At noon today in Rome, the Solemnity of All Saints (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 and happy feast day!
The first reading for today, from the Book of the Apocalypse, speaks to us of heaven and places us before an immense multitude, an incalculable number of souls, from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9). They are the saints. What do they do up there? They sing together, they praise God with joy. It would be nice to listen to their song ... But we can imagine it: do you know when? During Mass, when we sing Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts .... The Bible says that this is a hymn that comes from heaven, which is sung there (cf Is 6:3, Rev 4:8), it is a hymn of praise. Therefore, singing with the Saints, we not only think of the saints, but we do what they do: at that moment, in the Mass, we are united with them more than ever.
And we are united with all the saints: not only the ones that are best known, the ones that appear on the calendar, but also with those who are next door, with our relatives and acquaintances who are now part of that immense multitude. Therefore, today, this is a family party. The saints are close to us, indeed they are our true brothers and sisters. They understand us, they love us, they know how good we really are, they help us and they wait for us. They are happy and they want us to be happy with them in paradise.
For this reason, they invite us to walk the path of happiness that is pointed out in today's Gospel, a passage that is so beautiful and well known: Blessed are the poor in spirit ... Blessed are the meek ... Blessed are the pure in heart ... (cf Mt 5: 3-8) . But how is this possible? The Gospel blesses the poor, while the world blesses the rich. The Gospel blesses the meek, while the world says blessed the arrogant. The Gospel says the pure in heart are blessed, while the world says blessed are the wise and joyful. This path of bliss, of holiness, seems to lead to defeat. And yet - the first reading reminds us again - the saints hold palm branches in their hands (Rev 7:9), that is, the symbols of victory. They have won them, not the world. And they exhort us to choose their side, the path of God who is Holy.
Let us ask ourselves what side we are on: that of heaven or that of the earth? Do we live for the Lord or for ourselves, for eternal happiness or for some fulfillment now? Let us ask ourselves: do we really want holiness? Or do we content ourselves with being Christians without infamy and without praise, who believe in God and esteem others but without exaggerating? The Lord asks for everything, and what he offers is true life - he offers everything - the happiness for which we have been created (Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete and exsultate, 1). In short, we either want holiness or nothing! It is good for us to let ourselves be provoked by the saints, who have not settled for half measures here on earth, and in heaven, they cheer for us whenever we choose God, humility, meekness, mercy, purity, whenever we are passionate about heaven rather than about earth.
Today our brothers and sisters do not ask us to simply hear a beautiful Gospel once again, but to put it into practice, to set out on the path of the Beatitudes. It is not about doing extraordinary things, but about following this way that takes us to heaven, this way that takes us into the family, this way that takes us home. So today we glimpse our future and celebrate what we were born for: we were born to never die again, we were born to enjoy the happiness of God! The Lord encourages us and whoever takes the path of the Beatitudes says: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Mt 5:12). May the Holy Mother of God, Queen of the saints, help us to firmly walk the path of holiness; you, who are the Gate of Heaven, introduce our beloved dead into the heavenly family.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father said:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With affection, I greet all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries, families, parish groups, associations and school groups.
I offer a special greeting to participants taking part in the Corsa dei Santi (Saints' Race), organized by the Don Bosco Missions Foundation in order to celebrate this popular festival of All the Saints. Thank you for your beautiful initiative and for your presence!
Tomorrow afternoon, I will go to the Laurentino Cemetery here in Rome: I invite you to accompany me with your prayer on this day of prayer and remembrance of those who have preceded us in faith and who now sleep the sleep of peace.
I wish you all a good festival in the spiritual company of all the Saints. 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 and happy feast day!
The first reading for today, from the Book of the Apocalypse, speaks to us of heaven and places us before an immense multitude, an incalculable number of souls, from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev 7:9). They are the saints. What do they do up there? They sing together, they praise God with joy. It would be nice to listen to their song ... But we can imagine it: do you know when? During Mass, when we sing Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts .... The Bible says that this is a hymn that comes from heaven, which is sung there (cf Is 6:3, Rev 4:8), it is a hymn of praise. Therefore, singing with the Saints, we not only think of the saints, but we do what they do: at that moment, in the Mass, we are united with them more than ever.
And we are united with all the saints: not only the ones that are best known, the ones that appear on the calendar, but also with those who are next door, with our relatives and acquaintances who are now part of that immense multitude. Therefore, today, this is a family party. The saints are close to us, indeed they are our true brothers and sisters. They understand us, they love us, they know how good we really are, they help us and they wait for us. They are happy and they want us to be happy with them in paradise.
For this reason, they invite us to walk the path of happiness that is pointed out in today's Gospel, a passage that is so beautiful and well known: Blessed are the poor in spirit ... Blessed are the meek ... Blessed are the pure in heart ... (cf Mt 5: 3-8) . But how is this possible? The Gospel blesses the poor, while the world blesses the rich. The Gospel blesses the meek, while the world says blessed the arrogant. The Gospel says the pure in heart are blessed, while the world says blessed are the wise and joyful. This path of bliss, of holiness, seems to lead to defeat. And yet - the first reading reminds us again - the saints hold palm branches in their hands (Rev 7:9), that is, the symbols of victory. They have won them, not the world. And they exhort us to choose their side, the path of God who is Holy.
Let us ask ourselves what side we are on: that of heaven or that of the earth? Do we live for the Lord or for ourselves, for eternal happiness or for some fulfillment now? Let us ask ourselves: do we really want holiness? Or do we content ourselves with being Christians without infamy and without praise, who believe in God and esteem others but without exaggerating? The Lord asks for everything, and what he offers is true life - he offers everything - the happiness for which we have been created (Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete and exsultate, 1). In short, we either want holiness or nothing! It is good for us to let ourselves be provoked by the saints, who have not settled for half measures here on earth, and in heaven, they cheer for us whenever we choose God, humility, meekness, mercy, purity, whenever we are passionate about heaven rather than about earth.
Today our brothers and sisters do not ask us to simply hear a beautiful Gospel once again, but to put it into practice, to set out on the path of the Beatitudes. It is not about doing extraordinary things, but about following this way that takes us to heaven, this way that takes us into the family, this way that takes us home. So today we glimpse our future and celebrate what we were born for: we were born to never die again, we were born to enjoy the happiness of God! The Lord encourages us and whoever takes the path of the Beatitudes says: Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Mt 5:12). May the Holy Mother of God, Queen of the saints, help us to firmly walk the path of holiness; you, who are the Gate of Heaven, introduce our beloved dead into the heavenly family.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father said:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With affection, I greet all of you, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries, families, parish groups, associations and school groups.
I offer a special greeting to participants taking part in the Corsa dei Santi (Saints' Race), organized by the Don Bosco Missions Foundation in order to celebrate this popular festival of All the Saints. Thank you for your beautiful initiative and for your presence!
Tomorrow afternoon, I will go to the Laurentino Cemetery here in Rome: I invite you to accompany me with your prayer on this day of prayer and remembrance of those who have preceded us in faith and who now sleep the sleep of peace.
I wish you all a good festival in the spiritual company of all the Saints. And please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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