At noon today in Rome, 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.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel passage (Lk 9:18-24) calls us once more to present ourselves, face to face - if you will - with Jesus. In a rare quiet moment in which he finds himself alone with his disciples, he asks them: Who do people say that I am? (Lk 9:18). And they respond: John the Baptist, others say Elijah, others that you are one of the ancient prophets who has risen (Lk 9:19). Thus, people had thoughts about Jesus and they considered him to be a great prophet, but they were not yet aware of his true identity - that he was the Messiah, the Son of God who had been sent by the Father to save us all.
Therefore, Jesus spoke directly to the Apostles - for these were the ones he was most concerned about - and asked them: But you, who do you say that I am? Immediately, on behalf of all of them, Peter responded: The Christ of God (Lk 9:20), which is to say: You are the Messiah, the Anointed of God, sent by Him in order to save his people according to the Covenant and his promise. Jesus realized that the Twelve, and Peter in particular, had received the gift of faith from the Father, and this is why he began to speak to them openly - that's what the Gospel says: openly - about all that was waiting for him in Jerusalem: The Son of man - he said - must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes; he will be killed and on the third day, he will rise (Lk 9:22).
Those same questions are asked of all of us today: Who is Jesus for the people of our times? But the other one is more important: Who is Jesus for each one of us? For me, for you, for you, for you, for you ...? Who is Jesus for each one of us? We are called to make Peter's response our own, to joyfully profess that Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word of the Father who became man in order to redeem mankind, pouring out upon us the abundance of divine mercy. More than ever before, the world needs Christ, his salvation, his merciful love. Many people sense a void around them, and within themselves - perhaps, sometimes, even we do -; others live in restlessness and insecurity because of great risk and conflict. We all need adequate answers to our questions, our concrete questions. In Christ, only in him, can we find true peace and the fulfillment of all our aspirations. Jesus knows the hearts of men like no one else does. This is why he can heal us, give us life and console us.
After having concluded the dialogue with the Apostles, Jesus addressed himself to all of them saying: If anyone wishes to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me (Lk 9:23). He is not speaking about an ornamental cross, or an imaginary cross, but the cross of life, the cross of our own duties, the cross of sacrificing ourselves for others out of love - for our parents, for our children, for our families, for our friends, for our enemies - the cross of availability to stand in solidarity with the poor, of being committed to the cause of justice and peace. When we take on this attitude, when we take up these crosses, we always lose something else. We should never forget that whoever loses his life for Christ, will save it (Lk 9:24). It's a matter of losing one thing in order to gain another. Let us remember our brothers and sisters who even today put these words of Jesus into practice, offering their time, their labours, their efforts and even at times their lives in order not to renounce their faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the strength to continue along the journey of faith and to bear witness to that which we believe; so that we may not say one thing and do another. Along the way, Our Lady is always close to us, taking us by the hand; let us take her hand whenever we must face moments in life that are dark and difficult.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Foggia, the beatification of Maria Celeste Crostarosa was celebrated. She was a nun, the founder of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer. May this new Blessed, through her example and her intercession, help us to conform our lives to the life of Jesus our Saviour.
Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost according to the Julian calendar that is followed by the Orthodox Church; with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy today, they begin the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete. Let us be united in prayer with our Orthodox brothers, invoking the Holy Spirit, asking that the Spirit may help the Patriarchs, the Archbishops and the Bishops who are gathered for the Council with His spirit. And all of us, together, let us pray to Our Lady for our Orthodox brothers: Hail Mary ...
Tomorrow is World Refugee Day, sponsored by the United Nations. The theme for this year is With refugees. We are on the side of those who are forced to flee. Refugees are people like everyone else, but for them, war has taken away their homes, their work, their relatives, their friends. Their stories and their faces call us to renew our commitment to building a society of peace and justice. Therefore, we want to be close to them: to meet them, to welcome them, to listen to them so that together we can become artisans of peace according to the will of God.
I send my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims; in particular to the students from the London Oratory School, the faithful from Stockholm and from the French-speaking African community of Italy. I greet the faithful from Benevento, Gravina di Puglia, Corbetta and CArdano al Campo, as well as the volunteers from the Busto Arsizio prison and, along with them, some of the prisoners. I also greet the members of the ACRA cycling group from Fermo, the Pedalando group from Rome and those from Codevigo, who are spreading a message of solidarity in the streets. They are very good! They are good!
I wish you all a good Sunday; and 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
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel passage (Lk 9:18-24) calls us once more to present ourselves, face to face - if you will - with Jesus. In a rare quiet moment in which he finds himself alone with his disciples, he asks them: Who do people say that I am? (Lk 9:18). And they respond: John the Baptist, others say Elijah, others that you are one of the ancient prophets who has risen (Lk 9:19). Thus, people had thoughts about Jesus and they considered him to be a great prophet, but they were not yet aware of his true identity - that he was the Messiah, the Son of God who had been sent by the Father to save us all.
Therefore, Jesus spoke directly to the Apostles - for these were the ones he was most concerned about - and asked them: But you, who do you say that I am? Immediately, on behalf of all of them, Peter responded: The Christ of God (Lk 9:20), which is to say: You are the Messiah, the Anointed of God, sent by Him in order to save his people according to the Covenant and his promise. Jesus realized that the Twelve, and Peter in particular, had received the gift of faith from the Father, and this is why he began to speak to them openly - that's what the Gospel says: openly - about all that was waiting for him in Jerusalem: The Son of man - he said - must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes; he will be killed and on the third day, he will rise (Lk 9:22).
Those same questions are asked of all of us today: Who is Jesus for the people of our times? But the other one is more important: Who is Jesus for each one of us? For me, for you, for you, for you, for you ...? Who is Jesus for each one of us? We are called to make Peter's response our own, to joyfully profess that Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word of the Father who became man in order to redeem mankind, pouring out upon us the abundance of divine mercy. More than ever before, the world needs Christ, his salvation, his merciful love. Many people sense a void around them, and within themselves - perhaps, sometimes, even we do -; others live in restlessness and insecurity because of great risk and conflict. We all need adequate answers to our questions, our concrete questions. In Christ, only in him, can we find true peace and the fulfillment of all our aspirations. Jesus knows the hearts of men like no one else does. This is why he can heal us, give us life and console us.
After having concluded the dialogue with the Apostles, Jesus addressed himself to all of them saying: If anyone wishes to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me (Lk 9:23). He is not speaking about an ornamental cross, or an imaginary cross, but the cross of life, the cross of our own duties, the cross of sacrificing ourselves for others out of love - for our parents, for our children, for our families, for our friends, for our enemies - the cross of availability to stand in solidarity with the poor, of being committed to the cause of justice and peace. When we take on this attitude, when we take up these crosses, we always lose something else. We should never forget that whoever loses his life for Christ, will save it (Lk 9:24). It's a matter of losing one thing in order to gain another. Let us remember our brothers and sisters who even today put these words of Jesus into practice, offering their time, their labours, their efforts and even at times their lives in order not to renounce their faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the strength to continue along the journey of faith and to bear witness to that which we believe; so that we may not say one thing and do another. Along the way, Our Lady is always close to us, taking us by the hand; let us take her hand whenever we must face moments in life that are dark and difficult.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Foggia, the beatification of Maria Celeste Crostarosa was celebrated. She was a nun, the founder of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer. May this new Blessed, through her example and her intercession, help us to conform our lives to the life of Jesus our Saviour.
Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost according to the Julian calendar that is followed by the Orthodox Church; with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy today, they begin the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete. Let us be united in prayer with our Orthodox brothers, invoking the Holy Spirit, asking that the Spirit may help the Patriarchs, the Archbishops and the Bishops who are gathered for the Council with His spirit. And all of us, together, let us pray to Our Lady for our Orthodox brothers: Hail Mary ...
Tomorrow is World Refugee Day, sponsored by the United Nations. The theme for this year is With refugees. We are on the side of those who are forced to flee. Refugees are people like everyone else, but for them, war has taken away their homes, their work, their relatives, their friends. Their stories and their faces call us to renew our commitment to building a society of peace and justice. Therefore, we want to be close to them: to meet them, to welcome them, to listen to them so that together we can become artisans of peace according to the will of God.
I send my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims; in particular to the students from the London Oratory School, the faithful from Stockholm and from the French-speaking African community of Italy. I greet the faithful from Benevento, Gravina di Puglia, Corbetta and CArdano al Campo, as well as the volunteers from the Busto Arsizio prison and, along with them, some of the prisoners. I also greet the members of the ACRA cycling group from Fermo, the Pedalando group from Rome and those from Codevigo, who are spreading a message of solidarity in the streets. They are very good! They are good!
I wish you all a good Sunday; and please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and good bye!
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