The first thought of Angelus in St. Peter’s Square of Pope Leone went to the world day of grandparents and the elderly who is celebrated on July 27 and which has as theme Blessed are those who have not lost hope. “We look at grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope capable of illuminating the path of the new generations ” he said. “Let’s not leave them alone, but we hold an alliance of love and prayer with them.”
And then immediately the thought went to the world scenarios of the current wars. «My heart is close to all those who know because of conflicts and violence in the world. In particular, to the people involved in the clashes on the border between Thailand and Cambogia, especially for children and displaced families. May the Prince of Peace inspire everyone to seek dialogue and reconciliation. I pray for the victims of the violence in the south of Syria “.
And again, Gaza: «I follow the very serious humanitarian situation with great concern where the civilian population is crushed by hunger and continues to be exposed to violence and death. I renew my anchored appeal to the ceasefire, to the liberation of the hostages to full respect of humanitarian law. Each human person has an intrinsic dignity conferred by God himself. I urge the parties in all conflicts to recognize it and stop any action against it. I exhort to negotiate a future of peace for all peoples and to reject how much it can affect it. TOto Maria Queen of Peace the innocent victims of the conflicts and the rulers who have the power to end it “.
Among the greetings before taking leave, also on Radio Vaticana and Vatican News “that to be closer to the faithful and pilgrims during the Jubilee they inaugurated a small location under the colonnade of Bernini together with the Oxternat Romano. Thanks for the service in many languages that brings the Pope’s voice to the world and thanks to all journalists who contribute to a communication of peace and truth ».
Finally, but not least “greetings with particular a ff eletto the young people of different countries agreed in Rome for the Jubilee of young people. I hope that it is an opportunity for each to meet Christ and be strengthened by him in the faith and commitment to follow him consistently».
The full text of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good Sunday! Today the Gospel presents us Jesus who teaches our disciples our Father: the prayer that unites all Christians. In it the Lord invites us to turn to God by calling him “Abbà”, “dad”, as children, with “simplicity (), branch trust, (…) audacity, certainty of being loved”.
With a very beautiful expression, the catechism of the Catholic Church says in this regard that “through the prayer of the Lord, we are revealed to ourselves, while the Father is revealed”. And it’s true: The more you pray with confidence the father of the skies, the more we discover we love children and the more we know the greatness of his love.
Today’s Gospel, then, describes the traits of God’s paternity through some suggestive images: that of a man who rises, in the middle of the night, to help a friend welcome an unexpected visitor; or that of a parent who takes care of giving good things to his children. They remind us that God never turns our backs when we turn to him, not even if we come late to knock on his doorperhaps after errors, missed opportunities, failures, not even if, to welcome us, he must “wake up” his children who sleep at home. Indeed, in the great family of the Church, the Father does not hesitate to make us all participate in every gesture of love.
The Lord always listens to us when we pray it, and if sometimes he responds to us with times and in difficult ways to understand, it is because it acts with a greater wisdom and providence, which go beyond our understanding. Therefore even in these moments, we do not stop praying with confidence: In him we will always find light and strength. Acting our Father, however, in addition to celebrating the grace of divine daughter, we also express the commitment to correspond to this gift, loveing us as brothers in Christ. One of the Fathers of the Church, reflecting on this, writes: “When we call God” our Father “, we remember the duty to behave like children”, and another adds: “You cannot call your father the God of all goodness, if you keep a cruel and dehuman heart; In this case, in fact, you no longer have in you the imprint of the goodness of the celestial Father.
God cannot be prayed as “Father” and then be hard and insensitive to others. Rather, it is important to be transformed by his goodness, by his patience, from his mercy, to reflect his face in ours as a mirror. Dear brothers and sisters, the liturgy today invites us, in prayer and charity, to feel loved and love as God loves us: with availability, discretion, mutual concern, without calculations. We ask Maria to know how to respond to the appeal, to show the sweetness of the father’s face.
Ansa photo
