This morning's General Audience began at 9:15am in the Paul VI Hall where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity focused around the theme: They treated us kindly (cf Acts 28:2).
After summarizing his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims in attendance. Then, he issued a call for prayer for peace and for dialogue on the occasion of the lunar New Year that begins on 25 January 2020.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis is in tune with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year's theme, which is that of hospitality, has been developed by the communities of Malta and Gozo, inspired by the passage from the Acts of the Apostles which narrates the hospitality offered by the inhabitants of Malta to Saint Paul and his companions during their travel, when they were shipwrecked together with him. It was precisely this episode that I referred to in the catechesis two weeks ago.
So let's start with the dramatic experience of that shipwreck. The ship on which Paul was travelling was at the mercy of the elements. For fourteen days they had been at sea, drifting, and since neither the sun nor the stars were visible, travellers felt disoriented, lost. Below them the sea was breaking violently against the ship and they feared that it would break up under the force of the waves. From above, they were also lashed by the wind and rain. The force of the sea and the storm was terribly powerful and indifferent to the fate of the sailors: there were more than 260 people involved!
But Paul who knew it is not like that, was the one who spoke. Faith told him that his life was in the hands of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, and that he called him, Paul, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. His faith also told him that God, according to what Jesus has revealed, is a loving Father. Therefore Paul addressed his traveling companions and, inspired by faith, announced to them that God would not allow even one hair on their heads to be lost.
This prophecy came true when the ship ran aground on the coast of Malta and all passengers safely reached dry land. There, they experience something new. In contrast to the brutal violence of the stormy sea, they received the testimony of the rare humanity of the inhabitants of the island. These people, who were foreign to them, were attentive to their needs. They lit a fire to warm up, offered them shelter from rain and food. Even if they had not yet received the Good News of Christ, they manifested the love of God in concrete acts of kindness. In fact, spontaneous hospitality and caring gestures always communicate something of God's love. And the hospitality of the Maltese islanders was rewarded by the healing miracles that God worked through Paul on the island. Therefore, if the people of Malta were a sign of God's Providence for the Apostle, he too was a witness of God's merciful love for them.
Dear friends, hospitality is important; and it is also an important ecumenical virtue. First of all, it means recognizing that other Christians are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are brothers. Someone will say to you: But that is Protestant, the Orthodox one ... Yes, but we are brothers in Christ. It is not an act of one-way generosity, because when we host other Christians we welcome them as a gift that is given to us. Like the Maltese - these Maltese are good people - we are repaid, because we receive what the Holy Spirit has sown in our brothers and sisters, and this becomes a gift for us too, because the Holy Spirit also sows his graces everywhere. Welcoming Christians from another tradition means first of all showing God's love for them, because they are children of God - our brothers -, and it also means welcoming what God has accomplished in their lives. Ecumenical hospitality requires willingness to listen to others, paying attention to their personal stories of faith and the history of their communities, communities of faith with other traditions that are different from ours. Ecumenical hospitality involves the desire to know the experience that other Christians have of God and the expectation of receiving the spiritual gifts that derive from it. And this is a grace, discovering this is a grace. I think of past times, of my land for example. When some evangelical missionaries came, a small group of Catholics went to burn the tents. This is not: he was not a Christian. We are brothers, we are all brothers and we must show each other hospitality.
Today, the sea on which Paul and his companions were shipwrecked is once again a dangerous place for the lives of other sailors. All over the world, migrant men and women face risky journeys to escape violence, to escape war, to escape poverty. How Paul and his companions experienced indifference, the hostility of the desert, rivers, seas ... Many times they do not let them land in ports. But, unfortunately, they also sometimes encounter far worse hostility than men. They are exploited by criminal traffickers: today! They are treated as numbers and as a threat by some rulers: today! Sometimes hospitality rejects them as a wave towards poverty or the dangers from which they fled.
We, Christians, must work together to show migrants the love of God revealed by Jesus Christ. We can and must testify that there is not only hostility and indifference, but that every person is precious to God and loved by him. The divisions that still exist between us prevent us from being full signs of God's love. Working together to experience ecumenical hospitality, especially toward those whose lives are most vulnerable, will make us all Christians - Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, all Christians - better human beings, better disciples and a more united Christian people. It will bring us closer to unity, which is God's will for us.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from Belgium, Korea, Australia and the United States of America. In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, I offer a special greeting to the students from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. I also greet the priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education of the Pontifical North American College. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
At the conclusion of the Audience, the Holy Father made the following appeal:
On 25 January, in the Far East and in various other parts of the world, many millions of men and women will celebrate the lunar New Year.
To them, I send my cordial greetings. In particular, I hope that families will always be places of education in virtues of hospitality, wisdom, respect for each person and harmony with creation.
I invite all people to also pray for peace, for dialogue and for solidarity among nations: these are gifts that are more needed than ever in our world today.
In his speech, the Pope added his meditation on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity focused around the theme: They treated us kindly (cf Acts 28:2).
After summarizing his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of pilgrims in attendance. Then, he issued a call for prayer for peace and for dialogue on the occasion of the lunar New Year that begins on 25 January 2020.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis is in tune with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year's theme, which is that of hospitality, has been developed by the communities of Malta and Gozo, inspired by the passage from the Acts of the Apostles which narrates the hospitality offered by the inhabitants of Malta to Saint Paul and his companions during their travel, when they were shipwrecked together with him. It was precisely this episode that I referred to in the catechesis two weeks ago.
So let's start with the dramatic experience of that shipwreck. The ship on which Paul was travelling was at the mercy of the elements. For fourteen days they had been at sea, drifting, and since neither the sun nor the stars were visible, travellers felt disoriented, lost. Below them the sea was breaking violently against the ship and they feared that it would break up under the force of the waves. From above, they were also lashed by the wind and rain. The force of the sea and the storm was terribly powerful and indifferent to the fate of the sailors: there were more than 260 people involved!
But Paul who knew it is not like that, was the one who spoke. Faith told him that his life was in the hands of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, and that he called him, Paul, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. His faith also told him that God, according to what Jesus has revealed, is a loving Father. Therefore Paul addressed his traveling companions and, inspired by faith, announced to them that God would not allow even one hair on their heads to be lost.
This prophecy came true when the ship ran aground on the coast of Malta and all passengers safely reached dry land. There, they experience something new. In contrast to the brutal violence of the stormy sea, they received the testimony of the rare humanity of the inhabitants of the island. These people, who were foreign to them, were attentive to their needs. They lit a fire to warm up, offered them shelter from rain and food. Even if they had not yet received the Good News of Christ, they manifested the love of God in concrete acts of kindness. In fact, spontaneous hospitality and caring gestures always communicate something of God's love. And the hospitality of the Maltese islanders was rewarded by the healing miracles that God worked through Paul on the island. Therefore, if the people of Malta were a sign of God's Providence for the Apostle, he too was a witness of God's merciful love for them.
Dear friends, hospitality is important; and it is also an important ecumenical virtue. First of all, it means recognizing that other Christians are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are brothers. Someone will say to you: But that is Protestant, the Orthodox one ... Yes, but we are brothers in Christ. It is not an act of one-way generosity, because when we host other Christians we welcome them as a gift that is given to us. Like the Maltese - these Maltese are good people - we are repaid, because we receive what the Holy Spirit has sown in our brothers and sisters, and this becomes a gift for us too, because the Holy Spirit also sows his graces everywhere. Welcoming Christians from another tradition means first of all showing God's love for them, because they are children of God - our brothers -, and it also means welcoming what God has accomplished in their lives. Ecumenical hospitality requires willingness to listen to others, paying attention to their personal stories of faith and the history of their communities, communities of faith with other traditions that are different from ours. Ecumenical hospitality involves the desire to know the experience that other Christians have of God and the expectation of receiving the spiritual gifts that derive from it. And this is a grace, discovering this is a grace. I think of past times, of my land for example. When some evangelical missionaries came, a small group of Catholics went to burn the tents. This is not: he was not a Christian. We are brothers, we are all brothers and we must show each other hospitality.
Today, the sea on which Paul and his companions were shipwrecked is once again a dangerous place for the lives of other sailors. All over the world, migrant men and women face risky journeys to escape violence, to escape war, to escape poverty. How Paul and his companions experienced indifference, the hostility of the desert, rivers, seas ... Many times they do not let them land in ports. But, unfortunately, they also sometimes encounter far worse hostility than men. They are exploited by criminal traffickers: today! They are treated as numbers and as a threat by some rulers: today! Sometimes hospitality rejects them as a wave towards poverty or the dangers from which they fled.
We, Christians, must work together to show migrants the love of God revealed by Jesus Christ. We can and must testify that there is not only hostility and indifference, but that every person is precious to God and loved by him. The divisions that still exist between us prevent us from being full signs of God's love. Working together to experience ecumenical hospitality, especially toward those whose lives are most vulnerable, will make us all Christians - Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, all Christians - better human beings, better disciples and a more united Christian people. It will bring us closer to unity, which is God's will for us.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from Belgium, Korea, Australia and the United States of America. In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, I offer a special greeting to the students from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. I also greet the priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education of the Pontifical North American College. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
At the conclusion of the Audience, the Holy Father made the following appeal:
On 25 January, in the Far East and in various other parts of the world, many millions of men and women will celebrate the lunar New Year.
To them, I send my cordial greetings. In particular, I hope that families will always be places of education in virtues of hospitality, wisdom, respect for each person and harmony with creation.
I invite all people to also pray for peace, for dialogue and for solidarity among nations: these are gifts that are more needed than ever in our world today.
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