Today'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.
During his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on mercy from a biblical persepctive. He then issued an invitation to participate in a day of spiritual retreat which has been organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy, for people and groups who are involved in charitable work.
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed 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!
In Sacred Scripture, God's mercy is presented throughout the history of the people of Israel.
With his mercy, the Lord accompanies the journey of the Patriarchs, giving them children despite the condition of sterility, leading them along the paths of grace and reconciliation, as was shown in the story of Joseph and his brothers (cf Gen 37-50). I am conscious of the many people, our brothers, who have been distanced from their families and no longer speak with them. This Year of Mercy provides a good opportunity to meet one another, to embrace and to forgive, and to forget the things that have been hurtful. However, as we all know, life for people in Egypt is difficult, and it is precisely when the Israelites are about to give in to their temptations that the Lord intervenes and offers salvation.
In the book of Exodus, we read: After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their complaint about their slavery reached God. God heard their lament, God remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God saw the conditions of the Israelites. God cared for them (Ex 2:23-25). Mercy cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the oppressed, to the cry of those who suffer violence, who are enslaved, who are condemned to death. It is a painful reality that has affected every era, including our present time, and that at times has caused people to feel powerless, tempted to harden their hearts and to think about other things. Instead, God is not indifferent (Message for the World Day of Peace 2016, 1), he does not take his eye off the condition of human suffering. The God of mercy responds and cares for the poor, for those who cry out in their despair. God hears and intervenes to save, calling forward men who are capable of hearing the sufferings and groans of others and to work for the good of the oppressed.
The story of Moses begins, presenting him as a mediator for his people's freedom. He stands before the Pharaoh to convince him to let the Israelites go; and then he guides his people to freedom through the Red Sea and through the desert. Moses, who himself has been saved by divine mercy as a newborn child who was spared death on the waters of the Nile, became a mediator for mercy, making it possible for his people to be born to freedom, saved by the waters of the Red Sea. We too, during this Year of Mercy, can continue this work of being mediators of mercy with works of mercy in order to draw close to others, to soothe and to build unity. Many good works are possible.
God's mercy is always at work in order to save, the very opposite of those who are always looking for ways to kill: for example, those who promote war. Through his servant Moses, the Lord guided Israel through the desert as a father would guide his son, taught them faith and established a covenant with them, creating an everlasting bond of love, like the bond that exists between a father and his son, or between a husband and a wife.
Divine mercy is offered for all people. God offers us a privileged exclusive loving relationship. When he instructed Moses about his covenant, he said: If you listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be to me a treasured possession, even though all the earth is mine! You will be for me a kingdom of priests, a holy people (Ex 19:5-6).
Surely, God already possesses all the earth, for he has created it, but people become for him a different, special possession: his personal treasure of gold and silver, like the treasure that King David said that he donated for the construction of the Temple.
Therefore, we become a treasure for God by welcoming his covenant and allowing ourselves to be saved by Him. The Lord's mercy makes all people precious, like a personal treasure that belongs to Him, that He cares for and into which we are welcomed.
These are the wonders of divine mercy, that are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, in a new and eternal covenant in his blood; his forgiveness destroys our sin and makes us definitive children of God (cf 1 Jn 3:1), precious jewels in the hands of the good and merciful Father. If we are children of God and heirs of this inheritance - of goodness and mercy - in comparison with others, we can ask the Lord that during this Year of Mercy, we too might do merciful things; opening our hearts to others through acts of mercy, the legacy of mercy that God our Father has established with us.
The above catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!
The Holy Father then issued the following call for participation in the upcoming spiritual retreat organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum:
During the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum has organized a day of spiritual retreat for people and for groups who are involved in works of charity. The day, which will be offered in every diocese during the season of Lent, will be an occasion to reflect on the call to be merciful like the Father. I invite you to welcome this opportunity and to make use of the directives and resources provided by Cor Unum.
During his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on mercy from a biblical persepctive. He then issued an invitation to participate in a day of spiritual retreat which has been organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy, for people and groups who are involved in charitable work.
Following the customary summaries of his catechesis presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed 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!
In Sacred Scripture, God's mercy is presented throughout the history of the people of Israel.
With his mercy, the Lord accompanies the journey of the Patriarchs, giving them children despite the condition of sterility, leading them along the paths of grace and reconciliation, as was shown in the story of Joseph and his brothers (cf Gen 37-50). I am conscious of the many people, our brothers, who have been distanced from their families and no longer speak with them. This Year of Mercy provides a good opportunity to meet one another, to embrace and to forgive, and to forget the things that have been hurtful. However, as we all know, life for people in Egypt is difficult, and it is precisely when the Israelites are about to give in to their temptations that the Lord intervenes and offers salvation.
In the book of Exodus, we read: After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their complaint about their slavery reached God. God heard their lament, God remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God saw the conditions of the Israelites. God cared for them (Ex 2:23-25). Mercy cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the oppressed, to the cry of those who suffer violence, who are enslaved, who are condemned to death. It is a painful reality that has affected every era, including our present time, and that at times has caused people to feel powerless, tempted to harden their hearts and to think about other things. Instead, God is not indifferent (Message for the World Day of Peace 2016, 1), he does not take his eye off the condition of human suffering. The God of mercy responds and cares for the poor, for those who cry out in their despair. God hears and intervenes to save, calling forward men who are capable of hearing the sufferings and groans of others and to work for the good of the oppressed.
The story of Moses begins, presenting him as a mediator for his people's freedom. He stands before the Pharaoh to convince him to let the Israelites go; and then he guides his people to freedom through the Red Sea and through the desert. Moses, who himself has been saved by divine mercy as a newborn child who was spared death on the waters of the Nile, became a mediator for mercy, making it possible for his people to be born to freedom, saved by the waters of the Red Sea. We too, during this Year of Mercy, can continue this work of being mediators of mercy with works of mercy in order to draw close to others, to soothe and to build unity. Many good works are possible.
God's mercy is always at work in order to save, the very opposite of those who are always looking for ways to kill: for example, those who promote war. Through his servant Moses, the Lord guided Israel through the desert as a father would guide his son, taught them faith and established a covenant with them, creating an everlasting bond of love, like the bond that exists between a father and his son, or between a husband and a wife.
Divine mercy is offered for all people. God offers us a privileged exclusive loving relationship. When he instructed Moses about his covenant, he said: If you listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be to me a treasured possession, even though all the earth is mine! You will be for me a kingdom of priests, a holy people (Ex 19:5-6).
Surely, God already possesses all the earth, for he has created it, but people become for him a different, special possession: his personal treasure of gold and silver, like the treasure that King David said that he donated for the construction of the Temple.
Therefore, we become a treasure for God by welcoming his covenant and allowing ourselves to be saved by Him. The Lord's mercy makes all people precious, like a personal treasure that belongs to Him, that He cares for and into which we are welcomed.
These are the wonders of divine mercy, that are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, in a new and eternal covenant in his blood; his forgiveness destroys our sin and makes us definitive children of God (cf 1 Jn 3:1), precious jewels in the hands of the good and merciful Father. If we are children of God and heirs of this inheritance - of goodness and mercy - in comparison with others, we can ask the Lord that during this Year of Mercy, we too might do merciful things; opening our hearts to others through acts of mercy, the legacy of mercy that God our Father has established with us.
The above catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!
The Holy Father then issued the following call for participation in the upcoming spiritual retreat organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum:
During the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum has organized a day of spiritual retreat for people and for groups who are involved in works of charity. The day, which will be offered in every diocese during the season of Lent, will be an occasion to reflect on the call to be merciful like the Father. I invite you to welcome this opportunity and to make use of the directives and resources provided by Cor Unum.
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