Christ, the Lamb, offers a model for docile service, Pope tells audience
January 20, 2014
“There is no other way of defeating evil and sin other than through love,” Pope Francis told the faithful at his midday audience on Sunday, January 19.
Commenting on the day’s Gospel, in which St. John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” the Pope remarked that the image of the lamb, used frequently in the New Testament, is a surprising one because a lamb does not have the strength to take on the burdens of the world, nor the power to be an ordinary image of leadership. “The lamb does not dominate, but instead is docile,” he said. The message for Christians, the Pope said, is that following Christ means “we must replace malice with innocence, force with love, pride with humility, and prestige with service.”
Taking note that the day was the 100th World Day for Migrants and Refugees, the Pope offered a special greeting to migrants, and thanks to those who work with them. “Do not lose hope for a better world!” he urged them. Pope Francis concluded his audience by asking the faithful to join him in a Hail Mary for suffering migrants and refugees.
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Further information:
- Pope Francis: parish visit to "existential periphery" (Vatican Radio)
- Being Jesus' Disciples Does Not Mean Living as a Besieged Citadel (VIS)
- Migrants: Do Not Lose Hope for a Better World (VIS)
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