This Sunday, June 28, Pope Francis has recited the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace that overlooks St. Peter’s Square. “Jesus asks his disciples to take seriously the demands of the Gospel, even when this requires sacrifice and effort,” said the Bishop of Rome.
Vatican City
Summer has already settled in the city of Rome. Pope Francis has addressed several hundred people scattered around the wide Plaza de San Pedro, thus respecting health regulations to face the Covid-19.
Taking up the Gospel of Matthew 10, 37-42, Pope Francis stated that “Jesus asks his disciples to take seriously the demands of the Gospel, even when this requires sacrifice and effort.” From this affirmation three approaches emerge for those who want to follow him: placing love for Jesus above family love; Following Jesus involves carrying one’s own cross and the freedom that self-renunciation arises allows us to experience the generosity and gratitude of God.
Love of Jesus over family love
The Pope referring to the text of verse 37, “He who loves his father or mother, […] his son or his daughter more than me, he is not worthy of me “, he explains that “Jesus certainly does not intend to underestimate the love of parents and childrenBut you know that kinship ties, if put first, can deviate from the true good. We see it: some corruptions in governments come precisely because love of kinship is greater than love of the country and they put family members in charge.
The Pope raises a possible situation of contrast and insists: “When, on the contrary, love for parents and children is animated and purified by the love of the Lord, then it becomes fully fruitful and produces good fruit in one’s family and far beyond it. “
In this context, the Pope invites us to keep in mind an important detail that already appears in the Gospel: “Let us also remember how Jesus reproaches the doctors of the law who make parents lack what they need under the pretext of giving it to the altar, to give it to the Church. He reproaches you! […] True love for Jesus requires true love for parents, for children, but if from the beginning we seek the interest of the family, this always leads us down the wrong path. ”
There is no true love without a cross
Second, Francis, quoting verse 38, “He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” states: “It is a matter of following him along the path that he himself has traveled, without looking for shortcuts. There is no true love without a cross, that is, without a price to pay in person. Carried with Jesus, the cross is not scary, because He is always by our side to support us in the hour of the hardest test. ”
The Pope warns us of possible fearful and selfish attitudes that seek to preserve his own life above all things and quotes verse 39: “Whoever finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for me will find it ». Then he states: “The fullness of life and joy is found in giving oneself for the Gospel and for the brothers, with openness, acceptance and benevolence”.
God’s generosity and gratitude
At this moment, the Pope quotes verses 40 and 42: “Whoever receives you receives me, […]. And everyone who gives just one glass of fresh water to one of these little ones […] he will not lose his reward. God is generous: The generous gratitude of God the Father takes into account even the smallest gesture of love and service to our brothers and sisters. It is a contagious gratitude that helps each of us show gratitude to those who care about our needs. ”
The Pope emphasized the generous donation of himself affirming: “Many services are made free. Think about volunteering, which is one of the greatest things that Italian society has. The volunteers … And how many of them have left their lives in this pandemic. It is done for love, simply for service. ”
The Bishop of Rome concluded the reflection stating: “Gratitude, recognition, is first of all a sign of good manners, but it is also a badge of the Christian. It is a simple but genuine sign of the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of free and generous love. “
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