This morning's General Audience began at 9:15am local time (3:15am EST) in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, 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 continued the new cycle of catechesis on the Beatitudes, adding his meditation on the second Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be consoled (Mt 5:4).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then, he called for prayer for the dramatic situation unfolding in Syria and for the people of China who have been affected by the epidemic.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We have begun the journey through the Beatitudes and today we stop to focus on the second one: Blessed are those who are mourning, for they will be consoled.
In the Greek language in which the Gospel is written, this blessedness is expressed with a verb that is not passive - in fact the blessed do not suffer this cry - but active: they afflict themselves; they cry, but from within. It is an attitude that has become central in Christian spirituality and one that the desert fathers, the first monks in history, called penthos, that is, an inner pain that opens to a relationship with the Lord and with one's neighbour; a renewed relationship with the Lord and with others.
This crying in the scriptures can have two aspects: the first is because of someone's death or suffering. The other aspect is tears for sin - for one's sins - when the heart bleeds from the pain of having offended God and neighbour. It is therefore a matter of loving the other in such a way as to bind us to him or her until we shares his or her pain. There are people who remain distant, one step back; instead it is important that others make a break in our heart.
I have often spoken of the gift of tears, and how precious it is (Christus Vivit, 76; Speech to youth at Saint Thomas University, Manila, 18 January 2015; Homily for Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2015). Can someone love in a cold way? Can we love by function, out of duty? Certainly not. We are afflicted in order to console, but sometimes there are also consolations associated with affliction, in order to awaken those who have hearts of stone and have forgotten how to cry. There is also a need to awaken people who cannot be moved by the pain of others.
Mourning, for example, is a bitter path, but it can be useful to open your eyes to the life and the sacred and irreplaceable value of each person, and at that moment you realize how short the time is that we have on earth.
There is a second meaning to this paradoxical bliss: to cry that is motivated by sin.
Here we must distinguish: there are those who get angry because they made a mistake. But this is pride. Instead, there are those who cry for the wrong that has been done, for the omitted good, for the betrayal of the relationship with God. This is the cry for not having loved, which springs from having the life of others at heart. Here we cry because we do not correspond to the Lord who loves us so much, and we are saddened by the thought of the good not done; this is the sense of sin. They say, I have hurt the one I love, and this pains them to tears. May God be blessed if these tears come!
This is the theme of facing up to one's mistakes, difficult as it is, but vital nonetheless. Let us think of Saint Peter's weeping, which would lead him to a new and much truer love: it is a cry that purifies, that renews. Peter looked at Jesus and cried: his heart was renewed. Unlike Judas, who did not accept that he was wrong and - poor fellow - committed suicide. Understanding sin is a gift from God, it is a work of the Holy Spirit. We alone cannot understand sin. It is a grace that we must ask for. Lord, grant that I may understand the evil I have done or that I can do. This is a very great gift and after understanding this, the cry of repentance comes.
One of the first monks, Ephrem the Syrian says that a face washed with tears is unspeakably beautiful (cf Ascetic Discourse). The beauty of repentance, the beauty of tears, the beauty of contrition! As always, Christian life has its best expression in mercy. Wise and blessed is he who accepts the pain that is linked with love, because he will receive the consolation of the Holy Spirit who is the tenderness of God who forgives and corrects. God always forgives: let's not forget this. God always forgives, even the ugliest sins, always. The problem is in us, that we get tired of asking for forgiveness, we close in on ourselves and we don't ask for forgiveness. That is the question; but He is there to forgive.
If we always keep in mind that God does not treat us according to our sins and does not repay us according to our sins (Ps 103:10), we can live in mercy and compassion, and love can appear in us. May the Lord grant us the grace to love in abundance, to love with a smile, with closeness, with service and also with tears.
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 participants, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from England, Ireland, Japan and the United States of America. 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 General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following call for prayer:
At this time, I wish for all of us to pray for beloved and martyred Syria. Many families, many of the elderly, many children must flee because of war. Syria has been bleeding for years. Let us pray for Syria.
And let us also offer a prayer for our beloved Chinese brothers and sisters who are suffering this illness that is so cruel. May the path toward a cure be found as soon as possible.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
In his speech, the Pope continued the new cycle of catechesis on the Beatitudes, adding his meditation on the second Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be consoled (Mt 5:4).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. Then, he called for prayer for the dramatic situation unfolding in Syria and for the people of China who have been affected by the epidemic.
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!
We have begun the journey through the Beatitudes and today we stop to focus on the second one: Blessed are those who are mourning, for they will be consoled.
In the Greek language in which the Gospel is written, this blessedness is expressed with a verb that is not passive - in fact the blessed do not suffer this cry - but active: they afflict themselves; they cry, but from within. It is an attitude that has become central in Christian spirituality and one that the desert fathers, the first monks in history, called penthos, that is, an inner pain that opens to a relationship with the Lord and with one's neighbour; a renewed relationship with the Lord and with others.
This crying in the scriptures can have two aspects: the first is because of someone's death or suffering. The other aspect is tears for sin - for one's sins - when the heart bleeds from the pain of having offended God and neighbour. It is therefore a matter of loving the other in such a way as to bind us to him or her until we shares his or her pain. There are people who remain distant, one step back; instead it is important that others make a break in our heart.
I have often spoken of the gift of tears, and how precious it is (Christus Vivit, 76; Speech to youth at Saint Thomas University, Manila, 18 January 2015; Homily for Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2015). Can someone love in a cold way? Can we love by function, out of duty? Certainly not. We are afflicted in order to console, but sometimes there are also consolations associated with affliction, in order to awaken those who have hearts of stone and have forgotten how to cry. There is also a need to awaken people who cannot be moved by the pain of others.
Mourning, for example, is a bitter path, but it can be useful to open your eyes to the life and the sacred and irreplaceable value of each person, and at that moment you realize how short the time is that we have on earth.
There is a second meaning to this paradoxical bliss: to cry that is motivated by sin.
Here we must distinguish: there are those who get angry because they made a mistake. But this is pride. Instead, there are those who cry for the wrong that has been done, for the omitted good, for the betrayal of the relationship with God. This is the cry for not having loved, which springs from having the life of others at heart. Here we cry because we do not correspond to the Lord who loves us so much, and we are saddened by the thought of the good not done; this is the sense of sin. They say, I have hurt the one I love, and this pains them to tears. May God be blessed if these tears come!
This is the theme of facing up to one's mistakes, difficult as it is, but vital nonetheless. Let us think of Saint Peter's weeping, which would lead him to a new and much truer love: it is a cry that purifies, that renews. Peter looked at Jesus and cried: his heart was renewed. Unlike Judas, who did not accept that he was wrong and - poor fellow - committed suicide. Understanding sin is a gift from God, it is a work of the Holy Spirit. We alone cannot understand sin. It is a grace that we must ask for. Lord, grant that I may understand the evil I have done or that I can do. This is a very great gift and after understanding this, the cry of repentance comes.
One of the first monks, Ephrem the Syrian says that a face washed with tears is unspeakably beautiful (cf Ascetic Discourse). The beauty of repentance, the beauty of tears, the beauty of contrition! As always, Christian life has its best expression in mercy. Wise and blessed is he who accepts the pain that is linked with love, because he will receive the consolation of the Holy Spirit who is the tenderness of God who forgives and corrects. God always forgives: let's not forget this. God always forgives, even the ugliest sins, always. The problem is in us, that we get tired of asking for forgiveness, we close in on ourselves and we don't ask for forgiveness. That is the question; but He is there to forgive.
If we always keep in mind that God does not treat us according to our sins and does not repay us according to our sins (Ps 103:10), we can live in mercy and compassion, and love can appear in us. May the Lord grant us the grace to love in abundance, to love with a smile, with closeness, with service and also with tears.
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 participants, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from England, Ireland, Japan and the United States of America. 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 General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following call for prayer:
At this time, I wish for all of us to pray for beloved and martyred Syria. Many families, many of the elderly, many children must flee because of war. Syria has been bleeding for years. Let us pray for Syria.
And let us also offer a prayer for our beloved Chinese brothers and sisters who are suffering this illness that is so cruel. May the path toward a cure be found as soon as possible.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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