This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the family, focusing on the theme of sickness and suffering in family life.
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We continue with the catecheses on the family, and in this teaching I want to touch on an aspect that is very common in the lives of our families: that of disease. It is an experience of our fragility which we most often experience in families, even in children and above all in the elderly - when accidents happen. Among the ties that unite us with our families, the illness of a person who we love is often experienced with more suffering and anguish on the part of family members. Love makes us feel this more. Many times for a father and for a mother, it is more difficult to bear the pain that we witness in a son or a daughter rather than your own pain. The family, we might say, has always been the closest hospital. Even today, in many places throughout the world, hospitals are a privilege available to very few, and they are often located far away. It is most often the mother, the father, a brother, a sister, or a grandmother who provides care and helps us to heal when we is sick.
In the gospels, many pages speak of the encounters Jesus had with those who were sick and about his commitment to healing the. He portrayed himself publicly as one who fought against disease and who had come to heal mankind from evil: the evil of the spirit and the evil of the body. The scene recounted in the Gospel of Saint Mark that we have heard today is particularly moving. It says: When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons (Mk 1:29). If I think of the great cities of our modern times, I wonder where are the doors to which the sick can be brought in hopes that they will be healed! Jesus was never distracted from caring for them. He never passed by them, he never turned his face way from them and looked the other way. When a father or a mother, or even when any person who was a friend brought a sick person forward so that he could touch them and cure them, he always took the time; healing was more important to him than the law, even concerning something as sacred as the rest imposed on the Sabbath (cf Mk 3:1-6). The doctors of the law reproved Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath; he did good on the Sabbath. But the love of Jesus was meant to restore health, to do good: and that is what should always be most important!
Jesus sends the disciples to continue his work and he gives them the power to heal, or to draw close to the sick and to care for their needs (cf Mt 10:1). We must always bear in mind what Jesus told his disciples in the case of the man born blind (Jn 9:1-5). The disciples - with the blind man among them! - were arguing about who had sinned, why this man had been born blind, was it he himself or his parents who had sinned in order to provoke his blindness? The Lord said clearly: neither he nor his parents; it was so that the work of God could be made known in him. And he healed him. That's the glory of God! That's the task that the Church undertakes! To help the sick, not to get lost in idle conversation, but always to help, to console, to lift them up, to be close to the sick - this is the task.
The Church invites us pray continuously for loved ones who have fallen ill. We should never stop praying for the sick. In fact, we should pray even more, both personally and in community. Let us consider the gospel account of the Canaanite woman (cf Mt 15:21-28). It was a pagan woman, not one of the people of Israel, but a pagan woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter. In order to test her faith, Jesus first responded harshly: I cannot, I must first consider the flock of Israel. The woman didn't give up - a mother, when she is asking for help for her creation, never gives up; we all know that our mothers will always fight for their children - and she responded: Even the dogs, once the bosses are fed, are given something!, as if to say, At least treat me like a dog! So Jesus said: Woman, your faith is great! May it be for you as you desire (Mt 15:28).
Faced with illness, difficulties can arise in every family because of human weakness. But, in general, a time of illness causes family ties to grow stronger. I think that is is very important that we teach our children, from a very young age, to stick together in bad times. If they learn to be insensitive to human suffering, their hearts will be hardened. It would be as though children were anesthetized to the suffering of others, incapable of facing their own sufferings and of experiencing their own limits. How many times do we see a man arrive at work, or a woman who has a tired face, with a tired attitude and when we ask them: What's going on?, they respond, I slept only for two hours because at home it was my turn to stay up with our child, with someone who is sick, with a grandmother or a grandfather. And the day continues with its normal work. These things are heroic, they are family heroes! These are hidden heroes who do their acts with tenderness and courage when there is someone sick at home.
The weaknesses and sufferings of those we love and cherish most, can be a school of life for our children and our grandchildren - it is important that we teach our children and our grandchildren to understand this attitude of closeness when there is illness in the family - and they learn this attitude when moments of sickness are accompanied by prayer and by affectionate closeness and the care of other family members. The Christian community is well aware that the family, when tried by illness, will never leave someone alone. We should thank the Lord for these beautiful experiences of ecclesial fraternity that help families to face difficult moments of pain and suffering. This Christian closeness, between one family and another, is truly a treasure within a parish; a treasure of wisdom which helps families in difficult moments ... helps them to understand the Kingdom of God better than any words ever could! Such acts are caresses from God.
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father greeted each group of the faithful. To English-language pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Scotland, New Zealand, China and the United States of America. I pray especially for all your family members and friends who are ill; may God strengthen and sustain them. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke the Lord Jesus’ blessings of peace and joy. May God bless you all!
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the family, focusing on the theme of sickness and suffering in family life.
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We continue with the catecheses on the family, and in this teaching I want to touch on an aspect that is very common in the lives of our families: that of disease. It is an experience of our fragility which we most often experience in families, even in children and above all in the elderly - when accidents happen. Among the ties that unite us with our families, the illness of a person who we love is often experienced with more suffering and anguish on the part of family members. Love makes us feel this more. Many times for a father and for a mother, it is more difficult to bear the pain that we witness in a son or a daughter rather than your own pain. The family, we might say, has always been the closest hospital. Even today, in many places throughout the world, hospitals are a privilege available to very few, and they are often located far away. It is most often the mother, the father, a brother, a sister, or a grandmother who provides care and helps us to heal when we is sick.
In the gospels, many pages speak of the encounters Jesus had with those who were sick and about his commitment to healing the. He portrayed himself publicly as one who fought against disease and who had come to heal mankind from evil: the evil of the spirit and the evil of the body. The scene recounted in the Gospel of Saint Mark that we have heard today is particularly moving. It says: When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons (Mk 1:29). If I think of the great cities of our modern times, I wonder where are the doors to which the sick can be brought in hopes that they will be healed! Jesus was never distracted from caring for them. He never passed by them, he never turned his face way from them and looked the other way. When a father or a mother, or even when any person who was a friend brought a sick person forward so that he could touch them and cure them, he always took the time; healing was more important to him than the law, even concerning something as sacred as the rest imposed on the Sabbath (cf Mk 3:1-6). The doctors of the law reproved Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath; he did good on the Sabbath. But the love of Jesus was meant to restore health, to do good: and that is what should always be most important!
Jesus sends the disciples to continue his work and he gives them the power to heal, or to draw close to the sick and to care for their needs (cf Mt 10:1). We must always bear in mind what Jesus told his disciples in the case of the man born blind (Jn 9:1-5). The disciples - with the blind man among them! - were arguing about who had sinned, why this man had been born blind, was it he himself or his parents who had sinned in order to provoke his blindness? The Lord said clearly: neither he nor his parents; it was so that the work of God could be made known in him. And he healed him. That's the glory of God! That's the task that the Church undertakes! To help the sick, not to get lost in idle conversation, but always to help, to console, to lift them up, to be close to the sick - this is the task.
The Church invites us pray continuously for loved ones who have fallen ill. We should never stop praying for the sick. In fact, we should pray even more, both personally and in community. Let us consider the gospel account of the Canaanite woman (cf Mt 15:21-28). It was a pagan woman, not one of the people of Israel, but a pagan woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter. In order to test her faith, Jesus first responded harshly: I cannot, I must first consider the flock of Israel. The woman didn't give up - a mother, when she is asking for help for her creation, never gives up; we all know that our mothers will always fight for their children - and she responded: Even the dogs, once the bosses are fed, are given something!, as if to say, At least treat me like a dog! So Jesus said: Woman, your faith is great! May it be for you as you desire (Mt 15:28).
Faced with illness, difficulties can arise in every family because of human weakness. But, in general, a time of illness causes family ties to grow stronger. I think that is is very important that we teach our children, from a very young age, to stick together in bad times. If they learn to be insensitive to human suffering, their hearts will be hardened. It would be as though children were anesthetized to the suffering of others, incapable of facing their own sufferings and of experiencing their own limits. How many times do we see a man arrive at work, or a woman who has a tired face, with a tired attitude and when we ask them: What's going on?, they respond, I slept only for two hours because at home it was my turn to stay up with our child, with someone who is sick, with a grandmother or a grandfather. And the day continues with its normal work. These things are heroic, they are family heroes! These are hidden heroes who do their acts with tenderness and courage when there is someone sick at home.
The weaknesses and sufferings of those we love and cherish most, can be a school of life for our children and our grandchildren - it is important that we teach our children and our grandchildren to understand this attitude of closeness when there is illness in the family - and they learn this attitude when moments of sickness are accompanied by prayer and by affectionate closeness and the care of other family members. The Christian community is well aware that the family, when tried by illness, will never leave someone alone. We should thank the Lord for these beautiful experiences of ecclesial fraternity that help families to face difficult moments of pain and suffering. This Christian closeness, between one family and another, is truly a treasure within a parish; a treasure of wisdom which helps families in difficult moments ... helps them to understand the Kingdom of God better than any words ever could! Such acts are caresses from God.
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father greeted each group of the faithful. To English-language pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Scotland, New Zealand, China and the United States of America. I pray especially for all your family members and friends who are ill; may God strengthen and sustain them. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke the Lord Jesus’ blessings of peace and joy. May God bless you all!
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