The act of Jesus by which He raised Lazarus from the dead demonstrates the end to which the power of the Grace of God can arrive, and the end, therefore to which our conversion - our change - can arrive. But listen well: there is no other limit to the divine mercy offered to all! There is no other limit to the divine mercy offered to all! Remember this phrase. And we can all say it together: “There is no other limit to the divine mercy offered to all!” Let us say it together: “There is no other limit to the divine mercy offered to all!”
Pope Francis then recalled the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, the 5th anniversary of the terrible earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy and the current tragedy of Ebola fever in Guinea and surrounding countries, leading the people in intercessory prayer.
Finally, the Pope had a surprise for the people gathered in St. Peter's Plaza. He handed out free Bibles! More precisely, volunteers distributed small pocket editions of the four Gospels. The Pope said:
And now I want to make a simple gesture for you. Last Sunday I suggested that all of you should obtain a little book of the Gospels, to carry with you during the day, that can be read often. And then I thought about the ancient tradition of the Church, of giving a book of the Gospels, during Lent, to the catechumens, to those preparing for Baptism. So today I want to offer to you who are here in the Piazza — but as a sign for everyone — a pocket Gospel book. It is distributed to you free of charge. There are places in the Piazza for the distribution… I see them there… there… there… there, there, there. Go to these places and take the Gospel. Take it, carry it with you, and read it every day: it is Jesus Himself Who is speaking to you. It is the Word of Jesus: this is the Word of Jesus.
And as Jesus said, I say too: “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give!” Give the message of the Gospel! Today you can read the Gospel on so many technological devices. You can take the whole Bible with you on a phone, on a tablet. Do it! The important thing is to read the Word of God, by any means, but read the Word of God!
I wish you a happy Sunday, and a ‘buon pranzo!’ Arrivederci!