Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today the Gospel tells us about Jesus who sends his disciples on  mission (cf. Mk  6:7-13). He sends them “two by two”, and recommends something important: to take with them only what is necessary.

Let us pause a moment on this image: the disciples are sent together, and must take with them only what is necessary.

We do not proclaim the Gospel alone, no: it is proclaimed together, as a community, and in order to do so, it is important to know how to preserve sobriety: to know how to be sober in the use of things, sharing resources, capacities and gifts, and doing without the superfluous. Why? So as to be free — the superfluous enslaves you — and also so that we may all have what we need to live in a dignified way and contribute actively in the mission; and then to be sober in thoughts, to be sober in feelings, abandoning our preconceived ideas and abandoning the inflexibility that, like useless baggage, weighs us down and hinders the journey, fostering instead discussion and listening, thus making witness more effective.

Let us think, for example, about what happens in our families and our communities: when we are content with what is necessary, even with little, with God’s help we are able to go forward and get along, sharing what there is, everyone, renouncing something and supporting one another (cf. Acts  4:32-35). And this is already a missionary proclamation, before and even more than words, because it embodies the beauty of Jesus’ message in the tangibility of life. Indeed, a family or a community that lives this way creates an environment rich in love around itself, in which it is easier to open oneself to faith and the newness of the Gospel, and from which one starts out better, one starts out more serene.

If, on the other hand, everyone goes his or her way, if only material things matter — which are never enough — if one does not listen, if individualism and envy prevail — envy is something lethal, a poison! —  the air becomes heavy, life becomes difficult, and encounters become occasions of restlessness, sadness and discouragement, rather than occasions of joy (cf. Mt  19:22).

Dear brothers and sisters, communion  and sobriety  are important values for our Christian life: communion, harmony among us, and sobriety are important values, indispensable values for a Church that is missionary at all levels.

We can ask ourselves, then: do I taste the pleasure of proclaiming the Gospel, of bringing, where I live, the joy and light that come from an encounter with the Lord? And in order to do this, do I commit myself to walking together with others, sharing ideas and skills with them, with an open mind and with a generous heart? And finally: do I know how to cultivate a lifestyle that is sober, a lifestyle that is attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters? They are questions that it is good to ask ourselves.

May Mary, Queen of Apostles, help us to be true missionary disciples, in communion  and sobriety of life. In communion, in harmony among us and in the sobriety of life.

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After praying the Angelus the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters, I greet you, people of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and many countries. In particular, I greet the participants in the International Congress of laypeople of the Order of Saint Augustine; I greet the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who are celebrating their General Chapter; I greet the young people of the parish of Luson, Alto Adige, who have travelled the Via Francigena; the Mediterranean Youth Council, who are inspired by the message of the Venerable Giorgio La Pira; and the young people participating in the International Course for formators of the Regnum Christi.

I send my greeting to the Polish faithful gathered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa, on the occasion of the annual pilgrimage of the Radio Maria  family.

On Sea Sunday, let us pray for those who work in the maritime sector and for those who take care of them.

May the Mother of God, whom we celebrate the day after tomorrow as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, comfort and obtain peace for all peoples who are oppressed by the horror of war. Please, let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and Myanmar.

I greet the young people of the Immacolata.

I wish you all a happy Sunday. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!