At noon today local time (6:00am EDT) in Rome, 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!
The parable contained in this Sunday's gospel (cf Lk 16:1-13) focuses on a clever but dishonest administrator who, being accused of having squandered his master's assets, is about to be fired. In this difficult situation, he does not recriminate, he does not seek justification or allow himself be discouraged, but he devises a way out in order to ensure a peaceful future. At first he reacts with lucidity, recognizing his limits: "Alas, I don't have the strength to dig; and I am too ashamed to beg (Lk 16:3); then he acts with cunning, robbing his master for the last time. In fact, he calls the debtors and reduces the debts they have towards the master, in order to make them friends of his and then be rewarded by them. This is an example of making friends with corruption and gaining gratitude through corruption, as unfortunately is customary today.
Jesus presents this example certainly not to exhort us to dishonesty, but to shrewdness. In fact he underlines: The master praised that dishonest administrator, because he had acted shrewdly (Lk 16:8), that is to say with a mixture of intelligence and cunning, which allows you to overcome difficult situations. The key to understanding this story lies in Jesus' invitation at the end of the parable: Make friends using dishonest wealth, so that when it is lacking they will welcome you into eternal dwellings (Lk 16:9). This seems a little confused, but it is not: dishonest wealth is money - also called devil's dung - and in general it also includes material goods.
Wealth can push us to build walls, create divisions and discriminate. On the contrary, Jesus invites his disciples to change course: Make friends by using your riches. It is an invitation to know how to transform goods and riches into relationships, because people are worth more than things and count more than the wealth they possess. In fact, throughout life, this practice bears fruit not for those who have so many riches, but those who create and keep many bonds, many relationships, many friendships through different riches, that is, different gifts with which God has endowed us. But Jesus also indicates the ultimate purpose of his exhortation: Make friends with riches, so that they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. To welcome us into Paradise, if we are able to transform riches into instruments of fraternity and solidarity, there will be not only God, but also those with whom we have shared our riches, using the gifts that the Lord has placed in our hands in a good way.
Brothers and sisters, this Gospel passage echoes in us the question of the dishonest administrator, chased by his master: What will I do now? (Lk 16:3). Faced with our shortcomings and our failures, Jesus assures us that we are still in time to heal the evil we have done with good. Those who have caused tears can make someone happy; those who have misappropriated others' possessions can give gifts to those in need. In doing so, we will be praised by the Lord because we have acted with shrewdness, that is, with the wisdom of one who recognizes himself as a child of God and brings himself into play for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
May the Holy Virgin help us to be shrewd in ensuring ourselves not worldly success but eternal life, so that at the time of the final judgment the needy persons we have helped may testify that we have seen and served the Lord in them.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet all of you with affection, Romans and pilgrims who have come from various countries. In particular, those who are participating in the Via Pacis, a foot race that was run through the streets of Rome this morning, in order to bring a message of peace, fraternity and above all dialogue between different cultures and religions.
I greet the group of Polish Catholic missionaries who are working in Germany; the San Leonardo choir from Procida; the young people from Settimello (Florence) who have recently been Confirmed; and the Sisters of Bell'Amore who are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their foundation.
Next Sunday, 29 September, we will celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. For that occasion, I will celebrate Mass here in Saint Peter's Square. I invite you to participate in this celebration in order to also express in prayer our closeness to migrants and refugees throughout the entire world.
I wish you all a good Sunday. 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!
The parable contained in this Sunday's gospel (cf Lk 16:1-13) focuses on a clever but dishonest administrator who, being accused of having squandered his master's assets, is about to be fired. In this difficult situation, he does not recriminate, he does not seek justification or allow himself be discouraged, but he devises a way out in order to ensure a peaceful future. At first he reacts with lucidity, recognizing his limits: "Alas, I don't have the strength to dig; and I am too ashamed to beg (Lk 16:3); then he acts with cunning, robbing his master for the last time. In fact, he calls the debtors and reduces the debts they have towards the master, in order to make them friends of his and then be rewarded by them. This is an example of making friends with corruption and gaining gratitude through corruption, as unfortunately is customary today.
Jesus presents this example certainly not to exhort us to dishonesty, but to shrewdness. In fact he underlines: The master praised that dishonest administrator, because he had acted shrewdly (Lk 16:8), that is to say with a mixture of intelligence and cunning, which allows you to overcome difficult situations. The key to understanding this story lies in Jesus' invitation at the end of the parable: Make friends using dishonest wealth, so that when it is lacking they will welcome you into eternal dwellings (Lk 16:9). This seems a little confused, but it is not: dishonest wealth is money - also called devil's dung - and in general it also includes material goods.
Wealth can push us to build walls, create divisions and discriminate. On the contrary, Jesus invites his disciples to change course: Make friends by using your riches. It is an invitation to know how to transform goods and riches into relationships, because people are worth more than things and count more than the wealth they possess. In fact, throughout life, this practice bears fruit not for those who have so many riches, but those who create and keep many bonds, many relationships, many friendships through different riches, that is, different gifts with which God has endowed us. But Jesus also indicates the ultimate purpose of his exhortation: Make friends with riches, so that they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. To welcome us into Paradise, if we are able to transform riches into instruments of fraternity and solidarity, there will be not only God, but also those with whom we have shared our riches, using the gifts that the Lord has placed in our hands in a good way.
Brothers and sisters, this Gospel passage echoes in us the question of the dishonest administrator, chased by his master: What will I do now? (Lk 16:3). Faced with our shortcomings and our failures, Jesus assures us that we are still in time to heal the evil we have done with good. Those who have caused tears can make someone happy; those who have misappropriated others' possessions can give gifts to those in need. In doing so, we will be praised by the Lord because we have acted with shrewdness, that is, with the wisdom of one who recognizes himself as a child of God and brings himself into play for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
May the Holy Virgin help us to be shrewd in ensuring ourselves not worldly success but eternal life, so that at the time of the final judgment the needy persons we have helped may testify that we have seen and served the Lord in them.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet all of you with affection, Romans and pilgrims who have come from various countries. In particular, those who are participating in the Via Pacis, a foot race that was run through the streets of Rome this morning, in order to bring a message of peace, fraternity and above all dialogue between different cultures and religions.
I greet the group of Polish Catholic missionaries who are working in Germany; the San Leonardo choir from Procida; the young people from Settimello (Florence) who have recently been Confirmed; and the Sisters of Bell'Amore who are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their foundation.
Next Sunday, 29 September, we will celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. For that occasion, I will celebrate Mass here in Saint Peter's Square. I invite you to participate in this celebration in order to also express in prayer our closeness to migrants and refugees throughout the entire world.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye.
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