Pope: the Beatitudes, proclamation of a new humanity that revolutionizes the world
Holiness is "joy and prophecy". Joy because without it "faith becomes a rigorous and oppressive exercise and risks becoming sick with sadness", prophecy because in the Beatitudes Jesus "overturns" worldly criteria: he calls the poor, the afflicted, those who hunger for justice blessed.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Beatitudes "are the prophecy of a new humanity, of a new way of living: to make oneself small and entrust oneself to God, instead of emerging over others; to be meek, instead of trying to impose oneself; to practice mercy, instead of thinking only of oneself; to commit oneself to justice and peace, instead of nourishing, even with connivance, injustice and inequality".
This Pope Francis- reflection at the Angelus on the day in which the Church marks the liturgical memory of "All Saints" and in which the liturgy recalls the Beatitudes that "show us the path that leads to the Kingdom of God and to happiness: the path of humility, compassion, meekness, justice and peace".
Over 10,000 people were present in St Peter's Square, despite the gloomy day. Francis spoke to them of holiness as "joy and prophecy". Joy because without it "faith becomes a rigorous and oppressive exercise and risks becoming ill with sadness", prophecy because Jesus in the Beatitudes "overturns" worldly criteria: he calls blessed the poor, the afflicted, those hungry for justice, while the world says that "to have happiness you must be rich, powerful, always young and strong, enjoy fame and success".
"Beatitude, holiness, is not a life plan made up only of effort and renunciation, but is above all the joyful discovery of being God’s beloved sons and daughters. It is not a human achievement, it is a gift we receive: we are holy because God, who is the Holy One, comes to dwell in our lives. For this we are blessed! The joy of the Christian, then, is not a fleeting emotion or a simple human optimism, but the certainty of being able to face every situation under God’s loving gaze, with the courage and strength that come from Him".
Prophecy because Jesus overturns the world's criteria and says that "true fullness of life is reached by following Him, by practising His Word. And this means another poverty: being poor inside, emptying oneself to make room for God. Those who believe themselves to be rich, successful and secure base everything on themselves and close themselves off from God and their brothers and sisters, while those who know that they are poor and are not enough for themselves remain open to God and their neighbour. And he finds joy".
Holiness, then, is "welcoming and putting into practice, with God's help, this prophecy that revolutionises the world. So we can ask ourselves: do I bear witness to the prophecy of Jesus? Do I express the prophetic spirit I received in Baptism? Or do I conform to the comforts of life and my own laziness, thinking that everything is fine if it is fine with me? Do I bring to the world the joyful newness of the prophecy of Jesus or the usual complaints about what is wrong? Questions that it will do us good to ask ourselves".
After the recitation of the Marian prayer, Francis announced that "tomorrow morning I will go to the French Military Cemetery in Rome: it will be an opportunity to pray in suffrage for all the dead, in particular for the victims of war and violence. In visiting this cemetery, I unite myself spiritually with those who in these days go to pray at the tombs of their loved ones, in every part of the world".
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06/11/2022 15:10
