Pope Francis: Sunday Angelus " “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful in St Peter’s Square this Sunday. Bright sunshine and unseasonable warmth in the air encouraged 50 thousand people to gather beneath the window to the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Ahead of the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, they heard the Holy Father speak of the day’s Gospel reading, taken from that according to St. Matthew (5:17-37).

In that Gospel reading, Our Lord is delivering his Sermon on the Mount – specifically, the part of the sermon in which Jesus addresses the question of His relationship to the Law of Moses. “Jesus does not want to erase the commandments that the Lord gave through Moses,” explained Pope Francis. “Rather,” he continued, “He desires to bring them to their fulfilment – and He immediately adds that this ‘fulfillment’ of the Law requires a higher justice, a more authentic observance.

The Holy Father went on to note the words of Jesus to His disciples: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The Pope explained that Jesus does not give importance to rote observance and outward conduct. “He goes to the root of the law, focusing above all on the intention and therefore on the human heart,” which is the source of our actions for good and for evil. Pope Francis said that profound motivations, the expression of a hidden wisdom, of God’s wisdom, are needed in order for us to act well – not merely good rules and legal norms. “The Wisdom of God,” he said, “can be received through the Holy Spirit: and we, through faith in Christ, open ourselves to the action of the Spirit, which enables us to live God's love.”

The Holy Father concluded, saying, “In light of this teaching of Christ, every precept reveals its full meaning as a requirement of love, and all [precepts] come together in the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.”

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Pope Francis on visit to Roman parish of San Tommaso Apostolo

(Vatican Radio) This Sunday, Pope Francis is visiting the parish of San Tommaso in the Roman neighbourhood of Infernetto. The visit began at roughly 4PM Rome Time, with the Holy Father being welcomed by thousands of faithful. Located on the outskirts of the city near the ancient port of Ostia, the parish territory is home to some 20 thousand people. The parish services include an “Oratory” or playground for young people, a Caritas outreach, regular blood donation drives, a Center for the Elderly, and the San Tommaso Association that is tasked with marshalling resources for the neighbourhood’s needy and for the support of missionary efforts in other parts of the world.

Pope Francis is scheduled to say Mass at 6PM in the recently completed and dedicated parish church, after hearing the confessions of a number of penitents. The occasion of the visit is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the parish, dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle. Between his arrival and the celebration of Mass, the scheduled of the Holy Father's visit also includes a meeting with the children and young people making their First Communion and Confirmation, an exchange of greetings with the parish faithful in the courtyard in front of the church, some time with children baptized in recent months and with their parents, with the elderly, the sick, and with the Parish-sponsored association of families with disabled children.

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of the Vatican Radio website