09/03/2016, 13.29
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Pope: Turning our backs on the suffering is a modern sin we cannot permitt

Francis met tens of thousands of "mercy operators": "With your outstretched hand you touch the flesh of Christ, do not forget it." An invitation "to talk to the Lord, ask him the reason of things, and also ask them to remain humble and strong in service". A massive applause for Mother Teresa, a Saint as of tomorrow.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Do not act like the priest and Levite in the Gospel, who faced with a suffering person turned their eyes away this "is a grave sin, it is a modern sin, the sin of today. We Christians cannot permit it" said Pope Francis this morning to about 50 thousand volunteers, "mercy operators", who are celebrating their Jubilee, on the eve of tomorrow's Mass of canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The love of which St Paul speaks, explained Francis after having reflected on the Letter to the Corinthians, "it is not something abstract and vague; on the contrary, it is a love that is seen, touched and experienced firsthand. The biggest and most expressive form of this love is Jesus. His whole person and his life is nothing more than the concrete manifestation of the love of the Father, to the very end, "God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us "(Rom 5,8). This is love, not words, it is love. "

From Calvary, where the suffering of the Son of God reaches its climax, "springs the source of love that erases all sin and that recreates a new life in everything. We carry indelibly this certainty of faith with us forever: Christ "loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Love, then, is the ultimate expression of all life and allows us to exist".

Faced with this essential content of faith, the Pope pointed out, "the Church could never afford to act as the priest and the Levite did towards the man left half dead on the ground (cf. Lk 10.25 to 36). You cannot look away and turn the other way so as not to see the many forms of poverty begging for mercy. This turning one’s back on hunger, disease, exploited people – he added speaking off the cuff - is a grave sin, it is a modern sin, the sin of today. We Christians can not permit it".

It would not be worthy of the Church nor a Christian, in fact, "to move on and assume that you have a clear conscience just because we have prayed! Calvary is always relevant. It has by no means disappeared or is just a beautiful painting in our churches. That summit of compassion, from which the love of God flows onto human misery, still speaks to our day and pushes to always give new signs of mercy. I never tire of saying that God's mercy is not a nice idea, but concrete action”.

Brothers and sisters, Francis resumed, "you here represent the great and varied world of volunteering. Among the most precious realities of the Church, you who every day, often in silence and obscurity, give form and visibility to the mercy ... The credibility of the Church passes convincingly through your service to the abandoned children, the sick, the poor without food and work, the elderly, the homeless, prisoners, refugees and migrants, those affected by natural disasters ... in short, wherever there is a call for help, there comes your active and disinterested witness. You make the law of Christ, to bear another's burdens, visible ".

Dear brothers and sisters, he continued in off the cuff remarks, "you touch the flesh of Christ with your hands. Do not forget about this: you touch the flesh of Christ with your hands. Always be ready in solidarity, strong in proximity, diligent in arousing joy and convincing in consolation. The world needs concrete signs of solidarity, especially in front of the temptation of indifference, and requires people capable of fighting individualism, the tendency to think only of oneself and ignore brothers in need, with their lives. Always be happy and full of joy for your service, but never make it a measure of conceit, a reason to feel better than others. "

To avoid falling into this trap, the Pope suggested that volunteers, "talk to the Lord about these things. Call Him. Do as did Sister Prema told us the nun, who knocked at the door of the Tabernacle. Courageous. Call the Lord, call: Lord look how much poverty, so much indifference ... Look the other way "I do not care, it does not matter" ... Instead ask "Lord why?". Why am I so weak and you called me to do this service. Help me, give me strength and humility. The crux of this mercy is the merciful Heart of Jesus. "

Tomorrow, he concludes, "we will have the joy of seeing Mother Teresa proclaimed a saint ... [Applause from the crowd ed] Well, she deserves it ... This witness of mercy of our time is added to the endless line of men and women who have made the love of Christ visible with their holiness. We also imitate their example, and ask to be humble instruments in God's hands to alleviate the suffering of the world and give joy and hope of the resurrection".

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