Pope at Angelus: We are called to show compassion and mercy

By Vatican News

Recovering from flu-like symptoms, Pope Francis led the recitation of the midday Angelus prayer from his residence at the Casa Santa Marta instead of the usual window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking Saint Peter's Square on this cool autumn day. Msgr. Paolo Braida, Head of Office at the Secretariat of State, read the Pope's reflections before the Angelus and his additional message following the prayer.

Pilgrims and visitors who had gathered in the square participated in the Angelus via the large video screens broadcasting the event. Yesterday the Pope cancelled his scheduled events due to "flu-like" symptoms. In the afternoon he visited a nearby hospital for a scan of his lungs that yielded negative results for any risk of pulmonary complications. 

Christ the King

In his prepared remarks, the Pope recalled today's Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - the last Sunday of the liturgical year - when the Gospel speaks to us about the final judgement, telling us it will be based on our care for one another through charity and mercy.

Heavenly vs. worldly criteria

Recalling the scene described in the Gospel of a great hall where Jesus is seated on a throne and all the peoples of the world are gathered at His feet, he said "the blessed" are shown to be the friends of the king. They are the ones who fed the hungry, took care of the sick and needy, and visited prisoners. This stands in stark contrast, the Pope observed, to the empty "criteria of the world" which would value those seeking personal advantage through increasing the king's power, wealth, fame, and being feared and envied.

Helping others

The "criteria of Jesus" places importance on those serving the needy, the weakest, those who need our help.  

The Lord, our King, is concerned about the hungry, the homeless, the sick, and the imprisoned, the Pope observed. And these are realities that are all too present today: the poor crowd our streets, as the Lord remembers the sick and those in prison paying the consequences of their mistakes. 

Compassion and mercy

The Gospel underscores that the "blessed" are those who show loving mercy through their service to people needing our help and companionship, by not ignoring them or turning them away, but by providing food, drink, clothing, shelter, and accompaniment. They are the friends of the King, as they distinguish themselves by following His example through "compassion, mercy, tenderness."

The Pope in his reflections recommended we examine our own lives and how much we recognize and believe in the centrality of  mercy, the power of love, how charity is indispensable for believers, and if we are a "friend of the King" in being "personally involved in the needs of the suffering people I find on my path."