(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 12.07.2025).- Thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to pray the Angelus with the Pope at noon on Sunday, October 7. Below is the English translation of the Pope’s address preceding the prayer. Towards the end, the Holy Father made an extensive reference to his recent pastoral trip to Turkey and Lebanon (we have not translated that part):
****
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The Gospel for this second Sunday of Advent announces the coming of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 3:1-12). Before Jesus’s public ministry, John the Baptist, his precursor, appears on the scene. John preached in the desert of Judea saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Mt 3:1).
In the “Our Father” we pray each day: “Thy kingdom come”, as Jesus himself taught us. With this invocation we turn towards the new thing that God has in store for us, recognizing that the course of history is not already written by the powerful people of this world. Let us, then, put our thoughts and energy at the service of God who came not to reign over us, but rather to free us. This is the “gospel”, the truly good news that motivates and draws us in.
Certainly, in his preaching, the Baptist’s tone is severe. Nonetheless, the people listen attentively because they hear resounding in his words God’s plea to take life seriously, to take advantage of the present moment in order to prepare themselves for the encounter with him who judges, not by appearance, but by the deeds and intentions of the heart.
This same John will be surprised at the manner in which the Kingdom of God manifests itself in Jesus Christ, in meekness and in mercy. The prophet Isaiah compared Jesus to a sprout: an image not of power or destruction, but of birth and newness. Upon the shoot, which sprouts forth from a seemingly dead tree trunk, the Holy Spirit begins gently to blow its gifts (cf. Is 11:1-10). Each one of us can think of a similar surprise that has happened to us in life.
This, too, is what the Church experienced in the Second Vatican Council, which concluded exactly sixty years ago. It is an experience that is renewed when we journey together toward the Kingdom of God with everyone eager to welcome and serve it. When the Kingdom comes to fruition, not only will those things which seem weak or marginal bud forth, but even those things which humanly speaking would be impossible will also be brought to fulfillment. In the images given by the prophet: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them” (Is 11:6).
Sisters and brothers, how much the world needs this hope! Nothing is impossible to God. Let us prepare ourselves for his Kingdom, let us welcome it. The little child, Jesus of Nazareth, will lead us! He who placed himself in our hands, from the night of his birth to the dark hour of his death on the cross, shines upon our history as the rising Sun. A new day has begun: let us arise and walk in his light!
This is the spirituality of Advent, very luminous and concrete. The streetlights remind us that each of us can be a little light, if we welcome Jesus, the shoot of a new world. Let us learn how to do this from Mary, our Mother, a woman of hope who remains faithful in waiting.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
