ANGELUS POPE FRANCIS 23 OCTOBER 2016
ANGELUS POPE
FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 23 October 2016
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| PHOTO: giubileocorali.com |
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
The second Reading of the day’s Liturgy
presents to us Saint Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, his collaborator and chosen
son, in which he thinks back on his existence as an Apostle wholly consecrated
to the mission (cf. 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18). Now seeing the end of his earthly
journey, he describes it in reference to three seasons: the present, past and
future.
The present he interprets with the metaphor of
sacrifice: “For I am already on the point of being sacrificed” (v. 6). With
regard to the past, Paul points to his life lived with the images
of the “good fight” and the “race” of a man who has been coherent with his
duties and his responsibilities (cf. v. 7); as a result, for the future he
trusts in being recognized by God who is “the righteous judge” (v. 8). But
Paul’s mission has been effective, just and faithful only thanks to the
closeness and the strength of the Lord, who has made of him a proclaimer of the
Gospel to all peoples. This is his expression: “the Lord stood by me and gave
me strength to proclaim the Gospel fully, that all the peoples might hear it”
(cf. v. 17).
In this autobiographical account by Saint Paul
the Church is reflected, especially today, World Mission Sunday, the theme of
which is “Missionary Church, Witness of Mercy”. In Paul the Christian community
finds its model, in the conviction that the Lord’s presence makes apostolic
work and the work of evangelization effective. The experience of the Apostle of
the people reminds us that we must be committed in pastoral and missionary activities,
on the one hand, as if the result depends on our efforts, with the spirit of
sacrifice of an athlete, who never stops even in the face of challenges; on the
other, however, knowing that the true success of our mission is a gift of
Grace: it is the Holy Spirit who makes the Church’s mission in the world
effective.
Today is a time of mission and a time of
courage! Courage to strengthen faltering steps, to recapture the enthusiasm of
devoting oneself to the Gospel, of recovering confidence in the strength that
the mission brings to bear. It is a time of courage, even if having courage
does not mean having a guarantee of success. Courage is required of us in order
to fight, not necessarily to win; in order to proclaim, not necessarily to
convert. Courage is required of us in order to open ourselves to everyone,
never diminishing the absoluteness and uniqueness of Christ, the one saviour of
all. Courage is required of us in order to withstand incredulity, without
becoming arrogant. Required of us too is the courage of the tax collector in
today’s Gospel, who humbly did not dare even to raise his eyes to heaven, but
beat his breast saying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”. Today is a time for
courage! Today courage is needed!
May the Virgin Mary, model of the Church “that
goes forth” and of docility to the Holy Spirit, help us all to be, in the
strength of our Baptism, missionary disciples in order to bring the message of
salvation to the entire human family.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I warmly greet all
of you, pilgrims from Italy and from many countries, beginning with the Poles
who, here in Rome and in their homeland, are commemorating the 1,050th
anniversary of the presence of Christianity in Poland.
I joyfully welcome the participants of the
Jubilee of Choirs of Italy, the runners from Assisi representing the Italian
tourist boards, and the young people of the Confraternities of the Dioceses of
Italy.
There are also present groups of faithful from
many Italian parishes: it is not possible for me to greet them one by one, but
I encourage them to continue their journey of faith with joy. I address a
special thought to the Peruvian community of Rome, gathered here with the
sacred Image of Señor de los Milagros.
I thank and greet everyone with affection.
Happy Sunday! Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
* * *
Appeal for victims of violence in Iraq
In these dramatic hours, I am close to the
entire population of Iraq, particularly those in the city of Mosul. Our spirits
are shaken by the brutal acts of violence that for too long have been committed
against innocent civilians, be they Muslims, be they Christians, be they
members of other ethnicities and religions. I was distressed by the news of the
numerous sons of that beloved land, among them even many children, killed in
cold blood. This cruelty makes us weep, leaving us speechless. These words of
solidarity are accompanied by the assurance of my remembrance in prayer, that
Iraq, so harshly afflicted, may be strong and steadfast in the hope of being
able to go toward a future of security, reconciliation and peace. For this I
ask all of you to join in my prayer, in silence.
[After a moment of silence, he recites the Hail
Mary]
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