This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his address, the Pope focused on the motivation for the Jubilee of Mercy which began in Rome yesterday with the opening of the Holy Door in Saint Peter's Basilica.
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
Yesterday, I opened, here in Saint Peter's Basilica, the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy, after having already opened the Door in the Cathedral in Bangui, in Central Africa. Today, I want to reflect with you on the significance of the Holy Year, responding to the question: why a Jubilee of Mercy? What does it mean?
The Church needs this extraordinary moment. I am not saying that this extraordinary moment is good for the Church. I am saying that the Church needs this extraordinary moment. In our era of profound changes, the Church is called to offer her particular contribution, making present the signs of the presence and closeness of God. The Jubilee is a favourable time for all of us for, contemplating Divine Mercy, which surpasses every human limit and shines in the darkness of sin, we can become more confident and effective witnesses.
Turning our eyes toward God, the merciful Father, and to our brothers and sisters in need of mercy, means focusing our attention on the essential contents of the gospel: Jesus, Mercy which took on flesh, which makes the great mystery of the trinitarian love of God visible to our eyes. Celebrating a Jubilee of Mercy means once again putting our Christian faith in Jesus Christ, the merciful God at the centre of our personal lives and the lives of our communities.
Therefore, this is a Holy Year for living mercy. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, this Holy Year is offered to us so that we might experience in our lives the sweet and gentle touch of God's forgiveness, his presence beside us and his closeness above all in our moments of greatest need.
In short, this Jubilee is a privileged moment for the Church to learn how to choose only what pleases God the most. What is it that pleases God the most? Forgiving our brothers and sisters, having mercy on them, in order that they too may in turn forgive their own brothers and sisters and shine like beacons of God`s mercy in the world. This is what pleases God the most. Saint Ambrose, in a book of theology he wrote about Adam, took the story of the creation of the world and said that every day, after having created one thing - the moon, the sun or the animals - God saw that this was good, but when he made man and woman, the bible says: God saw that this was very good. Saint Ambrose asked himself: Why does the bible say 'very good'? Because God was very happy after he created man and woman? Because in the end he had someone to forgive. This is beautiful: God takes joy in forgiving, God's essence is forgiveness. This is the reason why during this year, we must open our hearts, because the love, the joy of God is to fill us all with his mercy. The Jubilee will be a favorable time for the Church if we learn to choose that which pleases God the most, without yielding to the temptation of thinking that there is something else that is more important or more of a priority. Nothing is more important than to choose that which pleases God the most, to choose his mercy, his love, his tenderness, his embrace, his caresses!
Even the necessary work of renewing the institutions and the structures of the Church is a means of leading us to have living and life-giving experiences of God's mercy which, alone, can guarantee that the Church will be the city built on a mountaintop which cannot be hidden (cf Mt 5:14). A merciful Church always shines! If we should, even only for a moment, forget that mercy is that which pleases God the most, every one of our efforts would be in vain, for we would become slaves to our institutions and structures, no matter what changes we might make. We would still be slaves.
To feel strongly within us the joy of having been found by Jesus, who like the Good Shepherd has come in search of us because we were lost (Homily for the First Vespers of Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, 2015): this is the objective that the Church proposes during this Holy Year. In this way, we reinforce within us the certainty that mercy can truly contribute to the building of a world that is more human. Especially during our times, in which forgiveness is a rare guest among the various dimensions of human life, the treasure of mercy is all the more urgent, in every place: in society, in institutions, at work and even in families.
Certainly, someone might object: But Father, should the Church not do more during this Year? It's fine to contemplate God's mercy, but I have many other urgent needs! This is true, there is a lot to do; I for one am always aware of this fact. However, we need to remember that, at the root of every obligation, there is mercy; there is always love. In the world, this love takes the form of exclusive concern for each person's interests, pleasures and honors, together with a desire to accumulate wealth, while Christian life is often disguised by hypocrisy and worldliness. All these things are contrary to mercy. The motivations of love of self which makes mercy a stranger to the world, are so many, so numerous that often, we can no longer even recognize them as limits and sins. This is why we need to recognize that we are all sinners, in order to strengthen within us the certitude of divine mercy. Lord, I am a sinner: come with your mercy. This is a beautiful prayer. It is a simple prayer that can be said every day: Lord, I am a sinner: come with your mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters, my wish is that, during this Holy Year, every one of us may have the experience of God's mercy, so that we can be witnesses of that which pleases God the most. Is it naive to think that this could change the world? Yes, humanly speaking, it is folly, but the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Cor 1:25).
At the conclusion of the above catechesis, the Holy Father's address was summarized in various languages, and His Holiness addressed greetings to each group of the faithful who were in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Scotland, Denmark, Indonesia, Japan, Canada and the United States of America. My special greeting goes to the international team of the space programme Galileo. Upon you and your families I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you all!
In his address, the Pope focused on the motivation for the Jubilee of Mercy which began in Rome yesterday with the opening of the Holy Door in Saint Peter's Basilica.
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father spoke particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
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.
Yesterday, I opened, here in Saint Peter's Basilica, the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy, after having already opened the Door in the Cathedral in Bangui, in Central Africa. Today, I want to reflect with you on the significance of the Holy Year, responding to the question: why a Jubilee of Mercy? What does it mean?
The Church needs this extraordinary moment. I am not saying that this extraordinary moment is good for the Church. I am saying that the Church needs this extraordinary moment. In our era of profound changes, the Church is called to offer her particular contribution, making present the signs of the presence and closeness of God. The Jubilee is a favourable time for all of us for, contemplating Divine Mercy, which surpasses every human limit and shines in the darkness of sin, we can become more confident and effective witnesses.
Turning our eyes toward God, the merciful Father, and to our brothers and sisters in need of mercy, means focusing our attention on the essential contents of the gospel: Jesus, Mercy which took on flesh, which makes the great mystery of the trinitarian love of God visible to our eyes. Celebrating a Jubilee of Mercy means once again putting our Christian faith in Jesus Christ, the merciful God at the centre of our personal lives and the lives of our communities.
Therefore, this is a Holy Year for living mercy. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, this Holy Year is offered to us so that we might experience in our lives the sweet and gentle touch of God's forgiveness, his presence beside us and his closeness above all in our moments of greatest need.
In short, this Jubilee is a privileged moment for the Church to learn how to choose only what pleases God the most. What is it that pleases God the most? Forgiving our brothers and sisters, having mercy on them, in order that they too may in turn forgive their own brothers and sisters and shine like beacons of God`s mercy in the world. This is what pleases God the most. Saint Ambrose, in a book of theology he wrote about Adam, took the story of the creation of the world and said that every day, after having created one thing - the moon, the sun or the animals - God saw that this was good, but when he made man and woman, the bible says: God saw that this was very good. Saint Ambrose asked himself: Why does the bible say 'very good'? Because God was very happy after he created man and woman? Because in the end he had someone to forgive. This is beautiful: God takes joy in forgiving, God's essence is forgiveness. This is the reason why during this year, we must open our hearts, because the love, the joy of God is to fill us all with his mercy. The Jubilee will be a favorable time for the Church if we learn to choose that which pleases God the most, without yielding to the temptation of thinking that there is something else that is more important or more of a priority. Nothing is more important than to choose that which pleases God the most, to choose his mercy, his love, his tenderness, his embrace, his caresses!
Even the necessary work of renewing the institutions and the structures of the Church is a means of leading us to have living and life-giving experiences of God's mercy which, alone, can guarantee that the Church will be the city built on a mountaintop which cannot be hidden (cf Mt 5:14). A merciful Church always shines! If we should, even only for a moment, forget that mercy is that which pleases God the most, every one of our efforts would be in vain, for we would become slaves to our institutions and structures, no matter what changes we might make. We would still be slaves.
To feel strongly within us the joy of having been found by Jesus, who like the Good Shepherd has come in search of us because we were lost (Homily for the First Vespers of Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, 2015): this is the objective that the Church proposes during this Holy Year. In this way, we reinforce within us the certainty that mercy can truly contribute to the building of a world that is more human. Especially during our times, in which forgiveness is a rare guest among the various dimensions of human life, the treasure of mercy is all the more urgent, in every place: in society, in institutions, at work and even in families.
Certainly, someone might object: But Father, should the Church not do more during this Year? It's fine to contemplate God's mercy, but I have many other urgent needs! This is true, there is a lot to do; I for one am always aware of this fact. However, we need to remember that, at the root of every obligation, there is mercy; there is always love. In the world, this love takes the form of exclusive concern for each person's interests, pleasures and honors, together with a desire to accumulate wealth, while Christian life is often disguised by hypocrisy and worldliness. All these things are contrary to mercy. The motivations of love of self which makes mercy a stranger to the world, are so many, so numerous that often, we can no longer even recognize them as limits and sins. This is why we need to recognize that we are all sinners, in order to strengthen within us the certitude of divine mercy. Lord, I am a sinner: come with your mercy. This is a beautiful prayer. It is a simple prayer that can be said every day: Lord, I am a sinner: come with your mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters, my wish is that, during this Holy Year, every one of us may have the experience of God's mercy, so that we can be witnesses of that which pleases God the most. Is it naive to think that this could change the world? Yes, humanly speaking, it is folly, but the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Cor 1:25).
At the conclusion of the above catechesis, the Holy Father's address was summarized in various languages, and His Holiness addressed greetings to each group of the faithful who were in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Scotland, Denmark, Indonesia, Japan, Canada and the United States of America. My special greeting goes to the international team of the space programme Galileo. Upon you and your families I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you all!
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