Pope’s travels in the Caucasus to "encourage hope and paths of peace"
At today’s jubilee audience, Francis spoke about his recent visit to Armenia, and his coming trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan in September. It is "one thing to talk about mercy, it is another to live mercy" because "the works of mercy are not theoretical issues, but actual deeds. They force us to roll up our sleeves to alleviate suffering. "
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis held a Jubilee audience today, the last before the summer break, to talk about his travels to the Caucasus and the necessary actualness of mercy.
The pontiff noted that after his trip to Armenia, he plans to travel to Georgia and Azerbaijan in September to "encourage hope and paths of peace" because "history teaches us that the path of peace requires great tenacity and continuous steps, starting with small ones and gradually making them grow, going towards one another. Precisely for this reason I hope that each and everyone will make their contribution to reconciliation."
"I accepted the invitation to visit these countries for two reasons,” Francis said, “to enhance the value of the ancient Christian roots present in those lands – always in a spirit of dialogue with other religions and cultures – and encourage hope and paths of peace ".
"As Christians, we are called to strengthen the fraternal communion among us, to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ, and to be a leaven for a more just and united society. For this reason, I shared the entire visit with the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who fraternally hosted me for three days at his home. I renew my embrace to the bishops, priests, men and women religious and all the faithful in Armenia. May the Virgin Mary, our Mother, help them remain steadfast in the faith, open to meet others, and generous in works of mercy. "
Such works were the other topic Francis mentioned in his address to the 30,000 people present in St Peter's Square. It is "one thing to talk about mercy, it is another to live mercy" because "the works of mercy are not theoretical issues, but actual deeds. They force us to roll up our sleeves to alleviate suffering. "
"How many time during the first months of the Jubilee have we heard about the works of mercy! Today the Lord invites us to examine seriously our conscience. It is a good idea in fact to never forget that mercy is not an abstract word, that it is a way of life. A person may or may not be merciful; it's a way of life. I may choose to live as someone who is merciful or choose to live as someone who is not merciful. It is one thing to talk about mercy, it is another to live mercy. Paraphrasing the words of Saint James the Apostle (cf. 2.14 to 17) we might say that mercy without works is dead in itself. That is how it is! What gives mercy life is its constant dynamism to meet the needs and necessities of those in spiritual and material distress. Mercy has eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to lift up."
"Daily life allows us to touch so many demands that concern the poorest and those in pain. We are especially called to heed the suffering and the needs of many of our brothers and sisters. Sometimes we pass by the sight of extreme poverty and this does not seem to touch us. Everything goes on as if it were business as usual, in the kind of indifference that turns us into hypocrites. Without realising it, we end up in a form of spiritual lethargy that numbs the mind and makes life sterile. People who go by, who go through life without noticing the needs of others, who do not see many spiritual and material needs, are people who get by without living, people who are not useful to others. Lest you forget: Whoever does not live to serve is of no use to life."
"How many aspects of God's mercy are there toward us! At the same time, how many faces turn to us for mercy. Those who have experienced God’s mercy in their own life cannot remain indifferent to the needs of their brothers. The teaching of Jesus that we heard does not allow any way out, for I was hungry and you gave me food, for I was thirsty and you gave me drink, for I was a stranger and you welcomed me (cf. Mt 25,35-36). One cannot buy time in front of a person who is hungry – we need to feed him or her. This is what Jesus told us! The works of mercy are not theoretical issues; they are actual deeds. They force us to roll up our sleeves to alleviate suffering.
"Due to changes in our globalised world, some forms of material and spiritual poverty have multiplied. Let us therefore unleash charity’s creativity and find new ways of doing things. In so doing, the path of mercy will become ever more real. Like sentries, we are called upon to remain vigilant to ensure that, faced with the poverty generated by the culture of affluence, Christians’ gaze does not weaken and become incapable of focusing on the essential.
“What does focusing on the essential mean? It means focusing on Jesus, looking upon Jesus through those who are hungry, imprisoned, sick, bare, jobless but with a family to feed. [It means] looking upon Jesus through these brothers and sisters, looking upon Jesus through those who are lonely and sad, those who make mistakes and need advice, those who need to travel with Him in silence so as to feel together. This is what Jesus calls upon us to do. Why do we look upon Jesus through them? Because that is how Jesus looks upon me, upon us.”
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