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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
I see that you are courageous with all this heat in the Square; congratulations!
Today's gospel says that the apostles, after the experience of their mission, returned happy but also tired. And Jesus, filled with compassion, wanted to give them a bit of relief, so he took them away, to a deserted place so that they could rest a while (cf Mk 6:31). However, many saw them leaving and understood ... and went ahead of them (Mk 6:32). At this point, the evangelist offers us an image of Jesus which is particularly striking, picture worthy, so to speak, his eyes portraying the feelings within his heart; the evangelist says: leaving the boat, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things (Mk 6:34).
Let us focus on the three words within this suggestive picture: to see, to have compassion, to teach. We can call them the Shepherd's verbs. To see, to have compassion, to teach. The first and the second - to see and to have compassion - are always associated with Jesus' attitudes: in fact, his way of seeing is not the same as the way a sociologist or a photo journalist might see, because he always looks with the eyes of the heart. These two verbs - to see and to have compassion - characterize Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Even his compassion is not only a human sentiment, but it is the Messiah's emotion in whom the tenderness of God took on flesh. From the heart of this compassion, Jesus' desire to feed the crowd with the bread of his Word is born, that is, his desire to teach the Word of God to the people. Jesus sees, Jesus has compassion, Jesus teaches. This is beautiful.
I asked the Lord to send the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd to guide me during the Apostolic visit that I have recently completed in Latin America, which allowed me to visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. I thank the Lord with all my hear for this gift. I thank the people of those three countries for their affectionate and warm welcome and enthusiasm. I renew my gratitude to the authorities of those countries for their welcome and collaboration. With great affection, I thank my brother Bishops, the priests, the consecrated persons and all the faithful for the warmth with which they participated. With these brothers and sisters, I praise the Lord for the marvels that he has accomplished in the People of God who are journeying in that land, for the faith that has enlivened and continues to animate their lives and their cultures. We also praised Him for the natural beauty of those who have enriched those countries. The Latin American continent has great human and spiritual potential, including profound Christian roots, but it is also experiencing serious social and economic problems. Contributing to the solution of this challenge, the Church is committed to mobilizing both spiritual and moral strength of her communities, collaborating with all the sectors of society. Faced with great challenges to the proclamation of the gospel, I invited the them to draw from Christ the Lord the grace that saves and that strengthens their commitment to Christian witness, and to develop the sharing of the Word of God so that the strong religious commitment that is characteristic of that people may be a witness to the faith of the gospel.
To the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who is venerated throughout Latin America as patroness under the title of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, I entrust the fruits of this unforgettable Apostolic journey.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all very cordially, both Romans and pilgrims!
I especially greet the young people from the Dioceses of Pamplona and Tudela in Spain.
I greet the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who are meeting here in Rome for their General Chapter; the orchestra from Offanengo-Casalbuttano; the choirs from Vigo Cavedine (Trento); the young volunteers from the Arco convent in Trento, the young people from Meana Sardo and those who are participating in the vacation organized by INPS from Pomezia and the young people from Catholic Action in Mellaredo and Rivale (Padua).
I wish you all a good Sunday, and I ask you all, please, pray for me, don't forget. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
I see that you are courageous with all this heat in the Square; congratulations!
Today's gospel says that the apostles, after the experience of their mission, returned happy but also tired. And Jesus, filled with compassion, wanted to give them a bit of relief, so he took them away, to a deserted place so that they could rest a while (cf Mk 6:31). However, many saw them leaving and understood ... and went ahead of them (Mk 6:32). At this point, the evangelist offers us an image of Jesus which is particularly striking, picture worthy, so to speak, his eyes portraying the feelings within his heart; the evangelist says: leaving the boat, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things (Mk 6:34).
Let us focus on the three words within this suggestive picture: to see, to have compassion, to teach. We can call them the Shepherd's verbs. To see, to have compassion, to teach. The first and the second - to see and to have compassion - are always associated with Jesus' attitudes: in fact, his way of seeing is not the same as the way a sociologist or a photo journalist might see, because he always looks with the eyes of the heart. These two verbs - to see and to have compassion - characterize Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Even his compassion is not only a human sentiment, but it is the Messiah's emotion in whom the tenderness of God took on flesh. From the heart of this compassion, Jesus' desire to feed the crowd with the bread of his Word is born, that is, his desire to teach the Word of God to the people. Jesus sees, Jesus has compassion, Jesus teaches. This is beautiful.
I asked the Lord to send the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd to guide me during the Apostolic visit that I have recently completed in Latin America, which allowed me to visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. I thank the Lord with all my hear for this gift. I thank the people of those three countries for their affectionate and warm welcome and enthusiasm. I renew my gratitude to the authorities of those countries for their welcome and collaboration. With great affection, I thank my brother Bishops, the priests, the consecrated persons and all the faithful for the warmth with which they participated. With these brothers and sisters, I praise the Lord for the marvels that he has accomplished in the People of God who are journeying in that land, for the faith that has enlivened and continues to animate their lives and their cultures. We also praised Him for the natural beauty of those who have enriched those countries. The Latin American continent has great human and spiritual potential, including profound Christian roots, but it is also experiencing serious social and economic problems. Contributing to the solution of this challenge, the Church is committed to mobilizing both spiritual and moral strength of her communities, collaborating with all the sectors of society. Faced with great challenges to the proclamation of the gospel, I invited the them to draw from Christ the Lord the grace that saves and that strengthens their commitment to Christian witness, and to develop the sharing of the Word of God so that the strong religious commitment that is characteristic of that people may be a witness to the faith of the gospel.
To the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who is venerated throughout Latin America as patroness under the title of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, I entrust the fruits of this unforgettable Apostolic journey.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all very cordially, both Romans and pilgrims!
I especially greet the young people from the Dioceses of Pamplona and Tudela in Spain.
I greet the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who are meeting here in Rome for their General Chapter; the orchestra from Offanengo-Casalbuttano; the choirs from Vigo Cavedine (Trento); the young volunteers from the Arco convent in Trento, the young people from Meana Sardo and those who are participating in the vacation organized by INPS from Pomezia and the young people from Catholic Action in Mellaredo and Rivale (Padua).
I wish you all a good Sunday, and I ask you all, please, pray for me, don't forget. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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