Angelus, Pope Francis wishes young Taiwanese a ‘good journey’
At the end of the Marian prayer, the pontiff addressed young people in St Peter's Square, who participated in the recent WYD in Lisbon. He lamented again the latest tragedy involving migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, and called for peace in Cameroon and "tormented Ukraine". Citing the Gospel, he mentioned the presence of Jesus who "saves".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis addressed the crowd gathered today in St Peter's Square today for the Angelus. After the prayer, he greeted young pilgrims from Taiwan and wished them a “good journey”. He mentioned the tragedy of migrants who died in the Mediterranean and renewed his prayer for "tormented Ukraine”.
A few days ago, "another tragic shipwreck" occurred in the Mediterranean and "41 people lost their lives: I prayed for them,” Francis said. It is “with sorrow and shame that we must say that almost 2,000 women, men and children have already died in this sea since the start of the year”, trying to reach Europe.
For him, this is an "open wound" on our humanity; for this reason, he called on political leaders to "heal it with solidarity and brotherhood;” at the same time, he expressed encouragement to those who try "to prevent shipwrecks" to continue their work.
It is with special affection that the pontiff greeted young people from Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, and Italy who participated in WYD; he added that tomorrow, the eve of Mary Most Holy, "a pilgrimage will take place in Cameroon for peace."
"Let us join our brothers and sisters in Cameroon" in this "pilgrimage for dialogue" so that "concord and peace" can be achieved in that African country, as well as in the "tormented Ukraine", which "suffers so much" as a result of the ongoing war.
His last prayer was for the victims of recent fires in Maui, Hawaii.
Before the Angelus prayer, speaking about the episode in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus walks on the waters of the Sea of Galilee to meet his disciples who are making the crossing by boat, the pope said that “we do not grasp immediately” the “message behind the walking on the water”.
At that time, the vast waters were seen as “haunts of evil powers that man was not able to master,” Francis explained. " Particularly when storms made them turbulent, these abysses were symbols of chaos and reminded people of the darkness of the underworld.”
Once “in the middle of the lake when it was dark”, the disciples were “are afraid of sinking, of being sucked in by evil. And here comes Jesus, walking on the waters”, who tells them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid”.
Francis said as much to the young people at the recent WYD in Lisbon. This is the "sense of the sign: “By walking on the waters, He wants to say, “Do not be afraid. I have put your enemies under my feet – not people! – not that type of enemy, but death, sin, the devil – He tramples on these enemies for us.”
Speaking about the Gospel, the pope said that with Christ we are no longer alone "in the turbulent waters of life." Faced with fear, the disciples “call on and welcome Jesus”, expressing through prayer, “the certainty that the Lord can save us. [. . .] Let us repeat it too,” Francis said, “above all in ‘stormy’ moments – Lord, save me!”
Afterwards the disciples welcome Jesus on the boat, which is "the boat of our life" which often sails in a "turbulent" sea. " He does not spare us the hard work of sailing, rather [. . .] he pushes his disciples to depart. He invites us to face difficulties so they too might become salvific places”.
In concluding, the pope said, “may Mary, Star of the Sea, help us to seek the light of Jesus.”
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30/07/2023 14:46
