Pope Francis during the General Audience of Wednesday 6th of May 2015

PHOTO.VA - OSSERVATORE ROMANO

Pope Tells 'What Pleases God Most' at General Audience

Reflecting on ‘God’s Joy’ of Pardoning, Francis, Off the Cuff, Urges Faithful to Do a Simple Prayer Daily

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Mercy, Pope Francis says, “is what pleases God most,” which is why it must be lived out in our lives and be visible in the Church.

The Holy Father stressed this during his General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square, noting, “This Jubilee is a privileged moment because the Church learns to choose that which God likes the most,” namely mercy. 
 
Francis began today’s address recalling that yesterday, the Jubilee Year of Mercy was inaugurated with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica,  and stressing that this year invites the Church to be a convincing witness to Christ’s mercy.

God’s joy

This merciful witness, Pope Francis stressed, is needed to “triumph over sin” and bring “true freedom.” At the very heart of the Gospel, Francis reflected, is God’s mercy, which is made present in our midst, through His Son’s incarnation. 
 
“The joy of God,” the Holy Father noted, “is in pardoning.” The call for mercy, Francis stressed, is more urgent than ever before, especially in society, institutions, the workplace, and in the family.

 
“In today’s world,” The Holy Father lamented, “mercy and forgiveness often appear overwhelmed by self interest, hedonism, and venality,” while in the Christian life “they can be stifled by hypocrisy and worldliness”
 
The reason why this Holy Year is so important, he pointed out, is that forgetting God’s mercy “blinds us from seeing what the sin really is.”
 
“The Church needs this extraordinary moment,” the Pope reflected, underscoring that contemplating Divine Mercy can make us become more effective Christian witnesses.

Some advice

Moreover, the Pope, off the cuff, gave those gathered some advice. Stressing we must admit we are sinners, he urged those gathered to say, ‘Lord, I am a sinner, come with your mercy.’
 
“It is a prayer to repeat every day,” he said.
 
Pope Francis concluded, praying that the Lord makes us ever more aware of His mercy at work in our lives and ever more effective in testifying to its transforming power in the world. During his address to English speakers, the Pontiff gave a special greeting to the international team of the space program ‘Galileo,’ and during his address to Italians, he recalled that yesterday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and prayed that Mary intercedes for a Holy Year rich with many fruits.

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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