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 usual Sunday meeting.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel presents the account of the raising of a twelve-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the leaders of the synagogue who throws himself at the feet of Jesus and begs: My little daughter is dying; come and place your hands on her so that she might be saved and live (Mk 5:23). In this man's prayer, we hear the preoccupations of every father for the life and the well-being of his children. But was also hear the great faith that this man had in Jesus. When the news arrives that the little girl is dead, Jesus says to him: Do not be afraid, only have faith (Mk 5:36). Jesus' word gives us courage! He says these words also to us, many times: Do not be afraid, only have faith! Entering into the house, the Lord sends away all the other people who are crying and shouting, and he speaks directly to the dead child, saying: Little girl, I tell you, get up! (Mk 5:41). Suddenly, the little girl gets up and begins to walk. We see here the absolute power that Jesus has over death, which to him is like a dream from which we can awaken.
Within this story, the Evangelist inserts another encounter: the healing of a woman who for twelve hears, had suffered from a hemorrhage. Because of this illness which, according to the culture of the time, made her impure, she would have to avoid any human contact: poor her, she was condemned to a living death. This anonymous woman, amidst the crowd that is following Jesus, says to herself: If I only I could manage to touch just the hem of his garment, I will be saved (Mk 5:28). So it comes to pass; the need to be freed along with her so-called gut wrenching faith drives her to the Lord in hopes of healing. She believes that all she needs to do is to touch Jesus and draw from him his saving grace. This is true faith: to touch him and to expect to draw from Him the saving grace we need. It saves us in our spiritual life, and it saves us many problems! Jesus notices her and, even from the midst of the people, he seeks her face. She comes forward trembling and He says to her: Daughter, your faith has saved you (Mk 5:34). It is the voice of the Heavenly Father that is speaking in Jesus: Daughter, you are not cursed, you are not excluded, you are my daughter! Every time that Jesus comes close to us, every time we go to Him, we too hear the voice of the Father: Child. You are my son, you are my daughter, you are healed, you are healed. I heal everyone and everything.
These two encounters - a healing and resurrection - have a single centre: faith. The message is clear and can be summed up in one question: Do we believe that Jesus can heal us and can awaken us from the dead? The whole gospel is written in the light of faith: Jesus is risen, He has conquered death, and because of this victory, we will be raised. This faith, which for the first Christians was secure, can become tarnished and uncertain, to the point that some people confuse resurrection with reincarnation. This Sunday's gospel invites us to live in the certainty of the resurrection: Jesus is Lord, Jesus has power over sin and death, and He wants to take us into the Father's house, where we will know the fullness of life.
The Resurrection of Christ acts in history as the beginning of renewal and hope. Anyone who is desperate and tired to the point of death, can experience his love living within him if he relies on Jesus. Faith is a life-giving strength, it gives fullness to our humanity; and those who believe in Christ must recognize that because he promotes life in every situation, life to be lived by all, especially the weakest among us, the love of God frees and saves us all. Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, for the gift of a strong faith and courage that compels us to spread hope and life among our brothers.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all, Romans and pilgrims! I greet in particular the Una Terra, Una Famiglia Umana marchers (One land, one Human Family). I encourage collaboration between people of different religions and associations for the promotion of an integral ecology. Thank you FOCSIV, OurVoices and other organizers, and I wish you good work for young people of different countries who in these days are confronted with the care of the common home.
I cordially salute a group of Bolivian residents in Italy that have brought here some of the images of the Virgin of Urkupina and the Virgin of Copacabana, among others. Our Heavenly Mother protects us. I also send greetings to the youth group from Ibiza who are preparing to receive Confirmation. I ask you to pray, pray for me .
I greet all the Guides, they are really great, really great, and they do a lot of good, the women Scouts who belong to the International Catholic Conference and renew my encouragement to all of them. Thank you!
I greet the faithful from Novoli, the polyphonic choir from Augusta, the boys from some parishes in the diocese of Padua who received their Confirmation; the Grandparents of Sydney, an association of elderly immigrants in Australia have come here with their grandchildren; the children from Chernobyl and the families from Este and Ospedaletto who are hosting them; and I greet the cyclists and motorcyclists from Cardito and the lovers of vintage cars.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good lunch. Please do not forget to pray for me. see you soon!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel presents the account of the raising of a twelve-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the leaders of the synagogue who throws himself at the feet of Jesus and begs: My little daughter is dying; come and place your hands on her so that she might be saved and live (Mk 5:23). In this man's prayer, we hear the preoccupations of every father for the life and the well-being of his children. But was also hear the great faith that this man had in Jesus. When the news arrives that the little girl is dead, Jesus says to him: Do not be afraid, only have faith (Mk 5:36). Jesus' word gives us courage! He says these words also to us, many times: Do not be afraid, only have faith! Entering into the house, the Lord sends away all the other people who are crying and shouting, and he speaks directly to the dead child, saying: Little girl, I tell you, get up! (Mk 5:41). Suddenly, the little girl gets up and begins to walk. We see here the absolute power that Jesus has over death, which to him is like a dream from which we can awaken.
Within this story, the Evangelist inserts another encounter: the healing of a woman who for twelve hears, had suffered from a hemorrhage. Because of this illness which, according to the culture of the time, made her impure, she would have to avoid any human contact: poor her, she was condemned to a living death. This anonymous woman, amidst the crowd that is following Jesus, says to herself: If I only I could manage to touch just the hem of his garment, I will be saved (Mk 5:28). So it comes to pass; the need to be freed along with her so-called gut wrenching faith drives her to the Lord in hopes of healing. She believes that all she needs to do is to touch Jesus and draw from him his saving grace. This is true faith: to touch him and to expect to draw from Him the saving grace we need. It saves us in our spiritual life, and it saves us many problems! Jesus notices her and, even from the midst of the people, he seeks her face. She comes forward trembling and He says to her: Daughter, your faith has saved you (Mk 5:34). It is the voice of the Heavenly Father that is speaking in Jesus: Daughter, you are not cursed, you are not excluded, you are my daughter! Every time that Jesus comes close to us, every time we go to Him, we too hear the voice of the Father: Child. You are my son, you are my daughter, you are healed, you are healed. I heal everyone and everything.
These two encounters - a healing and resurrection - have a single centre: faith. The message is clear and can be summed up in one question: Do we believe that Jesus can heal us and can awaken us from the dead? The whole gospel is written in the light of faith: Jesus is risen, He has conquered death, and because of this victory, we will be raised. This faith, which for the first Christians was secure, can become tarnished and uncertain, to the point that some people confuse resurrection with reincarnation. This Sunday's gospel invites us to live in the certainty of the resurrection: Jesus is Lord, Jesus has power over sin and death, and He wants to take us into the Father's house, where we will know the fullness of life.
The Resurrection of Christ acts in history as the beginning of renewal and hope. Anyone who is desperate and tired to the point of death, can experience his love living within him if he relies on Jesus. Faith is a life-giving strength, it gives fullness to our humanity; and those who believe in Christ must recognize that because he promotes life in every situation, life to be lived by all, especially the weakest among us, the love of God frees and saves us all. Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, for the gift of a strong faith and courage that compels us to spread hope and life among our brothers.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all, Romans and pilgrims! I greet in particular the Una Terra, Una Famiglia Umana marchers (One land, one Human Family). I encourage collaboration between people of different religions and associations for the promotion of an integral ecology. Thank you FOCSIV, OurVoices and other organizers, and I wish you good work for young people of different countries who in these days are confronted with the care of the common home.
I cordially salute a group of Bolivian residents in Italy that have brought here some of the images of the Virgin of Urkupina and the Virgin of Copacabana, among others. Our Heavenly Mother protects us. I also send greetings to the youth group from Ibiza who are preparing to receive Confirmation. I ask you to pray, pray for me .
I greet all the Guides, they are really great, really great, and they do a lot of good, the women Scouts who belong to the International Catholic Conference and renew my encouragement to all of them. Thank you!
I greet the faithful from Novoli, the polyphonic choir from Augusta, the boys from some parishes in the diocese of Padua who received their Confirmation; the Grandparents of Sydney, an association of elderly immigrants in Australia have come here with their grandchildren; the children from Chernobyl and the families from Este and Ospedaletto who are hosting them; and I greet the cyclists and motorcyclists from Cardito and the lovers of vintage cars.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good lunch. Please do not forget to pray for me. see you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment