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.
This Sunday's gospel - according to Luke - recounts the call of the first of Jesus' disciples (Lk 5:1-11). It takes place in the context of daily life: a few fishermen are on the shore of the sea of Galilee, following a night of fishing during which they have caught nothing, they are cleaning their nets. Jesus goes out in one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, who is also known as Peter, and asks him to go out a bit from the shore, where he begins to preach the Word of God to the people who are very numerous. When he has finished preaching, he tells Simon to set out and to let down his nets. Simon had already met Jesus and experienced the prodigious power of his word, yet he responds: Master, we have worked all night and have not caught anything: but if you wish, I will let down the nets (Lk 5:5). And his faith is rewarded: in fact, the nets are filled with such a quantity of fish that the boat almost sinks (cf Lk 5:6).
At this extraordinary event, the other fishermen are ceased with great wonder. Simon Peter throws himself at the feet of Jesus and says: Lord, go away from me, for I am a sinful man (Lk 5:8). The prodigious sign has convinced him that Jesus is not only a formidable master, whose word is true and powerful, but that He is the Lord, he is the manifestation of God. And this close presence arouses in Peter a strong sense of his own sinfulness and unworthiness. From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be a certain distance between sinners and saints. In truth, it is especially because of his sinful condition that the Lord is required to not draw away from him, just as a doctor cannot draw away from someone who is sick.
Jesus' response to Simon Peter is reassuring and decisive: Do not be afraid, from now on, you will be a fisher of men (Lk 5:10). Once again, the Galilean fisherman, placing his trust in this word, leaves everything and follows Him who has become his Master and Lord. The same would be true for James and John, Simon's companions. This is the logic that guides Jesus' mission and the mission of the Church: to seek out and to catch men and women, not to proselytize but restore full dignity and freedom to everyone through the forgiveness of their sins. This is the key to Christianity: to spread the reinvigorating and freely-given love of God, through an attitude of welcome and mercy for everyone, so that all people can encounter the tenderness of God and experience the fullness of life. And here, in a particular way, I think of confessors: they are the first to must witness to the mercy of the Father by following the example of Jesus, just as the two holy Brothers, Leopold and Padre Pio did.
Today's gospel challenges us: do we truly trust the word of the Lord? Or do we allow ourselves to be discouraged by our failures? During this Holy Year of Mercy, we are called to comfort those who feel that they are sinners, unworthy to stand before the Lord and punished for their mistakes, speaking to them the same words that Jesus spoke: Do not be afraid. The Father's mercy is greater than your sins! His mercy is great, do not be afraid. May the Virgin Mary help us to understand more and more that being a disciple means putting our feet into the footprints that were left by the Master: they are the footprints of divine grace that bring all people back to life.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
With great concern, I am following the dramatic fate of civilian populations involved in the violent fighting in beloved Syria, forced to leave everything behind in order to escape the horrors of war. I hope that with generous solidarity, the necessary help will be provided in order to assure their survival and their dignity, while I call upon the international community to not spare any effort to urgently bring all the parties affected to the negotiation table. Only a political solution to the conflict will guarantee a future of reconciliation and peace for that dear and martyred country, for which I invite you all to pray very much; and also now, all together, let us pray to Our Lady for our beloved Syria: Hail Mary ...
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today in Italy, we celebrate the Day for Life, focused on the theme: Mercy makes life flower. I unite myself with the Italian Bishops to express a wish, addressed to various institutions, educational and social agencies, in favour of human life from conception to natural death. Our society needs help in order to be healed from of all the attempts against life, daring to work toward interior change which is demonstrated also through works of mercy. I greet and encourage the university teachers of Rome and those who are committed to witnessing to a culture of life.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Day of Prayer and Reflection against the trafficking of persons, which offers everyone the opportunity to help the new slaves of our day to break the heavy chains of exploitation and to restore their freedom and dignity. I think in particular of many women and men, and many children! We must make every effort to stamp out this crime and this intolerable shame.
Also tomorrow, in the Far East and in various parts of the world, millions of men and women will celebrate the lunar new year. I hope that they will all experience serenity and peace in the heart of their families, which are the first place in which we all live and pass on the values of love and fraternity, of community life and sharing, of attention and care for others. May the new year bear fruit in compassion, mercy and solidarity. And to all those men and women in the Far East who will celebrate the lunar new year tomorrow, let us greet them from here with our applause!
I greet all the pilgrims, the parish groups and the associations who have come from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ecuador, Slovakia and other countries. There are too many of you to name you all! I point out only the recently confirmed, those from the Dioceses of Treviso, Padua, Cuneo, Lodi, Como and Crotone. They are all here, I see them! And I greet the community of priests from the Mexican College in Rome, along with other Mexicans: thank you for your commitment and accompaniment in prayer as I undertake the upcoming apostolic voyage to Mexico that will also include a meeting that will take place in Havana with my dear brother Kirill.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
This Sunday's gospel - according to Luke - recounts the call of the first of Jesus' disciples (Lk 5:1-11). It takes place in the context of daily life: a few fishermen are on the shore of the sea of Galilee, following a night of fishing during which they have caught nothing, they are cleaning their nets. Jesus goes out in one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, who is also known as Peter, and asks him to go out a bit from the shore, where he begins to preach the Word of God to the people who are very numerous. When he has finished preaching, he tells Simon to set out and to let down his nets. Simon had already met Jesus and experienced the prodigious power of his word, yet he responds: Master, we have worked all night and have not caught anything: but if you wish, I will let down the nets (Lk 5:5). And his faith is rewarded: in fact, the nets are filled with such a quantity of fish that the boat almost sinks (cf Lk 5:6).
At this extraordinary event, the other fishermen are ceased with great wonder. Simon Peter throws himself at the feet of Jesus and says: Lord, go away from me, for I am a sinful man (Lk 5:8). The prodigious sign has convinced him that Jesus is not only a formidable master, whose word is true and powerful, but that He is the Lord, he is the manifestation of God. And this close presence arouses in Peter a strong sense of his own sinfulness and unworthiness. From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be a certain distance between sinners and saints. In truth, it is especially because of his sinful condition that the Lord is required to not draw away from him, just as a doctor cannot draw away from someone who is sick.
Jesus' response to Simon Peter is reassuring and decisive: Do not be afraid, from now on, you will be a fisher of men (Lk 5:10). Once again, the Galilean fisherman, placing his trust in this word, leaves everything and follows Him who has become his Master and Lord. The same would be true for James and John, Simon's companions. This is the logic that guides Jesus' mission and the mission of the Church: to seek out and to catch men and women, not to proselytize but restore full dignity and freedom to everyone through the forgiveness of their sins. This is the key to Christianity: to spread the reinvigorating and freely-given love of God, through an attitude of welcome and mercy for everyone, so that all people can encounter the tenderness of God and experience the fullness of life. And here, in a particular way, I think of confessors: they are the first to must witness to the mercy of the Father by following the example of Jesus, just as the two holy Brothers, Leopold and Padre Pio did.
Today's gospel challenges us: do we truly trust the word of the Lord? Or do we allow ourselves to be discouraged by our failures? During this Holy Year of Mercy, we are called to comfort those who feel that they are sinners, unworthy to stand before the Lord and punished for their mistakes, speaking to them the same words that Jesus spoke: Do not be afraid. The Father's mercy is greater than your sins! His mercy is great, do not be afraid. May the Virgin Mary help us to understand more and more that being a disciple means putting our feet into the footprints that were left by the Master: they are the footprints of divine grace that bring all people back to life.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
With great concern, I am following the dramatic fate of civilian populations involved in the violent fighting in beloved Syria, forced to leave everything behind in order to escape the horrors of war. I hope that with generous solidarity, the necessary help will be provided in order to assure their survival and their dignity, while I call upon the international community to not spare any effort to urgently bring all the parties affected to the negotiation table. Only a political solution to the conflict will guarantee a future of reconciliation and peace for that dear and martyred country, for which I invite you all to pray very much; and also now, all together, let us pray to Our Lady for our beloved Syria: Hail Mary ...
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today in Italy, we celebrate the Day for Life, focused on the theme: Mercy makes life flower. I unite myself with the Italian Bishops to express a wish, addressed to various institutions, educational and social agencies, in favour of human life from conception to natural death. Our society needs help in order to be healed from of all the attempts against life, daring to work toward interior change which is demonstrated also through works of mercy. I greet and encourage the university teachers of Rome and those who are committed to witnessing to a culture of life.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Day of Prayer and Reflection against the trafficking of persons, which offers everyone the opportunity to help the new slaves of our day to break the heavy chains of exploitation and to restore their freedom and dignity. I think in particular of many women and men, and many children! We must make every effort to stamp out this crime and this intolerable shame.
Also tomorrow, in the Far East and in various parts of the world, millions of men and women will celebrate the lunar new year. I hope that they will all experience serenity and peace in the heart of their families, which are the first place in which we all live and pass on the values of love and fraternity, of community life and sharing, of attention and care for others. May the new year bear fruit in compassion, mercy and solidarity. And to all those men and women in the Far East who will celebrate the lunar new year tomorrow, let us greet them from here with our applause!
I greet all the pilgrims, the parish groups and the associations who have come from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ecuador, Slovakia and other countries. There are too many of you to name you all! I point out only the recently confirmed, those from the Dioceses of Treviso, Padua, Cuneo, Lodi, Como and Crotone. They are all here, I see them! And I greet the community of priests from the Mexican College in Rome, along with other Mexicans: thank you for your commitment and accompaniment in prayer as I undertake the upcoming apostolic voyage to Mexico that will also include a meeting that will take place in Havana with my dear brother Kirill.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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