Pope Francis at the Angelus: God is not stingy! When he gives, he gives in abundance

During the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis highlighted that God responds with superabundance to human shortcomings, stating that “Jesus is the Bridegroom who brings the ‘new wine’ into our lives.”

“How does God respond to man’s shortcomings? With superabundance (cf. Rom 5,20). God is not stingy! When he gives, he gives in abundance. It doesn’t give a little, it gives a lot. To our shortcomings, the Lord responds with His superabundance.” the Pope stressed this January 19 before some 20,000 pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

The Pontiff focused his reflection on the Gospel of John (2:1-11), which tells how Jesus transformed water into wine at the wedding at Cana. This episode, he explained, “anticipates and synthesizes the entire mission of Jesus,” who, like the Bridegroom announced by the prophets, brings the “new wine,” a symbol of joy and hope.

Two keys to today’s Gospel: lack and superabundance

When commenting on the miracle, Pope Francis highlighted two essential aspects: lack and overabundance. On the one hand, the wine is missing and the Virgin Mary intervenes saying: “They have no wine”; On the other hand, Jesus acts, filling six large jars with “exquisite and abundant wine.”

This gesture, stated the Pontiff, illustrates how the Lord responds with overflowing generosity to human limitations. He also cited Benedict XVI, who in his book Jesus of Nazareth He defined this miracle as a divine sign: “To human lack, God responds with superabundance.”

Francis also applied this message to daily life, remembering that many times “at the banquet of our lives we feel that we lack wine: we lack strength, hope or joy. But it is precisely in these shortcomings where the superabundance of the Lord is manifested most strongly.” He emphasized that God wants to celebrate with us “a party that will never end.”

Finally, the Pope asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary: “Let us then pray to the Virgin Mary. May she, who is the ‘Woman of the New Wine’, intercede for us and, in this jubilee year, help us rediscover the joy of encountering Jesus.”