In
his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke about the need to
“pray always, without growing weary.”
Starting from the parable of the
widow in the day’s Gospel, the Holy Father said we must “cry out to the
Lord day and night” – not because God does not know our needs, or
doesn’t listen to us, but because the daily struggle against evil
requires “patience and resistance.”
“There is a struggle to carry on
every day,” he said, “but God is our ally, faith in Him is our strength,
and prayer is the expression of this faith.”
But Pope Francis
also recalled the words of Jesus at the end of the Gospel: “When the Son
of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18:8). “If the faith
goes out, if prayer ends,” the Pope said, "we end up walking in
darkness, and losing the way on the journey of life.”
After the
Angelus, Pope Francis recalled World Mission Sunday, celebrated
throughout the Church on the second to last Sunday of October. He
thanked all those who support the missions through their prayers and
concrete help. On this day, the Pope said, we are especially close to
all missionaries, men and women, who quietly give their lives to spread
the Gospel message.
The Holy Father also expressed his closeness
to the people of the Philippines, especially the victims of the recent
earthquake. He invited everyone to pray for the Philippines, which has
been struck by numerous disasters in recent days.
Pope Francis
also greeted all the pilgrims present for the Angelus. Pope Francis had a
special welcome for a group of young people who had taken part in a
special “100 metre sprint for faith” organised by the Pontifical Council
for Culture. The impromptu race track was set up along the Via della
Conciliazione leading into Saint Peter’s Square, with the participants
concluding their races in time to hear the Holy Father’s address. Pope
Francis thanked them for “reminding us that the believer is an athlete
of the spirit!”
As he concluded his remarks by greeting various
groups from around the world, Pope Francis noted that Argentina today
celebrates “Mother’s Day.” His “affectionate greeting to the mothers” of
his native country was met with loud applause.
Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of
Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus address:
Dear brothers and sisters, good day!
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus told a parable about the necessity for them to
pray always without becoming weary. The main character is a widow who,
forced to plead before a dishonest judge, manages to get him to grant
her justice. And Jesus concludes, if the widow managed to convince that
judge, do you think God will not hear us, if we pray to Him insistently?
The expression used by Jesus is very strong: “Will not God then do
justice for His chosen ones who call out to Him day and night?”
“To
cry out day and night” to the Lord! This is a striking image of prayer.
But we might ask, why does God want this. Doesn’t He already know our
needs? What does it mean to “insist” with God?
And this is a good
question, that leads us to deepen a very important aspect of the Faith:
God invites us to pray with insistence, not because He doesn’t know
what we need, or because He doesn’t listen to us. On the contrary, He
always hears and knows all of us, with love. In our daily journey,
especially in difficulties, in the fight against evil outside of
ourselves and within us, the Lord is not far away, He is at our side; we
fight with Him beside us, and our weapon is prayer, which makes us feel
His presence alongside of us, His mercy, even His help. But the fight
against evil is hard and long, it requires patience and resistance –
like Moses, who had to hold up his arms so that his people could triumph
(cf. Ex. 17:8-13). It is so: there is a struggle to carry on every day;
but God is our ally, faith in Him is our strength, and prayer is the
expression of this faith. Therefore, Jesus assures us of victory but in
the end He asks “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on
earth?” (Lk. 18:8). If the faith goes out, if prayer goes out, and we
walk in the darkness, we will be lost on the journey of life.
Let
us learn, therefore, from the widow of the Gospel, and pray always
without growing weary. This widow was good, she knew to fight for her
children, and I think of the many women who fight for their families,
who pray, who never grow weary! Today let us remember, all of us, these
women who with their behaviour give us a true witness of faith, of
courage, of a model of prayer. Let us remember them! Pray always, but
not to convince the Lord by the strength of words! He knows better than
we do what it is we need. And so persevering prayer is an expression of
faith in a God Who calls us to fight along with Him, every day, every
moment, to overcome evil with good.
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today
is World Mission Day. What is the mission of the Church? To spread
throughout the world the flame of faith that Jesus has lighted in the
world: faith in God who is Father, Love, and Mercy. The method of the
Christian mission is not proselytism, but that the sharing of the flame
that heats up the soul. I thank all those who through prayer and
concrete help sustain the work of the missions, in particular the
solicitude of the Bishop of Rome for spread of the Gospel. On this Day,
we are close to all men and women missionaries, who work without making
noise, and who give their lives. [Missionaries] like the Italian Afra
Martinelli, who worked for many years in Nigeria: one day she was killed
in a robbery; everyone wept, Christians and Muslims. They really loved
her! She announced the Gospel with her life, with the works she
accomplished, a centre of instruction; in this way she spread the flame
of faith, she fought the good fight. Let us think about this our sister,
and greet her with applause, all of us!
I think too of Stefano
Sándor, who was beatified yesterday in Budapest. He was a lay Salesian,
exemplary in service to young people, in the oratory and in professional
instruction. When the Communist regime closed all the Catholic
churches, he confronted the persecutions with courage, and was killed
when he was 39 years old. Let us unite ourselves with the Salesian
family and the Hungarian Church in giving thanks.
I want to
express my closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been
struck by a strong earthquake, and I invite you to pray for that dear
Nation, which in recent days has suffered different calamities.
I
affectionately greet all the pilgrims present, beginning with the young
people who gave lift to the “100 metre spring for faith” event, which
was organised by the Pontifical Council for Culture. Thank you for
reminding us that the believer is an athlete of the spirit! Thank you so
much!
I welcome with joy the faithful of the Dioceses of Bologna
and of Cesena-Sarsina, led by Cardinal Caffarra and Bishop Regattieri;
as well as those of Corrientes, Argentina, and of Maracaibo and Barinas
in Venezuela. And today in Argentina, “Mother’s Day” is celebrated. I
offer an affectionate greeting to the mothers of my land!
I greet the prayer group “Raio de Luz” of Brazil; and the Fraternity of Secular Trinitarians.
There are many Italian parishes and associations, I can’t name them, but I greet all of you with affection and I thank you.
Buona Domenica! Arrivederci, and Buon Pranzo!