At noon today local time in Rome (6:00am EST), the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study inside 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 second Sunday of Ordinary Time is in continuity with the Epiphany and with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The Gospel passage (cf Jn 1: 29-34) still speaks to us of the manifestation of Jesus. After being baptized in the Jordan River, He was consecrated by the Holy Spirit who rested on Him and He was proclaimed Son of God by the voice of the heavenly Father (cf Mt 3: 16-17 ff). Unlike the other three Evangelists, John does not describe the event; instead, he offers us the testimony of John the Baptist. He was the first witness of Christ. God had called him and prepared him for this.
The Baptist cannot hold back his urgent desire to testify to Jesus; he declares: I have seen and testified (Jn 1: 34). John saw something shocking, that is, the beloved Son of God in solidarity with sinners; and the Holy Spirit helped him to understand this unheard-of novelty, a true reversal. In fact, while in all religions it is man who offers and sacrifices something to God, in this event, it is God who offers his Son for the salvation of humanity. John manifests his amazement and his consent to this novelty brought by Jesus through a pregnant expression that we repeat every time we celebrate the Mass: Here is the lamb of God, the one who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1: 29).
John the Baptist's testimony invites us to start afresh on our journey of faith: to start afresh with Jesus Christ, the Lamb full of mercy that the Father has given for us. Let us be surprised again by God's choice to be on our side, to be in solidarity with us sinners, and to save the world from evil by totally taking charge of it.
Let us learn from John the Baptist not to presume that we already know Jesus, that we already know everything about him (cf Jn 1: 31). It is not so. Let us pause and focus on the Gospel, perhaps even contemplating an icon of Christ, a holy face. We contemplate with the eyes and even more with the heart; and let ourselves be instructed by the Holy Spirit, who tells us in our hearts: It is He! He is the Son of God who was made a lamb, sacrificed for love. He, He alone brought this gift, He alone suffered, atoned for our sin, the sin of each of us, the sin of the world, and also my sins. All of us. He carried them all on his shoulders and took them away from us, so that we could finally be free; we are no longer slaves to evil. Yes, we are still poor sinners, but not slaves, no, not slaves: children, children of God!
May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the strength to bear witness to her Son Jesus; to proclaim him with joy, with lives that are free from evil and with words that are filled with amazed and grateful faith.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father said:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, a conference is taking place in Berlin to discuss the crisis in Libya. I sincerely hope that this summit, which is so important, will be the start of a path towards the cessation of violence and a negotiated solution that will lead to peace and the much desired stability of the country.
I greet all of you, dear pilgrims and faithful of Rome. In particular, the members of some Confraternities from Seville in Spain; the faithful from Bielsko-Biała and from Poznań in Poland; the students from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa (USA), and those from Vila Pouca de Aguiar in Portugal.
I greet the parish groups from Scandicci and Quarto d'Altino, those from San Giuseppe al Trionfale and from San Melchiade in Rome, as well as the altar servers from Corva, in the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone who are here with their families.
I am happy to recall that 2020 has been designated as the International Year of Nurses and Midwives. Nurses are the most numerous health workers and the ones who are closest to the sick, and midwives are perhaps the noblest of the professions. Let us pray for all of them, so that they can do their precious work to the best of their abilities.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This second Sunday of Ordinary Time is in continuity with the Epiphany and with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The Gospel passage (cf Jn 1: 29-34) still speaks to us of the manifestation of Jesus. After being baptized in the Jordan River, He was consecrated by the Holy Spirit who rested on Him and He was proclaimed Son of God by the voice of the heavenly Father (cf Mt 3: 16-17 ff). Unlike the other three Evangelists, John does not describe the event; instead, he offers us the testimony of John the Baptist. He was the first witness of Christ. God had called him and prepared him for this.
The Baptist cannot hold back his urgent desire to testify to Jesus; he declares: I have seen and testified (Jn 1: 34). John saw something shocking, that is, the beloved Son of God in solidarity with sinners; and the Holy Spirit helped him to understand this unheard-of novelty, a true reversal. In fact, while in all religions it is man who offers and sacrifices something to God, in this event, it is God who offers his Son for the salvation of humanity. John manifests his amazement and his consent to this novelty brought by Jesus through a pregnant expression that we repeat every time we celebrate the Mass: Here is the lamb of God, the one who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1: 29).
John the Baptist's testimony invites us to start afresh on our journey of faith: to start afresh with Jesus Christ, the Lamb full of mercy that the Father has given for us. Let us be surprised again by God's choice to be on our side, to be in solidarity with us sinners, and to save the world from evil by totally taking charge of it.
Let us learn from John the Baptist not to presume that we already know Jesus, that we already know everything about him (cf Jn 1: 31). It is not so. Let us pause and focus on the Gospel, perhaps even contemplating an icon of Christ, a holy face. We contemplate with the eyes and even more with the heart; and let ourselves be instructed by the Holy Spirit, who tells us in our hearts: It is He! He is the Son of God who was made a lamb, sacrificed for love. He, He alone brought this gift, He alone suffered, atoned for our sin, the sin of each of us, the sin of the world, and also my sins. All of us. He carried them all on his shoulders and took them away from us, so that we could finally be free; we are no longer slaves to evil. Yes, we are still poor sinners, but not slaves, no, not slaves: children, children of God!
May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the strength to bear witness to her Son Jesus; to proclaim him with joy, with lives that are free from evil and with words that are filled with amazed and grateful faith.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father said:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, a conference is taking place in Berlin to discuss the crisis in Libya. I sincerely hope that this summit, which is so important, will be the start of a path towards the cessation of violence and a negotiated solution that will lead to peace and the much desired stability of the country.
I greet all of you, dear pilgrims and faithful of Rome. In particular, the members of some Confraternities from Seville in Spain; the faithful from Bielsko-Biała and from Poznań in Poland; the students from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa (USA), and those from Vila Pouca de Aguiar in Portugal.
I greet the parish groups from Scandicci and Quarto d'Altino, those from San Giuseppe al Trionfale and from San Melchiade in Rome, as well as the altar servers from Corva, in the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone who are here with their families.
I am happy to recall that 2020 has been designated as the International Year of Nurses and Midwives. Nurses are the most numerous health workers and the ones who are closest to the sick, and midwives are perhaps the noblest of the professions. Let us pray for all of them, so that they can do their precious work to the best of their abilities.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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