At noon today, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 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!
Today, the Word of God presents an alternative. In the first reading, there is a man who in the beginning said no to God, and in the gospel, there is Mary who, at the Annunciation, says yes to God. In both readings, it is God that is seeking man. But in the first case, he goes to Adam, after the sin, and says to him: Where are you? (Gen 3:9), and he responds: I hid myself (Gen 3:10). In the second case, God goes to Mary, who is without sin, and she responds: Behold the servant of the Lord (Lk 1:38). Here I am is the contrary of I hid myself. The Virgin's words are open to God while sin closed Adam off, isolated him, left him closed in upon himself.
Here I am is the key word to life. It marks the passage from a horizontal life, centred on ourselves and on our needs, to a vertical life that is focused on God. Here I am to be available to the Lord, it is the cure for selfishness, it is the antidote to an unsatisfied life, where something is always missing. Here I am is the remedy against the aging of sin, it is the therapy we need in order to stay young inside. Here I am to believe that God matters more than my I. It is a matter of choosing to bet on the Lord, remaining docile to his surprises. So, in order to tell him here I am is the greatest form of praise we can offer him. Why not start the day like this with a Here I am, Lord? It would be nice to say every morning: Here I am, Lord, today may your will be done in me. We will say this in the prayer of the Angelus, but we can repeat it already now, together: Here I am, Lord, today may your will be done in me!
Mary adds: May it be done unto me according to your word. She does not say: May it happen according to my word, but according to your word. She does not limit God. She does not think: I can dedicate myself a little to Him, I can hurry up and then do what I want. No, Mary does not love the Lord when she goes out, in fits and starts. She lives, trusting God in all respects. Here is the secret of life. It can be the same for all those who trust God in everything. But the Lord, dear brothers and sisters, suffers when we answer him as Adam did: I am afraid and I am hidden. God is the Father, the most tender of fathers, and he desires the trust of his children. How many times we suspect him, we suspect God! We think he can send us some proof, deprive us of freedom, abandon ourselves. But this is a great deception, it is the temptation of original sin, the temptation of the devil: he insinuates the distrust of God. Mary overcomes this first temptation with her I am. And today we look at the beauty of Our Lady, who was born and who lived without sin, always docile and transparent to God.
This does not mean that life was easy for her, no. Being with God does not magically solve problems. The conclusion of today's Gospel recalls this: The angel left her (Lk 1:38). He left her: it is a strong word. The angel left the Virgin alone in a difficult situation. She knew how she would become the Mother of God - the angel had told her - but the angel had not explained it to others, only to her. And the problems began immediately: think of the irregular situation according to the law, the torment that Saint Joseph must have endured, the life plans that had to change, what the people would say ... But Mary put her trust in God ahead of the problems. She was left by the angel, but she believed that with her, in her, God has remained. And she trusted. Trust God. It is certain that with the Lord, even if unexpectedly, everything will be fine. Here is the wise attitude: not living depending on problems - once one is finished, another will present itself! - but trusting God and entrusting herself every day to Him: here I am! Here I am is the word. Here I am is her prayer. Let us ask the Immaculate to have the grace to live like this.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Santa Cruz in Oran, Algeria, Bishop Pierre Claverie and eighteen religious companions who were killed in hatred of the faith are being proclaimed Blessed. Nineteen new Blesseds! These martyrs of our time were faithful proclaimers of the gospel, humble builders of peace and heroic witnesses of Christian charity: a bishop, priests, religious men and women, and laity. Their courageous testimony is a source of hope for the Algerian Catholic community and a seed of dialogue for the whole of society. This beatification is an incentive for everyone to build together a world of fraternity and solidarity. Let's applaud the new Blesseds, all together.
I assure a memory in my prayer for the children and the mothers who have died during this past night in a nightclub in Corinaldo, close to Ancora, and also for the many others who have been wounded. For all of them, I am praying to Our Lady.
I greet all of you with affection, pilgrims who have come from Italy and from various other countries, especially the families, the parish groups and the associations. On this Feast of the Immaculate Virgin, in Italian parishes, membership in Catholic Action is being renewed; it is an association which has been a gift and a resource for the journey of the Church in Italy for more than 150 years. I encourage all diocesan and parish groups to re-commit themselves to the formation of laity who are able to bear witness to the gospel, becoming leaven for a more just and supportive society.
With all my heart, I bless the faithful of Rocca di Papa and the torch with which they will light the great star inside the Fortress in that beautiful city in honour of the Immaculate Virgin.
This afternoon, I will go to Saint Mary Major to pray before the Blessed Virgin, and then I will go to the Piazza di Spagna to renew the traditional act of homage and to pray at the feet of the monument of the Immaculate Virgin. I ask you to spiritually unite yourselves with me in this gesture, which expresses the filial devotion we have for our heavenly Mother.
I wish you all a good feast day and a fruitful journey through Advent with the guidance of the Virgin Mary. 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!
Today, the Word of God presents an alternative. In the first reading, there is a man who in the beginning said no to God, and in the gospel, there is Mary who, at the Annunciation, says yes to God. In both readings, it is God that is seeking man. But in the first case, he goes to Adam, after the sin, and says to him: Where are you? (Gen 3:9), and he responds: I hid myself (Gen 3:10). In the second case, God goes to Mary, who is without sin, and she responds: Behold the servant of the Lord (Lk 1:38). Here I am is the contrary of I hid myself. The Virgin's words are open to God while sin closed Adam off, isolated him, left him closed in upon himself.
Here I am is the key word to life. It marks the passage from a horizontal life, centred on ourselves and on our needs, to a vertical life that is focused on God. Here I am to be available to the Lord, it is the cure for selfishness, it is the antidote to an unsatisfied life, where something is always missing. Here I am is the remedy against the aging of sin, it is the therapy we need in order to stay young inside. Here I am to believe that God matters more than my I. It is a matter of choosing to bet on the Lord, remaining docile to his surprises. So, in order to tell him here I am is the greatest form of praise we can offer him. Why not start the day like this with a Here I am, Lord? It would be nice to say every morning: Here I am, Lord, today may your will be done in me. We will say this in the prayer of the Angelus, but we can repeat it already now, together: Here I am, Lord, today may your will be done in me!
Mary adds: May it be done unto me according to your word. She does not say: May it happen according to my word, but according to your word. She does not limit God. She does not think: I can dedicate myself a little to Him, I can hurry up and then do what I want. No, Mary does not love the Lord when she goes out, in fits and starts. She lives, trusting God in all respects. Here is the secret of life. It can be the same for all those who trust God in everything. But the Lord, dear brothers and sisters, suffers when we answer him as Adam did: I am afraid and I am hidden. God is the Father, the most tender of fathers, and he desires the trust of his children. How many times we suspect him, we suspect God! We think he can send us some proof, deprive us of freedom, abandon ourselves. But this is a great deception, it is the temptation of original sin, the temptation of the devil: he insinuates the distrust of God. Mary overcomes this first temptation with her I am. And today we look at the beauty of Our Lady, who was born and who lived without sin, always docile and transparent to God.
This does not mean that life was easy for her, no. Being with God does not magically solve problems. The conclusion of today's Gospel recalls this: The angel left her (Lk 1:38). He left her: it is a strong word. The angel left the Virgin alone in a difficult situation. She knew how she would become the Mother of God - the angel had told her - but the angel had not explained it to others, only to her. And the problems began immediately: think of the irregular situation according to the law, the torment that Saint Joseph must have endured, the life plans that had to change, what the people would say ... But Mary put her trust in God ahead of the problems. She was left by the angel, but she believed that with her, in her, God has remained. And she trusted. Trust God. It is certain that with the Lord, even if unexpectedly, everything will be fine. Here is the wise attitude: not living depending on problems - once one is finished, another will present itself! - but trusting God and entrusting herself every day to Him: here I am! Here I am is the word. Here I am is her prayer. Let us ask the Immaculate to have the grace to live like this.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Santa Cruz in Oran, Algeria, Bishop Pierre Claverie and eighteen religious companions who were killed in hatred of the faith are being proclaimed Blessed. Nineteen new Blesseds! These martyrs of our time were faithful proclaimers of the gospel, humble builders of peace and heroic witnesses of Christian charity: a bishop, priests, religious men and women, and laity. Their courageous testimony is a source of hope for the Algerian Catholic community and a seed of dialogue for the whole of society. This beatification is an incentive for everyone to build together a world of fraternity and solidarity. Let's applaud the new Blesseds, all together.
I assure a memory in my prayer for the children and the mothers who have died during this past night in a nightclub in Corinaldo, close to Ancora, and also for the many others who have been wounded. For all of them, I am praying to Our Lady.
I greet all of you with affection, pilgrims who have come from Italy and from various other countries, especially the families, the parish groups and the associations. On this Feast of the Immaculate Virgin, in Italian parishes, membership in Catholic Action is being renewed; it is an association which has been a gift and a resource for the journey of the Church in Italy for more than 150 years. I encourage all diocesan and parish groups to re-commit themselves to the formation of laity who are able to bear witness to the gospel, becoming leaven for a more just and supportive society.
With all my heart, I bless the faithful of Rocca di Papa and the torch with which they will light the great star inside the Fortress in that beautiful city in honour of the Immaculate Virgin.
This afternoon, I will go to Saint Mary Major to pray before the Blessed Virgin, and then I will go to the Piazza di Spagna to renew the traditional act of homage and to pray at the feet of the monument of the Immaculate Virgin. I ask you to spiritually unite yourselves with me in this gesture, which expresses the filial devotion we have for our heavenly Mother.
I wish you all a good feast day and a fruitful journey through Advent with the guidance of the Virgin Mary. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment