Pope: At Cana, Jesus is neither “judge” nor “commander” but "saviour of humanity"
Pope Francis greeted pilgrims from various ethnic backgrounds who came to celebrate the Jubilee of migrants. The Holy Father thanked the inmates at Opera Prison for giving him hosts they made. He mentioned and called to pray for the victims of attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso. Jesus is "the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “The story of the wedding at Cana ,” said Pope Francis before today’s Angelus, “invites us to rediscover that Jesus does not comes to us as a judge ready to condemn our sins, nor as a commander that requires us to follow blindly his orders.” The story shows us that Jesus “manifests himself as the saviour of humanity, as our elder brother, the son of the Father (the bridegroom of humanity), i.e. the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."
During his address, the pope also warmly greeted pilgrims from various ethnic backgrounds who came to the square for the Jubilee of migrants on World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which is celebrated today. The pontiff also spoke about the victims of recent attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso.
Francis began by commenting the Gospel in today's Mass, which presents the miracle at the wedding at Cana. "In the miracle at Cana,” he said, “we can see an act of kindness on the part of Jesus towards bride and groom, a sign of God's blessing on marriage. Love between man and woman is a good way in which to live the Gospel and with which to undertake with joy the path towards holiness.
"Yet the miracle of Cana is not just about bride and groom. Each human person is called to meet the Lord as the bridegroom of his or her life. The Christian faith is a gift we receive through baptism, which allows us to meet God. The faith goes through times of joy and sorrow, light and darkness, like in any authentic experience of love.
“The story of the wedding at Cana invites us to rediscover that Jesus does not comes to us as a judge ready to condemn our sins, nor as a commander that requires us to follow blindly his orders”. The story shows us that Jesus “manifests himself as the saviour of humanity, as our elder brother, the son of the Father (the bridegroom of humanity), the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us."
"Hence, we can ask ourselves: Is this how I really know the Lord? Do I feel him close to me, to my life (as the bridegroom of my life)? Am I responding on the wavelength of the spousal love that He shows me and every human being every day?
“We must realise that Jesus looks for us and invites us to make room for him in our heart. In such a journey of faith with Him, we are not left alone: we received the gift of the Blood of Christ. The large stone jars that Jesus filled with water to transform into wine (v. 7) are a sign of the passage from the Old to the New Covenant.
“Instead of water used for the purification ritual, we received the Blood of Jesus poured in a sacramental way into the Eucharist and in a bloody way into the Passion and onto the Cross. The Sacraments, which flow from the Paschal Mystery, instil in us supernatural strength and allow us to enjoy God’s infinite mercy."
As he ended, the Holy father said, "May the Virgin Mary, a model of meditation on the words and deeds of the Lord, help us rediscover with faith the beauty and richness of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, which make present God’s faithful love to us. Hence, we can fall in love more and more with the Lord Jesus, our bridegroom, and meet him with lighted lamps of our joyful faith, thus becoming his witnesses in the world."
After the Angelus prayer, the pope addressed people from different ethnic backgrounds in the square, waving various flags (India, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Peru, etc.).
“Dear migrants and refugees, each one of you carries within yourself a story, a culture, precious values, and often unfortunately experiences of misery, oppression and fear. Yet, “Your presence in this square is a sign of hope in God. Do not let anyone steal this hope and the joy of living, which stem from the experience of divine mercy, as well as from the people who take you in and help you. May the passage of the Holy Door and the Mass that you will soon experience fill your heart with peace.”
The pontiff went on to say that hosts that will used in the Mass were made by inmates in Opera Prison who gave them to him. In view of this, Francis invited everyone in the square to thank the prisoners with an applause.
The pope also mentioned the victims of the terrorist attacks in Jakarta and Ouagadougou, calling on them to pray a Hail Mary together. "May the Lord welcome them into his house,” the pontiff said, “and support the international community in its peace-building commitment."
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16/01/2022 13:52
11/08/2017 20:05
