Pope: "mercy and forgiveness, not just pretty words, but part of everyday life"
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Mercy and forgiveness should not remain just pretty words, but be realized in everyday life", because "how can we ask God to forgive us, if we are not able to forgive others?". "Love and forgiveness are the visible and concrete signs that faith has transformed our hearts and allows us to express within ourselves the very life of God”.
Moreover, the Holy Doors that have opened around the world for the Jubilee of Mercy can become an experience shared by every person as a "sign of acceptance that God holds for us". This was the focus of Pope Francis’ general audience with 20 thousand people in St. Peter’s Square, among whom as is tradition he toured at length in his white open-topped jeep.
In his catechesis Francis – who received greetings in all languages for his 79th birthday tomorrow - highlighted in particular the need for "our door to always be wide open an exclude no-one, not even the those who bother me."
"Last Sunday - he said – I opened the Holy Door in the Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and a door of Mercy opened in the Cathedral of every diocese in the world, also in shrines and churches that the bishops indicated, so that the Jubilee is worldwide, not only in Rome. I wanted this sign of the Holy Door to be in every particular Church, so that the Jubilee of Mercy can become an experience shared by every person. The Holy Year, in this way, got under way in the whole Church and is celebrated in every diocese, as in Rome. And even before the Holy Door was opened here, it was opened in the heart of Africa as a visible sign of universal communion. May this ecclesial communion become more and more intense, so that the Church be a living sign of the love and mercy of the Father in the world".
"The date of December 8 wanted to highlight this need, connecting, 50 years later, the beginning of the Jubilee with the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. In fact, the Council presented and reflected on the Church in the light of the mystery of communion. Spread around the world and organized in many particular Churches, however, it is always and only the One Church that Jesus Christ wanted and for which he offered himself. The One Church living from communion of God.
This mystery of communion, which makes the Church a sign of the Father, grow and mature in our heart, when love, which we recognize in the Cross of Christ, and in which we immerse ourselves, makes us love ourselves as we are loved by Him . It is an Endless Love, that has the face of forgiveness and mercy. However, mercy and forgiveness should not remain pretty words, but be realized in everyday life. Loving and forgiving are the visible and concrete sign that faith has transformed our hearts and allows us to express within ourselves the very life of God. To love and forgive as God loves and forgives. This is a program of life that can not know interruptions or exceptions, but encourages us to go further and further without ceasing, with the certainty of being sustained by the paternal presence of God”.
"This great sign of Christian life then turns into many other signs that are characteristic of the Jubilee. I think of how many will cross one of the Holy Doors, which in this year are true doors of Mercy. The Door is Jesus himself who said: "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved; and will come in and go out and find pasture "(Jn 10,9). Passing through the Holy Door is the sign of our trust in the Lord Jesus, who came not to judge but to save (cf. Jn 12:47). Be warned, there are cunning people who tell you that you have to pay, but salvation is not for sale! Jesus is the door and it's free! Salvation is free. It is a sign of a true conversion of our hearts. When we cross that door it is good to remember that we must also keep the door of our heart open. I stand before the Holy Door and ask the Lord to help me open the door of my heart. It would not have much effect if the Holy Year the door of our heart will not let go Christ that urges us to reach out to others, to bring him and his love to them. So, as the Holy Door remains open, because it is the sign of acceptance that God holds for us, so too our door must always be wide open, so as not to exclude anyone, not even those who bother me".
"An important sign of the Jubilee is confession. To receive the sacrament by which we are reconciled with God is to have direct experience of his mercy. God understands us even in our limitations and contradictions. Not only that, He with His love tells us that as we confess our sins, He is even closer, and encourages us to look forward. He says more: that as we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, Heaven celebrates: Jesus celebrates. Eh, this is His mercy: do not be discouraged. Onwards, forwards in this!. When we confess our sins and Heaven celebrates! "
"How often have I heard, 'Father, I cannot forgive'. But how can we ask God to forgive us, if we are not capable of forgiveness? Forgiving is a great thing. Of course, forgiving is not easy, because our heart is poor and cannot do so on its own strength. But if we open ourselves to receive God's mercy for us, we too, become capable of forgiveness. And many times I have heard it said: ‘I could not stand the sight of that person: I hated her. But one day, I approached the Lord and asked forgiveness for my sins, and I too have forgiven that person '. These are everyday things. And we should cherish this opportunity. "
"Therefore, courage! Let us experience the Jubilee beginning with these signs that demand the great power of love. May the Lord be with us to lead us to experience other important signs in our lives. Take courage and onwards, always!".
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10/08/2016 11:50
