Pope: pray for others and bury the dead, works of mercy in everyday life

At the conclusion of the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the works of mercy, Francis reminds people to pray for the living and for the dead. "Even today there are those who risk their lives to bury the poor victims of war". Best wishes to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Saint Andrew. Appeals for AIDS sufferers and to protect the cultural heritage in war zones.

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Patriarchate of Constantinople, people with AIDS, those in the Middle East who risk their lives to bury the dead, the Brazilian team that died in a plane crash in Colombia, the protection of cultural heritage in war zones. These are the many world events that Pope Francis evoked today in the general audience, the last of 14 dedicated to the works of mercy, "but mercy continues".

"The last spiritual work of mercy - said Francis to eight thousand people gathered in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican - asks for prayers for the living and for the dead. It can also support the last corporal work of mercy that calls for burying the dead. It may seem a strange request; and on the other hand, in some areas of the world under the scourge of war, with bombings sowing fear and innocent victims day and night, this work is sadly present. The Bible has a good example in this regard: that of the elderly Tobit, who, at the risk of his own life, buried the dead despite the king’s prohibition (cf. Tb 1.17 to 19; 2,2-4). Even today there are those who risk their lives to bury the poor victims of war. Therefore, this corporal work of mercy is not far from our daily existence. It makes us think about what happened on Good Friday, when the Virgin Mary, with John and some women stood by the cross of Jesus. After his death, was Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, a member of the Sanhedrin, who became a disciple of Jesus, offered him his new tomb, excavated in the rock. Personally he went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus: a true work of mercy carried out with great courage (cf. Mt 27.57 to 60)".

"For Christians, burial is an act of piety, but also an act of great faith. We lay the body of our loved ones in the grave, in the hope of their resurrection (cf. 1 Cor 15.1 to 34). This is a ritual that continues to be very strong and felt in our people, and finds special resonance in this month of November, dedicated in particular to remembering and praying for the dead. Praying for the dead is, above all, a sign of gratitude for the witness they have left us, and the good they have done. It is a thanksgiving to the Lord for them and for their love and their friendship. The Church prays for the dead in a special way during Holy Mass".

"We pray with Christian hope to be with Him in Heaven, waiting to find ourselves together in that mystery of love that we do not understand, but which we know to be true because it is a promise that Jesus made. We all rise and everyone will be forever with Jesus, with Him”.

"The memory of the faithful must not make us forget also to pray for the living, who every day face the trials of life together with us. The need for this prayer is even more noticeable as we put in the light of the profession of faith that says, "I believe in the communion of saints." It is the mystery that expresses the beauty of mercy that Jesus has revealed to us. The communion of saints, in fact, indicates that we are all immersed in the life of God and live in his love. Everyone, living and dead, we are in communion, that is, we are all united!, In union; united in the community of those who have been baptized, and those who have been nourished by the body of Christ and are part of the great family of God. We are all the same family, united. And we pray for each other. How many different ways there are to pray for our neighbour! They are all valid and acceptable to God if done with the heart. I think especially of mothers and fathers who bless their children in the morning and at night – there is still this this habit in some families, blessing your child is a prayer; I think of the prayer for the sick, when we go to visit them and pray for them; silent intercession, sometimes with tears in many difficult situations, eh ?, We pray for this difficult situation. Yesterday a good man, an entrepreneur, came to Mass in Santa Marta. But he had to close his factory because it was no longer sustainable and the man, young, crying and saying: 'I cannot leave more than 50 families out of work. I could declare the company's bankruptcy, and go home with my money, but my heart will cry a lifetime for these 50 families'. This is a good Christian! Here, praying with his work, he prays, he came to Mass to pray that the Lord will show him a way out, not only for him: failure. No, not for him: for the 50 families. This is a man who knows how to pray with the heart and with the facts, he knows how to pray for others. He is in a difficult situation. He is not looking for a way out: 'An easy escape', no. This is a Christian. It made me feel so good, so good. And maybe there are so many so, today, in this time when so many people suffer from a lack of work; but I also thanks for the good news regarding a friend, a relative, a colleague ...: 'Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful thing!', that too is to pray for others, as well. Thank the Lord when things are good. Sometimes, as St. Paul says, "we do not know how to pray in a convenient way, but the Spirit himself intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Rom 8:26). It is the Spirit who prays within us. We open, our heart, so that the Holy Spirit, looking at our deepest desires can purify and bring them to completion. However, for us and for others, always ask that the will of God be done, as in the Our Father, because His will is definitely the greater good, the good of a Father who never abandons us: to pray and let the Holy Spirit pray in us. And this is beautiful in life: Pray, give thanks, praise God, ask for something, cry when there is some difficulty, like that man, so many things. But always open our hearts to the Spirit to pray in us, with us and for us. "
"To conclude this catechesis on mercy, let us commit ourselves to pray for each other so that the spiritual and corporal works of mercy become more and more the style of our life. The catechesis, as I said at the beginning, ends there. We make a journey of 14 works of mercy but mercy is continuous, and we must exercise it in these 14 ways”.

After the catechesis, Francis recalled that today is the feast of Saint Andrew, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The "cousin Church" of Constantinople and the "dear brother, Patriarch Bartholomew" he sent greetings and "a big embrace".

"Tomorrow, 1 December - he said - is World AIDS Day, promoted by the United Nations. Millions of people are living with this disease and only half of them have access to life-saving therapies. I invite you to pray for them and for their loved ones and to promote solidarity, so that even the poorest can benefit from diagnosis and appropriate care. Finally, I call upon all to adopt a responsible behavior to prevent the further spread of this disease ".
"At the initiative of France and the United Arab Emirates, with the collaboration of UNESCO, , an international conference on the protection of heritage in conflict areas will be held in Abu Dhabi, 2 to 3 December next year. A theme that is unfortunately dramatically present today. Convinced that the protection of cultural assets is an essential dimension of defense of the human being, I hope that this event marks a new stage in the process of implementation of human rights ".

Earlier, in his greetings to the faithful he is the Portuguese language Francis returned to remember the plane crash that involved players of the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense. 'Today I would like to recall - his words - in prayer the Brazilian people for the loss of a football team in a plane crash. It reminds us of the tragedy of Superga, here in Italy. We pray for all, the dead and families'.

Condolences and prayers had been expressed by the Pope yesterday in a telegram signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha, Archbishop of Brasilia.