Pope: God is "a father" for us; He understands, forgives, embraces and loves us even when we make mistakes
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "God is like a father, or better like a dad, understands, forgives, embraces and loves us even when we make mistakes" because God "never forgets us," "He is faithful. " This is what the Resurrection of Jesus means for our lives, it is the "foundation" of our hope, a hope that is "a valuable service that we give to this world often fails to lift its gaze to upwards, that is no longer able to towards God. "
Pope Francis today spoke of the event of the Resurrection and what it "means for our lives," to 40 thousand people present for the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Pope made a long tour of the crowd in his open topped white jeep, surrounded by the enthusiasm of faithful. He also placed a soother in the mouth of a child who had been brought to him for a blessing. It was in this climate that Francis noticed, this time speaking in Spanish, the "very important" presence of San Lorenzo de Almagro, his favorite football team".
"Our faith - he said - is based on the death
and resurrection of Christ, just like a house built on foundations: if they
give in, the whole house collapses." Francis
then recalled that in his First Letter, St. Peter "tells us that the Resurrection
of Jesus is something new: we are freed from the slavery of sin and become
children of God, that we are born to a new life. When does this happen to us?
In the Sacrament of Baptism. In ancient times, it was normally received through
immersion. Those to be baptized immersed themselves in the large pool within
the Baptistery, leaving their clothes, and the bishop or the priest would pour
water over their head three times, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then the baptized would emerge from the pool and
put on a new vestment, a white one: they were born to a new life, immersing
themselves in the death and resurrection of Christ. They had become children of
God. In the Letter to the Romans Saint Paul writes: you " For you did not
receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit
of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father! '"(Rom. 8:15). It is the
Holy Spirit that we received in baptism that teaches us, leads us to say to
God, "Father." Or rather, Abba Father. This is our God, He is a
father to us".
"However, this filial relationship
with God is not like a treasure to be kept in a corner of our lives. It must
grow, it must be nourished every day by hearing the Word of God, prayer,
participation in the sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Penance and the
Eucharist and charity. We can live as children! We can live as children! And
this is our dignity. So let us behave as true children! This means that each
day we must let Christ transform us and make us like Him; it means trying to
live as Christians, trying to follow him, even if we see our limitations and
our weaknesses. The temptation to put God to one side, to put ourselves at the
center is ever-present and the experience of sin wounds our Christian life, our
being children of God. This is why we must have the courage of faith, we must
resist being led to the mentality that tells us: "There is no need for
God, He is not that important for you". It is the exact opposite: only by
behaving as children of God, without being discouraged by our falls, can we
feel loved by Him, our life will be new, inspired by serenity and joy. God is
our strength! God is our hope!".
"Dear
brothers and sisters - he continued - we must first must firmly have this hope and we must be visible, clear,
brilliant signs of hope in world. The Risen Lord is the hope that never fails,
that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). God's hope never disappoints!. How many
times in our life do our hopes vanish, how many times do the expectations that
we carry in our heart not come true! The hope of Christians is strong, safe and
sound in this land, where God has called us to walk, and is open to eternity,
because it is founded on God, who is always faithful".
"We
must never forget- he concluded - We should never forget this; God is always faithful! God is always
faithful! Be risen with Christ through Baptism, with the gift of faith, to an
imperishable inheritance, leads us to increasingly search for the things of
God, to think of Him more, to pray more. Christianity is not simply a matter of
following commandments; it is about living a new life, being in Christ,
thinking and acting like Christ, and being transformed by the love of Christ,
it is allowing Him take possession of our lives and change them, transform
them, to free them from the darkness of evil and sin".
A
call to prayer, finally, for those affected by the earthquake in Iran,
"which has caused numerous deaths and injuries as well as serious damage. I
pray for the victims and express my closeness to the people affected by this
disaster. I pray for all these brothers and sisters in Iran. "
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