ANGELUS 8 MARCH 2015
ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS
Saint
Peter's Square
Third Sunday of Lent, 8 March 2015
Third Sunday of Lent, 8 March 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good
morning,
Today’s Gospel presents the
episode of the expulsion of the merchants from the temple (Jn 2:13-25). Jesus
made “a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the
temple” (Jn 2:15), the money, everything. Such a gesture gave rise to strong
impressions in the people and in the disciples. It clearly appeared as a
prophetic gesture, so much so that some of those present asked Jesus: “What
sign have you to show us for doing this?” (v. 18), who are you to do these
things? Show us a sign that you have authority to do them. They were seeking a
divine and prodigious sign that would confirm that Jesus was sent by God. And
He responded: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (v.
19). They replied: “It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you will
raise it up in three days?” (v. 20). They did not understand that the Lord was
referring to the living temple of his body, that would be destroyed
in the death on the Cross, but would be raised on the third day. Thus, in three
days. “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered
that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word Jesus had
spoken” (v. 22).
In effect, this gesture of Jesus
and His prophetic message are fully understood in the light of his Paschal
Mystery. We have here, according to the evangelist John, the first proclamation
of the death and resurrection of Christ: His body, destroyed on the Cross by
the violence of sin, will become in the Resurrection the universal
meeting place between God and mankind. And the Risen Christ is Himself the
universal meeting place — for everyone! — between God and mankind. For this
reason, his humanity is the true temple where God is revealed, speaks, is
encountered; and the true worshippers, the true worshippers of God
are not only the guardians of the material temple, the keepers of power and of
religious knowledge, [but] they are those who worship God “in
spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23).
In this time of Lent we are
preparing for the celebration of Easter, when we will renew the promises of our Baptism.
Let us walk in the world as Jesus did, and let us make our whole existence a
sign of our love for our brothers, especially the weakest and poorest, let
us build for God a temple of our lives. And so we make it “encounterable”
for those who we find along our journey. If we are witnesses of the Living
Christ, so many people will encounter Jesus in us, in our witness. But, we ask
— and each one of us can ask ourselves — does the Lord feel at home in my life?
Do we allow Him to “cleanse” our hearts and to drive out the idols, those
attitudes of cupidity, jealousy, worldliness, envy, hatred, those habits of
gossiping and tearing down others. Do I allow Him to cleanse all the behaviours
that are against God, against our neighbour, and against ourselves, as we heard
today in the first Reading? Each one can answer for him/herself, in the silence
of his/her heart: “Do I allow Jesus to make my heart a little cleaner?” “Oh
Father, I fear the rod!” But Jesus never strikes. Jesus cleanses with
tenderness, mercy, love. Mercy is the His way of cleansing. Let us, each of us,
let us allow the Lord to enter with His mercy — not with the whip, no, with His
mercy — to cleanse our hearts. With us, Jesus’ whip is His mercy. Let us open
to Him the gates so that He will make us a little purer.
Every Eucharist that we celebrate with faith
makes us grow as a living temple of the Lord, thanks to the communion with His
crucified and risen Body. Jesus recognizes what is in each of us, and knows
well our most ardent desires: that of being inhabited by Him, only by Him. Let
us allow Him to enter into our lives, into our families, into our hearts. May
Mary most holy, the privileged dwelling place of the Son of God, accompany us
and sustain us on the Lenten journey, so that we might be able to rediscover
the beauty of the encounter with Christ, the only One who frees us and saves
us.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I
address a cordial greeting to the faithful of Rome and all the pilgrims from
various parts of the world.
During Lent, let us strive to
stay closer to those who are experiencing difficult moments: close in
affection, in prayer and in solidarity.
Today, 8 March, I greet all
women! All women who seek every day to build a more human and welcoming
society. And a fraternal thank-you also to those who bear witness to the Gospel
in a thousand ways and work in the Church. For us, this is an occasion to
underline the importance and need for their presence in our lives. A world
where women are marginalized is a barren world because women not only give life
but they also transmit the ability to see beyond, to see beyond themselves.
They transmit the ability to see the world with different eyes, to feel things
with a more creative, patient and tender heart. A prayer and special blessing
for all the women present here in the Square and for all women! Greetings!
I wish everyone a happy Sunday.
Please do not forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and Arriverderci!
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