Pope gifts “pocket” Gospel: "carry it with you, and read it every day: it is Jesus speaking to you!"
Vatican City ( AsiaNews ) - Christ's
"persistent" call "to us to come out of the darkness of the prison
in which we are confined, not to be content with a life of falsity, selfishness,
mediocrity"; commemorating Rwandan genocide and Aquila earthquake and
the gift of tens of thousands of copies of a "pocket" Gospel, were the
main moments of today's Angelus with Pope Francis.
Speaking
to the 60 thousand people in a sunny St. Peter's Square, the Pope commented on today's
Gospel on the resurrection of Lazarus. He
said it should urge us "to leave behind the tomb of our sins" to make
room for a "new life" to which Jesus calls us. He also invited those present to read the
Gospel and to always carry it with them, gifting those who were in the square a
pocket sized copy.
"In the past few Sundays - said Francis - I suggested to get a little Gospel, to carry with you during the day and to read it often. Then I thought back to the ancient tradition of the Church, during Lent, to gift the Gospel to catechumens, those preparing for baptism. So today I want to offer to those of you who are in the Square - but as a sign for everyone - a pocket Gospel. There will be freely distributed. There are distribution points around the square. Go up and take the Gospel. Take it, carry it with you, and read it every day: it is Jesus who is speaking to you and as He would say: freely you have received, freely give! Give the message of the Gospel to others. Some maybe do not believe that it is free, but father, how much should I pay? Well then, in exchange for this gift, make a charitable donation, an act of selfless love. A prayer for your enemies, an act of reconciliation, something. Nowadays you can read the Gospel with many technological tools. You can carry the whole Bible on a mobile phone, a tablet. The important thing is to read the Word of God, by any means, and welcome it with an open heart. Then the good seed bears fruit".
The Pope's words were followed by the distribution of the booklets by 150 scouts, youth of the Roman Seminary, Sisters of Mother Teresa and other religious. The pocket-sized booklet, printed by the Vatican Press (in a special edition for this occasion, and not for sale), contains the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. It opens with the quotation of the words of Pope Francis in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium: "The joy of the Gospel fills the heart and the life of those who encounter Jesus; on the inside back cover there are instructions on how to recite the "Chaplet of Mercy" and it ends, with the prayer of Blessed Cardinal John H. Newman, "Dear Jesus .." which Mother Teresa of Calcutta recommended to her sisters, to pray every day.
"The Gospel of this Fifth Sunday of Lent - the Pope had said in his comments before the angelus - speak of the resurrection of Lazarus. It is the culmination of the miraculous "signs" that Jesus performed: too great and too clearly divine a gesture to be tolerated by the chief priests, which , on hearing of the fact, take the decision to kill Jesus. Lazarus had been dead for three days, when Jesus came, and speaking to the sisters Martha and Mary He said words that would remain etched forever in the memory of the Christian community : "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die". We believe the Word of the Lord that the life of those who believe in Jesus and follow his command, after death will be transformed into a new, full and immortal life. As Jesus was resurrected with his body, but did not return to earthly life, so we will be resurrected with our bodies that will be transformed into glorious bodies. He is waiting for us at the right hand of the Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit, who raised him, will resurrect even those who are united to Him".
"Before the sealed tomb of his friend, Jesus" cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth". The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bandages, and his face wrapped in a shroud". This mandatory cry is addressed to all men, because we are all marked by death, all of us; it is the voice of the One who is the master of life and wants everyone to "have life in abundance". Christ is not resigned to the tombs that we have built with our choices of evil and death, with our mistakes, with our sins. He invites us, to come forth from the tombs of our sins. He insistently calls us out of the darkness of the prison in which we have confined ourselves, content with a life of falsehood, selfishness, and mediocrity. "Come out!", he says, come on out. It is an invitation for us all to true freedom. Let us grasp these words that Jesus says to each of us today. Let us be free from the "bonds" of pride. Because pride makes us slaves. Our resurrection begins here: when we decide to obey the command of Jesus, coming to light, to life; when the shrouds fall from our faces. We are often shrouded in sin, the shrouds must fall! We must find the courage of our original face, created in the image and likeness of God".
"The act of Jesus raising Lazarus shows how much the power of God's grace can obtain, and thus our conversion, our change: listen well, there is no limit to God's mercy which is offered to everyone! Remember well this sentence, we can all say it, Let's say it together. The Lord is always ready to raise the tombstone of our sins, which separates us from Him, the light of the living".
Following the Angelus the Pope's thoughts turned to Rwanda and Aquila. "Tomorrow in Rwanda, the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994 will be held. On this occasion I would like to express my paternal closeness to the people of Rwanda, encouraging them to continue the process of reconciliation that has already manifested its fruits with determination and hope, as well as their commitment to the human and spiritual reconstruction of the country. To all I say: Do not be afraid! On the rock of the Gospel build your society, in love and harmony, which is the only way to create a lasting peace! I invoke upon all the beloved nation of Rwanda the maternal protection of Our Lady of Kibeho. I remember with affection the Rwandan bishops who were here last week".
"Exactly five years have
passed- he then said - since the
earthquake that struck Aquila and the surrounding area . At this time we want
to join a community that has suffered so much, who are still suffering,
struggling, and hoping, with a lot of trust in God and
Our Lady. We pray for all the victims: May they live forever in God's peace. And
we pray for the journey of resurrection of the people of Aquila: May spiritual solidarity
and rebirth be the strength of the material reconstruction".
"We
also pray - he concluded - for the victims of the Ebola virus that has
developed in Guinea and neighboring countries. May Our Lord support the efforts
to combat this epidemic and to ensure early care and assistance to all in need".
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