POPE FRANCIS ON THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

POPE FRANCIS ON THE 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

ANGELUS
Saint Peter’s Square
14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A , 9 July 2023

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Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!

Today the Gospel contains a very beautiful prayer Jesus addresses to the Father, saying, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Mt 11:25). But what things is Jesus talking about? And then, who are these little children to whom such things are revealed? Let us reflect on this: on the things for which Jesus thanks his Father and on the little children who know how to welcome them.

The things for which Jesus thanks his Father. Just before this, the Lord had recalled some of his works: “the blind receive their sight […] lepers are cleansed, […] the poor have the good news preached to them” (Mt 11:5), and he revealed what this means, saying that these are the signs that God is at work in the world. The message, then, is clear – God reveals himself by liberating and healing the human person – let’s not forget this, God reveals himself by liberating and healing the human person—and he does this with a gratuitous love, a love that saves. This is why Jesus thanks his father, because his greatness consists in his love and he never works outside of love. But this greatness in love is not understood by those who presume to be great and who fabricate a god in their own image – powerful, inflexible, vindictive. In other words, those who are presumptuous – full of themselves, proud, concerned only about their own interests – these are the presumptuous ones, convinced they do not need anyone, are not able to accept God as Father. In this regard, Jesus names the inhabitants of three rich cities of his times – Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum – where he had accomplished many healings, but whose inhabitants remained indifferent to his preaching. For them, his miracles were only spectacular events, useful for making news and to increase gossip. Once passing interest in them was over, they archived them, maybe in order to occupy themselves in other novelties of the moment. They did not know how to welcome the great things of God.

The little children, instead, know how to welcome them, and Jesus thanks the Father for them: “I bless you,” he says, because you have revealed the Kingdom of Heaven to little ones. Jesus praises him for the simple people whose hearts are free from presumption and self-love. The little ones are those who, like children, feel their need and are not self-sufficient. They are open to God and allow themselves to be amazed at his works. They know how to read his signs, to marvel at the miracles of his love! I ask all of you, and even myself, do we know how to marvel at the things of God or do we take them for passing things?

Brothers and sisters, if we think about it, our lives are filled with miracles – they are filled with deeds of love, signs of God’s goodness. Before these, however, even our hearts can remain indifferent and become habitual, curious but not capable of being amazed, of allowing themselves to be “impressed”. A closed heart, an armed heart, that does not have the capacity of being amazed. To impress is a beautiful verb that brings to mind photographic film. This is the correct behaviour before God’s works: to take a photo of his works in our minds so it is impressed on our hearts, to then be developed in our lives through many good deeds, so that this “photograph” of God who is love becomes ever brighter in us and through us.

And now, let us ask ourselves: In the deluge of news that overwhelms us, do I, as Jesus shows us today, know how to stop before the great things of God, those that God accomplishes? Do I allow myself to marvel like a child at the good that silently changes the world? Have I lost the capacity to be amazed? And do I thank the Father each day for his works? May Mary, who exulted in the Lord, make us able to be amazed by his love and to thank him with simplicity.

Source: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2023/documents/20230709-angelus.html

The Pope’s words at the Angelus prayer, 05.07.2020
At midday today the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.The following is the Pope’s introduction to the Marian prayer: 

Before the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

This Sunday’s Gospel reading (see Mt 11:25-30) is divided into three parts: first of all, Jesus raises a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving to the Father, because He revealed to the poor and to the simple the mystery of the Kingdom of heaven; then He reveals the intimate and unique relationship between Himself and the Father; and finally He invites us to go to Him and to follow Him to find solace.

In the first place, Jesus praises the Father, because He has kept the secrets of His Kingdom, of His truth, hidden from “from the wise and the learned” (v. 25). He calls them so with a veil of irony, because they presume to be wise, learned, and therefore have a closed heart, very often. True wisdom comes also from the heart, it is not only a matter of understanding ideas: true wisdom also enters into the heart. And if you know many things but have a closed heart, you are not wise. Jesus says that the mysteries of His Father are revealed to the “little ones”, to those who confidently open themselves to His Word of salvation, who open their heart to the Word of salvation, who feel the need for Him and expect everything from Him. The heart that is open and trustful towards the Lord.

Then, Jesus explains that He has received everything from the Father, and He calls Him “my Father”, to affirm the unique nature of His relationship with Him. Indeed, there is total reciprocity only between the Son and the Father: each one knows the other, each one lives in the other. But this unique communion is like a flower that unfurls, to reveal freely its beauty and its goodness. And here, then, is Jesus’s invitation: “Come to me…” (v. 28). He wishes to give what He receives from the Father. He wants to give us the Truth, and Jesus’ Truth is always free: it is a gift, it is the Holy Spirit, the Truth.

Just as the Father has a preference for the “little ones”, Jesus also addresses those “who labour and are burdened”. Indeed, He places Himself among them, because He is “meek and humble of heart” (v. 29): this is how He describes Himself. It is the same in the first and third Beatitudes, that of the humble and poor in spirit, and that of the meek (see Mt 5:35): the meekness of Jesus. In this way Jesus, “meek and humble”, is not a model for the resigned, nor is He simply a victim, but rather He is the Man Who lives this condition “from the heart” in full transparency to the love of the Father, that is, to the Holy Spirit. He is the model of the “poor in spirit” and of all the other “blesseds” of the Gospel, who do the will of God and bear witness to His Kingdom.

And then, Jesus says that if we go to Him, we will find refreshment. The “refreshment” that Christ offers to the weary and oppressed is not merely psychological solace or a lavish handout, but the joy of the poor who are evangelised and are builders of the new humanity: this is solace. Joy. The joy that Jesus gives us. It is unique. It is the joy that He Himself has. It is a message for all of us, for all people of good will, which Jesus still conveys today in the world that exalts those who become rich and powerful … But how many times do we say, “Ah, I would like to be like him, like her, who are rich, have a lot of power, lack nothing…”. The world exalts those who are rich and powerful, no matter by what means, and at times tramples upon the human being and his or her dignity. And we see this every day, the poor who are trampled underfoot… And it is a message for the Church, called to live works of mercy and to evangelise the poor, to be meek and humble. This is how the Lord wants His Church, that is, us, to be.

May Mary, the humblest and highest of creatures, implore from God wisdom of the heart for us – the wisdom of the heart – that we may discern its signs in our lives and be sharers in those mysteries which, hidden from the proud, are revealed to the humble. 

After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters,

This week the United Nations Security Council adopted a Resolution which proposes some measures to deal with the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 virus, particularly for areas in conflict zones. The request for a global and immediate ceasefire, which would allow that peace and security necessary to provide the needed humanitarian assistance is commendable. I hope that this decision will be implemented effectively and promptly for the good of the many people who are suffering. May this Security Council Resolution become a courageous first step towards a peaceful future.

I warmly greet all of you from Rome and pilgrims from various countries. I greet the Poles in particular: welcome!, and I bless the large pilgrimage of the Radio Maria family to the Shrine of Częstochowa, which will take place next Saturday, during the centenary of the birth of St. John Paul II, whose motto was “I am all yours, Mary”. A blessing to that pilgrimage.

And I wish everyone a blessed Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!

SOURCE: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/07/05/200705a.html
EMPHASIS MINE.

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