This morning's General Audience began at 9:40am in Saint Peter's Square, 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 focused on the theme: Missionaries of hope today.
After having summarized his catechesis 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!
In this catechesis, I want to speak about the theme of Missionaries of hope today. I am happy to do so at the beginning of the month of October, which the Church dedicates in a special way to the mission, and also on the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, who was a great missionary of hope!
In effect, Christianity is not a prophet of misfortune. We are not prophets of misfortune. The essence of her proclamation is the opposite, the opposite of misfortune: it is Jesus, who died out of love for us, and who God raised to life again on Easter morning. This is the nucleus of Christian faith. If the gospel had ended at Jesus' tomb, the story of this prophet would have been added to the many biographies of heroic personalities who spent their lives for a particular ideal. The gospel would then be an edifying book, and also a consolation but it would not be a proclamation of hope.
But the gospel did not end with Good Friday, it went beyond; and it is this ultimate framework that transforms our lives. Jesus' disciples were defeated on that Saturday after his crucifixion; the stone that was rolled in front of the opening of the tomb seemed also to bring and end to the three exciting years that they had spent with their Master from Nazareth. It seemed as though everything was finished, and a few of them, who were disappointed and afraid, had already begun to leave Jerusalem.
But Jesus rose! This unexpected surprise surpassed the minds and hearts of the disciples, because Jesus rose not for himself, as though his rebirth had somehow been of his own prerogative, which would have been a sign of jealousy. If he ascended toward the Father, it was because he wanted his resurrection to be shared by every human being, so that he could take us all with him. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were transformed by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Not only would they have good news to share with others, they themselves would be different from before, as though reborn to new life. Jesus' resurrection transforms us with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is alive, living among us, he is living and has the power to transform.
How good it is to think that you are proclaimers of the resurrection of Jesus, not only in word, but with your deeds and with the testimony of your lives! Jesus does not want disciples who are only capable of formulas that are memorized. He wants witnesses: people who build up hope through their way of welcoming, smiling and loving. Above all by loving: because the strength of the resurrection makes Christians capable of loving even when all reason for loving seems to have been lost. There is a more that inhabits Christian existence, which cannot be explained simply with the strength of spirit or with increased optimism. Faith, our hope is not only an optimism; it is something else, it is more than that! It is as though believers are people who have a piece of heaven overhead. This is beautiful: we are people with a piece of heaven over our heads, in addition to a presence that no one can manage even to intuit.
The task of Christians in this world is that of opening spaces for salvation, like cells of regeneration that are capable of restoring life to that which seemed to be lost for ever. When the sky is cloudy, it is a blessing for those who speak of the sun. So it is that true Christians are like this: they are not complacent and angry, but convinced, by the strength of the resurrection, that no evil is forever, no night is without its end, no man is definitively in error, no hatred cannot be overcome by love.
Certainly, sometimes disciples will pay dearly for the hope that Jesus gives them. We can think about the many Christians who did not abandon their people, especially at the moment of persecution. They remained there, where even their tomorrows were uncertain, where they could do nothing of any sort, they remained there, hoping in God. And we can think about our brothers, our sisters in the Middle East who give testimony of their hope and even offer their lives for this witness. These are true Christians! These are the ones who are carrying heaven in their hearts, looking beyond, always beyond. Those who have had the grace to embrace the resurrection of Jesus can still hope in inspiration. The martyrs of every time, with their faithfulness to Christ, recount for us the fact that injustice is not the final word in life. In the risen Christ, we can continue to hope. Men and women who have a reason for living are able to resist more than those who do not when they experience misfortune. But those who have Christ at their sides truly have no more reason to fear. For this reason, Christians, true Christians, are never easy to accommodate. Their meekness must never be confused with a sense of insecurity or remorse. Saint Paul encouraged Timothy to suffer for the gospel, saying: God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but of strength, of charity and of prudence (2 Tim 1:7). If we have fallen, we should always get back up.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this is the reason why a Christian is a missionary of hope. Not by his own merit, but thanks to God, the grain that, having fallen into the earth and died, has borne much fruit (cf Jn 12:24).
The catechesis above was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Scotland, Denmark, Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, China and the United States of America. I especially greet the new students of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, with the assurance of my closeness in prayer as they begin their studies for the priesthood. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the conclusion of the General Audience, following the greetings he offered to pilgrims, the Holy Father made the following announcement:
I wish to announce that from 19 to 24 March 2018, the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops has convoked a pre-synodal meeting to which they have invited youth from various parts of the world: Catholic youth, youth from various other Christian confessions and from other religions, as well as some who are non-believers.
This initiative is part of the journey of preparation for the upcoming General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will have as its theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment - the Synod that will take place in October 2018. With this journey, the Church wishes to listen to the voices, the sensitivities, the faith and even the doubts and criticisms of youth - we need to listen to young people - For this reason, the conclusions drawn from the meeting next March will be passed on to the Synod Fathers.
In his speech, the Pope focused on the theme: Missionaries of hope today.
After having summarized his catechesis 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!
In this catechesis, I want to speak about the theme of Missionaries of hope today. I am happy to do so at the beginning of the month of October, which the Church dedicates in a special way to the mission, and also on the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, who was a great missionary of hope!
In effect, Christianity is not a prophet of misfortune. We are not prophets of misfortune. The essence of her proclamation is the opposite, the opposite of misfortune: it is Jesus, who died out of love for us, and who God raised to life again on Easter morning. This is the nucleus of Christian faith. If the gospel had ended at Jesus' tomb, the story of this prophet would have been added to the many biographies of heroic personalities who spent their lives for a particular ideal. The gospel would then be an edifying book, and also a consolation but it would not be a proclamation of hope.
But the gospel did not end with Good Friday, it went beyond; and it is this ultimate framework that transforms our lives. Jesus' disciples were defeated on that Saturday after his crucifixion; the stone that was rolled in front of the opening of the tomb seemed also to bring and end to the three exciting years that they had spent with their Master from Nazareth. It seemed as though everything was finished, and a few of them, who were disappointed and afraid, had already begun to leave Jerusalem.
But Jesus rose! This unexpected surprise surpassed the minds and hearts of the disciples, because Jesus rose not for himself, as though his rebirth had somehow been of his own prerogative, which would have been a sign of jealousy. If he ascended toward the Father, it was because he wanted his resurrection to be shared by every human being, so that he could take us all with him. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were transformed by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Not only would they have good news to share with others, they themselves would be different from before, as though reborn to new life. Jesus' resurrection transforms us with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is alive, living among us, he is living and has the power to transform.
How good it is to think that you are proclaimers of the resurrection of Jesus, not only in word, but with your deeds and with the testimony of your lives! Jesus does not want disciples who are only capable of formulas that are memorized. He wants witnesses: people who build up hope through their way of welcoming, smiling and loving. Above all by loving: because the strength of the resurrection makes Christians capable of loving even when all reason for loving seems to have been lost. There is a more that inhabits Christian existence, which cannot be explained simply with the strength of spirit or with increased optimism. Faith, our hope is not only an optimism; it is something else, it is more than that! It is as though believers are people who have a piece of heaven overhead. This is beautiful: we are people with a piece of heaven over our heads, in addition to a presence that no one can manage even to intuit.
The task of Christians in this world is that of opening spaces for salvation, like cells of regeneration that are capable of restoring life to that which seemed to be lost for ever. When the sky is cloudy, it is a blessing for those who speak of the sun. So it is that true Christians are like this: they are not complacent and angry, but convinced, by the strength of the resurrection, that no evil is forever, no night is without its end, no man is definitively in error, no hatred cannot be overcome by love.
Certainly, sometimes disciples will pay dearly for the hope that Jesus gives them. We can think about the many Christians who did not abandon their people, especially at the moment of persecution. They remained there, where even their tomorrows were uncertain, where they could do nothing of any sort, they remained there, hoping in God. And we can think about our brothers, our sisters in the Middle East who give testimony of their hope and even offer their lives for this witness. These are true Christians! These are the ones who are carrying heaven in their hearts, looking beyond, always beyond. Those who have had the grace to embrace the resurrection of Jesus can still hope in inspiration. The martyrs of every time, with their faithfulness to Christ, recount for us the fact that injustice is not the final word in life. In the risen Christ, we can continue to hope. Men and women who have a reason for living are able to resist more than those who do not when they experience misfortune. But those who have Christ at their sides truly have no more reason to fear. For this reason, Christians, true Christians, are never easy to accommodate. Their meekness must never be confused with a sense of insecurity or remorse. Saint Paul encouraged Timothy to suffer for the gospel, saying: God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but of strength, of charity and of prudence (2 Tim 1:7). If we have fallen, we should always get back up.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this is the reason why a Christian is a missionary of hope. Not by his own merit, but thanks to God, the grain that, having fallen into the earth and died, has borne much fruit (cf Jn 12:24).
The catechesis above was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Scotland, Denmark, Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, China and the United States of America. I especially greet the new students of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, with the assurance of my closeness in prayer as they begin their studies for the priesthood. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the conclusion of the General Audience, following the greetings he offered to pilgrims, the Holy Father made the following announcement:
I wish to announce that from 19 to 24 March 2018, the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops has convoked a pre-synodal meeting to which they have invited youth from various parts of the world: Catholic youth, youth from various other Christian confessions and from other religions, as well as some who are non-believers.
This initiative is part of the journey of preparation for the upcoming General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will have as its theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment - the Synod that will take place in October 2018. With this journey, the Church wishes to listen to the voices, the sensitivities, the faith and even the doubts and criticisms of youth - we need to listen to young people - For this reason, the conclusions drawn from the meeting next March will be passed on to the Synod Fathers.
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