Pray and hope in Jesus : these are the virtues indicated by Francis "leaving time for hope and the intervention of the Lord." The Christian " is able to live in the moment , but should not be mistaken in thinking he is the master of what is instead of God."

Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - Man may "believe he is in control of the moment, but is mistaken if he thinks he is master of time . Time is not ours, time belongs to God. Praying to know how to chose the right path and hoping in Jesus as we wait for the end of time: these are the virtues that leave space for hope and the intervention of the Lord", said Pope Francis during his homily delivered during the usual Mass in the chapel of Santa Marta.

The Pope,  reports Vatican Radio, gave two pieces of advice to understand the flow of the present and prepare for the end of time : first, rely on prayer and then have hope. "Prayer and discernment - he said - help decipher the individual moments of life and guide them to God. Hope is the long-range beacon that illuminates the final destination, that of a single life together and the end of time".

Today's Gospel speaks of Jesus in the Temple who explains to the faithful what will happen before the end of humanity and invites them to believe in God without falling into despair. Commenting on this, Francis says : "On this path towards the end of our journey, the Lord advises each of us , and also of all humanity , two things, two things that are different, they are different according to how we live , because it is one thing to live in the moment and another thing to live in time".

The Christian he explains, "is a man or a woman who knows how to live in the moment and who knows how to live in time. The moment is what we have in hand right now, this is not time , this passes ! Maybe we believe ourselves masters of the moment, but the deception is believing ourselves masters of time : time is not ours, it is God's.  The moment is in our hands and we are free to do with it what we will. What's more: we can become rulers of the moment, but there is really only one ruler of time, one Lord , Jesus Christ. " .

So, the Pope warns quoting the words of Jesus , "Do not be fooled by the moment" , because there will be those who will take advantage of the confusion to present himself as Christ. He pointed out: "To know the true signs, to know the path to take in this moment you need the gift of discernment and prayer to get it right . Instead the ability to recognize and wait for the time, of which only the Lord is the master , Jesus Christ, is not ours by human virtue. The virtue to look at the time must be given, gifted by the Lord and it is hope ! Prayer and discernment for the moment , hope for time".

" And so - he concluded - the Christian moves in this way , moment and time ,  prayer and discernment, leaving space for hope. Christians know to wait for the Lord at all times, but hope in the Lord to the end of time . Men and women of the moment and of time: prayer and discernment , and hope. Give us the grace to walk with the Lord's wisdom, that is a gift from Him: that the the wisdom of the moment leads us to pray and discern . And over time , that is the messenger of God , helps us live with hope. "

 

 

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