At noon today (Rome time), 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!
In the gospel for the second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist's invitation resounds: Repent, for the kingdom of God is near at hand! (Mt 3:2). With these same words, Jesus would also begin his own mission in Galilee (cf Mt 4:17); and this would also be the proclamation that the disciples would later speak during their first experience of mission (cf Mt 10:7). In this way, the evangelist Matthew wanted to present John as the one who prepared the way for the Christ who was to come, and the disciples as the continuation of Jesus' preaching. They all proclaim the same joyful news: the kingdom of God is coming, in fact it is close at hand, in our midst! This word is very important: The kingdom of God is in our midst, says Jesus. And John proclaims what Jesus later would say: The kingdom of God has come, it has arrived, it is in our midst. This is the central message of every Christian mission. When a missionary sets out, a Christian goes out to proclaim Jesus; he does not go out to proselytize, as if he were a sports fan seeking more ardently to find his team. No, he simply goes out to proclaim: The kingdom of God is in your midst! In this way, missionaries prepare the way for Jesus, who is coming to meet his people.
But what is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven? They are synonymous. We immediately think of something that concerns the afterlife: eternal life. Sure, this is true, the kingdom of God extends infinitely beyond earthly life, but the good news that Jesus brings - and which John anticipates - is that the kingdom of God is not something that we must wait for in the future; it is near at hand, in a way it is already present and we can experience it's spiritual power even now. The kingdom of God is in your midst!, Jesus would say. God comes to establish his dominion in our history, in the today of every day, in our lives; and wherever it is accepted with faith and humility, love, joy and peace begin to grow.
The necessary condition for us to enter into and be part of this kingdom is that we change our lives, repent, we must repent every day, one step forward every day ... It is a matter of stepping off the path that may be convenient but misleading, the idols of this world: success at all costs, power at the expense of the weak, thirst for possessions, pleasure at any price - and instead of preparing the way of the Lord who is coming: He never takes away our freedom, but he gives us true joy. With the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, God himself has come to dwell in our midst in order to free us from self-centredness, from sin and from corruption, from the attitudes that come from the devil: seeking success at all costs, seeking power at the expense of the weak, thirsting for wealth and seeking pleasure at all costs.
Christmas is a day of great joy, including outward joy, but is is first and foremost a religious event for which we must prepare spiritually. In this time of Advent, let us allow ourselves to be led by the Baptist's cry: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, he says (Mt 3:3). We prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight when we examine our own consciences, when we scrutinize our attitudes, when we chase away these sinful attitudes that I have mentioned, that are not of God: success at all costs, power at the cost of the weak; thirst for wealth, pleasure at all costs.
May the Virgin Mary help us to prepare ourselves for our encounter with this Love-ever-greater, which is what Jesus brings, which on Christmas night was presented in such a small small package, like a seed that was thrown on the ground. And Jesus is this seed: the seed of the Kingdom of God.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims!
I especially greet the faithful who have come from Córdoba, Jaén and Valencia in Spain; from Split and Makarska in Croatia; from the parishes of Santa Maria dell'Orazione and Santissimo Corpo e Sangue di Cristo in Rome.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a fruitful Advent journey, one that prepares the way of the Lord, one that sees us repenting day after day.
Good bye until Thursday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. During these days, let us pray together, asking for her maternal intercession for the conversion of hearts and for the gift of peace.
And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. See you Thursday!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In the gospel for the second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist's invitation resounds: Repent, for the kingdom of God is near at hand! (Mt 3:2). With these same words, Jesus would also begin his own mission in Galilee (cf Mt 4:17); and this would also be the proclamation that the disciples would later speak during their first experience of mission (cf Mt 10:7). In this way, the evangelist Matthew wanted to present John as the one who prepared the way for the Christ who was to come, and the disciples as the continuation of Jesus' preaching. They all proclaim the same joyful news: the kingdom of God is coming, in fact it is close at hand, in our midst! This word is very important: The kingdom of God is in our midst, says Jesus. And John proclaims what Jesus later would say: The kingdom of God has come, it has arrived, it is in our midst. This is the central message of every Christian mission. When a missionary sets out, a Christian goes out to proclaim Jesus; he does not go out to proselytize, as if he were a sports fan seeking more ardently to find his team. No, he simply goes out to proclaim: The kingdom of God is in your midst! In this way, missionaries prepare the way for Jesus, who is coming to meet his people.
But what is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven? They are synonymous. We immediately think of something that concerns the afterlife: eternal life. Sure, this is true, the kingdom of God extends infinitely beyond earthly life, but the good news that Jesus brings - and which John anticipates - is that the kingdom of God is not something that we must wait for in the future; it is near at hand, in a way it is already present and we can experience it's spiritual power even now. The kingdom of God is in your midst!, Jesus would say. God comes to establish his dominion in our history, in the today of every day, in our lives; and wherever it is accepted with faith and humility, love, joy and peace begin to grow.
The necessary condition for us to enter into and be part of this kingdom is that we change our lives, repent, we must repent every day, one step forward every day ... It is a matter of stepping off the path that may be convenient but misleading, the idols of this world: success at all costs, power at the expense of the weak, thirst for possessions, pleasure at any price - and instead of preparing the way of the Lord who is coming: He never takes away our freedom, but he gives us true joy. With the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, God himself has come to dwell in our midst in order to free us from self-centredness, from sin and from corruption, from the attitudes that come from the devil: seeking success at all costs, seeking power at the expense of the weak, thirsting for wealth and seeking pleasure at all costs.
Christmas is a day of great joy, including outward joy, but is is first and foremost a religious event for which we must prepare spiritually. In this time of Advent, let us allow ourselves to be led by the Baptist's cry: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, he says (Mt 3:3). We prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight when we examine our own consciences, when we scrutinize our attitudes, when we chase away these sinful attitudes that I have mentioned, that are not of God: success at all costs, power at the cost of the weak; thirst for wealth, pleasure at all costs.
May the Virgin Mary help us to prepare ourselves for our encounter with this Love-ever-greater, which is what Jesus brings, which on Christmas night was presented in such a small small package, like a seed that was thrown on the ground. And Jesus is this seed: the seed of the Kingdom of God.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims!
I especially greet the faithful who have come from Córdoba, Jaén and Valencia in Spain; from Split and Makarska in Croatia; from the parishes of Santa Maria dell'Orazione and Santissimo Corpo e Sangue di Cristo in Rome.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a fruitful Advent journey, one that prepares the way of the Lord, one that sees us repenting day after day.
Good bye until Thursday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. During these days, let us pray together, asking for her maternal intercession for the conversion of hearts and for the gift of peace.
And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. See you Thursday!
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