At noon today in Rome (6:00am EST), 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, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family and the liturgy invites us to reflect on the experience of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, who were united by intense love and animated by great trust in God. Today's gospel passage (cf Lk 2:41-52) recounts the journey of the family from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. But, on the return trip, the parents realize that their twelve-year-old son is not in the caravan. After three days of searching and fear, they find him in the temple, seated among the doctors, intensely speaking with them. At the sight of their son, Mary and Joseph were amazed (Lk 2:48) and the Mother expressed their apprehension, saying: Your father and I were greatly anguished as we looked for you (Lk 2:48).
Amazement - they were amazed - and anguished - your father and I were anguished - these are two elements to which I would like to draw your attention: amazement and anguish.
In the family of Nazareth, wonder never ceased, not even in a dramatic moment like the loss of Jesus: they had an ability to be amazed by the gradual manifestation of the Son of God. This same astonishment also affected the doctors of the temple; they admired him for his intelligence and his answers (Lk 2:47). But what is amazement, what does it mean to be amazed? Amazement and wonder are the opposite of taking everything for granted, it is the opposite of interpreting the reality that surrounds us and the events of history only according to our criteria. A person who does this does not know what it means to marvel, what amazement is. Being amazed means opening ourselves up to others, understanding the reasons of others: this attitude is important for healing compromised relationships among people, and it is also indispensable for healing open wounds within the family. When there are problems in families, we assume that we are right and we close the door to others. Instead, we should think: What does this person have? ... and marvel at this good. And this helps the unity of the family. If you have problems in the family, think of the good things you know about that family you have problems with, and marvel at this. And this will help heal the family wounds.
The second element that I would like to grasp from the gospel is the anguish that Mary and Joseph experienced when they could not find Jesus. This anguish manifests the centrality of Jesus in the Holy Family. The Virgin and her husband had welcomed their Son, they guarded him and they saw him grow in age, wisdom and grace in their midst, but above all he grew up in their hearts; and, little by little, their affection and understanding for him increased. This is why the family of Nazareth is holy: because it was centred on Jesus, all the attention and solicitude of Mary and Joseph were focused on him.
That anguish they felt during the three days while they had lost Jesus should also be our anguish when we are far from Him, when we are far from Jesus. We should feel anguish when we forget about Jesus for more than three days, without praying, without reading the gospel, without feeling the need for his presence and his consoling friendship. And so many days go by without me remembering Jesus. But this is bad, this is very bad. We should feel anguish when these things happen. Mary and Joseph looked for him and found him in the temple while he was teaching: we too should do the same; it is above all in the house of God that we can meet the divine Master and welcome his message of salvation. In the Eucharistic celebration we encounter a living experience of Christ; He speaks to us, offers us his Word, enlightens us, enlightens our journey, gives us his Body in the Eucharist from which we draw strength to face the difficulties of every day.
And today, let us go home with these two words: amazement and anguish. Am I aware of being amazed when I see good things in other people? Concentrating on the good things can help me to solve family problems. Do I feel anguished when I feel like I am distanced from Jesus?
Let us pray for all families throughout the world, especially those in which, for various reasons, there is a lack of peace and harmony. And let us entrust them to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us pray together for all those who in the Democratic Republic of Congo are suffering because of violence and ebola. I hope that everyone is committed to maintaining a peaceful climate that will allow for regular and peaceful conduct of today's elections. Let us pray together: Hail Mary ...
I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims; parish groups, associations and young people. Today, I offer a special greeting to families who are here. Let us applaud all the families who are here, all of them, and also those who are participating from home via television or radio. The family is a treasure: we must always care for families, defend them. May the Holy Family of Nazareth always protect and illuminate our journey.
I greet the Mercedari religious who have come together with altar servers from various parts of Italy, as well as the faithful from Legnaro and Gragnano. I greet the scouts from Villabate; the young men and women who have recently been Confirmed in the pastoral unity of Codognè (Diocese of Vittorio Veneto) and also those from a few parishes in the dioceses of Bergamo: Curno, Palazzago, Gromlongo, Barzana and Almenno. And I greet these two groups of sisters who are holding Spanish and Polish flags.
I wish all of you a good Sunday and a serene end to this year. Complete the year with serenity. I thank you also for your wishes and for your prayers. Please continue to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!
(Original text in Italian)
Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family and the liturgy invites us to reflect on the experience of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, who were united by intense love and animated by great trust in God. Today's gospel passage (cf Lk 2:41-52) recounts the journey of the family from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. But, on the return trip, the parents realize that their twelve-year-old son is not in the caravan. After three days of searching and fear, they find him in the temple, seated among the doctors, intensely speaking with them. At the sight of their son, Mary and Joseph were amazed (Lk 2:48) and the Mother expressed their apprehension, saying: Your father and I were greatly anguished as we looked for you (Lk 2:48).
Amazement - they were amazed - and anguished - your father and I were anguished - these are two elements to which I would like to draw your attention: amazement and anguish.
In the family of Nazareth, wonder never ceased, not even in a dramatic moment like the loss of Jesus: they had an ability to be amazed by the gradual manifestation of the Son of God. This same astonishment also affected the doctors of the temple; they admired him for his intelligence and his answers (Lk 2:47). But what is amazement, what does it mean to be amazed? Amazement and wonder are the opposite of taking everything for granted, it is the opposite of interpreting the reality that surrounds us and the events of history only according to our criteria. A person who does this does not know what it means to marvel, what amazement is. Being amazed means opening ourselves up to others, understanding the reasons of others: this attitude is important for healing compromised relationships among people, and it is also indispensable for healing open wounds within the family. When there are problems in families, we assume that we are right and we close the door to others. Instead, we should think: What does this person have? ... and marvel at this good. And this helps the unity of the family. If you have problems in the family, think of the good things you know about that family you have problems with, and marvel at this. And this will help heal the family wounds.
The second element that I would like to grasp from the gospel is the anguish that Mary and Joseph experienced when they could not find Jesus. This anguish manifests the centrality of Jesus in the Holy Family. The Virgin and her husband had welcomed their Son, they guarded him and they saw him grow in age, wisdom and grace in their midst, but above all he grew up in their hearts; and, little by little, their affection and understanding for him increased. This is why the family of Nazareth is holy: because it was centred on Jesus, all the attention and solicitude of Mary and Joseph were focused on him.
That anguish they felt during the three days while they had lost Jesus should also be our anguish when we are far from Him, when we are far from Jesus. We should feel anguish when we forget about Jesus for more than three days, without praying, without reading the gospel, without feeling the need for his presence and his consoling friendship. And so many days go by without me remembering Jesus. But this is bad, this is very bad. We should feel anguish when these things happen. Mary and Joseph looked for him and found him in the temple while he was teaching: we too should do the same; it is above all in the house of God that we can meet the divine Master and welcome his message of salvation. In the Eucharistic celebration we encounter a living experience of Christ; He speaks to us, offers us his Word, enlightens us, enlightens our journey, gives us his Body in the Eucharist from which we draw strength to face the difficulties of every day.
And today, let us go home with these two words: amazement and anguish. Am I aware of being amazed when I see good things in other people? Concentrating on the good things can help me to solve family problems. Do I feel anguished when I feel like I am distanced from Jesus?
Let us pray for all families throughout the world, especially those in which, for various reasons, there is a lack of peace and harmony. And let us entrust them to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us pray together for all those who in the Democratic Republic of Congo are suffering because of violence and ebola. I hope that everyone is committed to maintaining a peaceful climate that will allow for regular and peaceful conduct of today's elections. Let us pray together: Hail Mary ...
I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims; parish groups, associations and young people. Today, I offer a special greeting to families who are here. Let us applaud all the families who are here, all of them, and also those who are participating from home via television or radio. The family is a treasure: we must always care for families, defend them. May the Holy Family of Nazareth always protect and illuminate our journey.
I greet the Mercedari religious who have come together with altar servers from various parts of Italy, as well as the faithful from Legnaro and Gragnano. I greet the scouts from Villabate; the young men and women who have recently been Confirmed in the pastoral unity of Codognè (Diocese of Vittorio Veneto) and also those from a few parishes in the dioceses of Bergamo: Curno, Palazzago, Gromlongo, Barzana and Almenno. And I greet these two groups of sisters who are holding Spanish and Polish flags.
I wish all of you a good Sunday and a serene end to this year. Complete the year with serenity. I thank you also for your wishes and for your prayers. Please continue to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!
(Original text in Italian)
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