SENT TO FLORENCE. “Those who love peace” repudiate war as an instrument of offense against the freedom of other peoples and as a means of resolving international disputes “”. Pope Francis at the Angelus cites the Constitution of the Italian Republic and launches a new appeal for peace for Ukraine: «My heart is torn, arms are silent. God is not with those who use violence ».
The Pontiff is not in Florence at the “Meeting of Bishops and Mayors of the Mediterranean cities” due to a new pain in his knee that forces him to stop. So at 12 he looks out the window of the study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Marian Prayer with the faithful and pilgrims who have come to St. Peter’s Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
He begins by pointing out that in today’s Gospel Jesus invites us to reflect on “our gaze and our speaking. The look and the talk ». First of all on «our gaze. The risk we run, says the Lord, is to concentrate on looking at the speck in our brother’s eye without noticing the beam in ours “. In other words, to be “very attentive to the defects of others, even to those as small as a straw, serenely neglecting our own, giving them little weight. What Jesus says is true: we always find reasons to blame others and justify ourselves ”. And many times “we complain about things that are not right in society, in the Church, in the world, without first questioning ourselves and without first committing ourselves to change ourselves”. Every “fruitful, positive change must begin with ourselves. On the contrary, there will be no change. But – Jesus explains – in doing so our gaze is blind. And if we are blind we cannot pretend to be guides and teachers for others: a blind man, in fact, cannot guide another blind ».
God exhorts “to cleanse our eyes”. First of all, he asks to look within «of us to recognize our miseries. Because if we are not able to see our faults, we will always be inclined to magnify those of others ». If, on the other hand, “we recognize our mistakes and our miseries, the door of mercy opens for us. And after having looked within, Jesus invites us to look at others as he does – this is the secret: to look at others as he does – who does not see evil above all, but good ”. The Lord “looks at us like this: he does not see irremediable mistakes in us, but he sees children who make mistakes. He changes the point: he does not focus on mistakes, but on the children who make mistakes. God always distinguishes the person from his mistakes. He always saves the person. He always believes in the person and is always ready to forgive mistakes. We know that God always forgives. And he invites us to do the same: not to seek evil in others, but good ”.
After the look, Christ today “invites us to reflect on our speech. The Lord explains that his mouth “expresses that which overflows from the heart”. It is true, from the way someone talks you realize immediately what he has in his heart ». The words we “use say the person we are. Sometimes, however, we pay little attention to our words and use them superficially. But words have weight: they allow us to express thoughts and feelings, to give voice to the fears we have and to the projects we intend to carry out, to bless God and others. Unfortunately, however, with the language we can also feed prejudices, raise barriers, attack and even destroy; with the tongue we can destroy our brothers: gossip hurts and slander can be sharper than a knife! ». The Bishop of Rome observes: «Nowadays, especially in the digital world, words run fast; but too many convey anger and aggression, feed false news and take advantage of collective fears to propagate distorted ideas. A diplomat, who was Secretary General of the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize, said that “to abuse the word is to despise the human being” (D. Hammarskjöld, Traces of the journey, Magnano BI 1992, 131) “.
Francis then advises us to ask ourselves “what kind of words do we use: words that express attention, respect, understanding, closeness, compassion, or words that mainly aim to make us beautiful in front of others?”. And then, “do we speak mildly or do we pollute the world by spreading poisons: criticizing, complaining, feeding widespread aggression?”.
He invokes Our Lady, “Mary, whose humility God has looked upon, the Virgin of silence that we now pray”, so that “she helps us to purify our gaze and our speech”.
After the Angelus, the Pope utters words of pain and concern for the conflict that is infecting Eastern Europe: «Dear brothers and sisters! In recent days we have been shocked by something tragic: the war. Several̀ times we have prayed that this path would not be taken. And let’s not stop praying, on the contrary, we beg God more intensely ». For this reason Bergoglio «renews everyone the invitation to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine. A day to be close to the suffering of the Ukrainian people, to feel all brothers and sisters and implore God for an end to the war. Those who make war forget humanity. He does not start from the people, he does not look at the concrete life of the people, but puts before everything vested interests and power. He entrusts himself to the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest from the will of God. And he distances himself from the common people, who want peace; and that in every conflict he is the real victim, who pays for the follies of war on his own skin ». Francis thinks “of the elderly, of those who seek refuge in these hours, of mothers fleeing with their children … They are brothers and sisters for whom it is urgent to open humanitarian corridors and who must be welcomed. With a broken heart for what is happening in Ukraine – and let’s not forget the wars in other parts of the world, such as in Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia … – I repeat: shut up their weapons! God stands with peacemakers, not with those who use violence. Because those who love peace, as the Italian Constitution states, “repudiate war as an instrument of offense to the freedom of other peoples and as a means of resolving international disputes” (Art. 11) ».
The Pontiff greets «all of you, Romans and pilgrims! I greet in particular the young university students of the diocese of Porto; the faithful of Mérida-Badajoz and Madrid, Spain; those of Paris and Poland; the groups of Reggio Calabria, Sicily and the Alta Langa Pastoral Unit; the confirmands from Urgnano and the boys from Petosino, diocese of Bergamo. A special greeting to all who came on the occasion of Rare Disease Day, which occurs tomorrow: I encourage the various associations of patients and their families, as well as the researchers who work in this field. I am close to you! I greet the peoples present here … I also see many flags of Ukraine! (in Ukrainian, ed.) Praised be Jesus Christ! ».
Finally, to everyone «I wish you a good Sunday. Please don’t forget to pray for me. Have a good lunch and goodbye ».
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