(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his Angelus address on Sunday told pilgrims in St Peter’s Square that the great novelty of Christianity is a God who, though disappointed by our sins, is merciful.
Listen to our report:
“God continues to put in place the “new wine” of his vineyard, that is, mercy. There is only one impediment to the tenacious and tender will of God: our arrogance and our presumption, which sometimes can becomes violence.”
Those were Pope Francis’ words to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square during his Angelus address , as he reflected on this Sunday’s liturgy, the parable of the vine-growers.
The Pope recounted the story of the vine growers who are put in charge of the vineyard by their Master, but abuse their position to the point of killing the owner’s son.
The Holy Father described this Gospel passage as a love story which had both positive and negative moments.
A God who does not avenge
Pope Francis said that in order to understand how God the Father responds to those opposed to his love, the Gospel passage proposes the question, “when will the master of the vineyard arrive and what will he do to those growers?” This question, the Pope noted, “stresses that the disappointment of God for the wicked behaviour of men is not the last word. Here is the great novelty of Christianity : a God who, though disappointed by our mistakes and our sins, does not fail in his word, does not stop and above all it does not avenge”.
The Holy Father went on to say that, faced with these attitudes and where no fruit is produced, the Word of God warns that, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will bear fruit”.
The urgency of responding with good fruits to the call of the Lord, who calls us to become his vineyard, explained Pope Francis, “helps us to understand what is new and original in Christianity. It is an invitation to enter this love story, becoming a lively and open vine, rich in fruit and hope for everyone.”
At the end of the Angelus, the Pope recalled the Beatification on Saturday in Milan of Father Arsenio da Trigolo, a priest of the Capuchin Friars Minor saying, “we praise the Lord for this humble disciple, who even in adversity and trials never lost hope.”
(from Vatican Radio)…