Pope Francis: in Jesus, man’s thirst and God’s thirst meet

January 26, 2015

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading (Mk. 1:14-20), Pope Francis said during his January 25 Angelus address that “Jesus' announcement is similar to that of John, with the major difference that Jesus does not indicate that another is to come: it is Jesus Himself who is the fulfillment of the promise.”

“He is the ‘good news’ to believe in, to receive and to communicate to men and women of all time, so that they also entrust to Him their existence,” he continued. “Jesus is the fulfillment of the divine promise because it is He who gives mankind the Holy Spirit, the ‘living water’ that quenches our restless heart that thirsts for life, love, freedom, peace: that thirsts for God.”

“At the same time, with His incarnation God has placed His thirst, because God also thirsts, in the heart of mankind,” the Pope added. “Therefore, in the heart of Christ, human and divine thirst meets. And the desire for the unity of his disciples belongs to this thirst.”

After praying that “Jesus’ thirst increasingly become our thirst,” the Pope expressed his concern about violence in Ukraine and expressed his closeness to lepers on World Leprosy Day.

 

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Further information:

• Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Angelus: Jesus wants united Christians (Vatican Radio)
• Zenit translation
• Angelus Domini 2015.01.25 (Vatican YouTube)