At noon today (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!
This Sunday's gospel (cf Mk 7:31-37) refers to the episode of the miraculous healing of a deaf-mute which was performed by Jesus. They brought him a deaf-mute, begging him to put his hands on him. Instead, he made several gestures: first of all he led him away from the crowd. On this occasion, as at other moments, Jesus always acted discreetly. He did not want to impress people, he was not looking for popularity or success; he only wanted to do good for people. With this attitude, He taught us that good should be done without clamour, without showing off, without making the trumpet sound. Good must be done in silence.
Once they had moved aside, Jesus put his fingers in the ears of the deaf-mute and touched his tongue with his saliva. This gesture refers to the Incarnation. The Son of God was a man inserted into human reality: he became man, therefore he could understand the painful condition of another man and intervened with a gesture in which his own humanity was involved. At the same time, Jesus wanted to be clear that the miracle happened because of his union with the Father: for this reason, he looked up to heaven. Then he sighed and pronounced the decisive word: Ephphathà, which means Be opened. And immediately the man was healed: his ears were opened and his tongue was loosened. Healing was for him an openness to others and to the world.
This Gospel account underscores the need for a double healing. First of all the healing from illness and physical suffering, in order to restore the health of the body; even if this goal is not completely attainable on the earthly horizon, despite so many efforts of science and medicine. But there is a second healing, perhaps more difficult, and this is healing from fear. Healing from fear, which pushes us to marginalize the sick, to marginalize the suffering, the disabled. And there are many ways to marginalize, even with pseudo-pity or with the removal of the problem; we remain deaf and dumb when we are faced with the pains of people marked by illness, anguish and difficulty. Too often, the sick and the suffering become a problem, while they should be an opportunity to express the concern and solidarity of a society towards the weak.
Jesus revealed to us the secret of a miracle that we can repeat ourselves, becoming protagonists of the Ephphathà, of that word Be open with which He has restored the power of words and the gift of hearing to the deaf-mute. It is a question of opening ourselves to the needs of our suffering and needy brothers and sisters, avoiding selfishness and closing of our hearts. It is precisely the heart - the deep core of the person - that Jesus came to open, to free, in order to enable us to fully experience the relationship with God and with others. He became man so that mankind, made interiorly deaf and dumb by sin, can hear the voice of God, the voice of Love that speaks to his heart, and thereby learn to speak the language of love, translating it into gestures of generosity and self-giving.
May Mary, who is totally open to the love of the Lord, obtain for us to experience every day, in faith, the miracle of Ephphathà, so as to live in communion with God and with our brothers and sisters.
(Original text in Italian)
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Loretto, at the Pontifical Shrine of the Holy House, the Festival of the Nativity of Mary took place and a new proposal of spirituality for families began: the House of Mary is a House for every family. We entrust to the Blessed Virgin the initiatives of the Shrine and all those who, in various ways, will take part in it.
Today, in Strasbourg, the Beatification of Alfonsa Maria Eppinger, the foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Saviour will take place. Let us give thanks to God for this courageous and wise woman who, despite her own suffering, bore witness in silence and prayer to the love of God especially to those who were suffering in body or in spirit. Let us all applaud this new Blessed!
I affectionately greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various other countries: families, parish groups and associations.
I greet the faithful from the Dioceses of Como, the young people who are taking part in the meeting organized by the Work of the Church, and the youth from Prevalle who have recently celebrated Confirmation.
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!
This Sunday's gospel (cf Mk 7:31-37) refers to the episode of the miraculous healing of a deaf-mute which was performed by Jesus. They brought him a deaf-mute, begging him to put his hands on him. Instead, he made several gestures: first of all he led him away from the crowd. On this occasion, as at other moments, Jesus always acted discreetly. He did not want to impress people, he was not looking for popularity or success; he only wanted to do good for people. With this attitude, He taught us that good should be done without clamour, without showing off, without making the trumpet sound. Good must be done in silence.
Once they had moved aside, Jesus put his fingers in the ears of the deaf-mute and touched his tongue with his saliva. This gesture refers to the Incarnation. The Son of God was a man inserted into human reality: he became man, therefore he could understand the painful condition of another man and intervened with a gesture in which his own humanity was involved. At the same time, Jesus wanted to be clear that the miracle happened because of his union with the Father: for this reason, he looked up to heaven. Then he sighed and pronounced the decisive word: Ephphathà, which means Be opened. And immediately the man was healed: his ears were opened and his tongue was loosened. Healing was for him an openness to others and to the world.
This Gospel account underscores the need for a double healing. First of all the healing from illness and physical suffering, in order to restore the health of the body; even if this goal is not completely attainable on the earthly horizon, despite so many efforts of science and medicine. But there is a second healing, perhaps more difficult, and this is healing from fear. Healing from fear, which pushes us to marginalize the sick, to marginalize the suffering, the disabled. And there are many ways to marginalize, even with pseudo-pity or with the removal of the problem; we remain deaf and dumb when we are faced with the pains of people marked by illness, anguish and difficulty. Too often, the sick and the suffering become a problem, while they should be an opportunity to express the concern and solidarity of a society towards the weak.
Jesus revealed to us the secret of a miracle that we can repeat ourselves, becoming protagonists of the Ephphathà, of that word Be open with which He has restored the power of words and the gift of hearing to the deaf-mute. It is a question of opening ourselves to the needs of our suffering and needy brothers and sisters, avoiding selfishness and closing of our hearts. It is precisely the heart - the deep core of the person - that Jesus came to open, to free, in order to enable us to fully experience the relationship with God and with others. He became man so that mankind, made interiorly deaf and dumb by sin, can hear the voice of God, the voice of Love that speaks to his heart, and thereby learn to speak the language of love, translating it into gestures of generosity and self-giving.
May Mary, who is totally open to the love of the Lord, obtain for us to experience every day, in faith, the miracle of Ephphathà, so as to live in communion with God and with our brothers and sisters.
(Original text in Italian)
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, in Loretto, at the Pontifical Shrine of the Holy House, the Festival of the Nativity of Mary took place and a new proposal of spirituality for families began: the House of Mary is a House for every family. We entrust to the Blessed Virgin the initiatives of the Shrine and all those who, in various ways, will take part in it.
Today, in Strasbourg, the Beatification of Alfonsa Maria Eppinger, the foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Saviour will take place. Let us give thanks to God for this courageous and wise woman who, despite her own suffering, bore witness in silence and prayer to the love of God especially to those who were suffering in body or in spirit. Let us all applaud this new Blessed!
I affectionately greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various other countries: families, parish groups and associations.
I greet the faithful from the Dioceses of Como, the young people who are taking part in the meeting organized by the Work of the Church, and the youth from Prevalle who have recently celebrated Confirmation.
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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