This morning, at 10:00am local time, the eighth Jubilee Audience was held in Saint Peter's Square. These special meetings were established by Pope Francis for pilgrims and the faithful who are visiting in Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy.
During his speech, the Pope added a meditation on the works of mercy (Mt 25:31-36) and on his recent Apostolic Visit to Armenia.
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
How many times, during these first months of the Jubilee, have we heard tell of the works of mercy! Today, the Lord invites us to make a serious examination of conscience. In fact, it is good never to forget that mercy is not an abstract word, but a style of life: a person can be merciful or can choose not to be merciful; it is a lifestyle. I choose to live as a merciful person or to live as a person who is not merciful. It is one thing to speak about mercy, and another thing to live mercy. Paraphrasing the words of Saint John, the apostle (cf Jn 2:14-17), we can say: mercy without works is dead in and of itself. That's the way it is! The thing that makes mercy live is its constant dynamism to go out to meet the needs of others and the needs of those who are facing spiritual and material hardship. Mercy has eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to help ...
Our daily lives permit us to touch many circumstances that concern the poor and those who are in need, and we are particularly asked to be attentive to that which leads us to perceive the state of suffering and of need in which so many of our brothers and sisters find themselves. Sometimes, we pass by situations of dramatic poverty and it seems that we are unaffected; everything continues as if nothing had happened, in indifference that in the end makes us hypocrites and, without even realizing it, leads us to a form of spiritual lethargy that numbs our minds and makes our lives sterile. The people who pass by, who continue in life without being aware of the needs of others, without seeing the many spiritual and material needs of others, are people who pass by without living, people who do not serve others. Remember this well: those who do not live to serve are unable to be life giving.
There are many aspects of God's mercy toward us! In the same way, there are many faces that turn to us for mercy. Those who have experienced the Father's mercy in their lives cannot remain indifferent to the needs of our brothers and sisters. Jesus' teaching which we have heard does not allow for escape routes: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was naked, a refugee, sick, in prison and you helped me (cf Mt 25:35-36). We cannot hesitate before a person who is hungry: we must give them something to eat. Jesus tells us this! The works of mercy are not theoretical issues but concrete witness. We are obliged to roll up our sleeves in order to alleviate suffering.
As a result of the changes in our globalized world, some material and spiritual poverty has been multiplied: therefore we must give space to the creativity of charity to identify new ways of operating. In this way, the path of mercy will become more and more concrete. Therefore, we are asked to remain vigilant, like sentinels, in order that it should never happen that in the face of poverty produced by a culture of wellness, Christians' regard should weaken and become incapable of focusing on the essentials. Focusing on essentials. What does this mean? Focusing on Jesus, seeing Jesus in those who are hungry, in those who are imprisoned, in those who are sick, in those who are naked, in those who have no work and must still provide for their families. Focusing on Jesus in these, our brothers and sisters; focusing on Jesus in those who are alone, sad, in those who make mistakes, and need our advice, in those who need us to walk with them in silence so that they know that they are not alone. These are the works that Jesus asks of us! Focus on Jesus in them, in these people. Why? Because this is the way that Jesus focuses on me, focuses on us.
Now, let us turn to another subject.
In recent days, the Lord allowed me to visit Armenia, the first nation to have embraced Christianity, at the beginning of the fourth century. A people who, during their long history, have borne witness to the Christian faith through martyrdom. I give thanks to God for this trip, and I am truly grateful to the President of the Armenian Republic, to Catholicos Karekin II, to the Partiarch and to the Catholic Bishops, and to the entire Armenian people for having welcomed me as a pilgrim of fraternity and peace.
In three months time, I will undertake, God willing, another voyage to Georgia and to Azerbaijan, two other countries in the Caucasus region. I have welcomed the invitation to visit these countries for two reasons: on one hand, to strengthen the Christian roots which are present in those lands - in a spirit of dialogue with other religions and cultures - and on the other hand, to encourage their hopes and paths to peace. History teaches us that the path to peace requires great tenacity and continuous steps, beginning with small ones and gradually finding ways to help them grow, going from one encounter to another. Precisely for this reason, I hope that everyone will contribute to peace and reconciliation.
As Christians, we are called to strengthen the bonds of fraternal communion among us, in order to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ and to be creators of a more just and united society. For this reason, my entire visit was shared with the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who fraternally hosted me in his own home for three days.
I renew my embrace offered to the Bishops, the priests, the religious men and women, and to all the faithful of Armenia. May the Virgin Mary, our Mother, help you to remain solid in your faith, open to encounter and generous in the works of mercy. Thank you.
During his speech, the Pope added a meditation on the works of mercy (Mt 25:31-36) and on his recent Apostolic Visit to Armenia.
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The Jubilee Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Jubilee Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
How many times, during these first months of the Jubilee, have we heard tell of the works of mercy! Today, the Lord invites us to make a serious examination of conscience. In fact, it is good never to forget that mercy is not an abstract word, but a style of life: a person can be merciful or can choose not to be merciful; it is a lifestyle. I choose to live as a merciful person or to live as a person who is not merciful. It is one thing to speak about mercy, and another thing to live mercy. Paraphrasing the words of Saint John, the apostle (cf Jn 2:14-17), we can say: mercy without works is dead in and of itself. That's the way it is! The thing that makes mercy live is its constant dynamism to go out to meet the needs of others and the needs of those who are facing spiritual and material hardship. Mercy has eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to help ...
Our daily lives permit us to touch many circumstances that concern the poor and those who are in need, and we are particularly asked to be attentive to that which leads us to perceive the state of suffering and of need in which so many of our brothers and sisters find themselves. Sometimes, we pass by situations of dramatic poverty and it seems that we are unaffected; everything continues as if nothing had happened, in indifference that in the end makes us hypocrites and, without even realizing it, leads us to a form of spiritual lethargy that numbs our minds and makes our lives sterile. The people who pass by, who continue in life without being aware of the needs of others, without seeing the many spiritual and material needs of others, are people who pass by without living, people who do not serve others. Remember this well: those who do not live to serve are unable to be life giving.
There are many aspects of God's mercy toward us! In the same way, there are many faces that turn to us for mercy. Those who have experienced the Father's mercy in their lives cannot remain indifferent to the needs of our brothers and sisters. Jesus' teaching which we have heard does not allow for escape routes: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was naked, a refugee, sick, in prison and you helped me (cf Mt 25:35-36). We cannot hesitate before a person who is hungry: we must give them something to eat. Jesus tells us this! The works of mercy are not theoretical issues but concrete witness. We are obliged to roll up our sleeves in order to alleviate suffering.
As a result of the changes in our globalized world, some material and spiritual poverty has been multiplied: therefore we must give space to the creativity of charity to identify new ways of operating. In this way, the path of mercy will become more and more concrete. Therefore, we are asked to remain vigilant, like sentinels, in order that it should never happen that in the face of poverty produced by a culture of wellness, Christians' regard should weaken and become incapable of focusing on the essentials. Focusing on essentials. What does this mean? Focusing on Jesus, seeing Jesus in those who are hungry, in those who are imprisoned, in those who are sick, in those who are naked, in those who have no work and must still provide for their families. Focusing on Jesus in these, our brothers and sisters; focusing on Jesus in those who are alone, sad, in those who make mistakes, and need our advice, in those who need us to walk with them in silence so that they know that they are not alone. These are the works that Jesus asks of us! Focus on Jesus in them, in these people. Why? Because this is the way that Jesus focuses on me, focuses on us.
Now, let us turn to another subject.
In recent days, the Lord allowed me to visit Armenia, the first nation to have embraced Christianity, at the beginning of the fourth century. A people who, during their long history, have borne witness to the Christian faith through martyrdom. I give thanks to God for this trip, and I am truly grateful to the President of the Armenian Republic, to Catholicos Karekin II, to the Partiarch and to the Catholic Bishops, and to the entire Armenian people for having welcomed me as a pilgrim of fraternity and peace.
In three months time, I will undertake, God willing, another voyage to Georgia and to Azerbaijan, two other countries in the Caucasus region. I have welcomed the invitation to visit these countries for two reasons: on one hand, to strengthen the Christian roots which are present in those lands - in a spirit of dialogue with other religions and cultures - and on the other hand, to encourage their hopes and paths to peace. History teaches us that the path to peace requires great tenacity and continuous steps, beginning with small ones and gradually finding ways to help them grow, going from one encounter to another. Precisely for this reason, I hope that everyone will contribute to peace and reconciliation.
As Christians, we are called to strengthen the bonds of fraternal communion among us, in order to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ and to be creators of a more just and united society. For this reason, my entire visit was shared with the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who fraternally hosted me in his own home for three days.
I renew my embrace offered to the Bishops, the priests, the religious men and women, and to all the faithful of Armenia. May the Virgin Mary, our Mother, help you to remain solid in your faith, open to encounter and generous in the works of mercy. Thank you.
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