By asking to be baptized with other penitents in the Jordan River, Jesus placed himself among those who recognized themselves as sinners, Pope Francis said.
Despite the protests of John the Baptist, Jesus insisted on being baptized as "an act of obedience to
The purpose of crying out to the Lord in prayer is not to get used to suffering, but to remember that God, and not humankind, is the only source of salvation and consolation, Pope Francis said.
Prayer isn't about closing oneself in a room with God "to put makeup on your soul -- that's not prayer, that's fake praying; to pray is to face God and allow yourself to be sent by him to help a brother or
In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, the world must aspire to be better and not return to its previous "sickened" normality of injustice, inequality and environmental degradation, Pope Francis said.
"The normality we are called to is that of the kingdom of
Human beings must change their relationship with nature and view it not as an "object for unscrupulous use and abuse" but as a gift they are charged by God to care for and protect, Pope Francis said.
The pleasure of seeing other people face to face and not "screen to screen" as COVID-19 restrictions ease clearly demonstrates that people are social beings and need one another, Pope Francis said.
After six months of livestreamed general audiences, more than 600 people