This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am in the Paul VI Hall where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued the catechesis on mercy, adding his meditation on the theme: Praying to God for the living and the dead (cf Rm 8:25-27).
After the customary summaries of his catechesis presented in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then he issued a call on the occasion of the World Aids Day which will be observed tomorrow and on the occasion of the International Conference on the Protection of the Patrimony of the conflict zone which will be held in Abu Dhabi from 2 to 3 December.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
With today's catechesis, we conclude the cycle dedicated to mercy. But even though the catecheses are completed, mercy must continue! Let us thank the Lord for all of this and let us keep it in our hearts as a source of consolation and comfort.
The final spiritual work of mercy asks us to pray for the living and the dead. Through it, we can also support the final corporal work of mercy that invites us to burry the dead. This may seem a strange request, and yet, in some places in the world where people live under the scourge of war, with bombings that day and night sow fear in innocent victims, this work is sadly present. The bible gives a good example in this regard: it speaks of old Tobit who, risking his own life, buried the dead despite being banned from doing so by the king (cf Tobit 1:17-19; 2:2-4). Even today there are those who risk their lives in order to bury poor victims of war. Therefore, this corporal work of mercy is not far from our daily existence. It makes us think about what happened on Good Friday, when the Virgin Mary, along with Saint John and a few women were standing near the cross of Jesus. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea arrived, a rich man, a member of the Sanhedrin but one who had become a disciple of Jesus, who offered his own new tomb, hewn out of rock. He went personally to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus: truly a work of mercy performed with great courage (cf Mt 27:57-60)! For Christians, burial is an act of piety, but also an act of great faith. We lay within tombs the bodies of our loved ones in hope of the resurrection (cf 1 Cor 15:1-34). This is a ritual that continues to be powerfully felt within our people, one that finds special resonance in this month of November which is dedicated in particular to the memory and prayer for the dead.
Praying for the dead is, above all, a sign of our gratitude for the witness that they have left us and the good that they have done. It is an act of thanksgiving to the Lord for all that he has given them, and for their love and their friendship. The Church prays for the dead in a special way during the Mass. The priest says: Remember Lord, your faithful who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith who now sleep in peace. Grant to them O Lord, and to all those who sleep in Christ, the blessing of light and peace (Roman Canon). This is a simple, efficient reminder that is filled with meaning because it confides our loved ones to the mercy of God. We pray with Christian hope that they are now with Him in paradise, while we wait for the day when we will find ourselves caught up in the mystery of love that we do not understand, but which we know to be true because it is a promise that Jesus has made to us. We will all rise one day, and we will all remain with Jesus, with Him.
The memory of the faithful departed should not stop us from also remembering to pray for the living, who together with us face every day the trials of life. The need for this prayer is even more evident if we see it in the light of the profession of faith that says: I believe in the communion of the saints. It is this mystery that expresses the beauty of the mercy that Jesus has revealed to us. In fact, the communion of the saints shows us that we are all immersed in the life of God and we live in his love. All of us, living and dead, are part of the communion, like a union; united in the community of those who have been Baptized, and those who have been nourished by the Body of Christ and who are part of the great family of God. We are all part of the same family, united. And for this reason, we pray for one another.
There are many ways for us to pray for our neighbours! They are all valid and acceptable to God if they are done with heart. I think especially of all the mothers and fathers who bless their children in the morning and at night. This practice still exists in some families: blessing children and praying with them; I think of all those who pray for the sick, those who go out in search of the sick and pray for them; of all the silent intercessions, sometimes offered with tears, and the many difficult situations in which people offer their prayers. Yesterday, there was a good man, an entrepreneur, who came to Mass at Santa Marta. This young man had to close his factory because he couldn't keep it going, and he was crying, as he said: I do not want to leave more than 50 families without work. I can declare the company bankrupt, and go home with my money but my heart will cry for the rest of my life for these 50 families. This is a good Christian who prays with his work: he came to Mass to pray that the Lord would give him a way out, not only for his own sake, but for the sake of the 50 families. This is a good man who knows how to pray, with heart and with the facts; one who knows how to pray for others, and in difficult situations. And don't look for the easiest way out: What others are doing. This is a Christian. It was so good for me to hear him speak! And my goodness, there are many others today like him, at this very moment many people are suffering because of the lack of work; I also think of giving thanks for good news concerning a friend, a relative, a colleague ...: Thank you Lord, for this good thing!, this too is an example of praying for others! Thanking the Lord when things go well. Sometimes, as Saint Paul says: we do not know the best way to pray, but the Spirit himself will intercede with inexhaustible groaning (Rm 8:26). It is the Spirit who prays within us. Let us therefore open our hearts, so that the Holy Spirit, having perceived the desires that are contained within the depths of our hearts, can be purified and be brought to their completion. However, for us and for others, let us always pray that the will of God may be done, like in the Our Father, because His will is surely the greatest good, the good will of a Father who will never abandon us: pray and let the Holy Spirit pray within us. And this is truth is a beautiful part of our lives: praying in thanksgiving, praising God, asking for something, crying when we face difficult situations, like that man. But our hearts must always be open to the Spirit so that the Spirit can pray within us, with us and for us.
Concluding this catechesis on mercy, let us commit ourselves to praying for each other, so that the corporal and spiritual works of mercy may become more and more our way of life. As I said at the beginning, the catecheses about mercy conclude here. We have spoken about all 14 works of mercy but mercy continues and we must practice mercy in these 14 ways. Thank you.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered 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, particularly those from England, the Philippines and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following calls for prayer:
Tomorrow, December 1, is the World Day against AIDS, organized by the United Nations. Millions of people are living with this disease and only half of them have access to lifesaving therapies. I invite you to pray for them and for their loved ones, and to work toward solidarity so that even the poor can benefit from diagnoses and from adequate care. Finally, I call upon all people to adopt responsible action to prevent further spread of this disease.
Led by France and the United Arab Emirates, with the collaboration of UNESCO, an international conference on the protection of the patrimony in conflict zones will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 2 to 3 of this year. This is a theme that is unfortunately far too real. Convinced that the protection of cultural assets is an essential dimension of the defence of human beings, I hope that this event will mark a new step in the process of the implementation of human rights.
In his speech, the Pope continued the catechesis on mercy, adding his meditation on the theme: Praying to God for the living and the dead (cf Rm 8:25-27).
After the customary summaries of his catechesis presented in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then he issued a call on the occasion of the World Aids Day which will be observed tomorrow and on the occasion of the International Conference on the Protection of the Patrimony of the conflict zone which will be held in Abu Dhabi from 2 to 3 December.
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!
With today's catechesis, we conclude the cycle dedicated to mercy. But even though the catecheses are completed, mercy must continue! Let us thank the Lord for all of this and let us keep it in our hearts as a source of consolation and comfort.
The final spiritual work of mercy asks us to pray for the living and the dead. Through it, we can also support the final corporal work of mercy that invites us to burry the dead. This may seem a strange request, and yet, in some places in the world where people live under the scourge of war, with bombings that day and night sow fear in innocent victims, this work is sadly present. The bible gives a good example in this regard: it speaks of old Tobit who, risking his own life, buried the dead despite being banned from doing so by the king (cf Tobit 1:17-19; 2:2-4). Even today there are those who risk their lives in order to bury poor victims of war. Therefore, this corporal work of mercy is not far from our daily existence. It makes us think about what happened on Good Friday, when the Virgin Mary, along with Saint John and a few women were standing near the cross of Jesus. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea arrived, a rich man, a member of the Sanhedrin but one who had become a disciple of Jesus, who offered his own new tomb, hewn out of rock. He went personally to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus: truly a work of mercy performed with great courage (cf Mt 27:57-60)! For Christians, burial is an act of piety, but also an act of great faith. We lay within tombs the bodies of our loved ones in hope of the resurrection (cf 1 Cor 15:1-34). This is a ritual that continues to be powerfully felt within our people, one that finds special resonance in this month of November which is dedicated in particular to the memory and prayer for the dead.
Praying for the dead is, above all, a sign of our gratitude for the witness that they have left us and the good that they have done. It is an act of thanksgiving to the Lord for all that he has given them, and for their love and their friendship. The Church prays for the dead in a special way during the Mass. The priest says: Remember Lord, your faithful who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith who now sleep in peace. Grant to them O Lord, and to all those who sleep in Christ, the blessing of light and peace (Roman Canon). This is a simple, efficient reminder that is filled with meaning because it confides our loved ones to the mercy of God. We pray with Christian hope that they are now with Him in paradise, while we wait for the day when we will find ourselves caught up in the mystery of love that we do not understand, but which we know to be true because it is a promise that Jesus has made to us. We will all rise one day, and we will all remain with Jesus, with Him.
The memory of the faithful departed should not stop us from also remembering to pray for the living, who together with us face every day the trials of life. The need for this prayer is even more evident if we see it in the light of the profession of faith that says: I believe in the communion of the saints. It is this mystery that expresses the beauty of the mercy that Jesus has revealed to us. In fact, the communion of the saints shows us that we are all immersed in the life of God and we live in his love. All of us, living and dead, are part of the communion, like a union; united in the community of those who have been Baptized, and those who have been nourished by the Body of Christ and who are part of the great family of God. We are all part of the same family, united. And for this reason, we pray for one another.
There are many ways for us to pray for our neighbours! They are all valid and acceptable to God if they are done with heart. I think especially of all the mothers and fathers who bless their children in the morning and at night. This practice still exists in some families: blessing children and praying with them; I think of all those who pray for the sick, those who go out in search of the sick and pray for them; of all the silent intercessions, sometimes offered with tears, and the many difficult situations in which people offer their prayers. Yesterday, there was a good man, an entrepreneur, who came to Mass at Santa Marta. This young man had to close his factory because he couldn't keep it going, and he was crying, as he said: I do not want to leave more than 50 families without work. I can declare the company bankrupt, and go home with my money but my heart will cry for the rest of my life for these 50 families. This is a good Christian who prays with his work: he came to Mass to pray that the Lord would give him a way out, not only for his own sake, but for the sake of the 50 families. This is a good man who knows how to pray, with heart and with the facts; one who knows how to pray for others, and in difficult situations. And don't look for the easiest way out: What others are doing. This is a Christian. It was so good for me to hear him speak! And my goodness, there are many others today like him, at this very moment many people are suffering because of the lack of work; I also think of giving thanks for good news concerning a friend, a relative, a colleague ...: Thank you Lord, for this good thing!, this too is an example of praying for others! Thanking the Lord when things go well. Sometimes, as Saint Paul says: we do not know the best way to pray, but the Spirit himself will intercede with inexhaustible groaning (Rm 8:26). It is the Spirit who prays within us. Let us therefore open our hearts, so that the Holy Spirit, having perceived the desires that are contained within the depths of our hearts, can be purified and be brought to their completion. However, for us and for others, let us always pray that the will of God may be done, like in the Our Father, because His will is surely the greatest good, the good will of a Father who will never abandon us: pray and let the Holy Spirit pray within us. And this is truth is a beautiful part of our lives: praying in thanksgiving, praising God, asking for something, crying when we face difficult situations, like that man. But our hearts must always be open to the Spirit so that the Spirit can pray within us, with us and for us.
Concluding this catechesis on mercy, let us commit ourselves to praying for each other, so that the corporal and spiritual works of mercy may become more and more our way of life. As I said at the beginning, the catecheses about mercy conclude here. We have spoken about all 14 works of mercy but mercy continues and we must practice mercy in these 14 ways. Thank you.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and he offered 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, particularly those from England, the Philippines and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following calls for prayer:
Tomorrow, December 1, is the World Day against AIDS, organized by the United Nations. Millions of people are living with this disease and only half of them have access to lifesaving therapies. I invite you to pray for them and for their loved ones, and to work toward solidarity so that even the poor can benefit from diagnoses and from adequate care. Finally, I call upon all people to adopt responsible action to prevent further spread of this disease.
Led by France and the United Arab Emirates, with the collaboration of UNESCO, an international conference on the protection of the patrimony in conflict zones will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 2 to 3 of this year. This is a theme that is unfortunately far too real. Convinced that the protection of cultural assets is an essential dimension of the defence of human beings, I hope that this event will mark a new step in the process of the implementation of human rights.
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