At the conclusion of the Mass which was celebrated in Saint Peter's Square this morning by His Eminence, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, President of the Italian Bishops' Conference as part of the prayer gathering between the Holy Father and the youth of Italy, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus with the youth as well as with other adults who were gathered in the Square.
Dear brothers and sisters,
and dear young Italians, good morning!
In the second reading today, Saint Paul urgently invites us: Do not try to sadden the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were marked for the day of redemption (Eph 4:30).
But I ask myself: how can the Holy Spirit be saddened? We have all received (the Holy Spirit) in Baptism and Confirmation, therefore, in order not to grieve the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to live in a manner consistent with the promises of Baptism, renewed in Confirmation. In a coherent way, not hypocritically: do not forget this. Christians can not be hypocritical: we must live in a coherent way. The promises of baptism have two aspects: renunciation of evil and adherence to good.
To renounce evil means saying no to temptations, to sin, to Satan. More concretely, it means saying no to a culture of death, which manifests itself in the flight from that which is real towards a false happiness that is expressed in lies, fraud, injustice and contempt for others. To all this, say no. The new life which has been given to us in Baptism, and which has the Spirit as its source, rejects a behaviour dominated by feelings of division and discord. This is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to remove from our hearts all harshness, indignation, anger, shouts and slander with all sorts of malice (Eph 4:31). This is what Paul says. These six elements or vices, which disturb the joy of the Holy Spirit, poison the heart and lead to imprecations against God and neighbour.
But it is not enough not to do evil in order to be a good Christian; we must adhere to what is good and do good. Here then is what Saint Paul says: Instead, be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Eph 4:32). Many times we may hear some who say: I do not hurt anyone. And by this, these people believe themselves to be saints. All right, but are you good? How many people do not do evil, but they don't do good either, and their life flows into indifference, apathy, lukewarmness. This attitude is contrary to the Gospel, and it is also contrary to the character of young people, who by nature are dynamic, passionate and courageous. Remember this - if you remember, we can repeat it together: It is good not to do evil, but it is bad not to do good. This was what Saint Albert Hurtado said.
Today I urge you to be heroes for good! Protagonists for good. Do not be satisfied when you do not do evil; everyone is guilty of the good he could do and did not do. It is not enough not to hate, it is necessary to forgive; it is not enough not to have a grudge, we must pray for our enemies; it is not enough not to be the cause of division, we must bring about peace where it does not exist; it is not enough not to speak badly about others, we must stop when we hear someone talking badly: stop the chatter: this is doing good. If we do not oppose evil, we feed it tacitly. It is necessary to intervene where evil spreads; because evil spreads where there are no daring Christians who oppose with good, walking in love (cf Eph 5:2), according to Saint Paul's warning.
Dear young people, you have walked a lot these days! Therefore you are trained and I can tell you: walk in love, walk in love! And let us walk together towards the next Synod of Bishops. May the Virgin Mary support us with her maternal intercession, so that each one of us, every day, through our deeds, can say no to evil and yes to good.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims from many parts of the world.
In particular I greet the young people of the Italian dioceses, accompanied by their respective Bishops, their priests and teachers. In these days, you have poured your enthusiasm and your faith through the streets of Rome. I thank you for your presence and for your Christian witness! And yesterday, while expressing my thanks, I forgot to say a word to the priests, who are those closest to you: I thank the priests so much, I thank them for the work they do day by day, I thank them for that patience - because it takes patience to work with you! The patience of the priests ... - I thank you so much, so much. And I also saw many nuns working with you: also the nuns, thank you very much.
And my gratitude extends to the Italian Bishops' Conference - represented here by their President, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti - who organized this youth encounter in preparation for the Synod of Bishops.
Dear young people, as you return to your communities, bear witness to your peers, and to all those you meet; share with them the joy of fraternity and communion you have experienced in these days of pilgrimage and prayer.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a safe return to your homes. And please, don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings offered by the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
and dear young Italians, good morning!
In the second reading today, Saint Paul urgently invites us: Do not try to sadden the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were marked for the day of redemption (Eph 4:30).
But I ask myself: how can the Holy Spirit be saddened? We have all received (the Holy Spirit) in Baptism and Confirmation, therefore, in order not to grieve the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to live in a manner consistent with the promises of Baptism, renewed in Confirmation. In a coherent way, not hypocritically: do not forget this. Christians can not be hypocritical: we must live in a coherent way. The promises of baptism have two aspects: renunciation of evil and adherence to good.
To renounce evil means saying no to temptations, to sin, to Satan. More concretely, it means saying no to a culture of death, which manifests itself in the flight from that which is real towards a false happiness that is expressed in lies, fraud, injustice and contempt for others. To all this, say no. The new life which has been given to us in Baptism, and which has the Spirit as its source, rejects a behaviour dominated by feelings of division and discord. This is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to remove from our hearts all harshness, indignation, anger, shouts and slander with all sorts of malice (Eph 4:31). This is what Paul says. These six elements or vices, which disturb the joy of the Holy Spirit, poison the heart and lead to imprecations against God and neighbour.
But it is not enough not to do evil in order to be a good Christian; we must adhere to what is good and do good. Here then is what Saint Paul says: Instead, be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Eph 4:32). Many times we may hear some who say: I do not hurt anyone. And by this, these people believe themselves to be saints. All right, but are you good? How many people do not do evil, but they don't do good either, and their life flows into indifference, apathy, lukewarmness. This attitude is contrary to the Gospel, and it is also contrary to the character of young people, who by nature are dynamic, passionate and courageous. Remember this - if you remember, we can repeat it together: It is good not to do evil, but it is bad not to do good. This was what Saint Albert Hurtado said.
Today I urge you to be heroes for good! Protagonists for good. Do not be satisfied when you do not do evil; everyone is guilty of the good he could do and did not do. It is not enough not to hate, it is necessary to forgive; it is not enough not to have a grudge, we must pray for our enemies; it is not enough not to be the cause of division, we must bring about peace where it does not exist; it is not enough not to speak badly about others, we must stop when we hear someone talking badly: stop the chatter: this is doing good. If we do not oppose evil, we feed it tacitly. It is necessary to intervene where evil spreads; because evil spreads where there are no daring Christians who oppose with good, walking in love (cf Eph 5:2), according to Saint Paul's warning.
Dear young people, you have walked a lot these days! Therefore you are trained and I can tell you: walk in love, walk in love! And let us walk together towards the next Synod of Bishops. May the Virgin Mary support us with her maternal intercession, so that each one of us, every day, through our deeds, can say no to evil and yes to good.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims from many parts of the world.
In particular I greet the young people of the Italian dioceses, accompanied by their respective Bishops, their priests and teachers. In these days, you have poured your enthusiasm and your faith through the streets of Rome. I thank you for your presence and for your Christian witness! And yesterday, while expressing my thanks, I forgot to say a word to the priests, who are those closest to you: I thank the priests so much, I thank them for the work they do day by day, I thank them for that patience - because it takes patience to work with you! The patience of the priests ... - I thank you so much, so much. And I also saw many nuns working with you: also the nuns, thank you very much.
And my gratitude extends to the Italian Bishops' Conference - represented here by their President, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti - who organized this youth encounter in preparation for the Synod of Bishops.
Dear young people, as you return to your communities, bear witness to your peers, and to all those you meet; share with them the joy of fraternity and communion you have experienced in these days of pilgrimage and prayer.
I wish you all a good Sunday and a safe return to your homes. And please, don't forget to pray for me! Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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