This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the theme: I desire mercy and not sacrifices (Mt 9:9, 10b-13).
Following the usual summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed 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!
We have heard the gospel account of the call of Matthew. Matthew was a publican, that is to say, a tax collector on behalf of the Roman Empire, and for this reason he was considered as a public sinner. But Jesus called him, invited him to follow him and to become his disciple. Matthew agrees, and invites Jesus to dine at his house together with his disciples. There then arose a discussion between the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus as to the fact that they shared a table with publicans and sinners: You cannot go to these people's houses!, they said. In fact, Jesus did not drive them away, instead, he visited their houses and sat beside them; this meant that they too could become his disciples. It is also equally true that the mere fact that we are Christians does not make us impeccable. Like Matthew the publican, every one of us must confide ourselves to the grace of the Lord, in spite of our sins. We are all sinners, we have all sinned. By calling Matthew, Jesus shows to all sinners that he does not care about their past, their social status, their external appearance, but instead he opens a new future for them. I once heard a beautiful saying: There is no saint without a past and there is no sinner without a future. This is what Jesus does. There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. It is enough for us to respond to the invitation with a humble and sincere heart. The Church is not a community of perfect people, but of disciples on a journey, who follow the Lord because we recognize our sins and our need for his forgiveness. Christian life is therefore a school of humility that opens our hearts to grace.
Such behaviour cannot be understood by those who presume themselves to be right, or who think of themselves as being better than others. Arrogance and pride will never allow anyone to recognize a need for salvation, in fact, such people are unable to see the merciful face of God and to act with mercy. For them, there is a wall. Arrogance and pride are walls that prevent us from having a relationship with God. Yet, this is precisely the mission of Jesus: to come in search of each one of us, to heal our wounds and to call us to follow him with love. He says it clearly: Healthy people have no need of a doctor, only those who are sick (Mt 9:12). Jesus presents himself as a good doctor! He proclaims the Kingdom of God, and the signs of its arrival are evident: He heals the sick, frees them from their fears, from death and from demons. In Jesus eyes, no sinner is excluded - no sinner is excluded! - for the healing power of God knows no sickness that cannot be healed; and this should give us confidence and open our hearts to the Lord who comes to us and heals us. Calling sinners to his table, He heals them and re-establishes them in the vocation they believed that they had lost and which the Pharisees had forgotten: invited guests at the banquet table of God. According to the prophesy of Isaiah: On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of excellent wines, succulent food and choice wines. On that day, it will be said: This is our God, in him we have hoped for salvation. This is the Lord in whom we have hoped, we rejoice and exalt in his salvation (Is 25:6-9).
If among the invited guests, the Pharisees only see sinners and refuse to sit with them, Jesus on the other hand reminds them that they too are God's guests. In this way, to sit at table with Jesus signifies being transformed and saved by Him. In the Christian community, Jesus' table is present in two forms: the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist (cf Dei Verbum, 21). These are the drugs with which the Divine Physician heals us and feeds us. With the first - the Word - He reveals himself and invites us into a dialogue among friends. Jesus was never afraid to speak with sinners, with publicans, with prostitutes ... No, he was not afraid: he loved everyone! His Word penetrates into us and, like a scalpel, it works it, s way deeply into us in order to free us from any evil that lurks in our lives. Sometimes, this Word is painful because it reveals hyprocrisies, unmasks false excuses and exposes hidden truths; but at the same time, it illuminates and purifies, it gives strength and hope and is a precious remedy for our journey of faith. For its part, the Eucharist nourishes us with Jesus' life, and like a most powerful medicine, in a mysterious way it continually renews the grace of our Baptism. As we approach the Eucharist, we nourish ourselves with the Body and Blood of Jesus, and at the same time, coming to us, it is Jesus who unites us to his Body!
Concluding the dialogue with the Pharisees, Jesus reminds them of a word spoken by the prophet Hosea (Ho 6:6): Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice (Mt 9:13). Addressing the people of Israel, the prophet rebuked them because the prayers they offered were empty and incoherent words. Despite God's covenant and mercy, the people experienced a cosmetic religiosity at times, without ever having a deeper experience of the Lord's command. This is why the prophet insists: I desire mercy, that is to say a loyalty of the heart that recognizes its own sins, one who repents and returns to fidelity to the covenant with God. And not sacrifice: without a penitential heart, every religious action is ineffective! Jesus applies this prophetic phrase also to human relationships: the Pharisees were very religious in their actions, but they were not open to sharing the table with publicans and sinners; they could not recognize the possibility of a reformation and therefore of healing; they would not place any priority on mercy: while being faithful custodians of the Law, they had no knowledge of God's heart! It is as though you were to receive a package containing a gift and instead of seeking out the gift, you spent your time only looking at the paper with which the gift is wrapped: only appearances, form, and not the reality of the grace, the gift that has been given!
Dear brothers and sisters, we are all invited to the table of the Lord. Let us respond to this invitation to sit beside Him, together with his disciples. Let us learn to look with mercy and to recognize in each one of those around the table, a companion of ours. We are all disciples who need to experience and to live the comforting words of Jesus. We all need to feed on the mercy of God, for it is from this font that our salvation is drawn. Thank you!
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the pilgrims from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
Finally, after each group had been addressed, the Pope issued the following request for prayers:
Next Saturday, I will travel to the island of Lesbos, where for some months many refugees have gathered. I will go there, together with my brothers, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I and the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, Hieronymus, to express our closeness and solidarity both to the refugees and to the citizens of Lesbos and to all people of Greece who have been so generous in their welcome. I ask you please to accompany me with your prayers, invoking the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit and the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the theme: I desire mercy and not sacrifices (Mt 9:9, 10b-13).
Following the usual summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed 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!
We have heard the gospel account of the call of Matthew. Matthew was a publican, that is to say, a tax collector on behalf of the Roman Empire, and for this reason he was considered as a public sinner. But Jesus called him, invited him to follow him and to become his disciple. Matthew agrees, and invites Jesus to dine at his house together with his disciples. There then arose a discussion between the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus as to the fact that they shared a table with publicans and sinners: You cannot go to these people's houses!, they said. In fact, Jesus did not drive them away, instead, he visited their houses and sat beside them; this meant that they too could become his disciples. It is also equally true that the mere fact that we are Christians does not make us impeccable. Like Matthew the publican, every one of us must confide ourselves to the grace of the Lord, in spite of our sins. We are all sinners, we have all sinned. By calling Matthew, Jesus shows to all sinners that he does not care about their past, their social status, their external appearance, but instead he opens a new future for them. I once heard a beautiful saying: There is no saint without a past and there is no sinner without a future. This is what Jesus does. There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future. It is enough for us to respond to the invitation with a humble and sincere heart. The Church is not a community of perfect people, but of disciples on a journey, who follow the Lord because we recognize our sins and our need for his forgiveness. Christian life is therefore a school of humility that opens our hearts to grace.
Such behaviour cannot be understood by those who presume themselves to be right, or who think of themselves as being better than others. Arrogance and pride will never allow anyone to recognize a need for salvation, in fact, such people are unable to see the merciful face of God and to act with mercy. For them, there is a wall. Arrogance and pride are walls that prevent us from having a relationship with God. Yet, this is precisely the mission of Jesus: to come in search of each one of us, to heal our wounds and to call us to follow him with love. He says it clearly: Healthy people have no need of a doctor, only those who are sick (Mt 9:12). Jesus presents himself as a good doctor! He proclaims the Kingdom of God, and the signs of its arrival are evident: He heals the sick, frees them from their fears, from death and from demons. In Jesus eyes, no sinner is excluded - no sinner is excluded! - for the healing power of God knows no sickness that cannot be healed; and this should give us confidence and open our hearts to the Lord who comes to us and heals us. Calling sinners to his table, He heals them and re-establishes them in the vocation they believed that they had lost and which the Pharisees had forgotten: invited guests at the banquet table of God. According to the prophesy of Isaiah: On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of excellent wines, succulent food and choice wines. On that day, it will be said: This is our God, in him we have hoped for salvation. This is the Lord in whom we have hoped, we rejoice and exalt in his salvation (Is 25:6-9).
If among the invited guests, the Pharisees only see sinners and refuse to sit with them, Jesus on the other hand reminds them that they too are God's guests. In this way, to sit at table with Jesus signifies being transformed and saved by Him. In the Christian community, Jesus' table is present in two forms: the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist (cf Dei Verbum, 21). These are the drugs with which the Divine Physician heals us and feeds us. With the first - the Word - He reveals himself and invites us into a dialogue among friends. Jesus was never afraid to speak with sinners, with publicans, with prostitutes ... No, he was not afraid: he loved everyone! His Word penetrates into us and, like a scalpel, it works it, s way deeply into us in order to free us from any evil that lurks in our lives. Sometimes, this Word is painful because it reveals hyprocrisies, unmasks false excuses and exposes hidden truths; but at the same time, it illuminates and purifies, it gives strength and hope and is a precious remedy for our journey of faith. For its part, the Eucharist nourishes us with Jesus' life, and like a most powerful medicine, in a mysterious way it continually renews the grace of our Baptism. As we approach the Eucharist, we nourish ourselves with the Body and Blood of Jesus, and at the same time, coming to us, it is Jesus who unites us to his Body!
Concluding the dialogue with the Pharisees, Jesus reminds them of a word spoken by the prophet Hosea (Ho 6:6): Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice (Mt 9:13). Addressing the people of Israel, the prophet rebuked them because the prayers they offered were empty and incoherent words. Despite God's covenant and mercy, the people experienced a cosmetic religiosity at times, without ever having a deeper experience of the Lord's command. This is why the prophet insists: I desire mercy, that is to say a loyalty of the heart that recognizes its own sins, one who repents and returns to fidelity to the covenant with God. And not sacrifice: without a penitential heart, every religious action is ineffective! Jesus applies this prophetic phrase also to human relationships: the Pharisees were very religious in their actions, but they were not open to sharing the table with publicans and sinners; they could not recognize the possibility of a reformation and therefore of healing; they would not place any priority on mercy: while being faithful custodians of the Law, they had no knowledge of God's heart! It is as though you were to receive a package containing a gift and instead of seeking out the gift, you spent your time only looking at the paper with which the gift is wrapped: only appearances, form, and not the reality of the grace, the gift that has been given!
Dear brothers and sisters, we are all invited to the table of the Lord. Let us respond to this invitation to sit beside Him, together with his disciples. Let us learn to look with mercy and to recognize in each one of those around the table, a companion of ours. We are all disciples who need to experience and to live the comforting words of Jesus. We all need to feed on the mercy of God, for it is from this font that our salvation is drawn. Thank you!
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the pilgrims from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
Finally, after each group had been addressed, the Pope issued the following request for prayers:
Next Saturday, I will travel to the island of Lesbos, where for some months many refugees have gathered. I will go there, together with my brothers, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I and the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, Hieronymus, to express our closeness and solidarity both to the refugees and to the citizens of Lesbos and to all people of Greece who have been so generous in their welcome. I ask you please to accompany me with your prayers, invoking the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit and the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary.
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