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On Christmas night in 1968 Pope Paul VI celebrated Holy Mass in the Italsider today ILVA building in Taranto, Italy. To commemorate the event, Archbishop Benigno Luigi Papa of Taranto presided at a Eucharistic Celebration this morning in the same place. I address a warm greeting to him and to all the workers. I take this opportunity to express my concern at the increase in precarious forms of employment and I appeal for working conditions to be made increasingly dignified for everyone.
I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims at this Angelus. Today we recall how Mary and Joseph, after presenting Jesus in the temple, took the child to Nazareth and began their life as a family. May all families strive to imitate their faith, hope and charity, so as to bear greater witness to the singular importance of the "domestic church" for the life of the universal Church and for society. God bless you all!
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a peaceful end of the year, in gratitude to God for all his gifts. My best wishes for every good! |
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FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH POPE FRANCIS ANGELUS Saint Peter's Square
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning,
On this first Sunday after Christmas, while we are still immersed in the joyous climate of celebration, the Church calls us to contemplate the Holy Family of Nazareth. The Gospel today presents Our Lady and St Joseph at the time when, 40 days after Jesus’ birth, they go to the temple in Jerusalem. They do so in religious obedience to the Law of Moses, which requires that the first born son be presented to the Lord (cf. Luke 2:22-24).
We can imagine this tiny family, in the midst of so many people, in the temple’s grand courtyards. They do not stand out, they are not distinguishable.... Yet they do not pass unnoticed! Two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, moved by the Holy Spirit, approach and praise God for that Child, in whom they recognize the Messiah, the light of the people and the salvation of Israel (cf. Luke 2:22-38). It is a simple moment but rich with prophecy: the encounter between two young spouses full of joy and faith due to the grace of the Lord; and two elderly people also filled with joy and faith through the action of the Spirit. Who causes them to meet? Jesus. Jesus makes them meet: young and old. Jesus is He who brings generations closer. He is the font of that love which unites families and people, conquering all diffidence, all isolation, all distance. This causes us to also think of grandparents: how important their presence is, the presence of grandparents! How precious their role is in the family and in society! A good relationship between the young and the elderly is crucial for the journey of the civil and ecclesial community. Looking at these two elderly people — Simeon and Anna — let us greet from here, with applause, all the worlds’ grandparents. The message that comes from the Holy Family is first of all a message of faith. In the family life of Mary and Joseph, God is truly at the centre, and He is so in the Person of Jesus. This is why the Family of Nazareth is holy. Why? Because it is centred on Jesus.
When parents and children together breathe in this climate of faith, they have an energy that allows them to face even difficult trials, as the experience of the Holy Family shows, for example, in the dramatic event of their flight to Egypt: a difficult ordeal.
The Baby Jesus with his Mother Mary and with St Joseph are a simple but so luminous icon of the family. The light it casts is the light of mercy and salvation for all the world, the light of truth for every man, for the human family and for individual families. This light which comes from the Holy Family encourages us to offer human warmth in those family situations in which, for various reasons, peace is lacking, harmony is lacking, and forgiveness is lacking. May our concrete solidarity not diminish especially with regard to the families who are experiencing more difficult situations due to illness, unemployment, discrimination, the need to emigrate.... Let us pause here for a moment and pray in silence for all these families in difficulty, whether due to problems of illness, unemployment, discrimination, need to emigrate, due to difficulty in understanding each other and also to disunion. Let us pray in silence for all these families....
(Hail Mary...).
Let us entrust to Mary, Queen and mother of the family, all the families of the world, that they may live in faith, in accord, in reciprocal aid, and for this I invoke upon them the maternal protection of the One who was the mother and daughter of her Son.
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After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
my thoughts go, at this moment, to the passengers on the Malaysian airplane that disappeared in flight between Indonesia and Singapore, as well as the passengers on the ships sailing in recent hours on the waters of the Adriatic Sea, involved in several accidents. I am close, with affection and prayers, to the families and to those living with apprehension and suffering these difficult situations and to those who are engaged in the rescue operations.
Today the first greeting goes to all the families present! May the Holy Family bless you and guide you on your journey.
I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims; in particular, the numerous youth from the Dioceses of Bergamo and Vicenza who have received or are about to receive Confirmation. I greet the families of the Oratory of the Cathedral of Sarzana, the faithful of San Lorenzo in Banale, Trento, the altar servers of Sambruson, Venice, the scouts of Villamassargia and the collaborators of the Fraterna Domus.
I wish everyone a happy Sunday. I thank you again for your wishes and your prayers: continue to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
Acknowledgment: We thank the Vatican Publisher for allowing us to publish the Homilies of Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I, so that they could be accessed by more people all over the world; as a source of God’s encouragements to all of us. |
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Sharing: It was the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on 6 January 2015. Some of the Churches celebrated in advance on 4 January 2015; including the Churches in Singapore.
The Readings that were read in the Eucharistic Celebrations all over the world in celebration of this Solemnity are presented on Encouragemnts-350 or Encouragements-182 to 183:
1st Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6; Responsorial: Psalm 72:1-2. 7-8. 10-13; 2nd Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3. 5-6 & Gospel Reading: Matthew 2:1-12.
We have extracted the Homilies of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I based on the aforesaid Readings to share with you, so that you could similarly be encouraged: |
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In the second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul comments with deep wonder on the mystery celebrated in today’s solemnity: “Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.... the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3; 5-6). A son of the chosen nation, converted to Christ, Paul came to share in divine Revelation, after the other Apostles, to transmit it to the nations of the whole world. After this great turning point in his life, he understood that all peoples have been chosen as well and that all men are called to salvation because they are “partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). Indeed, the light of Christ and the universal call to salvation are meant for the peoples of all the earth. “This character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit” (Lumen gentium, n. 13). - Saint Pope John Paul II |
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EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION ON THE HOMILY OF THE POPE JOHN PAUL II Monday, 6 January 1997
1. “Arise [Jerusalem], shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 1:1).
Today, the Solemnity of Epiphany, this is how the prophet’s words resound. The ancient, evocative oracle of Isaiah in a way foretells the light that shone on the stable in Bethlehem on Christmas night, anticipating the angels' song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). In a certain sense, in pointing to the light the prophet is pointing to Christ. As it shone for the shepherds seeking the new-born Messiah, so this light shines today on the path of the Magi, come from the East to adore him who was born King of the Jews.
The Magi represent the peoples of the whole earth who, in the light of the Lord’s birth, set out on the way leading to Jesus and, in a certain sense, are the first to receive that salvation inaugurated by the Saviour’s birth and brought to fulfilment in the paschal mystery of his Death and Resurrection.
When they reached Bethlehem, the Magi adored the divine Child and offered him symbolic gifts, becoming fore-runners of the peoples and nations which down the centuries never cease to seek and meet Christ.
2. In the second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul comments with deep wonder on the mystery celebrated in today’s solemnity: “Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.... the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3; 5-6). A son of the chosen nation, converted to Christ, Paul came to share in divine Revelation, after the other Apostles, to transmit it to the nations of the whole world. After this great turning point in his life, he understood that all peoples have been chosen as well and that all men are called to salvation because they are “partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). Indeed, the light of Christ and the universal call to salvation are meant for the peoples of all the earth. “This character of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit” (Lumen gentium, n. 13).
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