This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am (local time in Rome) in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every other corner of the world.
In his catechesis, the Pope continued his meditations on mercy from the biblical perspective, focusing on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-20a, 22, 24-25).
After having summarized his teaching 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!
I want to focus with you today on the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. The lives of these two persons seem to run on parallel tracks: their living conditions are opposite and they never cross paths. The front door of the rich man's house is always closed to the poor, who are lying outside, seeking to eat whatever should drop from the rich man's table. Those who were inside wore rich clothing while outside, Lazarus was covered with sores: every day, the rich man feasted luxuriously, while Lazarus was dying of hunger. Only the dogs took care of him, coming to lick at his wounds. This scene reminds us of the harsh rebuke issued by the Son of Man during the final judgement: I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink, I was ... naked and you did not give me clothing (Mt 25:42-43). Lazarus represents very well the silent cry of the poor of all times and the contradictions of a world in which immense wealth and resources are held in the hands of very few people.
Jesus says that one day this rich man died: the poor and the rich both die, they face the same destiny, like all of us, there are no exceptions. And then the man spoke with Abraham, begging him and calling him father (Lk 16:24, 27). Thus he claims to be his son, belonging to God's people. Yet in life he had not demonstrated any consideration toward God, in fact, he made himself the centre of attention for everything, and closed himself off in his own world of luxury and waste. Excluding Lazarus, he took no account, neither of the Lord nor of his Law. God despises those who ignore the poor! We need to learn this fact well: God despises those who ignore the poor. There is a specific point in the parable that should be noted: the rich man does not have a name; he is referred to only as the rich man; but the name of the poor man is repeated five times, and Lazarus means God helps. Lazarus, lying in front of the door, is a living reminder to the rich that they should remember God, but the rich man did not welcome this reminder. Thus he is condemned, not because of his riches but because he was unable to be compassionate toward Lazarus, and come to his help.
In the second part of the parable, we discover Lazarus and the rich man after their deaths (Lk 16: 22-31). From this point onward, the situation is reversed: the poor Lazarus is carried by the angels into heaven, near to Abraham, but the rich man punishes and is tormented. So the rich man raises his eyes and sees Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. At this point, he seems to see Lazarus for the first time, but his words betray him: Father Abraham - he says - have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger into some water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering terribly in these flames. Now, the rich man recognizes Lazarus and asks for his help, while during his life he had made a point of not seeing him. How many times do many people make a point of not seeing the poor! For them, the poor don't exist. Before, he had denied him even the scraps from his table, but now he wants him to bring him a drink! He still thinks that he can claim rights to his previous social status. Declaring it impossible for Lazarus to fulfill his request, Abraham himself provides the key to the entire story. He explains that good and evil are distributed as compensation for earthly injustice and that the door that separated the rich and the poor during their earthly lives is transformed into a great abyss. While Lazarus was at the doorstep of his house, there was a possibility for the rich man's salvation; all he had to do was throw the doors open wide, to help Lazarus; but now that both have died, the situation has become irreparable. God is never directly called upon, but the parable clearly warns: God's mercy shown to us is tied to the mercy that we must show to others; when this is missing, even if it cannot find enough space in our hearts because our hearts are closed, we cannot enter. If I do not throw the doors of my heart wide open toward the needs of the poor, the door will remain closed. The same is true for God. And this would be terrible.
At this point, the rich man considers his brothers, who are in danger of meeting the same fate, and he asks for Lazarus to be allowed to return to the earth in order to warn them. But Abraham replies: They have Moses and the prophets, they should listen to them. In order for us to be converted, we should not expect miraculous happenings, but simply open our hearts to the Word of God that calls us to love God and our neighbour. The Word of God can revive a withered heart and heal it of its blindness. The rich man knew the Word of God, but he did not allow it to enter into his heart, he did not listen to it, this is why he was incapable of opening his eyes and of having compassion for the poor. No messenger and no message can replace the poor that we meet on our journey, for in them we meet Jesus himself: Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me (Mt 25:40), says Jesus. Thus, in the reversal of fortunes that is described in the parable, we find hidden the mystery of our salvation, in which Christ unites poverty with mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters, listening to this gospel, we all, together with the poor of the earth, can sing with Mary: He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty (Lk 1:52-53).
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered greetings to each of the various groups of faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Ireland, Malta, Russia, Slovakia, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Canada and 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.
In his catechesis, the Pope continued his meditations on mercy from the biblical perspective, focusing on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-20a, 22, 24-25).
After having summarized his teaching 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!
I want to focus with you today on the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. The lives of these two persons seem to run on parallel tracks: their living conditions are opposite and they never cross paths. The front door of the rich man's house is always closed to the poor, who are lying outside, seeking to eat whatever should drop from the rich man's table. Those who were inside wore rich clothing while outside, Lazarus was covered with sores: every day, the rich man feasted luxuriously, while Lazarus was dying of hunger. Only the dogs took care of him, coming to lick at his wounds. This scene reminds us of the harsh rebuke issued by the Son of Man during the final judgement: I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink, I was ... naked and you did not give me clothing (Mt 25:42-43). Lazarus represents very well the silent cry of the poor of all times and the contradictions of a world in which immense wealth and resources are held in the hands of very few people.
Jesus says that one day this rich man died: the poor and the rich both die, they face the same destiny, like all of us, there are no exceptions. And then the man spoke with Abraham, begging him and calling him father (Lk 16:24, 27). Thus he claims to be his son, belonging to God's people. Yet in life he had not demonstrated any consideration toward God, in fact, he made himself the centre of attention for everything, and closed himself off in his own world of luxury and waste. Excluding Lazarus, he took no account, neither of the Lord nor of his Law. God despises those who ignore the poor! We need to learn this fact well: God despises those who ignore the poor. There is a specific point in the parable that should be noted: the rich man does not have a name; he is referred to only as the rich man; but the name of the poor man is repeated five times, and Lazarus means God helps. Lazarus, lying in front of the door, is a living reminder to the rich that they should remember God, but the rich man did not welcome this reminder. Thus he is condemned, not because of his riches but because he was unable to be compassionate toward Lazarus, and come to his help.
In the second part of the parable, we discover Lazarus and the rich man after their deaths (Lk 16: 22-31). From this point onward, the situation is reversed: the poor Lazarus is carried by the angels into heaven, near to Abraham, but the rich man punishes and is tormented. So the rich man raises his eyes and sees Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. At this point, he seems to see Lazarus for the first time, but his words betray him: Father Abraham - he says - have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger into some water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering terribly in these flames. Now, the rich man recognizes Lazarus and asks for his help, while during his life he had made a point of not seeing him. How many times do many people make a point of not seeing the poor! For them, the poor don't exist. Before, he had denied him even the scraps from his table, but now he wants him to bring him a drink! He still thinks that he can claim rights to his previous social status. Declaring it impossible for Lazarus to fulfill his request, Abraham himself provides the key to the entire story. He explains that good and evil are distributed as compensation for earthly injustice and that the door that separated the rich and the poor during their earthly lives is transformed into a great abyss. While Lazarus was at the doorstep of his house, there was a possibility for the rich man's salvation; all he had to do was throw the doors open wide, to help Lazarus; but now that both have died, the situation has become irreparable. God is never directly called upon, but the parable clearly warns: God's mercy shown to us is tied to the mercy that we must show to others; when this is missing, even if it cannot find enough space in our hearts because our hearts are closed, we cannot enter. If I do not throw the doors of my heart wide open toward the needs of the poor, the door will remain closed. The same is true for God. And this would be terrible.
At this point, the rich man considers his brothers, who are in danger of meeting the same fate, and he asks for Lazarus to be allowed to return to the earth in order to warn them. But Abraham replies: They have Moses and the prophets, they should listen to them. In order for us to be converted, we should not expect miraculous happenings, but simply open our hearts to the Word of God that calls us to love God and our neighbour. The Word of God can revive a withered heart and heal it of its blindness. The rich man knew the Word of God, but he did not allow it to enter into his heart, he did not listen to it, this is why he was incapable of opening his eyes and of having compassion for the poor. No messenger and no message can replace the poor that we meet on our journey, for in them we meet Jesus himself: Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to me (Mt 25:40), says Jesus. Thus, in the reversal of fortunes that is described in the parable, we find hidden the mystery of our salvation, in which Christ unites poverty with mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters, listening to this gospel, we all, together with the poor of the earth, can sing with Mary: He has pulled down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty (Lk 1:52-53).
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered greetings to each of the various groups of faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Ireland, Malta, Russia, Slovakia, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Canada and 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.
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