Pope in Peru: before the 'storms' of life, always trust in Jesus

Francis in Trujillo, the second city of the country, hit last year by floods due to the "Niño costiero". "There are things, as you well know, that can not be improvised and much less are bought. The soul of a community is measured by how it manages to come together to face times of difficulty and adversity, in order to keep hope alive".

Lima (AsiaNews) - Floods, crime, lack of educational and work opportunities and other "storms" that can affect a community find the answer in the Gospel, in Jesus that " makes us a believing community able to sustain itself; a community that hopes and therefore struggles to reverse and transform every adversity; a community that loves, because it will not let us fold our arms". Pope Francis is in Trujillo, the second most important city of Peru, on the northern coast, known for the beauty of its historical colonial center, considered the center of Peruvian life and victim, last year of a series of floods caused of the "Niño costiero" .

Francis, on leaving from Lima today travelled the same route to the airport along which, yesterday, he had to change the car in which he was traveling due to a punctured tyre.

In Trujillo, in the Huanchaco esplanade, where the Pope celebrated mass, there werealmost 400 thousand people (in the picture). From here, after the celebration, Francis travels to the "Buenos Aires" district, flooded last year.

Precisely the different "storms" that struck the city were the starting point of the homily of the Pope who called on the people to preserve hope and faith "in what matters".

" Like the apostles, you know the power of nature, you have experienced its force. Just as the apostles faced the storm on the sea, you had to face the brunt of the “Niño costero” whose painful consequences are still present in so many families, especially those who are not yet able to rebuild their homes. This is also why I wanted to be here and to pray with you.

We also bring to this Eucharistic celebration that difficult moment that questions our faith and often causes it to waver. We want to unite ourselves to Jesus. He knows our pain and our trials; he endured the greatest of sufferings in order to accompany us in our own trials. The crucified Jesus wants to be close to us in every painful situation, to give us a hand and to help lift us up”

" These times of being “buffeted” call into question and challenge our strength of spirit and our deepest convictions” – he said – “They make us realize how important it is to stand united, not alone, and to be filled with that unity which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit”.

The Pope then took a cue from the parable of the maidens who await their bridegroom (Mt 25.1-13). " Some of them realized that they did not have sufficient oil to make their way in the darkness, while others filled their lamps and could see and follow the path that led to the bridegroom. At the appointed time, each of them showed what they had filled their life with.

The same thing happens to us. There are times when we realize what we have filled our lives with. How important it is to fill our lives with the oil that lets us light our lamps in situations of darkness and to find the paths to move forward!”.

Evangelical solidarity in adversity

"I know that, in the time of darkness, when you felt the brunt of the Niño, these lands kept moving forward; you had the oil needed to go out to help one another like true brothers and sisters. You had the oil of solidarity and generosity that stirred you to action, and you went out to meet the Lord with countless concrete gestures of support. In the midst of darkness, you, together with so many others, were like living candles that lighted up the path with open hands, ready to help soothe the pain and share what you had, from your poverty, with others".

" There are things, as you well know, that cannot be improvised, much less be bought. The soul of a community is measured by how it manages to come together to face times of difficulty and adversity, in order to keep hope alive. By doing so, they give the greatest witness to the Gospel: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). For faith opens us to a love that is concrete, practical, generous and compassionate, a love that can build and rebuild hope when it seems that all is lost. In this way, we share in God’s own work, which the apostle John describes in showing us a God who wipes the tears of his children. God carries out this divine work with the same tender love that a mother has when she dries the tears of her children. What a beautiful question the Lord will ask us: how many tears did you dry today?

Other “storms” can hit these coasts, with devastating effects on the lives of the children of these lands. These storms too make us question ourselves as a community and test the strength of our spirit. Among these are organized violence, like “contract killings”, and the insecurity that they breed. Or the lack of educational and employment opportunities, especially among young people, which prevents them from building a future with dignity. Or the lack of secure housing for so many families forced to live in highly unstable areas without safe access. Or the many other situations that you have to experience, which, like terrible earthquakes, destroy the mutual trust so necessary to build a network of support and hope; earthquakes that shake the soul and require all the oil we have, if we are respond to them".

“We often wonder about how to face these storms, or how to help our children pull through in these situations. I want to tell you that no better way exists than that of the Gospel: it is called Jesus Christ. Fill your lives always with the Gospel. I want to encourage you to be a community that lets itself be anointed by the Lord with the oil of the Spirit. He transforms, renews and strengthens everything. In Jesus, we have the strength of the Spirit not to treat as natural the things that hurt us, that dry up our spirit and, what is worse, rob us of hope. In Jesus, we have the Spirit who keeps us united so that we can support one another and take a stand against whatever would take away all that is best in our families. In Jesus, God makes us a believing community able to sustain itself; a community that hopes and therefore struggles to reverse and transform every adversity; a community that loves, because it will not let us fold our arms. With Jesus, the soul of this town of Trujillo can continue to be called “the city of eternal spring”, because with him, everything is an opportunity for hope”.