This morning's General Audience began at 9:25am and was televised from the Library in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the Beatitudes, adding his meditation on the fourth Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (Mt 5: 6).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful.
The General Audience concluded with the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In today's audience, let us continue our meditation on the luminous path of happiness that the Lord has given us in the Beatitudes, and we come to the fourth Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (Mt 5: 6).
We have already encountered poverty in spirit and in tears; now we are confronted with another type of weakness, the weakness connected with hunger and thirst. Hunger and thirst are primary needs, they concern survival. This must be underscored: here it is not a question of a generic desire, but of a vital and daily need, such as a need for nourishment.
But what does it mean to be hungry and thirsty for justice? We are certainly not talking about those who want revenge, on the contrary, in the previous beatitude we spoke of mildness. Certainly injustices hurt humanity; human society urgently needs equity, truth and social justice; let us remember that the evil suffered by the women and men of the world reaches the heart of God the Father. What father would not suffer from the pain of his children?
The scriptures speak of the pain of the poor and oppressed which God knows and shares. For having listened to the cry of oppression raised by the children of Israel - as the book of Exodus explains (cf Ex 3: 7-10) - God has come down to free his people. But the hunger and thirst for justice the Lord speaks of is even more profound than the legitimate need for human justice that every man carries in his heart.
In that same sermon on the mount, a little further on, Jesus speaks of a justice that is greater than human rights or personal perfection, saying: If your justice does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5.20). And this is the justice that comes from God (cf 1 Cor 1.30).
In the Scriptures we find a deeper thirst than mere physical thirst, which is a desire placed at the root of our being. One of the psalms says: O God, you are my God, for you I long; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, like a deserted, arid land, without water (Ps 63: 2). The Fathers of the Church speak of this restlessness that lives in the heart of man. Saint Augustine says: You made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart does not find peace until it rests in you (Confessions, 1, 1, 5). There is an inner thirst, an inner hunger, an uneasiness ...
In every heart, even in the most corrupt and far from good person, there is a yearning for light, even if it is hidden under the rubble of deception and errors, there is always a thirst for truth and good, which is the thirst for God. It is the Holy Spirit that arouses this thirst: He is the living water that has shaped our dust, He is the creative breath that gave it life.
For this reason the Church is imbued with the Holy Spirit and sent to proclaim the Word of God to everyone. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest justice that can be offered to the heart of humanity, which has a vital need for it, even if it does not realize it (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2017: The grace of the Holy Spirit confers the justice of God. By uniting us in faith and in Baptism to the passion and the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us participants in his life.
For example, when a man and a woman get married they intend to do something great and beautiful, and if they keep this thirst alive they will always find the way to go forward, in the midst of problems, with the help of Grace. Even young people are hungry, and they must not lose this hunger! We must protect and nourish this hunger in the hearts of children who desire love, tenderness and welcome, thirsts which they express in their sincere and luminous impulses.
Every person is called to rediscover what truly matters, what he truly needs, what will make him live well and, at the same time, what is secondary, and what he can do without.
Jesus proclaims in this blessedness - hunger and thirst for justice - that there is a thirst that will not be disappointed; a thirst that, if quenched, will be satisfied and will always be successful, because it corresponds to the very heart of God, to his Holy Spirit who is love, and also to the seed that the Holy Spirit has sown in our hearts. May the Lord give us this grace: to have this thirst for justice which is precisely the desire to find him, to see God and to do good for others.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and His Holiness offered greetings in several languages. To English-speaking audiences, he said:
I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media, as we continue on our Lenten journey towards Easter. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the Beatitudes, adding his meditation on the fourth Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (Mt 5: 6).
After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful.
The General Audience concluded with the Apostolic Blessing.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In today's audience, let us continue our meditation on the luminous path of happiness that the Lord has given us in the Beatitudes, and we come to the fourth Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (Mt 5: 6).
We have already encountered poverty in spirit and in tears; now we are confronted with another type of weakness, the weakness connected with hunger and thirst. Hunger and thirst are primary needs, they concern survival. This must be underscored: here it is not a question of a generic desire, but of a vital and daily need, such as a need for nourishment.
But what does it mean to be hungry and thirsty for justice? We are certainly not talking about those who want revenge, on the contrary, in the previous beatitude we spoke of mildness. Certainly injustices hurt humanity; human society urgently needs equity, truth and social justice; let us remember that the evil suffered by the women and men of the world reaches the heart of God the Father. What father would not suffer from the pain of his children?
The scriptures speak of the pain of the poor and oppressed which God knows and shares. For having listened to the cry of oppression raised by the children of Israel - as the book of Exodus explains (cf Ex 3: 7-10) - God has come down to free his people. But the hunger and thirst for justice the Lord speaks of is even more profound than the legitimate need for human justice that every man carries in his heart.
In that same sermon on the mount, a little further on, Jesus speaks of a justice that is greater than human rights or personal perfection, saying: If your justice does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5.20). And this is the justice that comes from God (cf 1 Cor 1.30).
In the Scriptures we find a deeper thirst than mere physical thirst, which is a desire placed at the root of our being. One of the psalms says: O God, you are my God, for you I long; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, like a deserted, arid land, without water (Ps 63: 2). The Fathers of the Church speak of this restlessness that lives in the heart of man. Saint Augustine says: You made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart does not find peace until it rests in you (Confessions, 1, 1, 5). There is an inner thirst, an inner hunger, an uneasiness ...
In every heart, even in the most corrupt and far from good person, there is a yearning for light, even if it is hidden under the rubble of deception and errors, there is always a thirst for truth and good, which is the thirst for God. It is the Holy Spirit that arouses this thirst: He is the living water that has shaped our dust, He is the creative breath that gave it life.
For this reason the Church is imbued with the Holy Spirit and sent to proclaim the Word of God to everyone. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest justice that can be offered to the heart of humanity, which has a vital need for it, even if it does not realize it (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2017: The grace of the Holy Spirit confers the justice of God. By uniting us in faith and in Baptism to the passion and the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us participants in his life.
For example, when a man and a woman get married they intend to do something great and beautiful, and if they keep this thirst alive they will always find the way to go forward, in the midst of problems, with the help of Grace. Even young people are hungry, and they must not lose this hunger! We must protect and nourish this hunger in the hearts of children who desire love, tenderness and welcome, thirsts which they express in their sincere and luminous impulses.
Every person is called to rediscover what truly matters, what he truly needs, what will make him live well and, at the same time, what is secondary, and what he can do without.
Jesus proclaims in this blessedness - hunger and thirst for justice - that there is a thirst that will not be disappointed; a thirst that, if quenched, will be satisfied and will always be successful, because it corresponds to the very heart of God, to his Holy Spirit who is love, and also to the seed that the Holy Spirit has sown in our hearts. May the Lord give us this grace: to have this thirst for justice which is precisely the desire to find him, to see God and to do good for others.
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and His Holiness offered greetings in several languages. To English-speaking audiences, he said:
I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media, as we continue on our Lenten journey towards Easter. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you!
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