On Gaudete Sunday, Pope emphasizes importance of joy

December 12, 2016

Pope Francis spoke about joy during his Angelus address on December 11, Gaudete Sunday.

Reflecting on a portion of the day’s Gospel—“the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised” (Mt. 11:5)—the Pope told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square that “God has entered into history to liberate us from the slavery of sin; he has placed his dwelling in our midst to share our existence, to heal our scars, to bandage our wounds and give us new life.”

“Joy is the fruit of this intervention of salvation and of the love of God,” the Pope continued, adding:

A Christian who is not joyful—something is missing in this Christian, or he is not a Christian. The joy of the heart, the joy within that brings us forward and gives us courage. The Lord comes, he comes to our lives as the liberator, he comes to free us from all interior and exterior slaveries. He is the one who indicates to us the path of fidelity, of patience and of perseverance, because, at his arrival, our joy shall be complete.

 

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Further information:

• Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus, 11.12.2016 (Holy See Press Office)
• Angelus Address: On True Joy (Zenit)