At 10:00am today, the third Jubilee Audience took place in Saint Peter's Square. These are additional meetings which have been created by Pope Francis, which take place one Saturday each month and are offered for pilgrims and the faithful who have come to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy.
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on mercy from the biblical perspective, adding a meditation on the theme: Mercy and service (Jn 13:12-14).
After having summarized his teaching in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We are drawing close to the feast of Easter, the central mystery of our faith. In the Gospel of John - as we have heard - we are told that before dying and rising for us, Jesus did something that engraved itself in the disciples' memories: he washed their feet. This was something completely unexpected, shocking, so much so that Peter did not want to accept it. I want to focus on the final words spoken by Jesus: Do you understand what I have done for you? ... If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you too should wash one another's feet (Jn 13:12, 14). In this way, Jesus showed his disciples that service is the way that they should follow in order to live their faith in Him and to bear witness to his love. Jesus himself applied the image of the Servant of God, used by the prophet Isaiah to himself. He who is the Lord, became a servant!
By washing the disciples' feet, Jesus wanted to demonstrate how God acts toward us, and to give an example of his new commandment (Jn 13:34) to love one another as he has loved us, that is to say by giving his life for us. John himself writes in his First Letter: By this we have known his love: that He laid down his life for us; therefore we too should give our lives for our brothers ... Little children, let us not love only in words and with our tongues, but through our deeds and in truth (Jn 3:16, 18).
Love, then, is the concrete service that we render unto one another. Love is not a matter of mere words, it includes works and service: humble service, provided in silence and in hidden ways, as Jesus himself has said: do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Mt 6:3). It is a matter of making available the gifts that the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us, for the growth of the community (cf 1 Cor 12:4-11). It is also expressed in the sharing of material goods, so that no one should ever be in need. Sharing and devotion to those who are in need are characteristics of a lifestyle that God also suggests to many non-Christians as a path to authentic humanity.
Finally, let us not forget that by washing the feet of the disciples and asking them to do the same, Jesus has invited us to confess our faults to each other and to pray for one another so that we might sincerely forgive one another. In this sense, we remember the words of the holy bishop Augustine who wrote: No Christian should hesitate to do what Christ himself has done, for when the body stoops to the feet of a brother, our hearts are also brightened, or should they already be illumined, the sentiment of humility (motivates us to) forgive one another of our wrongs and to ask pardon for our own wrongs, and in this way we wash one another's feet (In Joh 58:4-5). Love, charity is service, helping one another, serving others. There are many people who spend their lives in this way, in service to others. Last week, I received a letter rom a person who wanted to thank me for the Year of Mercy; and to ask me to pray for him, that he might be able to draw closer to the Lord. This person's life is spent taking care of his mother and his brother: the mother is confined to bed, elderly, she is lucid but she cannot move around; and his brother is disabled, sitting in a wheelchair. This person, his entire life, is to serve, to help others. This is love! When you can forget about yourself and think about another person, this is love! With the washing of feet, the Lord teaches us to be servants, and even more: he teaches us to be servants, like he himself was a servant to us, to every one of us.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, to be merciful like the Father means following Jesus on the path of service. Thank you.
This teaching was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered particular 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, including those from Ireland, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. 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!
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on mercy from the biblical perspective, adding a meditation on the theme: Mercy and service (Jn 13:12-14).
After having summarized his teaching in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Jubilee Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We are drawing close to the feast of Easter, the central mystery of our faith. In the Gospel of John - as we have heard - we are told that before dying and rising for us, Jesus did something that engraved itself in the disciples' memories: he washed their feet. This was something completely unexpected, shocking, so much so that Peter did not want to accept it. I want to focus on the final words spoken by Jesus: Do you understand what I have done for you? ... If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you too should wash one another's feet (Jn 13:12, 14). In this way, Jesus showed his disciples that service is the way that they should follow in order to live their faith in Him and to bear witness to his love. Jesus himself applied the image of the Servant of God, used by the prophet Isaiah to himself. He who is the Lord, became a servant!
By washing the disciples' feet, Jesus wanted to demonstrate how God acts toward us, and to give an example of his new commandment (Jn 13:34) to love one another as he has loved us, that is to say by giving his life for us. John himself writes in his First Letter: By this we have known his love: that He laid down his life for us; therefore we too should give our lives for our brothers ... Little children, let us not love only in words and with our tongues, but through our deeds and in truth (Jn 3:16, 18).
Love, then, is the concrete service that we render unto one another. Love is not a matter of mere words, it includes works and service: humble service, provided in silence and in hidden ways, as Jesus himself has said: do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Mt 6:3). It is a matter of making available the gifts that the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us, for the growth of the community (cf 1 Cor 12:4-11). It is also expressed in the sharing of material goods, so that no one should ever be in need. Sharing and devotion to those who are in need are characteristics of a lifestyle that God also suggests to many non-Christians as a path to authentic humanity.
Finally, let us not forget that by washing the feet of the disciples and asking them to do the same, Jesus has invited us to confess our faults to each other and to pray for one another so that we might sincerely forgive one another. In this sense, we remember the words of the holy bishop Augustine who wrote: No Christian should hesitate to do what Christ himself has done, for when the body stoops to the feet of a brother, our hearts are also brightened, or should they already be illumined, the sentiment of humility (motivates us to) forgive one another of our wrongs and to ask pardon for our own wrongs, and in this way we wash one another's feet (In Joh 58:4-5). Love, charity is service, helping one another, serving others. There are many people who spend their lives in this way, in service to others. Last week, I received a letter rom a person who wanted to thank me for the Year of Mercy; and to ask me to pray for him, that he might be able to draw closer to the Lord. This person's life is spent taking care of his mother and his brother: the mother is confined to bed, elderly, she is lucid but she cannot move around; and his brother is disabled, sitting in a wheelchair. This person, his entire life, is to serve, to help others. This is love! When you can forget about yourself and think about another person, this is love! With the washing of feet, the Lord teaches us to be servants, and even more: he teaches us to be servants, like he himself was a servant to us, to every one of us.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, to be merciful like the Father means following Jesus on the path of service. Thank you.
This teaching was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered particular 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, including those from Ireland, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment