"Woe to those who stifle children in their joyful enthusiasm of hope!: the cry of Francis at the end of the general audience, marking today's World Day Against Child Labour. "God invites everyone to be part of his people," even "those who feel distant", "who are fearful and indifferent." Too many wars among Christians, even in the workplace and in the family: "We all have likes and dislikes, perhaps we are angry with someone. And so, we pray for those with whom we are angry: This is a big step in the law of love."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Church should be "a place where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, encouraged. But it must be a Church with open doors and we must go out through those doors and preach the Gospel" to be "People of God according to the great plan of the Father to be a leaven, proclaim and bring the light of God " to this world where" there is the presence of evil, the devil acts, but God is stronger", "because he is the Lord , the only Lord. " The Church, the "people of God", according to one of the definitions of Vatican II, was the theme of which Pope Francis' catechesis with the 60 thousand people present in St Peter's Square for the general audience, including, as usual, his nearly half an hour tour in his white open-topped jeep. He was passed a large number of children to hug and kiss: one of the little ones gave him some of his drawings.

And a "woe to him who suffocates the joyful enthusiasm of hope," in children concluded the audience. The Pope, in fact, pointed out that today we celebrate the World Day Against Child Labour, "with particular reference to the exploitation of children in domestic work: this deplorable phenomenon which is constantly increasing, especially in poor countries. There are millions of children, mostly girls, who are victims of this hidden form of exploitation that often involves abuse, mistreatment and discrimination". "This is real slavery." "I fervently hope - he continued - that the international community will initiate still more effective measures in addressing this  authentic plague.  All children must be able to play, study, pray and grow, in their families, this in a harmonic context, in love and serenity but these people instead of playing are slaves, and this is a plague.   This is their right and our duty. A serene childhood allows children to look with confidence towards life and tomorrow".

Previously, in catechesis for the general audience, the Pope said that being the people of God " First of all, it means that God does not belong to any single People: for it is He who calls us, convokes us, invites us to be part of His people, and this invitation is open to everyone, without distinction, because the mercy of God "wants everyone to be saved"(1 Tim 2:4). Jesus does not tell the Apostles or us to form an exclusive group of elite. Jesus says: Go and make disciples of all nations ". An invitation to "to those who feel they are distant from God and the Church, those who are fearful or indifferent, to those who think they can no longer change: the Lord is also calling you to be part of His people and He does it with great respect and love ".

You become part of this people through baptism, "not through physical birth" but by a new spiritual  birth "through faith in Christ, the gift of God which must be nurtured and cultivated throughout our entire life".

The law of this people  "is the law of love, love of God and love of neighbor", "however, that is not sterile sentimentality or something vague, but that is the recognition of God as the only Lord of life and, at the same time, accepting the other as a true brother, overcoming divisions, rivalry, misunderstandings, selfishness; the two things go together. How far we still have to go to live this new law in concrete terms!". " When we look at the newspapers and TV, so many wars among Christians! How does this happen?  Among the People of God how many wars! In neighborhoods, places of works how many wars provoked by envy, jealousies...even within families, how many internal wars! We have to ask the Lord to help us better understand this law of love. How beautiful it is when we can love each other like true brothers and sisters. How beautiful! Let's do something today: Perhaps we all have people we like and those we don't like and perhaps many of us are a little angry with someone, lets tell the Lord: "Lord I am angry with him and her.  I pray to you". Praying for those we are angry with is a great step forward in the law of love!".

"We only have to open a newspaper to see that there is the presence of evil all around us, the Devil acts. But I would like to say out loud : God is stronger! And I would add that the sometimes dark reality, marked by evil, can change, if we bring to bear the light of the Gospel, especially with our lives. If in a stadium on a dark night, we here would think of the Olympic stadium in Rome or San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires, one person turns on a light, it can just about be seen, but if the more than seventy thousand spectators each turn on a light, the stadium is illuminated".

Thus "being the Church, being the people of God, according to the great plan of love of the Father, means being God's leaven in our humanity, it means proclaiming and bringing God's salvation to this world of ours, which often is lost, in need of answers that encourage, that give hope, that give new strength on the journey". And "the Church should be a place of God's mercy and hope, where everyone should feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. In order for people to feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged the doors of the Church must be open! And so we too can move out through those doors to announce the Gospel".

 

 

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