ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square-Sunday, 15 January 2017
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| PHOTO: l'osservatore romano / photovat.com |
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good
morning!
At the centre of today’s Gospel
reading (Jn 1:29-34) there is this message of John the Baptist: “Behold, the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29). It is a message
accompanied by the gaze and the hand gesture that indicate Him, Jesus.
Let us imagine the scene. We are
on the bank of the River Jordan. John is baptizing; there are many people, men
and women of various ages, who have come there, to the river, to receive
baptism from the hands of the man who reminded many of Elijah, the great
Prophet who nine centuries before had purified the Israelites of idolatry and
led them back to the true faith in the God of the Covenant, the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
John preaches that the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand, that the Messiah is about to reveal himself, and one must
prepare, convert and act with righteousness; and he begins to baptize in the
River Jordan in order to give the people a tangible means of repentance (cf. Mt
3:1-6). These people came to repent their sins, to make penance, to begin their
life anew. He knows; John knows that the Messiah, the Lord’s Consecrated One,
is now nearby, and the sign to recognize Him will be that the Holy Spirit will
descend upon Him. Indeed, He will bring the true baptism, baptism in the Holy
Spirit (cf. Jn 1:33).
And thus, the moment arrives:
Jesus appears on the river bank, in the midst of the people, the sinners — like
all of us. It is his first public act, the first thing he does when he leaves
his home in Nazareth, at the age of 30: he goes down into Judea, goes to the
Jordan, and is baptized by John. We know what happens. We celebrated it last
Sunday: the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove and the voice
of the Father proclaims him the beloved Son (cf. Mt 3:16-17). It is the sign
that John has been waiting for. It is He! Jesus is the Messiah. John is
disconcerted, because He manifests himself in an unimaginable way: in the midst
of sinners, baptized with them, or rather, for them. But the Spirit enlightens
John and helps him understand that in this way God’s justice is fulfilled, his
plan of salvation is fulfilled: Jesus is the Messiah, the King of Israel,
however, not with the power of this world but as the Lamb of God, who
takes upon himself and takes away the sins of the world.
Thus, John points Him out to the
people and to his disciples. Because John had a large circle of disciples, who
had chosen him as a spiritual guide, and some of them actually become the first
disciples of Jesus. We know their names well: Simon, later called Peter, his
brother Andrew, James and his brother John. All were fishermen, all Galileans,
like Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, why
have we focused so long on this scene? Because it is decisive! It is not an
anecdote. It is a decisive historical fact! This scene is decisive for our
faith; and it is also decisive for the Church’s mission. The Church, in every
time, is called to do what John the Baptist did: point Jesus out to the people,
saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”. He is
the One Saviour! He is the Lord, humble, in the midst of sinners, but it is He,
He: there is no other powerful one who comes; no, no it is He!
These are the words that we
priests repeat each day, during the Mass, when we present to the people the
bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. This liturgical gesture
represents the whole mission of the Church, which she does not proclaim
herself. Woe, woe when the Church proclaims herself; she loses her bearings,
she doesn’t know where she is going! The Church proclaims Christ; she does not
bring herself, she brings Christ. Because it is He and only He who saves his
people from sin, frees them and guides them to land and to true freedom.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of
the Lamb of God, help us to believe in Him and follow Him.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the
World Day of Migrants and Refugees, dedicated to the theme “Child Migrants, the
Vulnerable and the Voiceless”. These little brothers and sisters
of ours, especially if unaccompanied, are exposed to so many dangers. I tell
you there are many! It is necessary to adopt every possible measure to
guarantee protection and security to migrant minors, as well as their
integration.
I address a special greeting to
the representatives of various ethnic communities. Dear friends, I hope you may
live peacefully in the places that receive you, respecting their laws and
traditions, and at the same time, safeguarding the values of your culture of
origin. Encountering different cultures is always an enrichment for all! I thank
the Migrants Office of the Diocese of Rome and those who work
with migrants to welcome and support them in their difficulties, and I
encourage you to carry on in this work, always recalling the example of Saint
Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patron Saint of migrants, the centenary of whose death
is this year. This courageous Sister dedicated her life to bringing the love of
Christ to those who were far from their homelands and families. May her witness
help us to take care of our foreign brothers and sisters, in whom Jesus is
present, often suffering, rejected and humiliated. How often in the Bible the
Lord asks us to welcome migrants and foreigners, reminding us that we too are
foreigners!
I warmly greet all of you, dear
faithful from various parishes of Italy and of other countries, as well as the
associations and various groups; in particular the students of the Meléndez
Valdés Institute of Villafranca de los Barros, Spain.
I wish everyone a happy Sunday and a good lunch.
Please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you! Arrivederci!
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