let’s not stay in the present, let’s look at God who is our goal

At Regina Caeli, Francis reminded the faithful that faith is not “a package of ideas”, but a path that is made together with Jesus. On the eve of the plea to the Virgin of Pompeii, he invited to continue praying the Rosary for peace in Ukraine: “May the leaders of nations listen to the desire of the people who suffer and want peace.”

Vatican City () – “Faith in Jesus is not a ‘bundle of ideas’ to believe, but a path to walk together with Him”, Pope Francis said today to the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square to pray the Regina Caeli.

Commenting on a passage from the Gospel of John that the liturgy proposes today, taken from the last speech of Jesus before his death, Pope Francis observed that Jesus speaks to the troubled disciples, pointing out to them the goal and the way to reach it. “He sees that they are afraid of being abandoned,” he commented, “just like we are when we are forced to part with someone we love.” But Jesus “did not separate from us, he opened the way for us, anticipating our final destination: the encounter with God the Father, in whose heart there is a place for each one of us.”

Even when we experience fatigue, confusion and failure – he added – “we must not lose sight of the goal. But today we run the risk of forgetting it, of forgetting the ultimate questions, the ones that are really important: where are we going? Where are we headed? What is life worth living for? Without these questions, we compress life only in the present, we think we have to enjoy it to the fullest, and we end up living from day to day, without a purpose, without a goal.”

And how do we achieve that goal? “Sometimes, especially when you have to face big problems, you have the feeling that evil is stronger.” But Jesus tells us that “He himself is the way we must follow to live in the truth and have life in abundance. And imitating him, especially with gestures of closeness and mercy towards others, is the compass to reach Heaven”. “Let us live in the present – ​​the pontiff concluded – but without letting ourselves be disoriented; let us look at Heaven, let us remember the goal, let us think that we are called to eternity, to meet with God”.

At the end of the prayer, Francis recalled that tomorrow in Pompeii (Italy) the prayer to the Virgin of the Rosary will be celebrated in the sanctuary that Blessed Bartolo Longo wanted to dedicate to peace. “In this month of May – he commented – let us pray the Rosary asking the Blessed Virgin for the gift of peace, especially for the tormented Ukraine. So that the leaders of nations listen to the wishes of the peoples who suffer and want peace.”

Finally, when he greeted the groups that were in the square, the Pope addressed a few words to the Italian association Meter of Father Fortunato Di Noto, which for thirty years has raised awareness about the fight against pedophilia and child pornography in Internet. “Never get tired of being on the side of the victims,” ​​Francisco told them, “there is the Child Jesus waiting for you.”