New appeal at the Angelus, in which Francis also once again expressed his closeness to the people of Sri Lanka, with the wish that a peaceful solution to the political crisis be achieved. He invited everyone to take advantage of the vacation opportunity “to open the Gospel and read it slowly, allowing oneself to be challenged by its pages”. The visit to Canada starting next Sunday, to carry out “a penitential pilgrimage” among the native populations.
Vatican City () – “How can we not understand that war only creates destruction and death, distancing peoples, killing truth and dialogue?” Pope Francis said these words today, at the end of the Angelus prayer, expressing once again his closeness to the tormented population of Ukraine “which is attacked every day by a hail of missiles.” “I pray and hope that all international actors will really work to resume negotiations and not to feed the nonsense of war,” he added.
The Pontiff also renewed his closeness to the people of Sri Lanka, who for weeks have been facing a serious political crisis: “I join you in prayer and urge all parties to seek a peaceful solution to the current crisis, to favor especially the poorest, respecting the rights of all.” “I join religious leaders in imploring everyone to refrain from all forms of violence and to begin a process of dialogue for the common good.”
Before praying the Angelus, Pope Francis stopped at the Gospel passage that describes the hospitality of Martha and Mary towards Jesus, and that the liturgy proposes for today (Lk 10:38-42). “Jesus often turns our way of thinking upside down,” he commented. “Martha’s ‘philosophy’ seems to be: first duty, then pleasure. Hospitality, in fact, is not made of fine words. And Jesus knows it; He recognizes Marta’s commitment, however, he wants her to understand that there is a new order of priorities, different from the one she had followed until then”.
But what is the “best part” that Maria has chosen? “It is listening to the words of Jesus,” Francis replied, noting that “she did not listen standing while she did something else, but she sat at the feet of Jesus.” He understood that He is not a guest like the others. The word of Jesus is not abstract, it is a teaching that touches and shapes life, changes it, frees it from the opacity of evil, fills it and instills a joy that does not pass away”. “This -added the Pontiff- does not take away anything to the value of practical commitment, but this must not precede but flow from listening to the word of Jesus, it must be animated by his Spirit. Otherwise, it is reduced to an eagerness and a concern for many things, to a sterile activism”.
Hence the invitation to take advantage of the opportunity of the holidays to stop and listen to Jesus. “Many people”, recalls Francis, “live at a frenetic, exhausting pace of work. Summer can be a precious time to open the Gospel and read it slowly, without haste. Let us allow ourselves to be questioned by these pages, wondering how our lives are going, if is in line with what Jesus says”. And he invited everyone to ask themselves: “When I start the day, do I jump headlong into the things that need to be done, or do I first look to the Word of God for inspiration? Sometimes we start our days doing things automatically, like chickens. Instead, we must look to the Lord. If we leave home in the morning with a word from Jesus in mind, the day will take on a tone marked by that word, which has the power to direct our actions according to the Lord’s will.”
Finally, at the end of the Angelus, the Pope recalled the apostolic journey that will take him to Canada starting next Sunday. There he will meet indigenous populations who in the past have suffered from harsh policies of cultural assimilation, including from many Christians. “I am preparing to make a penitential pilgrimage – Francis explained – that I hope that with the grace of God I can contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation already undertaken. I ask everyone to accompany me with prayer”.
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