ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS 5 MARCH 2017
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square First Sunday
of Lent, 5 March 2017
 |
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
In this First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel introduces us to
the journey toward Easter, revealing Jesus as he remains in the desert for 40
days, subjected to the temptations of the devil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). This episode
takes place at a precise moment in Jesus’ life: immediately after his Baptism
in the River Jordan and prior to his public ministry. He has just received the
solemn investiture: the Spirit of God has descended upon him, the heavenly
Father has declared him “my beloved Son” (Mt 3:17). Jesus is now ready to begin
his mission; and as this mission has a declared enemy, namely, Satan, He
confronts him straight away, “up close”. The devil plays precisely on the title
“Son of God” in order to deter Jesus from the fulfillment of his mission: “If
you are the Son of God” (4:3, 6); and proposes that He perform miraculous acts
— to be a “magician” — such as transforming stones into bread so as to satiate
his hunger, and throwing himself down from the temple wall so as to be saved by
the angels. These two temptations are followed by the third: to worship him,
the devil, so as to have dominion over the world (cf. v. 9).
Through this three-fold temptation, Satan wants to divert
Jesus from the way of obedience and humiliation — because he knows that in this
way, on this path, evil will be conquered — and to lead Him down the false
shortcut to success and glory. But the devil’s poisonous arrows are “blocked”
by Jesus with the shield of God’s Word (vv. 4, 10), which expresses the will of
the Father. Jesus does not speak a word of his own: He responds only with the
Word of God. Thus the Son, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, comes out
of the desert victorious.
During the 40 days of Lent, as Christians we are invited
to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and face the spiritual battle with the Evil One
with the strength of the Word of God. Not with our words: they are worthless.
The Word of God: this has the strength to defeat Satan. For this reason, it is
important to be familiar with the Bible: read it often, meditate on it,
assimilate it. The Bible contains the Word of God, which is always timely and
effective. Someone has asked: what would happen were we to treat the Bible as
we treat our mobile phone?; were we to always carry it with us, or at least a
small, pocket-sized Gospel, what would happen?; were we to turn back when we
forget it: you forget your mobile phone — ‘oh! I don’t have it, I’m going back
to look for it’; were we to open it several times a day; were we to read God’s
messages contained in the Bible as we read telephone messages, what would
happen? Clearly the comparison is paradoxical, but it calls for reflection.
Indeed, if we had God’s Word always in our heart, no temptation could separate
us from God, and no obstacle could divert us from the path of good; we would
know how to defeat the daily temptations of the evil that is within us and
outside us; we would be more capable of living a life renewed according to the
Spirit, welcoming and loving our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest
and neediest, and also our enemies.
May the Virgin Mary, perfect icon of obedience to God and
of unconditional trust in his will, sustain us on the Lenten journey, that we
may set ourselves to listen docilely to the Word of God in order to achieve a
true conversion of heart.
After
the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I address a cordial greeting
to the families, parish groups and all the pilgrims who have come from Italy
and from various countries.
A few days ago we began Lent, which is the journey of the
People of God toward Easter, a journey of conversion, of struggling against
evil with the weapons of prayer, of fasting, and of works of charity. I hope
that the Lenten journey may bear a wealth of fruit for everyone; and I ask you
to remember to pray for me and for the collaborators of the Roman Curia, who
this evening will begin the week of Spiritual Exercises. A heartfelt thank-you
for the prayers that you will offer.
And please, do not forget — do not forget! — what would
happen were we to treat the Bible as we treat our mobile phone. Think about
this: the Bible always with us, close to us!
I wish you a happy Sunday! Enjoy
your lunch! Arrivederci!
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