Pope appeals for the Holy Land, "building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a torment"
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Building peace is
difficult, but living without peace is a torment": this is the appeal for
"courageous decisions for reconciliation and peace" that Pope Francis
addressed "to the parties involved" in the conflict in the Holy Land the
day after the
massacre carried out in Jerusalem Kehilat Yaakov synagogue, part of an "alarming
increase in tension in Jerusalem and other places in the Holy Land, with unacceptable
episodes of violence that have not even spared places of worship" . "I
assure you - he continued - a special prayer for all the victims of this tragic
situation and those suffering the consequences".
The Pope's appeal came at the end of a general audience dedicated, once again, to
the Church and centered on the "universal call to holiness" which
concerns not only the consecrated persons, but is a "gift" offered to
all Christians, towards which we journey with "small steps", in everyday
life, "each under the conditions and in the state of life in which we find
ourselves".
After touring among the 20 thousand people in St. Peter's Square, as is
tradition, the Pope recalled that "holiness is not something
that we can procure for ourselves
or obtain with our quality
and our skills. Holiness
is gifted to us by the Lord Jesus,
when He takes us up with Him and
clothes us in Himself, making us like Him. In the Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says that "Christ loved
the Church, and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy"(Eph 5.25 to 26). There, holiness truly is the most beautiful face of the Church, the most beautiful face:
it is
rediscovering ourselves in communion
with God, in the fullness of His
life and His love. It is
understandable, then, that
holiness is not the prerogative of
only a few: holiness is a gift that is offered to all, without exception, so that
it constitutes the distinctive character of every Christian".
"All of this helps us - he continued - to realize that the call to holiness is not just for bishops, priests or religious ... No. We are all called to become saints! So often, we are tempted to think that holiness is granted only to those who have the opportunity to break away from the ordinary tasks, to devote themselves to prayer. But it is not so! Some people think that holiness is closing your eyes and putting on a pious face, ... No! That is not holiness! Holiness is something greater, more profound that God gifts us. Indeed, it is by living with love and offering Christian witness in our daily tasks that we are called to become saints. And everyone in the particular condition and state of life in which they find themselves. Are you consecrated? Be holy living your gift and your ministry with joy. Are you married? Be holy loving and taking care of your husband or your wife, as Christ did with the Church. Are you a baptized person who is not married? Be holy performing your work with honesty and competence and giving time to the service of others. "But, father, I work in a factory ... I work as an accountant, always with the numbers, I cannot be a saint there ..." - "Yes, you can! There, where you work you can become a saint. God gives you the grace to become a saint. God communicates with you". Always and everywhere you can become a saint, that is, by being receptive to the grace that is working in us and leads us to holiness. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by passionately teaching your children or grandchildren to know and follow Jesus. And this takes a lot of patience, to be a good parent, a good grandfather, a good mother, a good grandmother, it takes a lot of patience and this patience is the holiness exercising patience. Are you catechist, educator or volunteer? Be holy by becoming visible sign of God's love and His presence beside us. This is it: every state of life leads to holiness, always! At home, on the streets, at work, at church, in the moment and with the state of life that you have, a door is opened on the road to sainthood. Do not be discouraged to travel this road. God gives you the grace to do so. And this is all that the Lord asks, is that we are in communion with Him and serve others. If lived in communion with the Lord and in the service of others".
"At this point, each of us can examine our conscience, we can do it now, everyone answering for himself, inside, in silence, so far how have we responded to God's call to holiness? But I want to improve, to be a better Christian? This is the path to holiness. When the Lord calls us to be saints, he does not call us to something hard or sad ... Not at all! It is an invitation to share His joy, to live and offer every moment of our lives with joy, at the same time making it a gift of love for the people around us. If we understand this, everything changes and takes on a new meaning, a beautiful meaning, to begin with the little everyday things. An example. A lady goes to the market to shop and meets another neighbor and starts talking and then comes the gossip and this lady says, "No, no, no I will not gossip about anyone". That's one step towards holiness, this helps you to become more holy. Then, at home, your son asks you to talk to him about his fantasies: "Oh, I'm so tired, I worked so hard today ..." - "But sit down and listen to your son, he needs this". And you sit, you listen with patience ... This is a step towards holiness. Then at end the day, we are all tired, but prayer ... We must pray! That's one way to holiness. Then Sunday comes and you go to Mass and to take communion, at times, a good confession that cleans us up a little '. This is a step towards holiness. Then, Our Lady, so good, so beautiful, I take up the Rosary and pray. This is a step towards holiness. And so many steps towards holiness little ones ... Then I go down the street, I see a poor person, someone in needy, I ask him, give him something, another step towards holiness. Small things are small steps toward holiness. And every step towards holiness will make us better people, free from selfishness and being closed in on ourselves, and open us up to our brothers and sisters and their needs".
The Pope concluded, "in the First Letter of Saint Peter we hear this exhortation:"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, (4.10 to 11). Here is the call to holiness! Accept it with joy, and let us support one another, because we do not travel the path to holiness by ourselves, no, each on their own, but together, that one body which is the Church, loved and made holy by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us go forward with courage, on this path towards holiness".
Finally, in his greeting to Italian pilgrims present the Pope called on the "young professionals, businesspeople and entrepreneurs participating in the conference sponsored by the World Economic Forum in partnership with the Pontifical Universities in Rome, to promote ways and attitudes that help to overcome social and economic exclusion. I hope that the initiative will help to foster a new mindset where money is not considered an idol to be served, but a means to pursue the common good".
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