Angelus: Encountering, following Jesus changes everything, pope says

Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
09/16/2024

VATICAN CITY/CNS — It is not enough to know about Jesus, one must encounter him, be changed by his Gospel and follow him, Pope Francis said.

"I can know many things about Jesus, but if I have not encountered him, I still do not know who Jesus is," the pope told visitors and pilgrims who joined him in St. Peter's Square Sept. 15 for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

"It takes this life-changing encounter; it changes one's way of being, one's way of thinking, it changes the relationships you have with your brothers and sisters, your willingness to accept and forgive, it changes the choices you make in life," he said.

In the day's Gospel reading from St. Mark, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"

Peter responds correctly, saying that he is the Christ, the pope said. However, Peter still has a "worldly" way of thinking that believes the Messiah must be strong and victorious, and can never suffer or die.

"So, the words with which Peter responds are 'right,' but his way of thinking has not changed," Pope Francis said. "He still has to change his mindset; he still has to convert."

This is the same message for all Catholics, who must ask themselves, "Who is Jesus for me?" he said. It is not enough to respond with something learned in catechism class, to know doctrine and to recite prayers correctly.

"In reality, to know the Lord, it is not enough to know something about him, but rather to follow him, to let oneself be touched and changed by his Gospel. It is a matter of having a relationship with him, an encounter," he said.

The faithful, he said, should be "bothered" by the questions and ask "who Jesus is for me, and what place does he occupy in my life? Do I follow Jesus only in word, continuing to have a worldly mentality, or do I set out to follow him, allowing the encounter with him to transform my life?"

"Everything changes if you have truly come to know Jesus!" the pope said.

After praying the Angelus in St. Peter's Square Sept. 15, the pope recalled the many conflicts occurring around the globe, including in Ukraine, Myanmar and the Middle East, noting the "many innocent victims" of war.

"I think of the mothers who have lost their children in war, how many young lives cut short!" he said. "I think of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, found dead in September, along with five other hostages in Gaza."

Born in Oakland, California, Goldberg-Polin, 23, was among dozens of people abducted by Hamas during its deadly attack on a music festival in Israel Oct. 7. Israeli forces found him dead with five other hostages in an underground tunnel in Gaza Aug. 31.

The pope recalled that he met Goldberg-Polin's mother during a meeting with relatives of the hostages in November 2023. "I met his mother Rachel, who impressed me with her humanity. I accompany her in this moment," he said. "May the conflict in Palestine and Israel cease! May the violence cease! May hatred cease! Let the hostages be released, let the negotiations continue and let peaceful solutions be found!"

Pope Francis had met with 12 relatives of hostages abducted by Hamas during a meeting at the Vatican Nov. 22, 2023. On the same day, he met separately with a delegation of 10 Palestinians who had family members caught in the fighting in Gaza.

"They are suffering so much," the pope said during his general audience after the meetings, "and I heard how they both suffer."

U.S. President Joe Biden called Goldberg-Polin's death "tragic and reprehensible" in an Aug. 31 statement, adding that the United States was "working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages."

Goldberg-Polin's parents had met regularly with U.S. officials in Washington, including the president, to press for the release of the hostages; they also spoke at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21 calling for a deal that releases the hostages and "ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza."

-