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 faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
During his speech, the Pope added a meditation on the Easter Triduum during the Jubilee of Mercy (using the biblical passage from Saint Luke's gospel: 23:32-34).
Following the customary summaries of His catechesis in various languages, Pope Francis addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then he issued a call for prayer for the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place yesterday in Brussels.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Our reflection on the mercy of God introduces us today to the Easter Triduum. We will experience Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as significant moments that will permit us to enter even deeper into the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything during these three days speaks of mercy, for it is made visible so that we can encounter the love of God. We will listen to the account of the final days of Jesus' life. The evangelist John offers us the key to understanding the profound sense of the story: Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (Jn 13:1). The love of God has no limits. Like Saint Augustine used to say, it is a love that goes to the very end without having any end. God truly offers everything he has for each one of us; he does not hold back in any sense. The Mystery that we adore during this Holy Week is a great story of love that knows no obstacles. The Passion of Jesus endures for all times because it is a story of sharing in the suffering of all humanity and a permanent presence in the personal lives of every one of us. In short, the Easter Triduum is a memorial to the drama of love that gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned as we face the trials of life.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus establishes the Eucharist, anticipating his sacrifice on Golgotha with the paschal banquet. In order to help his disciples to understand the love that is behind this sacrifice, he washes their feet, once again offering them a chance to personally experience how they themselves should act. The Eucharist is love transformed into service. It is the sublime presence of Christ who wants to feed every man, especially those who are vulnerable, to prepare them for a journey of witness through the difficulties of the world. Not only this: in giving himself to us as food, Jesus shows us that we must learn to share this food with others so that we might be truly in life-giving communion with those who are in need. He gives himself to us and he asks us to remain in Him in order to do the same.
Good Friday is love's culminating moment. The death of Jesus, who on the cross abandoned himself to the Father in order to offer salvation to the entire world, expresses love that is given to the end, without end. A love that seeks to embrace everyone, excluding no-one. A love that extends to every time and place: an inexhaustible font of salvation which every one of us, sinners, can approach. If God has shown us his supreme love in the death of Jesus, we too, reborn in the Holy Spirit, can and should love each other.
Finally, Holy Saturday is the day of God's silence. It must be a day of silence, and we must make every effort to ensure that it is a day of silence for us, as it was at that time: the day of God's silence. Jesus in the tomb shares the drama of death with all of humanity. This is a silence that speaks and expresses its love as solidarity with those who have been abandoned, showing us that the Son of God comes to us, to fill the void that only the infinite mercy of God the Father can fill. God is silent, but lovingly so. On this day of love - silent love - we learn to look forward to life in the resurrection. Let us consider, Holy Saturday: it would be good for us to consider Our Lady's silence, she who is the Believer, who in silence awaited the Resurrection. Our Lady can be an icon for us of Holy Saturday. We can think about how Our Lady experienced that Holy Saturday: waiting. She shows us the kind of love that does not doubt, but that always hopes in the word of God, so that it becomes apparent, shining in the light of Easter day.
It all is a great mystery of love and of mercy. Our words are poor and insufficient when we try to express its fullness. Perhaps we can be helped in this regard by the experience of young girl, not well known, who wrote sublime pages on the love of Christ. Her name was Giuliana of Norwich; she was illiterate and yet this girl had visions of the passion of Jesus and then, having become a recluse, she described, in simple but profound and intense language, the sense of merciful love. In her words: So our good Lord asked me: 'Are you happy that I have suffered for you?' I said: 'Yes, good Lord, and I thank you very much; yes, good Lord, may you be blessed'. Then Jesus, our good Lord said: 'If you are happy, I too am happy. For me, having suffered the passion for you is a great joy, happiness, eternal praise; and if I could suffer even more, I would do it. This is our Jesus, who says to each one of us: If I could suffer even more for you, I would do it.
How beautiful these words are! They help us to truly understand the immense and limitless love that the Lord has for each of us. Let us allow ourselves to be enveloped by this mercy that is offered to us; and during these days, while we keep our gazes fixed on the passion and the death of the Lord, let us welcome in our hearts the greatness of his love, and like Our Lady, on Saturday, let us silently await the Resurrection.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and His Holiness offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims 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 Ireland, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the United States. With cordial good wishes for a blessed Easter, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Pope issued a call for prayer for the victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels:
With a saddened heart, I have followed the sad news of the terrorist attacks that took place yesterday in Brussels, which left numerous victims and wounded many. I assure you of my prayer and my closeness to the beloved Belgian people, to all the families of the victims and to all those who were wounded. I once again call upon all people of good will to unite in unanimous condemnation of these cruel abominations which cause only death, terror or horror. I ask all people to persevere in prayer and in asking the Lord, during this Holy Week, to comfort the afflicted hearts and to convert the hearts of those who have been blinded by cruel fundamentalism, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Let us pray: Hail Mary ...
Now, in silence, let us pray for those who have died, for those who have been wounded, for their families and for all people of Belgium.
During his speech, the Pope added a meditation on the Easter Triduum during the Jubilee of Mercy (using the biblical passage from Saint Luke's gospel: 23:32-34).
Following the customary summaries of His catechesis in various languages, Pope Francis addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then he issued a call for prayer for the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place yesterday in Brussels.
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!
Our reflection on the mercy of God introduces us today to the Easter Triduum. We will experience Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as significant moments that will permit us to enter even deeper into the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything during these three days speaks of mercy, for it is made visible so that we can encounter the love of God. We will listen to the account of the final days of Jesus' life. The evangelist John offers us the key to understanding the profound sense of the story: Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (Jn 13:1). The love of God has no limits. Like Saint Augustine used to say, it is a love that goes to the very end without having any end. God truly offers everything he has for each one of us; he does not hold back in any sense. The Mystery that we adore during this Holy Week is a great story of love that knows no obstacles. The Passion of Jesus endures for all times because it is a story of sharing in the suffering of all humanity and a permanent presence in the personal lives of every one of us. In short, the Easter Triduum is a memorial to the drama of love that gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned as we face the trials of life.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus establishes the Eucharist, anticipating his sacrifice on Golgotha with the paschal banquet. In order to help his disciples to understand the love that is behind this sacrifice, he washes their feet, once again offering them a chance to personally experience how they themselves should act. The Eucharist is love transformed into service. It is the sublime presence of Christ who wants to feed every man, especially those who are vulnerable, to prepare them for a journey of witness through the difficulties of the world. Not only this: in giving himself to us as food, Jesus shows us that we must learn to share this food with others so that we might be truly in life-giving communion with those who are in need. He gives himself to us and he asks us to remain in Him in order to do the same.
Good Friday is love's culminating moment. The death of Jesus, who on the cross abandoned himself to the Father in order to offer salvation to the entire world, expresses love that is given to the end, without end. A love that seeks to embrace everyone, excluding no-one. A love that extends to every time and place: an inexhaustible font of salvation which every one of us, sinners, can approach. If God has shown us his supreme love in the death of Jesus, we too, reborn in the Holy Spirit, can and should love each other.
Finally, Holy Saturday is the day of God's silence. It must be a day of silence, and we must make every effort to ensure that it is a day of silence for us, as it was at that time: the day of God's silence. Jesus in the tomb shares the drama of death with all of humanity. This is a silence that speaks and expresses its love as solidarity with those who have been abandoned, showing us that the Son of God comes to us, to fill the void that only the infinite mercy of God the Father can fill. God is silent, but lovingly so. On this day of love - silent love - we learn to look forward to life in the resurrection. Let us consider, Holy Saturday: it would be good for us to consider Our Lady's silence, she who is the Believer, who in silence awaited the Resurrection. Our Lady can be an icon for us of Holy Saturday. We can think about how Our Lady experienced that Holy Saturday: waiting. She shows us the kind of love that does not doubt, but that always hopes in the word of God, so that it becomes apparent, shining in the light of Easter day.
It all is a great mystery of love and of mercy. Our words are poor and insufficient when we try to express its fullness. Perhaps we can be helped in this regard by the experience of young girl, not well known, who wrote sublime pages on the love of Christ. Her name was Giuliana of Norwich; she was illiterate and yet this girl had visions of the passion of Jesus and then, having become a recluse, she described, in simple but profound and intense language, the sense of merciful love. In her words: So our good Lord asked me: 'Are you happy that I have suffered for you?' I said: 'Yes, good Lord, and I thank you very much; yes, good Lord, may you be blessed'. Then Jesus, our good Lord said: 'If you are happy, I too am happy. For me, having suffered the passion for you is a great joy, happiness, eternal praise; and if I could suffer even more, I would do it. This is our Jesus, who says to each one of us: If I could suffer even more for you, I would do it.
How beautiful these words are! They help us to truly understand the immense and limitless love that the Lord has for each of us. Let us allow ourselves to be enveloped by this mercy that is offered to us; and during these days, while we keep our gazes fixed on the passion and the death of the Lord, let us welcome in our hearts the greatness of his love, and like Our Lady, on Saturday, let us silently await the Resurrection.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and His Holiness offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims 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 Ireland, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the United States. With cordial good wishes for a blessed Easter, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Pope issued a call for prayer for the victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels:
With a saddened heart, I have followed the sad news of the terrorist attacks that took place yesterday in Brussels, which left numerous victims and wounded many. I assure you of my prayer and my closeness to the beloved Belgian people, to all the families of the victims and to all those who were wounded. I once again call upon all people of good will to unite in unanimous condemnation of these cruel abominations which cause only death, terror or horror. I ask all people to persevere in prayer and in asking the Lord, during this Holy Week, to comfort the afflicted hearts and to convert the hearts of those who have been blinded by cruel fundamentalism, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Let us pray: Hail Mary ...
Now, in silence, let us pray for those who have died, for those who have been wounded, for their families and for all people of Belgium.
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