Pope Francis Pleads for Peace "Too many innocent victims! We see images of massacred children every day. Too many children! Let us pray for peace."
POPE FRANCIS at the ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square on Sunday, October 27, 2024
Remembering children who are victims of war today, Pope Francis appeals for prayers for peace and for an end to the escalation of violence in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon. He recalls the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions to be marked this week.
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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today's Gospel (Mk 10:46-52) speaks to us of Jesus, who heals a man from blindness. His name is Bartimaeus, but the crowd, on the street, ignores him: he is a poor beggar. Those people have no eyes for this blind man; they leave him, ignore him. No look of care, no feeling of compassion. Bartimaeus also does not see, but he hears and makes himself heard. He cries out, he cries out loud: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (v. 48). But Jesus hears him and sees him. He puts himself at his disposal and asks him: "What do you want me to do for you?" (v. 51).
"What do you want me to do for you?" This question, in front of a blind person, seems like a provocation and instead it is a test. Jesus is asking Bartimaeus who he is really seeking, and for what reason. Who is the “Son of David” for you? And so the Lord begins to open the eyes of the blind man. Let us consider three aspects of this encounter, which becomes dialogue: the cry, faith, the journey.
First of all, the cry of Bartimaeus, which is not only a request for help. It is an affirmation of himself. The blind man is saying: “I exist, look at me. I can’t see, Jesus. Do you see me?” Yes, Jesus sees the beggar, and listens to him, with the ears of the body and with those of the heart. Let us think about ourselves, when we meet a beggar on the street: how many times do we look the other way, how many times do we ignore him, as if he did not exist. And do we hear the cry of the beggars?
Second point: faith. What does Jesus say? “Go, your faith has saved you” (v. 52). Bartimaeus sees because he believes; Christ is the light of his eyes. The Lord observes how Bartimaeus looks at Him. How do I look at a layman? Do I ignore him? Do I look at him like Jesus? Am I capable of understanding his questions, his cry for help? When you give alms, do you look the beggar in the eye? Do you touch his hand to feel his flesh?
Finally, the journey: Bartimaeus, healed, “followed Jesus along the road” (v. 52). But each of us is Bartimaeus, blind inside, who follows Jesus once he has approached Him. When you approach a poor person and make yourself feel close, it is Jesus who approaches you in the person of that poor person. Please, let’s not get confused: almsgiving is not charity. The one who receives the most grace from almsgiving is the one who gives it, because he lets himself be looked at by the eyes of the Lord.
Let us pray together to Mary, the dawn of salvation, that she may guard our path in the light of Christ.
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After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we concluded the Synod of Bishops. Let us pray that all that we have done in this month will continue for the good of the Church.
October 22nd marked the 50th anniversary of the creation, by Saint Paul VI, of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, and tomorrow will be the 60th anniversary of the Declaration Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Especially in these times of great suffering and tension, I encourage those who are committed at the local level to dialogue and peace.
Tomorrow an important International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will open in Geneva, 75 years after the Geneva Conventions. May this event awaken consciences so that, during armed conflicts, the life and dignity of individuals and peoples are respected, as well as the integrity of civil structures and places of worship, in compliance with international humanitarian law. It is sad to see how, in war, somewhere, hospitals and schools are destroyed.
I join the beloved Church of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, which mourns the priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez, murdered last Sunday. A zealous servant of the Gospel and of the faithful people of God. His sacrifice, like that of other priests killed for fidelity to the ministry, may be a seed of peace and Christian life.
I am close to the people of the Philippines struck by a very strong cyclone. May the Lord sustain that people so full of faith.
I greet you, Romans and pilgrims. In particular, I greet the Confraternity of the Lord of Miracles, of the Peruvians in Rome, whom I thank for their testimony and encourage to continue on the path of faith.
I greet the group of elderly people from Loiri Porto San Paolo, the Confirmation boys from Assemini (Cagliari), the “Pilgrims of Health” from Piacenza, the Secular Cistercian Oblates of the Sanctuary of Cotrino and the Confederation of the Poor Knights of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today's Gospel (Mk 10:46-52) speaks to us of Jesus, who heals a man from blindness. His name is Bartimaeus, but the crowd, on the street, ignores him: he is a poor beggar. Those people have no eyes for this blind man; they leave him, ignore him. No look of care, no feeling of compassion. Bartimaeus also does not see, but he hears and makes himself heard. He cries out, he cries out loud: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (v. 48). But Jesus hears him and sees him. He puts himself at his disposal and asks him: "What do you want me to do for you?" (v. 51).
"What do you want me to do for you?" This question, in front of a blind person, seems like a provocation and instead it is a test. Jesus is asking Bartimaeus who he is really seeking, and for what reason. Who is the “Son of David” for you? And so the Lord begins to open the eyes of the blind man. Let us consider three aspects of this encounter, which becomes dialogue: the cry, faith, the journey.
First of all, the cry of Bartimaeus, which is not only a request for help. It is an affirmation of himself. The blind man is saying: “I exist, look at me. I can’t see, Jesus. Do you see me?” Yes, Jesus sees the beggar, and listens to him, with the ears of the body and with those of the heart. Let us think about ourselves, when we meet a beggar on the street: how many times do we look the other way, how many times do we ignore him, as if he did not exist. And do we hear the cry of the beggars?
Second point: faith. What does Jesus say? “Go, your faith has saved you” (v. 52). Bartimaeus sees because he believes; Christ is the light of his eyes. The Lord observes how Bartimaeus looks at Him. How do I look at a layman? Do I ignore him? Do I look at him like Jesus? Am I capable of understanding his questions, his cry for help? When you give alms, do you look the beggar in the eye? Do you touch his hand to feel his flesh?
Finally, the journey: Bartimaeus, healed, “followed Jesus along the road” (v. 52). But each of us is Bartimaeus, blind inside, who follows Jesus once he has approached Him. When you approach a poor person and make yourself feel close, it is Jesus who approaches you in the person of that poor person. Please, let’s not get confused: almsgiving is not charity. The one who receives the most grace from almsgiving is the one who gives it, because he lets himself be looked at by the eyes of the Lord.
Let us pray together to Mary, the dawn of salvation, that she may guard our path in the light of Christ.
__________________________________
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we concluded the Synod of Bishops. Let us pray that all that we have done in this month will continue for the good of the Church.
October 22nd marked the 50th anniversary of the creation, by Saint Paul VI, of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, and tomorrow will be the 60th anniversary of the Declaration Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Especially in these times of great suffering and tension, I encourage those who are committed at the local level to dialogue and peace.
Tomorrow an important International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent will open in Geneva, 75 years after the Geneva Conventions. May this event awaken consciences so that, during armed conflicts, the life and dignity of individuals and peoples are respected, as well as the integrity of civil structures and places of worship, in compliance with international humanitarian law. It is sad to see how, in war, somewhere, hospitals and schools are destroyed.
I join the beloved Church of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, which mourns the priest Marcelo Pérez Pérez, murdered last Sunday. A zealous servant of the Gospel and of the faithful people of God. His sacrifice, like that of other priests killed for fidelity to the ministry, may be a seed of peace and Christian life.
I am close to the people of the Philippines struck by a very strong cyclone. May the Lord sustain that people so full of faith.
I greet you, Romans and pilgrims. In particular, I greet the Confraternity of the Lord of Miracles, of the Peruvians in Rome, whom I thank for their testimony and encourage to continue on the path of faith.
I greet the group of elderly people from Loiri Porto San Paolo, the Confirmation boys from Assemini (Cagliari), the “Pilgrims of Health” from Piacenza, the Secular Cistercian Oblates of the Sanctuary of Cotrino and the Confederation of the Poor Knights of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
And please let us continue to pray for peace, especially in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, so that the escalation may end and respect for human life, which is sacred, may come first! The first victims are among the civilian population: we see it every day. Too many innocent victims! We see images of massacred children every day. Too many children! Let us pray for peace.
I wish everyone a happy Sunday. And please don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and goodbye!
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