Pope: Jesus is our advocate, He always defends us from the snares of the devil
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Do not be afraid to turn to Jesus," who "is our advocate, who always defends, protects us from the snares of the devil, defends us from our sins." With the Ascension, in fact, Jesus is no longer in a definite place of this world, but He is never absent, " He is now in the lordship of God, present in all space and time, next to each of us". "The significance and consequence in our lives" contained within the phrase of the Creed that says "Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father" was the theme of which Francis Pope spoke today with 50 thousand people who attended the general audience. At the end of which he also wanted to express his closeness "to the Iranian and Pakistani people " for the earthquake that brought "death and destruction" to the two countries.
The beginning of the general audience was marked by a festive atmosphere, with Pope
Francis' now familiar long tour of St Peter's Square and his greeting those
present. One pilgrim presented him with
a new zucchetto, the white skullcap, which the Pope immediately put on in place
of his own.
The moment of the Ascension, said Francis, starts in a certain way when Jesus
decides to embark on his last pilgrimage to Jerusalem. " While he
"ascends" towards the Holy City, where his "exodus" from
this life will be accomplished, Jesus already sees the goal, Heaven, but he
knows that the path that brings him back to the glory of God passes through the
Cross, through obedience to the divine plan of love for humanity. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church states that " the lifting up of Jesus on the cross
signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed
begins it" (n. 661). We too must be clear in our Christian life, that to
enter into the glory of God requires daily fidelity to His will, even when it
requires sacrifice, when at times it requires us to change our plans. The
Ascension of Jesus actually happened on the Mount of Olives, near the place
where he had retired in prayer before his passion to be in profound union with
the Father; once again we see that prayer gives us the grace to live faithfully
to the project God".
"At the end of his Gospel - continued the Pope - St. Luke narrates the
event of the Ascension in a very synthetic way. Jesus led the disciples
"[out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he
blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him
homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually
in the temple praising God "(24.50 to 53). I would like to note two
elements of the passage. First, during the Ascension Jesus fulfilled the
priestly gesture of blessing and certainly the disciples express their faith
with prostration, they kneel and bow their heads. This is a first important
point: Jesus is the only and eternal Priest, who with his passed through death
and the tomb and rose again and ascended into Heaven; He is with God the
Father, where he always intercedes in our favor".
"As St John writes in his First Letter, He is our advocate, our advocate".
"It's
nice to hear this. The first thing we do when we are called by a judge or are
called to trial, the first thing we do is look for an advocate to defend us. We
have One who always defends us. He defends us from the insidiousness of the
Devil, He defends us from ourselves, from our sins. But, dear brothers and
sisters, we have this advocate. We must not be afraid to turn to Him, to turn
to him with our fears, to ask for his blessing and mercy. He always forgives
us, He is our advocate, He always defends us. We must never forget this.. "
The second aspect highlighted by the Pope refers to the fact that "St
Luke mentions that the apostles, after seeing Jesus ascending to heaven,
returned to Jerusalem "with great joy." This seems a bit strange.
Typically when we are separated from our families, our friends, in a lasting
separation, above all because of death, we are naturally sad, because we will
no longer see their face, or hear their voice, we will no longer be able to
enjoy their affection, their presence. Instead, the evangelist emphasizes the profound
joy of the Apostles. How come? Because, with the eyes of faith, they understand
that although subtracted from their eyes, Jesus remains with them forever, He
is not abandoning them, and in the glory of the Father, supports them, guides
them and intercedes for them.
"
In the story of the Ascension, "St. Luke also mentions the cloud
that took Jesus out of sight of the disciples, who remain to contemplate Christ
ascending to God (cf. Acts 1:9-10). Then two men in white robes intervene,
urging them not to remain looking at the sky, but to nourish their lives and
their witness from the certainty that Jesus will return in the same way they
saw him ascend into heaven (Acts 1: 10-11). It is an invitation to begin from
the contemplation of the Lordship of Jesus, to receive from him the strength to
carry and bear witness to the Gospel in everyday life: contemplation and
action, ora et labora St. Benedict teaches, are both necessary in our
lives as Christians.
"
"The Ascension - concluded Francis - does not indicate
the absence of Jesus, but tells us that He is alive among us in a new way; He
is no longer in a definite place in the world as He was before the Ascension;
He is now in the lordship of God, present in all space and time, next to each
of us. We are never alone in our lives: We have this advocate who waits for us,
we are never alone, the Crucified and Risen Lord guides us,
and with us there are many brothers and sisters who in silence and obscurity,
in their family life and work, in their problems and difficulties, their joys
and hopes, live their faith every day and, together with us, bring to the world
the lordship of God's love, in
the Risen Christ, Ascended to Heaven, an Advocate for us. "
.png)
