09/08/2016, 13.17
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Pope: peace begins with small things, from each of our hearts

"How is your family today? Is it at peace? If you are not able to bring it to your family, your sanctuary, your congregation, bring it forward on your own, there are not enough words of peace in the world ... ".

 

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Peace is not so much built in major international fora, but is a gift of God for which everyone must "work" and "artisan becomes in the hands of men", said Pope Francis at Mass  this morning in Santa Marta House, the first after the summer break.

He was taking a cue from the "small places" where peace was born, such as in a heart or a dream, as happens to Joseph, when an angel tells him not to be afraid to take Mary in marriage, because she will gift Emmanuel, "God with us" to the world. And God with us "is peace."

On the day in which we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Mary, the Pope noted that "And this path of saints and sinners tells us that we too ought to take this gift of peace and make it the path in our own life, make it enter into us, make it enter the world. Peace is not made overnight; peace is a gift, but a gift that must be taken up and worked on every day. For this reason, we can say that peace is a gift that is crafted in the hands of men. We men and women, each day, should take a step towards peace: It is our work. It is our work with the gift we have received: to make peace."

But how can we achieve this goal, asked Francis. The liturgy of the day, indicates in “littleness”: that of Mary, which is celebrated at Christmas, and also that of Bethlehem, “so small that you are not even on the maps". "Peace is a gift, it is a handcrafted gift that we must work for every day; but doing so in the small things, in daily ‘littleness.’ Great manifestations for peace, great international encounters, are not enough if peace is not then made in little things. On the contrary, you can speak of peace with splendid words, putting together a great conference… But if in your little things, in your heart, there is no peace, in your family there is no peace, in your neighbourhood there is no peace, in your place of work there is no peace, there will not be peace in the world".

We must ask God for the grace of the "wisdom to make peace, in the little things of every day but by focusing on the horizon of all mankind", precisely today when "we are living a war and all they ask for peace".

Pope Francis said that we should ask God for the grace of “the wisdom to make peace, in the little things of each day, but aiming at the horizons of the whole of humanity,” especially today, in which “we are living a war and all are seeking peace.” And in the meantime, he said, it would be good to start with this question. 

“How is your heart, today? Is it at peace? If it is not at peace, before speaking of peace, make sure your own heart is at peace. How is your family, today? Is it at peace? If you are not able to bring peace to your family, your rectory, your congregation, bringing it more peace, then words of peace for the world are not enough. This is the question that I would like to ask today: How is the heart of each one of us? Is it at peace? How is the family of each one of us? Is it at peace? That’s how it is, isn’t it? To achieve peace in the world.”

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