This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from various parts of Italy and from all corners of the world.
Today, the Holy Father provided a mediation on the Feast of the Annunciation.
Following the usual summary of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father greeted each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In our journey of catecheses on the family, today is a special step along the way: a little pause for prayer.
In fact, on the 25th day of March, the Church solemnly celebrates the Annunciation, the beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Archangel Gabriel visited the humble girl in Nazareth and announced to her that she would conceive and bear the Son of God. With this Announcement, the Lord illuminated and strengthened Mary's faith, as he would also do for her husband Joseph, so that Jesus could be born into a human family. This is very beautiful: it shows the depth of the mystery of the Incarnation, as God had intended it, including not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also the welcome of the child into a true family. Today, I want to contemplate with you the beauty of this bond, the beauty of this gift of God; and we can do so by reciting together the Hail Mary, which in the first part repeats the very words spoken by the angel, the words that were addressed to the virgin. I invite you to recite it with me:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
And now, a second aspect: March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in many countries is celebrated as the Day for Life. For this reason, twenty years ago, Saint John Paul II on this date signed the encyclical Evangelium vitae. Recalling this anniversary, today there are many members of the Movement for Life here present in the Square. In the encyclical, the family has a place of primary importance, the womb of human life. The world of my venerable predecessor recalls the fact that human couples have been blessed by God from the beginning in order to form a community of love and life, to which is confided the mission of procreation. Christian spouses, celebrating the sacrament of Matrimony, render themselves available to honour this blessing, with the grace of Christ, for their entire lives. The Church, for her part, solemnly commits herself to care for the family that is born, as a gift of God for her own life, in good times and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable. The Church, as mother, never abandons the family, even when she is humiliated, wounded and injured in so many ways. Even when it falls into sin, or when it is distanced from the Church; the Church will still do everything she can in order to seek out, to care for and to heal the family, inviting her to conversion and to reconciliation with the Lord.
Well, if that is the task, it's clear how much prayer the Church will need in order to be able to fulfill this mission in every place and time. A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A prayer that knows how to rejoice with those who rejoice and how to suffer with those who suffer.
Here then is what I, along with my collaborators, have prepared to offer today: a renewed prayer for the Synod of Bishops on the family. Let us relaunch this commitment until next October, when the Ordinary Synodal Assembly dedicated to the family will take place. I want this prayer, and the entire synodal journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for his flock, especially for the people and the families who for various reasons are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36). In this way, supported and animated by the grace of God, the Church will be ever more committed and ever more united to bearing witness to the truth of the love of God and to his mercy for the families of the world, without exception, both inside and outside the fold.
I ask you please to not forget your prayer. All of us - the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the priests, the religious men and women, the lay faithful - all of us are called to pray for the Synod. This is what we need, not idle chatter! I also invite all those who feel distanced or those who are no longer used to praying to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the family is for the good of all people. I know that this morning, you were all given a prayer card, and that you have the prayer in your hands. I invite you to keep it ad to take it with you, so that in the coming months, you can recite the prayer often, with holy insistence, as Jesus asked us to do. Now, let us recite it together:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you, we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
we turn to you with confidence.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
make also of our families
places of communion and cenacles of prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never more have to face the experience
of violence, closure and division:
may anyone who has been wounded or scandalized
soon know consolation and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the upcoming Synod of Bishops
reawaken in all people an awareness
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
its beauty in God's plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
hear and answer our prayer. Amen.
The above catechesis was then presented in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were in attendance. To English-language speakers, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, the Channel Islands, Denmark, Germany, Malta, Qatar, Indonesia, Australia and the United States of America. I greet in particular the representatives of the Hindu Community of Kerala. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord. God bless you all!
Today, the Holy Father provided a mediation on the Feast of the Annunciation.
Following the usual summary of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father greeted each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In our journey of catecheses on the family, today is a special step along the way: a little pause for prayer.
In fact, on the 25th day of March, the Church solemnly celebrates the Annunciation, the beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Archangel Gabriel visited the humble girl in Nazareth and announced to her that she would conceive and bear the Son of God. With this Announcement, the Lord illuminated and strengthened Mary's faith, as he would also do for her husband Joseph, so that Jesus could be born into a human family. This is very beautiful: it shows the depth of the mystery of the Incarnation, as God had intended it, including not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also the welcome of the child into a true family. Today, I want to contemplate with you the beauty of this bond, the beauty of this gift of God; and we can do so by reciting together the Hail Mary, which in the first part repeats the very words spoken by the angel, the words that were addressed to the virgin. I invite you to recite it with me:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
And now, a second aspect: March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in many countries is celebrated as the Day for Life. For this reason, twenty years ago, Saint John Paul II on this date signed the encyclical Evangelium vitae. Recalling this anniversary, today there are many members of the Movement for Life here present in the Square. In the encyclical, the family has a place of primary importance, the womb of human life. The world of my venerable predecessor recalls the fact that human couples have been blessed by God from the beginning in order to form a community of love and life, to which is confided the mission of procreation. Christian spouses, celebrating the sacrament of Matrimony, render themselves available to honour this blessing, with the grace of Christ, for their entire lives. The Church, for her part, solemnly commits herself to care for the family that is born, as a gift of God for her own life, in good times and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable. The Church, as mother, never abandons the family, even when she is humiliated, wounded and injured in so many ways. Even when it falls into sin, or when it is distanced from the Church; the Church will still do everything she can in order to seek out, to care for and to heal the family, inviting her to conversion and to reconciliation with the Lord.
Well, if that is the task, it's clear how much prayer the Church will need in order to be able to fulfill this mission in every place and time. A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A prayer that knows how to rejoice with those who rejoice and how to suffer with those who suffer.
Here then is what I, along with my collaborators, have prepared to offer today: a renewed prayer for the Synod of Bishops on the family. Let us relaunch this commitment until next October, when the Ordinary Synodal Assembly dedicated to the family will take place. I want this prayer, and the entire synodal journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for his flock, especially for the people and the families who for various reasons are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36). In this way, supported and animated by the grace of God, the Church will be ever more committed and ever more united to bearing witness to the truth of the love of God and to his mercy for the families of the world, without exception, both inside and outside the fold.
I ask you please to not forget your prayer. All of us - the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the priests, the religious men and women, the lay faithful - all of us are called to pray for the Synod. This is what we need, not idle chatter! I also invite all those who feel distanced or those who are no longer used to praying to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the family is for the good of all people. I know that this morning, you were all given a prayer card, and that you have the prayer in your hands. I invite you to keep it ad to take it with you, so that in the coming months, you can recite the prayer often, with holy insistence, as Jesus asked us to do. Now, let us recite it together:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you, we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
we turn to you with confidence.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
make also of our families
places of communion and cenacles of prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never more have to face the experience
of violence, closure and division:
may anyone who has been wounded or scandalized
soon know consolation and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the upcoming Synod of Bishops
reawaken in all people an awareness
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
its beauty in God's plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
hear and answer our prayer. Amen.
The above catechesis was then presented in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were in attendance. To English-language speakers, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, the Channel Islands, Denmark, Germany, Malta, Qatar, Indonesia, Australia and the United States of America. I greet in particular the representatives of the Hindu Community of Kerala. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord. God bless you all!
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