Pope Francis recalls the theme of the Day of the Poor: “The prayer of the poor rises to God” and thanks all those who care for the most fragile. He asks everyone to do their part by asking themselves the question: «Do I deprive myself of something to give it to the poor? And when I give alms, do I touch the poor man’s hand and look him in the eyes? We must commit ourselves because, Francis warns, “let us not forget that the poor cannot wait”. Then he joins the Church in Italy “which tomorrow is proposing the Day of Prayer for the Victims of Abuse” and underlines that “prayer is essential to re-establish trust”.
But he does not forget the cry for peace. «For the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan. «War», he says, «makes us inhuman and leads us to tolerate unacceptable crimes. Governments listen to the cry of the people asking for peace.”
Previously he had commented on the Gospel of the day, inviting everyone to focus on “what passes and what remains”. And he explains that «in some circumstances of our lives, when we go through a crisis or experience some failure, as well as when we see the pain caused by wars, violence, natural disasters around us, we have the sensation that everything is heading towards the end, and we realize that even the most beautiful things pass. Crises and failures, however, even if painful, are important, because they teach us to give everything the right weight, not to attach our hearts to the realities of this world, because they will pass: they are destined to fade away.”
But Jesus tells us what remains. «Everything passes, but his words will not pass: they remain forever. He thus invites us to trust in the Gospel, which contains a promise of salvation and eternity, and to no longer live under the anguish of death. In fact, while everything passes, Christ remains. In Him one day we will find the things and people who have passed and who accompanied us in earthly existence. In the light of this promise of resurrection, every reality acquires a new meaning: everything dies and we too will die one day, but we will not lose anything of what we have built and loved, because death will be the beginning of a new life.” And so, even «in tribulations, in crises, in failures» we must look, thanks to the Gospel, «at life and history without fear of losing what ends, but with joy for what remains: God prepares for us a future of life and joy.”
