‘Let the voice of the peoples, who are calling for peace, be heard’

At the Angelus on Sunday, 22 September, Pope Francis once again made an appeal for peace throughout the world. Earlier, he had reflected on the day’s Gospel passage of Mark, in which Jesus teaches the Apostles that true power lies in caring for the weakest ones. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s words which he shared in Italian with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Sunday!

Today the Gospel of the liturgy (Mk 9:30-37) tells us about Jesus who announces what will happen at the end of his life: “The Son of man”, Jesus says, “will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise” (v. 31). However, while they are following the Master, the disciples have other things on their mind and also on their lips. When Jesus asks them what they were talking about, they do not answer.

Let us pay attention to this silence: the disciples are silent because they were discussing who was the greatest (cf. v. 34). They fall silent out of shame. What a contrast with the words of the Lord! While Jesus confided the meaning of his very life to them, they were talking about power. And so now shame closes their mouth, just as pride had closed their heart earlier. And yet Jesus responds openly to the conversations whispered along the way: “If any one would be first, he must be last of all” (cf. v. 35). Do you want to be great? Make yourself small, put yourself at the service of all.

With a word as simple as it is decisive, Jesus renews our way of living. He teaches us that true power does not lie in the dominion of the strongest, but in care for the weakest. True power is taking care of the weakest — this makes you great!

This is why the Master calls a child, puts him in the midst of the disciples and embraces him, saying: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (v. 37). The child has no power; the child has needs. When we take care of mankind, we recognize that mankind is always in need of life.

We, all of us, are alive because we were welcomed, but power makes us forget this truth. You are alive because you were welcomed! Then, we become dominators, not servants, and the first to suffer as a result are the last: the little ones, the weak, the poor.

Brothers and sisters, how many people, how many, suffer and die for power struggles! The world rejected their lives as it rejected Jesus, those who are excluded and die… When he was delivered into the hands of men, he did not find an embrace, but a cross. However, the Gospel remains the living word and filled with hope: He who was rejected is risen, he is the Lord!

Now, on this beautiful Sunday, we can ask ourselves: do I know how to recognize the face of Jesus in the least ones? Do I take care of my neighbour, serving generously? And do I thank those who take care of me?

Let us pray together to Mary, to be, like her, free of vainglory, and ready in service.

After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters, I have learned with sorrow that Juan Antonio López, delegate of the Word of God, was killed in Honduras. Coordinator of social pastoral care in the Diocese of Trujillo, he was a founding member of the pastoral care of integral ecology in Honduras. I join in the grief of that Church, and condemn all forms of violence. I am close to all those who see their basic rights violated, and to those who work for the common good in response to the cry of the poor and the earth.

I greet you all, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and many other countries. In particular, I greet the Ecuadorians who reside in Rome, who are celebrating Our Lady of El Cisne. I greet the “Teresa Enríquez de Torrijos” Choir of Toledo, the group of families and children from Slovakia, and the Mexican faithful.

I greet the participants in the march to raise awareness on the conditions of prisoners. We must work to ensure that prisoners live in dignified conditions. Anyone can make a mistake. One is imprisoned so as to resume an honest life afterwards.

I greet the delegation that has come on the occasion of International Ataxia Awareness Day, and the “La Palma” Association of Castagnola di Massa.

Brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray for peace. Unfortunately, tensions are high on the war fronts. Let the voice of the peoples, who are calling for peace, be heard. Let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and the many countries that are at war. Let us pray for peace.

I wish you all a happy Sunday. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!