Pope Francis says " In these days of prayer for Christian unity, I urge you to invoke God, One and Triune, for the full communion of all Christ's disciples." FULL TEXT

POPE FRANCIS at the GENERAL AUDIENCE
Audience Hall on Wednesday, 22 January 2025
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The following text includes parts that were not read out loud, but should be considered as such.
Cycle of Catechesis – Jubilee 2025. Jesus Christ our Hope. I. The Infancy of Jesus. 2. "The Annunciation. Mary listens and is willing (cf. Lk 1:26-38)"
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today we will resume the catecheses of the Jubilee cycle on Jesus Christ our hope.
At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke shows the effects of the transforming power of the Word of God, which reaches not only the halls of the Temple, but also the poor dwelling of a young woman, Mary, who, betrothed to Joseph, still lives with her family.

After Jerusalem, the messenger of the great divine annunciations, Gabriel, is sent to a village never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: Nazareth. At that time, it was a small village in Galilee, in a remote area of Israel, a border area with the pagans and their contamination.

It is there that the angel brings a message of an entirely unheard-of form and content, so much so that Mary’s heart is shaken, disturbed. In the place of the classic greeting, “Peace be with you”, Gabriel addresses the Virgin with the invitation “Hail!”, “rejoice!”, an appeal dear to sacred history, because the prophets use it when they announce the coming of the Messiah (cf. Zeph 3:14; Joel 2:21-23, Zec 9:9). It is the invitation to the joy that the Lord addresses to His people when the exile ends and the Lord makes His living and active presence felt.

In addition, God calls Mary with a loving name unknown in biblical history: kecharitoméne, which means “filled with divine grace”. Mary is full of divine grace. This name says that God’s love has already for some time inhabited, and continues to dwell in Mary’s heart. He says how “gracious” she is, and above all how God’s grace has accomplished in her an inner engraving, making her His masterpiece: full of grace.

This loving moniker, which God gives only to Mary, is immediately accompanied by reassurance: “Do not be afraid!”, “Do not be afraid!”: the presence of the Lord always gives us this grace of not fearing, and so He says to Mary: “Do not be afraid!”. God says “Do not be afraid” to Abraham, Isaac and Moses in history: “Do not be afraid!” (cf. Gen 15:1; 26:24; Dt 31:8; Joshua 8:1). And He says to us too: “Do not be afraid, keep going; do not be afraid!”. “Father, I am afraid of this”; “And what do you do when…”. “I am sorry, Father, I will tell you the truth: I go to the fortune teller”. “You go to the fortune teller!”. “Ah yes, I have my palm read…”. Please, do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! This is good. “I am your travelling companion”: and He says this to Mary. The “Almighty”, the God of the “impossible” (Lk 1:37) is with Mary, together with and beside her; He is her companion, her principal ally, the eternal “I-with-you” (cf. Gen 28:15; Ex 3:12; Jdg 6:12).

Then Gabriel announces to the Virgin her mission, making echo in her heart numerous biblical passages referring to the kingship and messianic nature of the child that must be born of her, and that the child will be presented as the fulfilment of the ancient prophesies. The Word that comes from on High calls Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, that long-awaited Davidic Messiah. She is the mother of the Messiah. He will be king, but not in the human and carnal manner, but in the divine, spiritual manner. His name will be “Jesus”, which means “God saves” (cf. Lk 1:31; Mt 1:21), reminding everyone forever that it is not man who saves, but only God. Jesus is the One who will fulfil these words of the prophet Isaiah: “It was not an envoy or a messenger, but His presence that saved them [with] His love and pity” (Is 63:9).

This motherhood shakes Mary to the core. And as the intelligent woman she is, thus capable of reading into events (cf. Lk 2:19,51), she tries to understand, to discern what is happening to her. Mary does not look outside, but within. And there, in the depths of her open and sensitive heart, she hears the invitation to trust in God, who has prepared for her a special “Pentecost”. Just as at the beginning of creation (cf. Gen 1:2), God wants to nurture Mary with His Spirit, a power capable of opening what is closed without violating it, without encroaching on human freedom; He wants to envelop her in the “clouds” of His presence (cf. 1 Cor 10:1-2) because the Son lives in her, and her in Him.

And Mary is illuminated with trust: she is “a lamp with many lights”. Mary welcomes the Word in her own flesh and thus launches the greatest mission ever entrusted to a woman, to a human creature. She places herself in service: she is full of everything, not like a slave but as a collaborator of God the Father, full of dignity and authority in order to administer, as she will do at Cana, the gifts of divine treasure, so that many will be able to draw from it with both hands.

Sisters, brothers, let us learn from Mary, Mother of the Saviour and our Mother, to let ourselves open our ears to the divine Word and to welcome it and cherish it, so that it may transform our hearts into tabernacles of His presence, in hospitable homes where hope grows. Thank you!

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I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet the Daughters of Mary Immaculate who are celebrating their extraordinary Chapter, encouraging them to abandon themselves with trust to the will of God who is always faithful to us, always. I then greet the parishes, the associations and the school children, especially the Einstein High School of Teramo.

And I want you to know that my heart is with the people of Los Angeles, who have suffered so much because of the fires that have devastated entire neighborhoods and communities. And they are not finished… May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for all the inhabitants so that they can be witnesses of hope through the strength of diversity and creativity for which they are known throughout the world.

And let us not forget the tormented Ukraine. Let us not forget Palestine, Israel and Myanmar. Let us pray for peace. War is always a defeat! Yesterday I called, I do it every day, the parish of Gaza: they were happy! There are 600 people in there, between the parish and the college. And they told me: “Today we ate lentils with chicken”. Something that in these times they were not used to doing: just some vegetables, something… They were happy! But let us pray for Gaza, for peace and for many other parts of the world. War is always a defeat! Do not forget: war is a defeat. And who profits from wars? The manufacturers of weapons. Please, let us pray for peace.

Finally, my thoughts go to the young people, the sick, the elderly and the newlyweds. In these days of prayer for Christian unity, I urge you to invoke God, One and Triune, for the full communion of all Christ's disciples.

And to all my blessing!

Special greetings:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those coming from Switzerland, the United States, England and offer my cordial good wishes that the Jubilee will be for all of you a season of spiritual renewal and growth in the joy of the Gospel. In this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, I welcome the ecumenical groups present, as well as those from the Pontifical North American College. Upon you and your families I gladly invoke God’s blessings of wisdom, strength and peace.

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[I greet the Polish pilgrims. In these days, express special gratitude to your grandmothers and grandfathers by celebrating their feast. May it be an occasion to build and strengthen a new alliance between generations. Please also remember in your prayers the elderly people of Ukraine who are experiencing the tragedy of war. I bless all of you from my heart, and especially the grandmothers and grandfathers!]
[I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims. May the Lord open our ears and our hearts so that, at the school of the Virgin Mary, we may know how to listen to her word and that of our brothers. In this way, through our attention and our charity, we can make our world more fraternal and restore to it the hope of joy. God bless you.]
I welcome all Portuguese-speaking pilgrims. Brothers and sisters, the words that the angel addresses to Mary are also addressed to each one of us: “do not be afraid”! Therefore, do not be afraid: God is by our side and always accompanies us. Let's not forget: we are never alone! May the Mother of God always keep you!