Pope in Genoa: Jesus has tasked every Christian to "go out" and proclaim the Gospel to the World

70 thousand attend the Mass celebrated by Francis in Genoa. In the Ascension Jesus "connects" heaven and earth. "As Jesus always intercedes for us with the Father, so we His disciples never tire of praying." "Christian prayer is not a way to be a little more at peace with oneself or to find some inner harmony; We pray to bring everything to God, to entrust Him with the world: prayer is intercession. It is not peace, it is charity. "

Genoa (AsiaNews) - "As Jesus always intercedes for us with the Father, so let us his disciples never tire of praying to bring the earth to heaven," to bring people and situations to God and to carry on the task that every Christian has been given by Jesus: to "go out" and proclaim the Gospel to the world.

Pope Francis' last appointment on his one day visit to Genoa, the celebration of Mass in Kennedy Square was an occasion to reflect on the Ascension, Jesus' "power" of "connecting heaven and earth," and on the mandate left to the apostles and to all his disciples to announce the Gospel.

The Pope arrived at Kennedy Square after a visit to the Pediatric Hospital "Giannina Gaslini" during which he encouraged those who work their to always act "driven by charity, often thinking of the good Samaritan of the Gospel: paying attention to the needs of your little patients, bowing tenderly on their fragility, and seeing in them the Lord. Whoever serves the sick with love serves Jesus who opens the path to the Kingdom of Heaven. "

There was also a delegation of detainees in the large square facing the sea among the 70,000, some of whom Francis wished to at lunchtime in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Guard.

Jesus, the Pope observed, "says that it is not for disciples to know" the times or moments the Father has reserved for His power," but he promises them "the power of the Holy Ghost "(Acts 1: 7-8). St. Paul speaks of "the extraordinary greatness of His power toward us" and "the effectiveness of His strength" (Eph 1:19). But what is this force, this power of God? Jesus states that it is a power "in heaven and on earth." It is first and foremost the power to connect heaven and earth. Today we celebrate this mystery because when Jesus ascended to the Father, our human flesh has crossed the threshold of heaven: our humanity is there, in God, forever. There lies our trust, for God will never be cut off from man. And it is our consolation to know that in God, with Jesus, a place is prepared for each of us: The fate of resurrected children awaits us and for this reason it is really worth living here by looking for things up there where our Lord is found (cf. Col 3,1-2). This is what Jesus did, with his power to connect the earth to heaven with us. "

Jesus is truly our intercessor

"But his power is not over when he ascended into heaven. It continues today and lasts forever. In fact, just before going to the Father, Jesus said: "I am with you every day until the end of the world" (Mt 28:20). It's not just a saying, a simple reassurance, like a friend taking leave before a long trip: 'I'll think about it.' No, Jesus is truly with us and for us: in Heaven he always shows his humanity to the Father, our humanity, he shows his sorrows, the price he has paid for us and so "he is always alive to intercede" (Heb 7, 25) in our favor. Here is the key word of Jesus' power: intercession. Jesus, intervenes every day, every moment for us with the Father. " "He is our 'advocate' (cf. 1 John 2: 1), and when we have some 'important cause', we do well to entrust it to him, saying: 'Lord Jesus, intercede for me, for us, for that person, situation…'".

"Jesus also gave this ability to intercede to us, to his Church, which has the power and also the duty to intercede, to pray for all." "The world needs it. We need it. In our days we rush and work hard, we commit ourselves to many things; But we are likely to get tired and tired in the evening, like a ship loaded with goods that after a tiring journey comes into the harbor with the desire to only moor and turn off the lights. Always living in a rush and with so many things to do, we can lose ourselves, lock ourselves in and become uneasy about nothing. To avoid falling prey to this 'sickness of life', let us remember each day to 'cast the anchor in God': Let us entrust the burdens we carry, the people and the situations, everything to Him. This is the power of prayer that connects heaven and earth, which allows God to enter our time. "

"Christian prayer is not a way to be a little more at peace with oneself or to find some inner harmony; We pray to bring everything to God, to entrust Him with the world: prayer is intercession. It is not peace, it is charity. It is to ask, seek, knock (see Mt 7,7). It is to play in intercession, insisting with God for each other (cf. At 1:14). Intercede without tiring: It is our first responsibility, because prayer is the force that drives the world forward. It is our mission, a mission that at the same time takes effort and gives peace. Here is our power: do not moan or cry out loud, according to the logic of this world, but exercise the mild force of prayer, with which you can also stop wars and obtain peace. As Jesus always intercedes for us with the Father, so let us, his disciples, never tire of praying to bring the earth to heaven. "

Jesus sends us out in spite of our shortcomings

"After intercession, a second key word revealing Jesus' power emerges from the Gospel of today: proclamation. The Lord sends His people to proclaim HIm with the only power of the Holy Ghost: "Go therefore and make disciples of all peoples" (Mt 28,19). It is an act of extreme trust: Jesus trusts us, believes in us more than we believe in ourselves! He sends us in spite of our shortcomings; He knows that we will never be perfect and that, if we look forward to becoming better to evangelize, we will never begin. But for Jesus it is important that we immediately overcome a great imperfection: closure. Because the Gospel can not be locked up and sealed, because God's love is dynamic and wants to reach everyone. To proclaim, then, you have to go, get out of yourself. With the Lord you can not be quiet, comfortable in your own world or nostalgic memories of the past; With Him it is forbidden to sit back in our self aquired certainties. For Jesus, certainty means going out, with confidence: there is his strength. Because the Lord does not appreciate comforts and certainties, but the uncomfortable and constantly uncertain. He takes us out of ourselves, frees us from the temptation to content ourselves when we believe ourselves to be well and we have everything under control. "Go," Jesus also tells us today that in Baptism he gave each of us the power of proclamation. Therefore going out into the world with the Lord belongs to the Christian identity. It's not just for priests, sisters, consecrated people. It is for all Christians. The Christian is not standing still, but on the road: with the Lord to others. But the Christian is not a fast-paced runner or a conqueror who has to get ahead of others. He is a pilgrim, a missionary, a "hopeful marathon runner": mild but determined to walk; Confident and at the same time active; Creative but always respectful; Enterprising and open; Laborious and solidal. With this style we walk the streets of the world! Like the disciples at teh beginning our places of proclamation are the roads of the world: it is above all there that the Lord expects to be known today. Like the origins, he wants the announcement to be brought not with our own, but with His strength: not with the strength of the world, but with the clear and gentle strength of joyful testimony. This is urgent. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to not fossilize ourselves in non-central issues, but to fully devote ourselves to the urgency of the mission. Let us leave others to talk and and hold the fake debates of those who list only themselves, and instead work concretely for the common good and peace; Let us enter into the game with courage, convinced that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. At 20:35). The Risen and living Lord, who always intercedes for us, is the strength of our going out, the courage of our journey."

At the end of the celebration, the Pope returned to Rome.