Pope at Angelus: Don't distance yourself from Christ's joy

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

To experience fully God's joy and love, let go of that unnecessary baggage which only weighs us down and hinders the journey, Pope Francis advised during his Angelus address on Sunday in the Vatican. He took his cue from Sunday's Gospel reading according to Saint Mark, in which we hear Jesus tell His followers to pack light in order to follow Him.

Taking only the essentials

In fact, the Gospel, he recounts, tells us about Jesus sending His disciples 'two by two' on mission, and advising them to take only what is necessary.

"Let's pause for a moment on this image: the disciples are sent together and must take only what is necessary with them," the Pope said, recalling that the Gospel is not announced alone, but together, as a community.

More content when not weighed down

To do so, the Pope said, it is important to know how to maintain sobriety, which means knowing how to be sober in the use of things, sharing resources, abilities, and gifts.

To be free, he said, we need to go without the superfluous, in such a way "that everyone has what they need to live with dignity and to contribute actively to the mission."

It also requires, the Pope insisted, being sober in thoughts and feelings, abandoning preconceptions and rigidities that, "like unnecessary baggage, weigh down and hinder the journey," rather than promoting "engagement and listening," which make "witness more effective."

"Let's think, for example, about what happens in our families or communities", he said. "When we are content with what is necessary, even with little, with God's help, we manage to get along and agree, sharing what we have, everyone giving up something and supporting each other."

This, he observed, is already a missionary announcement, before and even more than words, because it embodies the beauty of Jesus' message in the concreteness of life. "A family or a community that lives in this way," he said, "creates around itself an environment rich in love, where it is easier to open up to faith and the newness of the Gospel, and from which one emerges better, more serene."

"If, on the other hand, everyone goes their own way," and "what counts are only things - which are never enough," he warned, "the atmosphere becomes heavy, life becomes difficult, and encounters become more occasions of unease, sadness, and discouragement than of joy."

Communion and sobriety

For these reasons, the Holy Father insisted, communion and sobriety are important values for our Christian life and our apostolate, and are "indispensable values for a truly missionary Church at all levels."

Therefore, he invited the faithful to join him in asking themselves some questions: "Do I feel the joy of announcing the Gospel, of bringing, where I live, the joy and light that come from the encounter with the Lord?"

And to do this, he pondered, "do I commit to walking together with others, sharing ideas and abilities with them, with an open mind and a generous heart?"

"And finally," the Pope asked, "do I know how to cultivate a sober lifestyle, attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters?"

Pope Francis concluded by imploring Mary, Queen of the Apostles, to help us faithful be true missionary disciples, in communion and in sobriety of life.

Appeals

Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father welcomed pilgrims and visitors from Italy and around the world. He also sent greetings to Polish pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa who are taking part in the annual pilgrimage organized by Radio Maria. 

On the occasion of Sea Sunday - observed each year on the second Sunday of July - Pope Francis called for prayers "for those who work in the maritime sector and for those who care for them.

Finally, Pope Francis looked ahead to the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 16 July, and called on the Blessed Mother to "give comfort and obtain peace for all peoples who are oppressed by the horror of war," especially those in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar.