Pope: pray for peace in Ukraine and do not forget the horror of the Holocaust
"I I appeal to everyone, especially educators and families, to foster in the new generations an awareness of the horror of this black page of history". "I ask you to pray the Our Father for peace in Ukraine, now and throughout this Day. Let us ask the Lord to grant that the country may grow in the spirit of brotherhood, and that all hurts, fears and divisions will be overcome."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - An appeal to parents and educators to teach young people so that "the horror" of the persecution of the Jews is not repeated and an invitation to pray for peace in Ukraine "and to do so often", made in all languages, concluded today's general audience.
The Pope said: "Tomorrow is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is necessary to remember the extermination of millions of Jews, and people of different nationalities and religious faiths. This unspeakable cruelty must never be repeated. I appeal to everyone, especially educators and families, to foster in the new generations an awareness of the horror of this black page of history. It must not be forgotten, so that we can build a future where human dignity is no longer trampled underfoot.".
Francis then asked the five thousand people present in the Paul VI Hall to join in the day of prayer for peace. He said: "II ask you to pray the Our Father for peace in Ukraine, now and throughout this Day. Let us ask the Lord to grant that the country may grow in the spirit of brotherhood, and that all hurts, fears and divisions will be overcome. We have spoken about the Holocaust. But let us think too that [in Ukraine] more than five million people were killed during the period of the last war. They are a people who have suffered; they have suffered from hunger, suffered from much brutality and they deserve peace. May the prayers and supplications that today rise up to heaven touch the minds and hearts of world leaders, so that dialogue may prevail and the common good be placed ahead of partisan interests. Let us pray for peace with the Our Father: it is the prayer of children who turn to the same Father, it is the prayer that makes us brothers, it is the prayer of brothers who implore reconciliation and harmony".
Earlier in his address, the Pope, continuing the cycle of catechesis on St Joseph, had spoken of him as a "man who dreams", recalling that "in the Bible, as in the cultures of ancient peoples, dreams were considered a means by which God revealed himself."
He explained, "The dream symbolises the spiritual life of each of us, that inner space that each of us is called to cultivate and guard, where God manifests himself and often speaks to us. But we must also say that within each of us there is not only the voice of God: there are many other voices. For example, the voices of our fears, the voices of past experiences, the voices of hopes; and there is also the voice of the evil one who wants to deceive and confuse us. It is therefore important to be able to recognise the voice of God in the midst of other voices. Joseph demonstrates that he knows how to cultivate the necessary silence and, above all, how to make the right decisions before the Word that the Lord addresses to him inwardly."
Francis then dwelt on Joseph's four dreams. "In the first dream (cf. Mt 1:18-25), the angel helps Joseph to resolve the drama that assails him when he learns of Mary's pregnancy" and he is told not to be afraid to take Mary with him, which he does. "MIn fact, very often it is prayer that gives us the intuition of the way out. Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord never allows a problem to arise without also giving us the help we need to deal with it. He does not cast us alone into the fire. He does not cast us among the beasts. No. When the Lord shows us a problem, or reveals a problem, he always gives us the intuition, the help, his presence, to get out of it, to resolve it".
Joseph's second dream comes when the life of the child Jesus is in danger and he tells him to flee to Egypt with his family. In life," commented Francis, "we experience dangers that threaten our existence or that of those we love. In these situations, praying means listening to the voice that can give us the same courage as Joseph, to face difficulties without succumbing".
In the third dream "the angel revealed to him that those who wanted to kill the child were dead and ordered him to leave with Mary and Jesus and return to his homeland (cf. Mt 2:19-20). Joseph "arose, took the child and his mother and entered the land of Israel" (v. 21). But on the return journey, "when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there" (v. 22). Here then is the fourth revelation: "When he heard about it in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee and went to live in a town called Nazareth" (vv. 22-23). Fear is also part of life and it too needs our prayer. God does not promise us that we will never be afraid, but that, with his help, we will not be afraid.
In the third dream "the angel reveals to him that those who wanted to kill the Child are dead and orders him to leave with Mary and Jesus and return to his homeland (cf. Mt 2:19-20). Joseph “rose” the Gospel says, “and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel” (v. 21). But on the return journey, “when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there” (v. 22). Here then is the fourth revelation: “Being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth” (vv. 22-23). Fear is also part of life and it too needs our prayer. God does not promise us that we will never have fear, but that, with His help, it will not be the criterion for our decisions."
Here Francis, in a long consideration, addressed a thought "And I am thinking, too, of parents in the face of their children’s problems: Children with many illnesses, children who are sick, even with permanent maladies. — how much pain is there! — parents who see different sexual orientations in their children; how to deal with this and accompany their children and not hide in an attitude of condemnation. Parents who see their children leaving because of an illness, and also — even sadder, we read about it every day in the newspapers — children who get into mischief and end up in a car accident. Parents who see their children not progressing in school and don't know how... So many parental problems. Let's think about it: how to help them. And to these parents I say: don't be scared. Yes, there is pain. A lot. But think of the Lord, think about how Joseph solved the problems and ask Joseph to help you. Never condemn a child. It fills me with compassion — it did in Buenos Aires — when I got on the bus and it passed in front of the prison. There was a queue of people who had to go in to visit the prisoners. And there were mothers there. And I was so touched by this mother who, faced with the problem of a son who has made a mistake and is in prison, doesn’t leave him alone, puts her face forward and accompanies him. This courage; the courage of a father and mother who always, always accompany their children. Let us ask the Lord to give this courage to all fathers and mothers, as he gave it to Joseph. And to pray, no? Pray that the Lord will help us in these moments."
"Prayer, however, is never an abstract or purely internal gesture, like these spiritualist movements that are more gnostic than Christian. No, it’s not that. Prayer is always inextricably linked to charity. It is only when we combine prayer with love, the love for children in the cases I just mentioned, or the love for our neighbour, that we are able to understand the Lord's messages. Joseph prayed, worked, and loved — three beautiful things for parents: to pray, to work, and to love — and because of this he always received what he needed to face life's trials. Let us entrust ourselves to him and to his intercession."
Pope Francis finally told those present that he would not be passing among them at the end of the audience, as he usually does, "I have - he explained - a problem with my right leg, a ligament in my knee is inflamed". "It's - a passing thing, - he added jokingly - they say this comes to old people, so I don't know why it came to me".
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