At the Angelus, Francis invited not to fear persecution, but to waste existence chasing the idols of efficiency and consumerism. The pontiff’s words of closeness to the family of the young Vatican citizen Emanuela Orlandi, 40 years after her mysterious disappearance, which remains unanswered.
Vatican City () – The true fear of the Christian is not that of suffering persecution, but that of “wasting his life”. This is what Pope Francis said today to the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for the usual Angelus appointment. Among them were this Sunday the relatives and friends of Emanuela Orlandi, the young Vatican citizen who disappeared under mysterious circumstances 40 years ago and was never found, to whom the pontiff wanted to express his closeness to her at the end of the prayer.
Commenting on Jesus’ invitation “Do not be afraid”, which is repeated three times on the page of the Gospel that today’s liturgy proposes (Mt 10,26.28.31), Francis recalled that shortly before Jesus had spoken to the disciples about the persecutions that they would have to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, “a reality that continues to be current”. “It seems paradoxical – he commented – that the announcement of the Kingdom of God is a message of peace and justice, founded on fraternal charity and forgiveness, and that, nevertheless, finds opposition, violence and persecution. Jesus, however, tells us not to fear: not because everything will go well in the world, but because we are precious to the Father and nothing that is good will be lost,” he continued.
There is, however, something else that should scare us: to explain it, Jesus uses the image of Geenna, who, as the Pope recalled, was the great garbage dump in Jerusalem. “As if to say – he explained – that we should not be so afraid of suffering misunderstandings and criticism, of losing prestige and economic advantages for remaining faithful to the Gospel, but rather of wasting our existence pursuing trivial things, which today do not fill life with meaning”.
A message as current as ever: “Even today – he commented – one can be the object of ridicule or discrimination if he does not follow certain fashion models, which, however, often put second-level realities in the center: things in instead of people, performance instead of relationships. I am thinking of parents, who need to work to support the family, but cannot live only for work: they need time to be with their children. I am also thinking of a priest or in a nun: they must dedicate themselves to service, but without forgetting that they must dedicate time to be with Jesus, otherwise they fall into spiritual worldliness and lose the sense of who they are. thousand commitments and passions: school, sports, various interests, the cell phone and social networks, but they need to meet people and fulfill big dreams, without wasting time on things that happen and leave no trace”.
Knowing how to make some resignations “in the face of the idols of efficiency and consumerism, it is necessary to avoid getting lost in things, which are then thrown away, as was done then in Geenna. And in today’s Geennas, on the other hand, they often end up people: let’s think about the latter, who are often treated as discarded material and unwanted objects”. Hence the invitation to ask oneself: “What am I afraid of? Not having what I like? Not achieving the objectives that society imposes? The judgment of others? Or not pleasing the Lord? and not put his Gospel first?” “Mary, wise Mother,” she concluded, “help us to be wise and courageous in the choices we make.”
After praying the Angelus, recalling the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the Pope added: “I want to take this opportunity to once again express my closeness to her relatives, especially her mother, and assure them of my prayers. I extend my memory to all the families who suffer the pain of the disappearance of a loved one”.
Lastly, referring to the serious violence between gangs that has taken place in recent days in the Támara women’s prison in Honduras, Francis invited people to pray to the Virgin of Suyapa, patron saint of the country, so that she “helps hearts heal open to reconciliation and give space to fraternal coexistence, even inside prisons”.
