Pope: 'Christian unity: we invoke from God, one and triune, full communion'

At the audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis recalled the days - Jan. 18-25 - dedicated to prayer for ecumenism. Again a call for peace in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and Mynamar. Relief for Gaza's Holy Family parish: “I called yesterday, they were happy. There are 600 people in there." Los Angeles community entrusted to the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Catechesis on the Annunciation: 'Mary does not seek outside but inside'.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - “In these days of prayer for Christian unity, I urge you to invoke God, one and triune, for the full communion of all Christ's disciples.” This is how Pope Francis at this morning's general audience - held in a Paul VI Hall filled with the faithful - recalled the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity being celebrated this week, Jan. 18-25, whose theme is “Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:26). A significant event in the Jubilee year, which also marks the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Christians held in Nicaea in 325 A.D., a unique opportunity to reflect on and enhance the common faith of Christians around the world.

At the end of today's meeting, Bergoglio shared another thought of unity: the hope of peace, for all those countries suffering from the raging conflicts. “Let us not forget the tormented Ukraine. Let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar. Let us pray for peace,” he said during greetings dedicated to the Italian-speaking faithful. “War,” he added, cheered by a long and spontaneous applause, ”always is a defeat. “Do not forget. And who gains from wars? The manufacturers of the weapons. Please pray for peace,” Pope Francis continued this morning.

“We pray for Gaza, for peace there, and in so many other parts of the world.” The pontiff then mentioned in particular the Gaza Strip, which is experiencing the relief of the ceasefire that finally became a reality last Sunday. “Yesterday I called, I do it every day, to the parish of Gaza (of the Holy Family, ed.). They were happy. There are 600 people in there: parish and college. And they told me: today we had lentils with chicken. Eh ... something they were not used to doing in these times. Just some vegetables, something ... they were happy,” he related. At the Sunday's Angelus he had called for a lot of humanitarian aid to arrive “quickly” in the enclave battered by 15 months of bombing.

And still a thought of closeness was dedicated to other communities pressed by suffering. “I want you to know that my heart is with the people of Los Angeles, who have suffered so much because of the fires, which have devastated entire neighborhoods and communities, which are not over,” Bergoglio added. The county-which has recorded at least 25 deaths-has not yet lifted its alert to date due to poor air quality, with winds that could disperse ash. “May our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for all the inhabitants so that they may be witnesses of hope through the strength of diversity and creativity for which they are known throughout the world,” Francis continued from Aula Nervi.

At the opening of the audience, the pontiff read the catechesis that, after the last two dedicated to children, resumes the cycle for the Jubilee “Jesus Christ Our Hope.” Today's theme was “The Proclamation to Mary. Listening and readiness,” the reference reading the passage from Luke's Gospel (Lk. 1:26-38) that narrates precisely the episode of the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel's visit to Mary. “Luke shows the effects of the transforming power of the Word of God arriving not only among the halls of the Temple, but also in the poor dwelling of a young woman,” Bergoglio said. “The messenger of the great divine announcements, Gabriel, who in his name celebrates the power of God, is sent to a village never mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: Nazareth.

In a place located in the periphery, far from the great centers, “the angel brings a message of totally unheard of form and content”: Mary is shaken by it, her heart “troubled.” Gabriel addresses to Mary first of all an invitation: “rejoice!”, “rejoice!”. “It is the invitation to joy that God addresses to his people when the exile ends and the Lord makes his living and working presence felt,” Pope Francis explained. Moreover, Mary is called by a “name of love unknown in biblical history: kecharitoméne,” which means “full of grace.” It shows “how much God's grace has accomplished an inner chiseling in her, making her his masterpiece.”

The invitation to joy is immediately accompanied by a reassurance, “Fear not!” Then, the announcement includes an explanation of Mary's mission and the child she carries, “fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.” “This motherhood shakes Mary from the foundations. And as the intelligent woman she is [...] she seeks to understand, to discern what is happening to her. Mary does not look outside but inside,” he continued, ”She hears the invitation to trust God totally. At the end of the catechesis, Pope Francis addressed an exhortation to those listening: “Sisters and brothers, let us learn from Mary, Mother of the Savior and our Mother, to allow ourselves to open our ears to the divine Word, to welcome it and guard it, so that it may transform our hearts into tabernacles of his presence, into hospitable homes where hope grows.”