Pope: let's not stop at the present, let's look to God who is our goal
At the Regina Caeli, Francis reminded the faithful that faith is not "a package of ideas" but a journey to be undertaken with Jesus. On the eve of the supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii, the pontiff calls for continued prayers for peace in Ukraine. “May the leaders of nations listen to the desire of the people who suffer and who want peace!”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis spoke to the faithful in St Peter's Square today during the traditional Sunday Regina Caeli prayer.
In his address, the pontiff said that faith in Jesus “is not a ‘package of ideas’ in which to believe, but rather a road to be travelled, a journey to undertake, a path with him.”
Speaking about a passage in today’s liturgy from the Gospel of John taken from Jesus’s last speech before his death, Pope Francis noted that Jesus addressed the troubled disciples pointing to the goal and how to reach it.
He saw “their fear of being abandoned, just as it happens to us when we are forced to be separated from someone we care for,” but “Jesus does not separate from us”; instead, he “has opened the way for us, anticipating our final destination”.
Even when we experience fatigue, bewilderment and even failure, “We must not lose sight of the destination, even if we run the risk of overlooking it, of forgetting the final questions, the important ones: where I am going? Where I am I walking towards? What is it worth living for? Without these questions, we compress our life into the present, we think we must enjoy it as much as possible and end up living day by day, without purpose, without a goal.”
How can this be done? “At times, especially when there are major problems to face and there is the sensation that evil is stronger”, Jesus shows “the way that leads to unfailing happiness. Following Jesus and imitating him, especially with deeds of closeness and mercy towards others. This is the compass for reaching Heaven”.
Lastly, “let us live the present,” Francis said, “let us not be overwhelmed; let us look up, let us look to Heaven, let us remember the goal, let us think that we are called to eternity, to the encounter with God.”
At the end of the prayer, Francis said that tomorrow the supplication of Our Lady of the Rosary will be celebrated at the shrine in Pompeii (Italy) that the Blessed Bartolo Longo wanted to dedicate to peace.
“In this month of May let us pray the Rosary,” the pope said, “asking the Blessed Virgin for the gift of peace, especially for beleaguered Ukraine. May the leaders of nations listen to the desire of the people who suffer and who want peace!”
In greeting the groups present in St Peter’s, the pontiff singled out METER, an Italian association founded by Fr Fortunato Di Noto, that has dedicated itself for the past 30 years to raise awareness and fight against paedophilia and online child pornography.
"Never tire of being on the side of the victim,” Francis said, “there is the Christ Child waiting for you, thank you!”
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26/04/2010
26/04/2020 12:44
