Lent, I want to present each one of you who is here in the Square with a little pocket book entitled: Take care of the heart. This is it (he shows them a copy). This book includes all the teachings of Jesus and the essential components of our faith, such as the seven Sacraments, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the ten commandments, the virtues, the works of mercy, et cetera. Now, the volunteers will distribute them; among them are many homeless persons who have come on pilgrimage. As it always is, even today, here in the Square, it is the ones who are in need who themselves offer a great gift: the gift of our doctrine, in order to take care of the heart. Take one book each and carry it with you, as an aid to help your conversion and your spiritual growth, which always begins in your heart: that is where you play the game of daily choices between good and evil, between worldliness and the gospel, between indifference and sharing. Humanity needs justice, peace, love and we will only discover them when we return with all our hearts to God, who is the source of all of them. Take the book, and read it, all of you.
I wish you a good Sunday. Please, especially during this week of the Exercises, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Good bye!
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