Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

When we listen to the Gospel, we frequently hear that Jesus performed signs, which are acts that reveal his special dedication to us and the salvation that he brings to the world. The Lord is presented as the One who gives meaning to our lives, freeing us from evil and sin.

By restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, Christ is doing more than merely performing miraculous deeds; he is proclaiming to all that the Kingdom of God is near. In this way, today’s Gospel (Mt 14:13–21) bears witness that Jesus not only restores the senses of those who lack them, but that he also fills our senses with good things. To the deaf man, who regains his hearing, the Lord proclaims the Good News to be heard; to the blind man, who regains his sight, he shows the magnificent work of redemption being accomplished for him. Similarly, Jesus gives food to those who are hungry. The account of the multiplication of the loaves shows us that the encounter with the Lord is a nourishing experience. In the desert, that is, when we are in need, Christ is the bread of life. With him, our needs are abundantly met: “All ate and were filled,” and there were “twelve baskets full” left over (v. 20). This number highlights that the Lord’s gift is universal, and that his providential care for us never fails.

Dear friends, Christ truly satisfies humanity’s hunger, our hunger for truth and life. His gesture teaches us that nothing is discarded when it is shared. Hoarding and waste, on the contrary, are two sides of the same evil: greed. This spiritual sickness numbs the senses, which become intoxicated with wealth, to the point of making people forget those who weep from hunger and cry out from thirst. And so, in the face of an opulence that reeks of decay, we find the outstretched hands of those who have no nourishment, the burned homes of those who have no peace.

Faced with the deserts of war and arrogance, let us consider with what kindness the Lord “looked up to heaven, and blessed,” “broke the loaves, and gave them” to his disciples, so that they might distribute them to the crowd (cf. v. 19). In this miracle of charity, we recognize the characteristic actions of Jesus, which find their culmination in the Last Supper, for it was then that the Son of God gave us his very life as our brother in humanity. As we savor the grace of the Eucharist, let us commit ourselves to bearing witness to its beauty in our daily actions, beginning with blessing meals at the table with family and friends. In Jesus’ company, even vacations can become a time of fraternal serenity, if we reach out to our neighbors in need.

Let us therefore ask the Virgin Mary, our loving Mother, to help us grow in charity, so that no one may lack their daily bread.

________________________

After the Angelus prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions may be found to bring peace, stability and justice.

Let us continue to pray for peace, that wars may cease throughout the world and diplomatic solutions to conflicts may be found.  Let us remember all the victims of hostilities, especially the weakest and most defenseless: children, the elderly and the sick.  May the Lord comfort those who suffer and bless the work of those who bring aid and consolation.

In these days the “Pardon of Assisi” is celebrated.  Saint Francis obtained this Indulgence from Pope Honorius III in 1216, having been inspired — while praying at the Porziuncola — by a vision of Jesus and Mary surrounded by angels.  Let us thank the Lord for this great gift and treasure it, especially in this eighth centenary year of the Transitus of the Poor Man of Assisi, who died at the Porziuncola on 3 October 1226.

I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various countries: in particular, the “Giovanissimi” from the parishes of Saccolongo and Creola (Padua), the young people from the parish of Saint John Bosco in Altamura, and the youth from the Pastoral Collaboration of Castelfranco Veneto, accompanied by their priests and leaders.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday!