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Pope at Regina Coeli: Hear and follow the Lord, our Good Shepherd

Pope Francis calls on us to hear the Lord when he calls us, to realize that he knows us better than ourselves, and to follow Him as our Good Shepherd, as today's liturgy tells us about the loving bond that exists between the Lord and each one of us.

By Thaddeus Jones

In his catechesis before leading the recitation of the Regina Coeli on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Pope Francis recalled how today's liturgy speaks about the Lord who uses "the tender and beautiful image of the shepherd who stays with the sheep." The Lord's sheep "hear" his voice, they "know" him, and they "follow" him. 

Hear, know, follow

The three verbs - hear, know, follow - illustrate the key message in today's Gospel reading, said the Pope. The sheep "hear" the voice of the shepherd, showing how the initiative comes from the Lord and his grace who calls us to communion, the Pope explained, but this requires us to be available and open to this invitation and relationship. Today we can often be overhwelmed with work, families, and personal siutations the Pope acknowledged, but we must stop to listen, to hear the Word of the Father like a listening child, curious and with open hearts that allow us to be in communion with the Lord and our brothers and sisters. 

“And they experience something very beautiful, that is, that the Lord himself listens – he listens to us when we pray to him, when we confide in him, when we call on him.”

The Lord knows his sheep

By listening to Jesus we discover "he knows us," the Pope explained, and in the biblical sense knowing means loving - the Lord knows about us and our inner being, inside and out. Jesus seeks our friendship, trust, love and intimacy, the Pope went on to say, and to help us understand and accept the marvelous reality that "we are always loved by him" and never alone.

“Being with the good shepherd allows us to live the experience the Psalm speaks about: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me” (Ps 23:4).”

The Lord sustains us in our suffering, difficulties and crises, times in particular we can discover "we are known and loved by the Lord," said the Pope. He suggested we ask ourselves if we allow the Lord into our lives and if we share with him all our trials and tribulations, so we can experience his closeness, compassion and tenderness as our Good Shepherd.

Follow the Good Shepherd

Finally, the Pope focused on the verb "follow," as the Lord's followers go where he goes along the same path and direction. Like the Good Shepherd, they seek those who are lost or need our compassion and love.

“They go to seek those who are lost (cf. Lk 15:4), are interested in those who are far-off, take to heart the situation of those who suffer, know how to weep with those who weep, they reach out their hands to their neighbour, placing him or her on their shoulders.”

The Pope said we need to ask ourselves if we allow Jesus only to love ourselves, or if we have taken the next step to imitate the Lord and reach out to our brothers and sisters, as the Lord reaches out to us. May the Blessed Mother "help us listen to Christ, know him always more and follow him on the way of service."

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08 May 2022, 12:15

What is the Regina Coeli?

The antiphon Regina Coeli (“Queen of Heaven”) is one of four traditional Marian antiphons, the others being Alma Redemptoris Mater, Ave Regina Coelorum, and Salve Regina.

It was Pope Benedict XIV who, in 1742, enjoined the recitation of the Regina Coeli in place of the Angelus during Eastertide, that is, from Easter Sunday to the end of Pentecost. It is recited standing as a sign of Christ’s victory over death.

Like the Angelus, the Regina Coeli is said three times a day, at dawn, at noon, and at dusk, in order to consecrate the day to God and the Virgin Mary.

This ancient antiphon arose, according to a pious tradition, in the 6th century; it is attested in documentary sources from the first half of the 13th century, when it was inserted in the Franciscan breviary. It is composed of four short verses, each ending with an “alleluia.” With the Regina Coeli, the faithful turn to Mary, the Queen of Heaven, to rejoice with her at the Resurrection of Christ.

At the Regina Coeli on Easter Monday of 2015, Pope Francis spoke about the spiritual dispositions that should animate the faithful as they recite this Marian prayer:

“In this prayer, expressed by the Alleluia, we turn to Mary inviting her to rejoice, because the One whom she carried in her womb is Risen as He promised, and we entrust ourselves to her intercession. In fact, our joy is a reflection of Mary’s joy, for it is she who guarded and guards with faith the events of Jesus. Let us therefore recite this prayer with the emotion of children who are happy because their mother is happy.”

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Pray with the Pope

Regina Coeli

Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus:

Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es, praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae.
Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Regina Coeli 

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.

The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
has risen as he said, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray

O God, who through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did vouchsafe to give joy to the world; grant, we beseech you, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.