Pope general audience of Dec 11

December 11, 2013 - Pope Francis held his weekly general audience on Wednesday, where he delivered a catechesis on “life everlasting”. The public meeting is an opportunity for pilgrims and tourists visiting Rome to see and hear the Pope, and also receive his blessing. The general audience of Dec. 11 was held in the open, in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square. It began with aides reading a passage from the First Letter of St. John, in several languages.
Listen:

Basing himself on the scripture passage, Pope Francis delivered his main discourse in Italian - summaries of which were read out by aides in various languages, including in English. But first, the aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking pilgrims.

Listen:
… Dear Brothers and Sisters, in our catechesis on the Creed, we now turn to the final article: “I believe in… life everlasting”. At Christ’s coming in glory as judge of the living and the dead, we will be held accountable before God for the good we have done or failed to do in this life. We tend to regard this final judgment with a certain trepidation, yet the Church invites us to see it as a source of consolation and joyful hope. The early Christians celebrated this hope using the expression Maranatha to invoke Christ’s return and the beginning of the great wedding feast of a humanity reconciled with God. At our judgement we will not be alone, for Jesus, our advocate with the Father, will be at our side, together with all the saints. For, as he tells us, the Son was sent into the world in order to save it, and those who believe in him will not be condemned. God’s judgement takes place in our lives each day, by the way in which we respond to Christ’s teaching and imitate him in serving our brothers and sisters. Let us prepare, then, to meet our judge with confidence and joyful trust in his promises.

Pope Francis then greeted the English-speaking pilgrims in Italian.

Listen:
… I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace! (BLESSING)