Monday, January 4, 2016

Angelus: open the doors of our heart to the Word of Jesus


Vatican City, 3 January 2016 (VIS) – On the first Sunday of the year and the second after Christmas, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace at midday to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. “The Word – that is, the creative Word of God – was made flesh, and dwelt among us”, he said, referring to the prologue of the Gospel of St. John. “That Word, which dwells in heaven, that is, in the dimension of God, came to earth so that we might listen and be able to know and touch with our hand the love of the Father. The Word of God is the Only-begotten Son, made man, full of love and of faithfulness, Jesus Himself”.

The Pope explained that the Evangelist “does not conceal the dramatic nature of the Incarnation of the Son of God, emphasising that the gift of God's love is countered with its non-acceptance on the part of man. The World is light, but men have preferred darkness;. They closed the door in the face of the Son of God. It is the mystery of evil that undermines our life and that necessitates vigilance and attention on our part, so that it does not prevail. The Book of Genesis offers us a beautiful phrase that helps us to understand this: it says that evil 'lies in wait at our door'. Woe to us if we allow it to enter, as it would then close our door to anyone else. Instead we are called upon to throw open the door of our heart to the Word of God, to Jesus, thus to become His children”.

The Holy Father reiterated that once again the Church invites us to welcome the Word of salvation, this mystery of light. “If we welcome Jesus, we will grow in understanding and in the love of the Lord, and will learn to be merciful like Him”, he said. “Especially in this Holy Year of Mercy, let us be sure that the Gospel becomes ever more incarnate in our own lives too. Approaching the Gospel, meditating on it and incarnating it in daily life is the best way of understanding Jesus and bringing Him to others. This is the vocation and joy of every baptised person – showing Jesus and bringing Him to others – but to do this we must first know Him and have Him within us, as the Lord of our life. He will defend us from evil, from the devil, who always lies in wait by our door and wants to enter”.

He concluded, “With the renewed zeal of filial abandon, let us entrust ourselves yet again to Mary, whose sweet image as the Mother of Jesus and as our Mother we contemplate in the nativity during these days”.


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