At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), 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.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's gospel (cf Mk 6:7-13) narrates the moment in which Jesus sends the disciples out on mission. After having called them by name, one by one, so that they could be with him (Mk 3:14), listening to his words and observing his gestures of healing, now he calls them together again in order to send them out two by two (Mk 6:7) into the villages where he himself intended to go. This was a kind of training in preparation for what they would be called to do after the Lord's Resurrection, with the strength of the Holy Spirit.
The gospel passage focuses on the missionary style, which we can sum up in two points: a main mission and a mission with a face.
A missionary disciple has, first of all, a main point of reference, which is the person of Jesus. The gospel passage indicates the use of a series of words which focus on him: called them to himself, took them and sent them, gave them power, commanded, told them (Mk 6:7,8,10), so that the act of going forward and the works performed by the disciples appears to be radiating from a central point, a kind of repetition of the presence and the works of Jesus in their missionary activities. This shows us that the Apostles had nothing of their own to proclaim, nor did they have the capability to perform such works on their own, but rather that they spoke and acted as those who were sent as messengers of Jesus.
This biblical episode also speaks to us, and not only to priests but to all the baptized, called to bear witness - in various walks of life, to the gospel of Christ. For us too, this mission is only authentic to the extent that it is centred in the unchanging presence of Jesus. It is not a matter of an effort put forward by any individual, nor any group, nor even a greater gathering of persons; rather it is the mission of the Church which is unchangingly united to her Lord. No Christian proclaims his or her gospel; we are sent by the Church which has received a mandate from Christ himself. It is Baptism that makes us missionaries. A person who has been baptized but who does not feel the need to proclaim the gospel, to proclaim Jesus, is not a good Christian.
The second characteristic of the missionary lifestyle is, so to speak, a face, which consists in a poverty of means. The missionary's activity must meet a criterion of sobriety. In fact, the twelve disciples were ordered not to take anything for the journey, except for a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts (Mk 6:8). The Master wanted them them to be free and light, free of baggage and extras, relying only on the love of Him who has sent them, strengthened only by his word which they have been sent to proclaim. The staff and the sandals are the possessions of pilgrims, for they are the messengers of God's kingdom, they are not all-powerful managers, nor irreplaceable officials, they have not been sent out on tour.
We can think for example of this Diocese, of which I am the Bishop. We can think about some of the saints from this Diocese of Rome: Saint Philip Neri, Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, Saint Alessio, Saint Ludovica Albertini, Sabint Frances of Rome, Saint Gaspar del Bufalo and many others. They were not officials or businessmen, rather they were humble workers for the Kingdom. They had the face of the Kingdom. And a part of this face is also the way in which the message will be welcomed: in fact, it may happen that the message is not welcomed, nor listened to (cf Mk 6:11). This too is poverty: the experience of failure. The story of Jesus, who was himself rejected and crucified, prefigures the destiny of his messenger. Only if we are united to Him, who died and rose again, will we succeed in finding the courage to evangelize.
May the Virgin Mary, the first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to proclaim the message of the gospel to the world in humble and radiant exaltation, beyond any form of rejection, misunderstanding or trial.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With all my heart, I greet you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and from other parts of the world: families, parish groups and associations.
In particular, I greet the Sisters of the Precious Blood from Monza, the novices from the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians who have come from various countries and the young Poles from the Diocese of Pelplin (Poland), who are taking part in spiritual exercises in Assisi.
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!
Today's gospel (cf Mk 6:7-13) narrates the moment in which Jesus sends the disciples out on mission. After having called them by name, one by one, so that they could be with him (Mk 3:14), listening to his words and observing his gestures of healing, now he calls them together again in order to send them out two by two (Mk 6:7) into the villages where he himself intended to go. This was a kind of training in preparation for what they would be called to do after the Lord's Resurrection, with the strength of the Holy Spirit.
The gospel passage focuses on the missionary style, which we can sum up in two points: a main mission and a mission with a face.
A missionary disciple has, first of all, a main point of reference, which is the person of Jesus. The gospel passage indicates the use of a series of words which focus on him: called them to himself, took them and sent them, gave them power, commanded, told them (Mk 6:7,8,10), so that the act of going forward and the works performed by the disciples appears to be radiating from a central point, a kind of repetition of the presence and the works of Jesus in their missionary activities. This shows us that the Apostles had nothing of their own to proclaim, nor did they have the capability to perform such works on their own, but rather that they spoke and acted as those who were sent as messengers of Jesus.
This biblical episode also speaks to us, and not only to priests but to all the baptized, called to bear witness - in various walks of life, to the gospel of Christ. For us too, this mission is only authentic to the extent that it is centred in the unchanging presence of Jesus. It is not a matter of an effort put forward by any individual, nor any group, nor even a greater gathering of persons; rather it is the mission of the Church which is unchangingly united to her Lord. No Christian proclaims his or her gospel; we are sent by the Church which has received a mandate from Christ himself. It is Baptism that makes us missionaries. A person who has been baptized but who does not feel the need to proclaim the gospel, to proclaim Jesus, is not a good Christian.
The second characteristic of the missionary lifestyle is, so to speak, a face, which consists in a poverty of means. The missionary's activity must meet a criterion of sobriety. In fact, the twelve disciples were ordered not to take anything for the journey, except for a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts (Mk 6:8). The Master wanted them them to be free and light, free of baggage and extras, relying only on the love of Him who has sent them, strengthened only by his word which they have been sent to proclaim. The staff and the sandals are the possessions of pilgrims, for they are the messengers of God's kingdom, they are not all-powerful managers, nor irreplaceable officials, they have not been sent out on tour.
We can think for example of this Diocese, of which I am the Bishop. We can think about some of the saints from this Diocese of Rome: Saint Philip Neri, Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, Saint Alessio, Saint Ludovica Albertini, Sabint Frances of Rome, Saint Gaspar del Bufalo and many others. They were not officials or businessmen, rather they were humble workers for the Kingdom. They had the face of the Kingdom. And a part of this face is also the way in which the message will be welcomed: in fact, it may happen that the message is not welcomed, nor listened to (cf Mk 6:11). This too is poverty: the experience of failure. The story of Jesus, who was himself rejected and crucified, prefigures the destiny of his messenger. Only if we are united to Him, who died and rose again, will we succeed in finding the courage to evangelize.
May the Virgin Mary, the first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to proclaim the message of the gospel to the world in humble and radiant exaltation, beyond any form of rejection, misunderstanding or trial.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With all my heart, I greet you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and from other parts of the world: families, parish groups and associations.
In particular, I greet the Sisters of the Precious Blood from Monza, the novices from the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians who have come from various countries and the young Poles from the Diocese of Pelplin (Poland), who are taking part in spiritual exercises in Assisi.
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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