Vatican City, 13 December 2015 (VIS) –
At midday today the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study
in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful
and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian
prayer, the Pontiff addressed some words to those present.
“In today's Gospel, there is a
question repeated three times: 'What should we do?'. Three categories
of people pose this question to John the Baptist: first, the crowd in
general; second, the publicans, or tax collectors; and, third, some
soldiers, to know what must be done to convert in the way he
preaches. John's reply to the crowd is to share basic necessities:
'Whoever has two cloaks, should share with the person who has none,
and whoever has food should do likewise'. He tells the second group,
the tax collectors, to stop collecting more than is due. What does
this mean? No 'kickbacks': John the Baptist is clear. And to the
third group, the soldiers, he says do not exhort anyone for anything,
and be content with your pay”.
These three answers refer to an
identical path of conversion, which is manifested in concrete
commitments to justice and solidarity. “It is the road that Jesus
indicates in all His preaching: the active path of love for one's
neighbour. From these admonitions of John the Baptist, we understand
what were the general trends of those who at that time held power, in
various forms. Little has changed. However, no group of people is
excluded from the path of conversion for salvation, not even tax
collectors who were considered sinners by definition. … God does
not preclude for anyone the possibility of salvation. He is eager to
show mercy to all, and welcome everyone in the tender embrace of
reconciliation and forgiveness”.
Francis went on to explain that
“today's liturgy tells us, with John's words, that is necessary to
repent, to change direction and take the path of justice, solidarity
and sobriety: these are the essential values of a fully human and
genuinely Christian life. Repent! This sums up John the Baptist's
message. The liturgy of this Third Sunday of Advent helps us
rediscover a special dimension of conversion: joy. Whoever converts
and approaches the Lord experiences joy”.
He also emphasised that nowadays “it
takes courage to speak of joy, which, above all, requires faith. The
world is beset by many problems, the future weighed down by
uncertainties and fears. And yet, the Christian is a joyful person,
and his joy is not something superficial and ephemeral, but deep and
stable, because it is a gift from God that fills life. Our joy comes
from knowing that 'the Lord is near', that He is close by with His
tenderness, His mercy, His forgiveness and His love”.
He concluded, “May the Virgin Mary
help us to strengthen our faith, so that we may welcome the God of
joy, the God of mercy, who always wants to live in the midst of her
children. May our Mother teach us to share tears with those who weep,
but also to be able to share a smile”.
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