At noon today, the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of the study of the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the approximately 20,000 pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
These were the Pope’s words as he introduced the Marian prayer:
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Words of the Pope
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The Gospel of today’s liturgy (Jn 2:1-11) tells us about Jesus’ first sign, when He turns water into wine during a wedding feast in Cana, in Galilee. It is an account that foreshadows and encapsulates the whole of Jesus’ mission: on the day of the coming of the Messiah – so said the prophets – the Lord will prepare “a feast of … choice wines” (Is 25:6) and “the mountains shall drip with the juice of grapes” (Am 9:13); Jesus is the Bridegroom who brings the “good wine”.
In this Gospel we can find two things: lack and superabundance. On the one hand, there is a shortage of wine and Mary tells Her Son: “They have no wine” (v.3); on the other hand, Jesus intervenes, filling six large jars and, in the end, the wine is so abundant and exquisite that the master of the banquet asks the groom why He has kept it until the end (v. 10). Thus, our sign is always lack, but “the sign of God is superabundance”, and the superabundance of Cana is its sign (cf. Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, vol. I, 294). How does God respond to man’s lack? With superabundance (cf. Rom 5:20). God is not mean! When He gives, He gives a lot. He does not give you a little bit, He gives you a lot. The Lord responds to our shortcomings with His superabundance.
In the banquet of our life – we might say – at times we realize that the wine is missing: that we lack the strength and many things. It happens when the worries that plague us, the fears that assail us or the overwhelming forces of evil rob us of the taste for life, the exhilaration of joy and the flavour of hope. Take note: in the face of this lack, when the Lord gives, He gives in superabundance. It seems to be a contradiction: the more that is lacking in us, the greater the Lord’s superabundance. Because the Lord wants to celebrate with us, in a feast without end.
Let us pray, then, to the Virgin Mary. May She, who is the “woman of the new wine” (cf. A. Bello, Maria, donna dei nostri giorni), intercede for us and, in this Jubilee year, help us to rediscover the joy of the encounter with Jesus.
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After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters!
In recent days, it was announced that the ceasefire in Gaza will come into effect today. I express my gratitude to all the mediators. It is a good job, to mediate so that peace is made. Thank you to the mediators! And I also thank all the parties involved in this important result. I hope that what has been agreed will be respected immediately by the parties, and that all the hostages may finally return home and embrace their loved ones. I pray a lot for them and for their families. I also hope that humanitarian aid will reach the people of Gaza, who so urgently need it, even faster and in large quantities.
Both the Israelis and the Palestinians need clear signs of hope: I trust that the political authorities of both of them, with the help of the international community, may reach the right solution for the two States. May everyone be able to say: yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace. And let us pray for this: for dialogue, reconciliation and peace.
A few days the liberation of a group of inmates from Cuban jails was announced. This is a gesture of great hope that embodies one of the intentions of this Jubilee year. I hope that in the coming months, we will continue to undertake initiatives of this type, which instil confidence in the journey of people and populations.
And I greet you all, Romans, pilgrims, the young people of the Immacolata, the Sisters of Saint Augustine from Poland, the group of Guatemalan faithful with the image of the Señor de Esquipulas, and students from the “Pedro Mercedes” School in Cuenca and the “Juan Pablo II” School in Parla, Spain, and those of the Piggott School of Wargrave, England. I greet the young people and missionaries of the Operation Mato Grosso Movement, the faithful of the pastoral unit of Guizza in Padua, those of Malgrate, Civate and Lecco Alta, and those of Locorotondo; as well as the group “Amici Speciali”, “Special Friends”, of Este.
In these days of prayer for Christian unity, let us not cease to invoke from God the precious gift of full communion between all the Lord’s disciples. And let us pray always for tormented Ukraine, for Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and all the populations who are suffering because of war.
I wish you all a good Sunday, and please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!
