ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint
Peter's Square
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Sunday, 13 November 2016
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| PHOTO: neweuropeo.eu |
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s Gospel passage
contains the first part of Jesus’ discourse on the end times, [according to]
the writing of Saint Luke (21:5-19). Jesus made this proclamation while
standing before the Temple of Jerusalem, and was prompted by the peoples’ words
of admiration for the beauty of the sanctuary and its decorations (cf. v. 5).
Then Jesus said: “the days will come when there shall not be left here one
stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (v. 6). We can imagine the
effect these words had on Jesus’ disciples. However, he did not want to insult
the temple, but rather make it understood — to them as well as to us today —
that human structures, even the most sacred, are fleeting, and we should not
place our security in them. How many supposedly definitive certainties have we
had in our lives, which later were revealed to be ephemeral! On the other hand,
how many problems have appeared to be a dead end, and then were overcome!
Jesus knows that there are
always those who speculate about the human need for safety. For this reason, he
says: “Take heed that you are not led astray” (v. 8), and guard against the
many false Messiahs who will appear (v. 9). Even today there are these! And, he
adds, do not be frightened and bewildered by wars, revolutions, and disasters,
since even these are part of the world’s reality (cf. vv. 10-11). The history
of the Church is rich with examples of people who withstood tribulations and
terrible suffering with serenity, because they were aware that they were firmly
in God’s hands. He is a faithful Father, an attentive Father, who does not
abandon his children. God never abandons us! We must have this certainty in our
heart: God never abandons us!
Remaining firm in the Lord, in
this certainty that he does not abandon us, walking in hope, working to build a
better world, despite the difficulties and sad circumstances which mark our
personal and collective existence, is what really counts; it is how the
Christian community is called to encounter the “day of the Lord”. It is precisely
within this context that we want to place the undertaking that we have lived
with faith during these months of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which
concludes today in the Dioceses of the world with the closing of the Holy Doors
in the cathedral Churches. The Holy Year impelled us, on the one hand, to fix
our gaze toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God and, on the other, to
build a future on this earth, working to evangelize the present, so we can make
it a time of salvation for everyone.
In the Gospel Jesus encourages
us to keep firmly in mind and in heart the certainty that God guides our
history, and that he knows the final end of things and events. Under the the
Lord’s merciful gaze, history unravels in flowing uncertainty, and weaves between
good and evil. However, all that happens is contained within him. Let us pray
to the Virgin Mary that she may help us, through the happy and sad events of
this world, to firmly maintain hope in eternity and in the Kingdom of God. Let
us pray to the Virgin Mary, that she may help us deeply understand this truth:
that God never abandons his children!
After the
Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
during this week, the oldest wooden Crucifix of Saint Peter’s Basilica, dating
back to the 14th century, was restored for the devotion of the faithful. After
arduous restorations, it was brought back to its ancient splendour, and will be
placed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament as a reminder of the Jubilee of
Mercy.
Today, Italy celebrates the
traditional Day of Thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth
and the work of human hands. I join the bishops in hoping that mother earth may
always be cultivated in a sustainable way. The Church, with congeniality and
gratitude, stands alongside the agricultural world, and encourages us not to
forget how many are deprived of basic goods, like food and water, in various
parts of the world.
I extend my greeting to you,
families, parishes, associations and individual faithful, who have come from
Italy and from many parts of the world. I especially greet and thank the
associations which, in these days, have enlivened the Jubilee for marginalized
persons. Many thanks for your work and your help! I greet the pilgrims from Rio
de Janeiro, Salerno, Piacenza, Veroli and Acri, as well as consultors of “The
Family” of Milan, and the Italian Societies of the secular Order of the
Trinity.
Wishing all of you happy
Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch. Arrivederci!
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