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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 64
DATE 17-03-2013
Summary:
- POPE FRANCIS: CHRIST'S MESSAGE IS MERCY
- ANGELUS: “IF GOD DIDN'T FORGIVE EVERYONE, THE WORLD WOULD NOT
EXIST.”
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS: CHRIST'S MESSAGE IS MERCY
Vatican City, 17 March 2013 (VIS) – This morning, Pope Francis
celebrated Mass at the Vatican parish of St. Anna, the doors of which were
crowded from the earliest morning hours with a large number of people. The
pontiff was greeted by Cardinal
Angelo Comastri, his vicar general for Vatican City State.
Today's Gospel, on this Fifth Sunday in Lent, narrates the story of the
adulterous woman whom the Pharisees want to stone. Instead, Christ forgives
her, and those who accused her disperse, intimidated by Jesus' bending down to
write on the ground with
His finger.
In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that, before this story, Jesus had
retired to the mountain to pray and later had gone down to the Temple where
everyone listened to him. In the end, they left him alone with the woman.
“Jesus'
solitude!”, he said. “It is a fruitful solitude—both that of
His prayer with the Father as well as the other, so beautiful, ... of his
mercy toward this woman. This is the Church's message today.”
“There is a difference between the people,” he continued.
“On the one hand are the people who come to listen to him and before
whom He takes a seat and teaches. These are the people who want to listen to
Jesus' words; the people with
open hearts, in need of the Word of God.” Nevertheless, “there
were others who didn't listen, who could not listen. Among those were the ones
who had gone to him with that woman, wanting him to condemn her. … I
also think we are like
this people who, on the one hand want to listen to Jesus, but, on the other
hand, at times, like to be cruel to others, isn't that right? To condemn
others, right? This is Jesus' message: mercy. On my part, I say it with
humility; this is the the Lord's
strongest message: mercy. He himself said: 'I did not come for the righteous'.
The righteous can justify themselves. … Jesus came for the
sinners.”
For example, think of the gossip after the call of Matthew: 'but that one
keeps company with sinners!' And He has come for us, when we recognize that we
are sinners. But if we are like the Pharisee before the altar—'Oh God, I
thank you that I am
not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or
even like this tax collector.'—then we do not know the Lord's heart and
we will never have the joy of feeling this mercy! It is not easy to trust in
God's mercy because it
is an incomprehensible abyss. But we must do it!”
The Pope explained that sometimes people say to priests: “'Oh, Father,
if you knew my life you wouldn't say that.' 'Why? What have you done?' 'Oh,
I've done bad things.' 'Good! Go to Jesus; He likes you to tell him these
things. He forgets. He has
the special ability to forget. He forgets them, kisses you, embraces you, and
tells you only: 'Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.' He only gives
you this counsel. A month later we are the same … We return to the
Lord. The Lord never
tires of forgiving us, never! We are the ones who get tired of asking
forgiveness. Let us ask for the grace to never tire of asking forgiveness,
because He never tires of forgiving us. Let us ask for this grace.”
At the end of the Mass, the Pope presented some of those who were present at
the celebration:
“Here are a few who aren't parishioners, these Argentinian priests. One
is my auxiliary bishop but today they are my parishioners. I also want you to
meet a priest who comes from very far away and is here: a priest who, for a
long time, has worked
with street kids and drug addicts. He opened a school for them and has done
many things so that they might know Jesus. All of those street kids have a job
today thanks to what they were able to study. They are capable of working.
They believe in and
love Jesus.” The Pope then addressed the priests, saying: “Come,
come and greet the people.” And to all: “Pray for this man. He
works in Uruguay. He is the founder of the John Paul II high school; that's
his job. I don't know how
he got here today. I understand. Thank you. Pray for him.”
After greeting the parishioners, the Pope appeared at the Vatican's Porta
Angelica Street, next to the Santa Anna Gate that is one of the entrances into
the Vatican City State, to greet the thousands of people who wanted to see him
before he prayed his
first Angelus as Pope.
___________________________________________________________
ANGELUS: “IF GOD DIDN'T FORGIVE EVERYONE, THE WORLD WOULD NOT
EXIST.”
Vatican City, 17 March 2013 (VIS) – “Never forget this: the Lord
never tires of forgiving us. Have you thought about the patience that God has
with each of us?” These were the words that Pope Francis addressed to
the nearly 200,000
people who had travelled from around Italy and from around the world in
previous days to be able to live this first Angelus with the new Pope.
The event lasted only 15 minutes, many of which passed in attentive silence
from the people assembled. “If God did not forgive us all, the world
would not exist,” the Holy Father affirmed. The Roman Pontiff, Francis,
spoke only in Italian.
In the crowd, on his father's shoulders, three-year-old Francesco said, in his
child's language: “I like. My Pope.”
The event was days in planning. Through the media—above all TV and the
radio—many already had an idea of who the new Pope is. “I saw him
on TV and I was moved … by his humility. … He is one of
us,” commented
30-year-old Angelica who had gotten up at 6:00am this morning to arrive at St.
Peter's.
The Holy Father commented on the day's Gospel reading, the passages that
recount the story of the adulterous woman. “God's face is that of a
merciful father who is always patient. … He never tires of forgiving us
if we know how to return to
him with a contrite heart. 'Great is the Lord's mercy',” was the new
Pope's profound message. He combined his written text with spontaneous,
off-the-cuff comments, which were full of good humour. Following is the
complete text of the Pope's words.
“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!”, the Pope began. After
our first meeting last Wednesday, today I again give my greetings to you all!
And I am happy to do it on Sunday, the Lord's Day! This is beautiful and
important for us
Christians: to meet on Sunday, to greet one another, to talk as we are doing
now, in the square. This square that, thanks to the media, takes on worldly
dimensions.”
“In this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel presents us with the story of
the adulterous woman whom Jesus saves from being condemned to death. It
captures Jesus' attitude: we do not hear words of contempt, we do not hear
words of condemnation, but
only words of love, of mercy, that invite us to conversion. 'Neither do I
condemn you. Go and sin no more!' Well, brothers and sisters! God's face is
that of a merciful father who is always patient. Have you thought about God's
patience, the patience
that He has with each of us? That is His mercy. He always has patience, is
always patient with us, understanding us, awaiting us, never tiring of
forgiving us if we know how to return to him with a contrite heart. 'Great is
the Lord's mercy', says the
Psalm.
“In these days, I have been able to read a book by a cardi
al—Cardinal Kasper, a talented theologian, a good theologian—on
mercy. And it did me such good, that book, but don't think that I'm
publicizing the books of my cardinals. That
is not the case! But it did me such good, so much good... Cardinal Kasper said
that hearing the word mercy changes everything. It is the best thing that we
can hear: it changes the world. A bit of mercy makes the world less cold and
more just. We need
to understand God's mercy well, this merciful Father who has such patience...
Think of the prophet Isaiah who asserts that even if our sins were scarlet
red, God's love would make them white as snow. That is beautiful, [this aspect
of mercy]. I remember
when, just after I was made bishop, in 1992, the Madonna of Fatima came to
Buenos Aires and a large Mass for the sick was celebrated. I went to hear
confessions at that Mass. Near the end of the Mass I got up because I had to
admin
ister
a confirmation. An over 80-year-old woman came up to me, humbly, very humbly.
I asked her: 'Nonna [grandmother]—because that's how we address our
elderly—Nonna, you want to confess?' 'Yes', she told me. 'But if you
haven't sinned...' And she
said to me: 'We have all sinned...' 'But perhaps the Lord will not forgive
you...' 'The Lord forgives everyone', she told me, with certainy. 'But how do
you know that, ma'am?' 'If the Lord didn't forgive everyone, the world would
not exist.' I wanted to
ask her: 'Tell me, have you studied at the Gregorian [Pontifical
University]?', because that is the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives: the
inner wisdom of God's mercy. Let us not forget this word: God never tires of
forgiving us, never! 'So, Father,
what is the problem?' Well, the problem is that we get tired, we don't want
to, we get tired of asking forgiveness. Let us never get tired. Let us never
get tired. He is the loving Father who always forgives, who has that heart of m
ercy
for all of us. And let us also learn to be merciful with everyone. Let us call
upon the intercession of the Madonna who has held in her arms the Mercy of God
made human.”
After praying the Angelus, the Pope greeted the tens of thousands of faithful
who overflowed St. Peter's Square: “Thank you for your welcome and your
prayers,” he said. I ask that you pray for me. I renew my embrace to the
faithful of Rome
and extend it to all of you who have come from various parts of Italy and the
world just as to those who are joining in with us by means of the media. I
have chosen the name of the Patron Saint of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi, and
this reinforces my
spiritual ties to this land that, as you know, is where my family originated.
But Jesus has called us to be part of a new family: his Church. [He has
called] this family of God to walk together the paths of the Gospel. May the
Lord bless you and the
Virgin protect you! And don't forget this: The Lord never tires of forgiving.
We are the ones who tire of asking forgiveness.”
The Pope's final words to the crowd gathered in the square were greeted with
deafening applause: “Have a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch!”
They were only 15 minutes, a quarter of an hour that, for many thousands, held
a stronger interest
than the other two competing activities taking place in Rome today: the city's
marathon and the Quirinal Palace's open house.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews130317
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - N° 64 DATE 17-03-2013
Summary: - POPE FRANCIS: CHRIST'S MESSAGE
IS MERCY - ANGELUS:
“IF GOD DIDN'T FORGIVE EVERYONE, THE WORLD WOULD NOT EXIST.”
Vatican City, 17 March 2013 (VIS) – This morning, Pope Francis
celebrated Mass at the Vatican parish of St. Anna, the doors of which were
crowded from the earliest morning hours with a large number of people. The
pontiff was greeted by Cardinal
Angelo Comastri, his vicar general for Vatican City State.
Today's Gospel, on this Fifth Sunday in Lent, narrates the story of the
adulterous woman whom the Pharisees want to stone. Instead, Christ forgives
her, and those who accused her disperse, intimidated by Jesus' bending down to
write on the ground
with His finger.
In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that, before this story, Jesus had
retired to the mountain to pray and later had gone down to the Temple where
everyone listened to him. In the end, they left him alone with the woman.
“Jesus'
solitude!”, he said. “It is a fruitful solitude—both that of
His prayer with the Father as well as the other, so beautiful, ... of his
mercy toward this woman. This is the Church's message today.”
“There is a difference between the people,” he continued.
“On the one hand are the people who come to listen to him and before
whom He takes a seat and teaches. These are the people who want to listen to
Jesus' words; the people
with open hearts, in need of the Word of God.” Nevertheless,
“there were others who didn't listen, who could not listen. Among those
were the ones who had gone to him with that woman, wanting him to condemn her.
… I also think we are
like this people who, on the one hand want to listen to Jesus, but, on the
other hand, at times, like to be cruel to others, isn't that right? To condemn
others, right? This is Jesus' message: mercy. On my part, I say it with
humility; this is the the
Lord's strongest message: mercy. He himself said: 'I did not come for the
righteous'. The righteous can justify themselves. … Jesus came for the
sinners.”
For example, think of the gossip after the call of Matthew: 'but that one
keeps company with sinners!' And He has come for us, when we recognize that we
are sinners. But if we are like the Pharisee before the altar—'Oh God, I
thank you that I
am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or
even like this tax collector.'—then we do not know the Lord's heart and
we will never have the joy of feeling this mercy! It is not easy to trust in
God's mercy because
it is an incomprehensible abyss. But we must do it!”
The Pope explained that sometimes people say to priests: “'Oh,
Father, if you knew my life you wouldn't say that.' 'Why? What have you done?'
'Oh, I've done bad things.' 'Good! Go to Jesus; He likes you to tell him these
things. He forgets. He
has the special ability to forget. He forgets them, kisses you, embraces you,
and tells you only: 'Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.' He only
gives you this counsel. A month later we are the same … We return to
the Lord. The Lord
never tires of forgiving us, never! We are the ones who get tired of asking
forgiveness. Let us ask for the grace to never tire of asking forgiveness,
because He never tires of forgiving us. Let us ask for this grace.”
At the end of the Mass, the Pope presented some of those who were present
at the celebration:
“Here are a few who aren't parishioners, these Argentinian priests.
One is my auxiliary bishop but today they are my parishioners. I also want you
to meet a priest who comes from very far away and is here: a priest who, for a
long time, has
worked with street kids and drug addicts. He opened a school for them and has
done many things so that they might know Jesus. All of those street kids have
a job today thanks to what they were able to study. They are capable of
working. They believe in
and love Jesus.” The Pope then addressed the priests, saying:
“Come, come and greet the people.” And to all: “Pray for
this man. He works in Uruguay. He is the founder of the John Paul II high
school; that's his job. I don't know
how he got here today. I understand. Thank you. Pray for him.”
After greeting the parishioners, the Pope appeared at the Vatican's Porta
Angelica Street, next to the Santa Anna Gate that is one of the entrances into
the Vatican City State, to greet the thousands of people who wanted to see him
before he prayed
his first Angelus as Pope.
ANGELUS: “IF GOD DIDN'T FORGIVE EVERYONE, THE WORLD WOULD NOT
EXIST.”
Vatican City, 17 March 2013 (VIS) – “Never forget this: the
Lord never tires of forgiving us. Have you thought about the patience that God
has with each of us?” These were the words that Pope Francis addressed
to the nearly 200,000
people who had travelled from around Italy and from around the world in
previous days to be able to live this first Angelus with the new Pope.
The event lasted only 15 minutes, many of which passed in attentive silence
from the people assembled. “If God did not forgive us all, the world
would not exist,” the Holy Father affirmed. The Roman Pontiff, Francis,
spoke only in
Italian. In the crowd, on his father's shoulders, three-year-old Francesco
said, in his child's language: “I like. My Pope.”
The event was days in planning. Through the media—above all TV and
the radio—many already had an idea of who the new Pope is. “I saw
him on TV and I was moved … by his humility. … He is one of
us,” commented
30-year-old Angelica who had gotten up at 6:00am this morning to arrive at St.
Peter's.
The Holy Father commented on the day's Gospel reading, the passages that
recount the story of the adulterous woman. “God's face is that of a
merciful father who is always patient. … He never tires of forgiving us
if we know how to return
to him with a contrite heart. 'Great is the Lord's mercy',” was the new
Pope's profound message. He combined his written text with spontaneous,
off-the-cuff comments, which were full of good humour. Following is the
complete text of the Pope's
words.
“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!”, the Pope began.
After our first meeting last Wednesday, today I again give my greetings to you
all! And I am happy to do it on Sunday, the Lord's Day! This is beautiful and
important for us
Christians: to meet on Sunday, to greet one another, to talk as we are doing
now, in the square. This square that, thanks to the media, takes on worldly
dimensions.”
“In this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel presents us with the story
of the adulterous woman whom Jesus saves from being condemned to death. It
captures Jesus' attitude: we do not hear words of contempt, we do not hear
words of condemnation,
but only words of love, of mercy, that invite us to conversion. 'Neither do I
condemn you. Go and sin no more!' Well, brothers and sisters! God's face is
that of a merciful father who is always patient. Have you thought about God's
patience, the
patience that He has with each of us? That is His mercy. He always has
patience, is always patient with us, understanding us, awaiting us, never
tiring of forgiving us if we know how to return to him with a contrite heart.
'Great is the Lord's mercy',
says the Psalm.
“In these days, I have been able to read a book by a ca
dinal—Cardinal Kasper, a talented theologian, a good theologian—on
mercy. And it did me such good, that book, but don't think that I'm
publicizing the books of my cardinals.
That is not the case! But it did me such good, so much good... Cardinal Kasper
said that hearing the word mercy changes everything. It is the best thing that
we can hear: it changes the world. A bit of mercy makes the world less cold
and more just. We
need to understand God's mercy well, this merciful Father who has such
patience... Think of the prophet Isaiah who asserts that even if our sins were
scarlet red, God's love would make them white as snow. That is beautiful,
[this aspect of mercy]. I
remember when, just after I was made bishop, in 1992, the Madonna of Fatima
came to Buenos Aires and a large Mass for the sick was celebrated. I went to
hear confessions at that Mass. Near the end of the Mass I got up
because I had to administer a confirmation. An over 80-year-old woman came up
to me, humbly, very humbly. I asked her: 'Nonna [grandmother]—because
that's how we address our elderly—Nonna, you want to confess?' 'Yes',
she told me. 'But if
you haven't sinned...' And she said to me: 'We have all sinned...' 'But
perhaps the Lord will not forgive you...' 'The Lord forgives everyone', she
told me, with certainy. 'But how do you know that, ma'am?' 'If the Lord didn't
forgive everyone, the
world would not exist.' I wanted to ask her: 'Tell me, have you studied at the
Gregorian [Pontifical University]?', because that is the wisdom that the Holy
Spirit gives: the inner wisdom of God's mercy. Let us not forget this word:
God never tires of
forgiving us, never! 'So, Father, what is the problem?' Well, the problem is
that we get tired, we don't want to,
we get tired of asking forgiveness. Let us never get tired. Let us never get
tired. He is the loving Father who always forgives, who has that heart of
mercy for all of us. And let us also learn to be merciful with everyone. Let
us call upon the
intercession of the Madonna who has held in her arms the Mercy of God made
human.”
After praying the Angelus, the Pope greeted the tens of thousands of
faithful who overflowed St. Peter's Square: “Thank you for your welcome
and your prayers,” he said. I ask that you pray for me. I renew my
embrace to the faithful of
Rome and extend it to all of you who have come from various parts of Italy and
the world just as to those who are joining in with us by means of the media. I
have chosen the name of the Patron Saint of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi, and
this reinforces
my spiritual ties to this land that, as you know, is where my family
originated. But Jesus has called us to be part of a new family: his Church.
[He has called] this family of God to walk together the paths of the Gospel.
May the Lord bless you and the
Virgin protect you! And don't forget this: The Lord never tires of forgiving.
We are the ones who tire of asking forgiveness.”
The Pope's final words to the crowd gathered in the square were greeted
with deafening applause: “Have a good Sunday and enjoy your
lunch!” They were only 15 minutes, a quarter of an hour that, for many
thousands, held a stronger interest
than the other two competing activities taking place in Rome today: the city's
marathon and the Quirinal Palace's open house.
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