At noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace in order to recite the Regina Caeli 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!
Today's gospel - John, chapter 15 - takes place in the Cenacle, where we hear Jesus' new commandment. He says: This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12). Thinking about the sacrifice of the cross which is close at hand, he adds: No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you (Jn 15:13-14). These words, spoken during the Last Supper, summarize the entirety of Jesus' message; first, they summarize all of what he has done: Jesus gave his life for his friends. Friends who did not understand him, who at the crucial moment even abandoned him, betrayed and denied him. This shows us that he loves us even though we don't deserve his love: Jesus loves us so much!
This is how Jesus shows us the way we must follow, the way of love. His commandment is not simply a precept, something that remains abstract or outwardly demonstrable. Christ's commandment is new because He demonstrated it first, he gave it flesh, and thus the law of love is written once and for all in the heart of mankind (cf Jer 31:33). How is it written? It is written with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and with this same Spirit, which Jesus has given us, we too can travel this road!
It is a concrete road, a road which leads us to go outside of ourselves in order to go toward others. Jesus has shown us that the love of God is made real in the love we bear toward others. Both of these go together. The pages of the gospel are filled with this love: adults and children, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, righteous and sinners - all are welcome in the heart of Christ.
Therefore, this word of the Lord calls us to love one another , even if we do not always understand one another, even if we don't always agree with each other … that's precisely where we see Christian love. A love that is shown even though there may be differences of opinion or of character, a love that is greater than such differences! This is the love that Jesus taught us. It is a new love because it has been renewed by Jesus and by his Spirit. It is a redeeming love which frees us from egotism. A love that gives joy to our hearts, as Jesus himself says: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (Jn 15:11).
It is the love of Christ, which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts, to create wonders every day in the Church and in the world. There are many small and great gestures that obey the Lord's commandment: Love one another as I have loved you (cf Jn 15:12). Small gestures, everyday gestures, gestures of closeness to an elderly person, to a child, to a sick person, to a lonely or a difficult person, a homeless person, an unemployed person, an immigrant, a refugee … Thanks to the strength of this word of Christ, every one of us can draw close to a brother or a sister who we meet. Gestures of closeness, of proximity. In such gestures, we demonstrate the love that Christ has taught us.
May our Holy Mother help us in this regard, so that in our daily lives, love for God and for our neighbour may always be united.
At the conclusion of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters!
I greet you all: families, parish groups, associations and pilgrims from Italy and from many parts of the world; in particular from Madrid, Puorto Rico and Croatia. I greet the faithful from Guidonia and from Portici, the school children from Carrara, Bitonto and Lecco. A special thought goes out to the youth from the Diocese of Orvieto-Todi, accompanied by their Pastor, Monsignor Tuzia: be courageous Christians and witnesses of hope!
I greet the State Forestry Department, who have organized the National Day of Nature Reserves for the rediscovery of and the respect for the beauty of creation; the participants in the convention organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference in support of a school of quality that is open to families; the delegation of women from Komen Italia, an association which fights against breast cancer; and those who have taken part in the initiative for life that took place this morning in Rome; it is important to work together to defend and to promote the sanctity of life.
Speaking of life, today, in many countries, Mothers' Day is being celebrated: let us remember all our mothers with gratitude and affection. Now I want to greet all the mothers who are here in the Square: are there any? Yes? Are there any mothers? Let us applaud them, some applause for all the mothers who are in the Square … This applause is for all the mothers, all our beloved mothers: those who live with us physically, and also those who live with us spiritually. May the Lord bless them all, and may Mary, to whom the month of May is dedicated, take care of them.
I wish you all a good Sunday - it's a bit hot … And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Regina Caeli
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel - John, chapter 15 - takes place in the Cenacle, where we hear Jesus' new commandment. He says: This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12). Thinking about the sacrifice of the cross which is close at hand, he adds: No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you (Jn 15:13-14). These words, spoken during the Last Supper, summarize the entirety of Jesus' message; first, they summarize all of what he has done: Jesus gave his life for his friends. Friends who did not understand him, who at the crucial moment even abandoned him, betrayed and denied him. This shows us that he loves us even though we don't deserve his love: Jesus loves us so much!
This is how Jesus shows us the way we must follow, the way of love. His commandment is not simply a precept, something that remains abstract or outwardly demonstrable. Christ's commandment is new because He demonstrated it first, he gave it flesh, and thus the law of love is written once and for all in the heart of mankind (cf Jer 31:33). How is it written? It is written with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and with this same Spirit, which Jesus has given us, we too can travel this road!
It is a concrete road, a road which leads us to go outside of ourselves in order to go toward others. Jesus has shown us that the love of God is made real in the love we bear toward others. Both of these go together. The pages of the gospel are filled with this love: adults and children, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, righteous and sinners - all are welcome in the heart of Christ.
Therefore, this word of the Lord calls us to love one another , even if we do not always understand one another, even if we don't always agree with each other … that's precisely where we see Christian love. A love that is shown even though there may be differences of opinion or of character, a love that is greater than such differences! This is the love that Jesus taught us. It is a new love because it has been renewed by Jesus and by his Spirit. It is a redeeming love which frees us from egotism. A love that gives joy to our hearts, as Jesus himself says: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (Jn 15:11).
It is the love of Christ, which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts, to create wonders every day in the Church and in the world. There are many small and great gestures that obey the Lord's commandment: Love one another as I have loved you (cf Jn 15:12). Small gestures, everyday gestures, gestures of closeness to an elderly person, to a child, to a sick person, to a lonely or a difficult person, a homeless person, an unemployed person, an immigrant, a refugee … Thanks to the strength of this word of Christ, every one of us can draw close to a brother or a sister who we meet. Gestures of closeness, of proximity. In such gestures, we demonstrate the love that Christ has taught us.
May our Holy Mother help us in this regard, so that in our daily lives, love for God and for our neighbour may always be united.
At the conclusion of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters!
I greet you all: families, parish groups, associations and pilgrims from Italy and from many parts of the world; in particular from Madrid, Puorto Rico and Croatia. I greet the faithful from Guidonia and from Portici, the school children from Carrara, Bitonto and Lecco. A special thought goes out to the youth from the Diocese of Orvieto-Todi, accompanied by their Pastor, Monsignor Tuzia: be courageous Christians and witnesses of hope!
I greet the State Forestry Department, who have organized the National Day of Nature Reserves for the rediscovery of and the respect for the beauty of creation; the participants in the convention organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference in support of a school of quality that is open to families; the delegation of women from Komen Italia, an association which fights against breast cancer; and those who have taken part in the initiative for life that took place this morning in Rome; it is important to work together to defend and to promote the sanctity of life.
Speaking of life, today, in many countries, Mothers' Day is being celebrated: let us remember all our mothers with gratitude and affection. Now I want to greet all the mothers who are here in the Square: are there any? Yes? Are there any mothers? Let us applaud them, some applause for all the mothers who are in the Square … This applause is for all the mothers, all our beloved mothers: those who live with us physically, and also those who live with us spiritually. May the Lord bless them all, and may Mary, to whom the month of May is dedicated, take care of them.
I wish you all a good Sunday - it's a bit hot … And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Goodbye!
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