Pope: Myanmar, in the face of violence, keep faith, unity and truth
Francis led a Mass for Myanmar Catholics living in Rome. Their country is marked by “violence, conflict, [and] repression". The pontiff wishes “to lay upon the Lord’s altar the sufferings of his people and to join you in praying that God will convert all hearts to peace.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis led a special Mass today for Myanmar Catholics living in Rome at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter’s Basilica.
During the service, the pontiff was inspired by Jesus' prayer asking the Father to protect the disciples. In light of the tragedy that Myanmar is experiencing, keeping faith comes first. Believers must not lower their head before evil, allowing themselves to be crushed by pain or fall back into the bitterness of those who are defeated and disappointed; instead, they must look up to God to ask him to convert everyone's hearts to peace.
At a time when Myanmar is "experiencing violence, conflict and repression", Pope Francis urges the country’s Christians to keep the faith, remain united, guard the truth, and trust Jesus.
“To keep the faith is to keep our gaze lifted up to heaven, as here on earth, battles are fought and innocent blood is shed. To keep the faith is to refuse to yield to the logic of hatred and vengeance, but to keep our gaze fixed on the God of love, who calls us to be brothers and sisters to one another.
“Prayer leads us to trust in God even in times of difficulty. It helps us to hope when things seem hopeless and it sustains us in our everyday struggles. Prayer is not a retreat, an escape, in the face of problems. Instead, it is the only weapon at our disposal for keeping love and hope alive amid the weapons of death.”
Secondly, Francis asked them “keep unity. Jesus asks the Father to preserve the unity of his disciples, so that they may be ‘completely one’ (Jn 17:21), one family in which love and fraternity reign.”
Division “a deadly disease [. . .]. We experience it in our hearts, because we are divided within; we experience it in families and communities, among peoples, even in the Church. Sins against unity abound: envy, jealousy, the pursuit of personal interests rather than the common good, the tendency to judge others.
“Those little conflicts of ours find a reflection in great conflicts, like the one your country is experiencing in these days. Once partisan interests and the thirst for profit and power take over, conflicts and divisions inevitably break out. [. . .] For division is of the devil, the great divider.”
“We are called to keep unity, to take seriously this heartfelt plea of Jesus to the Father: to be completely one, to be a family, to find the courage live in friendship, love and fraternity. What great need we have, especially today, for fraternity! I know that some political and social situations are bigger than we are.
“Yet commitment to peace and fraternity always comes from below: each person, in little things, can play his or her part. Each of you can make an effort to be, in little things, a builder of fraternity, a sower of fraternity, someone who works to rebuild what is broken rather than fomenting violence. We are also called to do this as a Church; let us promote dialogue, respect for others, care for our brothers and sisters, communion!”
“To keep the truth means to be a prophet in every situation in life, in other words to be consecrated to the Gospel and bear witness to it even when that means going against the current. At times, we Christians want to compromise, but the Gospel asks us to be steadfast in the truth and for the truth, offering our lives for others.
“Amid war, violence and hatred, fidelity to the Gospel and being peacemakers calls for commitment, also through social and political choices, even at the risk of our lives. Only in this way can things change. The Lord has no use for the lukewarm. He wants us to be consecrated in the truth and the beauty of the Gospel, so that we can testify to the joy of God’s kingdom even in the dark night of grief, even when evil seems to have the upper hand.”
Finally, “today I wish to lay upon the Lord’s altar the sufferings of his people and to join you in praying that God will convert all hearts to peace. Jesus’ prayer helps us keep the faith, even in times of difficulty, to be builders of unity and to risk our lives for the truth of the Gospel. Do not lose hope: even today, Jesus is interceding before the Father for all of us, praying that he keep us from the evil one and set us free from evil’s power.”
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17/01/2021 12:43
