At noon today in Rome (6:00am EST), the Holy Father, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus from the Library of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
At this very moment, the Mass that the Archbishop of Milan is celebrating in the Polyclinic for the sick, doctors, nurses and volunteers is concluding. The Archbishop is close to his people and also close to God in prayer. I am reminded of last week's photograph: he (Archbishop Mario Enrico Delpini) alone on the roof of the Duomo praying to the Madonna. I would also like to thank all the priests, the creativity of the priests. A lot of news is coming from Lombardy about this creativity. True, Lombardy has been very affected. Priests who are thinking about a thousand ways of being close to the people, so that the people do not feel abandoned; priests with apostolic zeal, who have understood well that in times of pandemic God has not abandoned us. Thank you very much to all you priests.
The Gospel passage for this Sunday, the third Sunday of Lent, presents the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4: 5-42). He is on the way with his disciples and they stop at a well in Samaria. The Samaritans were considered heretics by the Jews, and highly despised, as second-class citizens. Jesus is tired, he is thirsty. A woman comes to get water and he asks her: Give me a drink (Jn 4: 7). Thus, breaking every barrier, a dialogue begins in which he reveals to that woman the mystery of the living water, that is, of the Holy Spirit, who is a gift from God. In fact, to the woman's surprise, Jesus replies: «If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you: 'Give me a drink!', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (Jn 4: 10).
Water is at the heart of this dialogue. On the one hand, water as an essential element for all life: it satisfies the body's thirst and supports life. On the other hand, water as a symbol of divine grace, which gives eternal life. In the biblical tradition, God is the source of living water - as it is said in the psalms and in the prophets -: moving away from God, the source of living water, and from his Law leads us to the worst drought. This was the experience of the people of Israel in the desert. On the long road to freedom, they who were burning with thirst protested against Moses and against God because there was no water. Then, at the behest of God, Moses made water flow from a rock, as a sign of God's providence which accompanies his people and gives them life (cf Ex 17: 17-7).
And the apostle Paul interpreted that rock as a symbol of Christ. He said it this way: And the rock is Christ (cf 1 Cor 10: 4). It is the mysterious figure of his presence among the people of God as they walk along. Indeed, Christ is the Temple from which, according to the vision of the prophets, the Holy Spirit gushes forth, that is, the living water that purifies and gives life. Those who thirst for salvation can draw freely from Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will become in those persons a source of full and eternal life. The promise of the living water that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman became reality on the cross: blood and water came out from his pierced side (Jn 19:34). Christ, the crucified and risen Lamb, is the source from which the Holy Spirit springs, the One who forgives sins and recreates new life.
This gift is also the source of testimony. Like the Samaritan woman, anyone who meets the risen Jesus feels the need to tell others about him, so that everyone comes to confess that Jesus is truly the savior of the world (Jn 4:42), like the woman's fellow citizens then said. We too, born of new life through Baptism, are called to bear witness to the life and hope that are in us. If our search and our thirst find full fulfillment in Christ, we will show that salvation does not lie in the things of this world, which ultimately produce drought, but in the One who has loved us and always loves us: Jesus our Savior, in the living water that He offers us.
May Blessed Mary help us to cultivate a desire for Christ, who is the font of living water, the only one who can satisfy our thirst for life and for love, the love we carry in our hearts.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In these days, Saint Peter's Square is closed; for this reason my greetings are offered directly to you who are following us through various means of communication.
In this situation of pandemic, in which we find ourselves living more or less in isolation, we are invited to rediscover and to deepen the value of communion that unites all the members of the Church. United in Christ, we are never alone, but we form one Body, of which He is the Head. Ours is a union that is nourished with prayer, and also with spiritual communion, spiritual reception of the Eucharist, a practice that is strongly recommended when it is not possible for us to receive the Sacrament. I am saying this for everyone, especially for the people who live alone.
I renew my closeness to all those who are sick and to those who are caring for them. Also, to all the workers and the volunteers who are helping people who cannot leave their homes, and those who are going out to those in need and to the poor and homeless.
Thank you so much for all the effort each of you are extending to help in this very difficult time. May the Lord bless you, and may Our Lady protect you; and please don't forget to pray for me. Have a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch! Thank you.
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!
At this very moment, the Mass that the Archbishop of Milan is celebrating in the Polyclinic for the sick, doctors, nurses and volunteers is concluding. The Archbishop is close to his people and also close to God in prayer. I am reminded of last week's photograph: he (Archbishop Mario Enrico Delpini) alone on the roof of the Duomo praying to the Madonna. I would also like to thank all the priests, the creativity of the priests. A lot of news is coming from Lombardy about this creativity. True, Lombardy has been very affected. Priests who are thinking about a thousand ways of being close to the people, so that the people do not feel abandoned; priests with apostolic zeal, who have understood well that in times of pandemic God has not abandoned us. Thank you very much to all you priests.
The Gospel passage for this Sunday, the third Sunday of Lent, presents the encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4: 5-42). He is on the way with his disciples and they stop at a well in Samaria. The Samaritans were considered heretics by the Jews, and highly despised, as second-class citizens. Jesus is tired, he is thirsty. A woman comes to get water and he asks her: Give me a drink (Jn 4: 7). Thus, breaking every barrier, a dialogue begins in which he reveals to that woman the mystery of the living water, that is, of the Holy Spirit, who is a gift from God. In fact, to the woman's surprise, Jesus replies: «If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you: 'Give me a drink!', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (Jn 4: 10).
Water is at the heart of this dialogue. On the one hand, water as an essential element for all life: it satisfies the body's thirst and supports life. On the other hand, water as a symbol of divine grace, which gives eternal life. In the biblical tradition, God is the source of living water - as it is said in the psalms and in the prophets -: moving away from God, the source of living water, and from his Law leads us to the worst drought. This was the experience of the people of Israel in the desert. On the long road to freedom, they who were burning with thirst protested against Moses and against God because there was no water. Then, at the behest of God, Moses made water flow from a rock, as a sign of God's providence which accompanies his people and gives them life (cf Ex 17: 17-7).
And the apostle Paul interpreted that rock as a symbol of Christ. He said it this way: And the rock is Christ (cf 1 Cor 10: 4). It is the mysterious figure of his presence among the people of God as they walk along. Indeed, Christ is the Temple from which, according to the vision of the prophets, the Holy Spirit gushes forth, that is, the living water that purifies and gives life. Those who thirst for salvation can draw freely from Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will become in those persons a source of full and eternal life. The promise of the living water that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman became reality on the cross: blood and water came out from his pierced side (Jn 19:34). Christ, the crucified and risen Lamb, is the source from which the Holy Spirit springs, the One who forgives sins and recreates new life.
This gift is also the source of testimony. Like the Samaritan woman, anyone who meets the risen Jesus feels the need to tell others about him, so that everyone comes to confess that Jesus is truly the savior of the world (Jn 4:42), like the woman's fellow citizens then said. We too, born of new life through Baptism, are called to bear witness to the life and hope that are in us. If our search and our thirst find full fulfillment in Christ, we will show that salvation does not lie in the things of this world, which ultimately produce drought, but in the One who has loved us and always loves us: Jesus our Savior, in the living water that He offers us.
May Blessed Mary help us to cultivate a desire for Christ, who is the font of living water, the only one who can satisfy our thirst for life and for love, the love we carry in our hearts.
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In these days, Saint Peter's Square is closed; for this reason my greetings are offered directly to you who are following us through various means of communication.
In this situation of pandemic, in which we find ourselves living more or less in isolation, we are invited to rediscover and to deepen the value of communion that unites all the members of the Church. United in Christ, we are never alone, but we form one Body, of which He is the Head. Ours is a union that is nourished with prayer, and also with spiritual communion, spiritual reception of the Eucharist, a practice that is strongly recommended when it is not possible for us to receive the Sacrament. I am saying this for everyone, especially for the people who live alone.
I renew my closeness to all those who are sick and to those who are caring for them. Also, to all the workers and the volunteers who are helping people who cannot leave their homes, and those who are going out to those in need and to the poor and homeless.
Thank you so much for all the effort each of you are extending to help in this very difficult time. May the Lord bless you, and may Our Lady protect you; and please don't forget to pray for me. Have a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch! Thank you.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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