Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The true fear of the Christian is not that of suffering persecution, but of finding oneself "throwing one's life away".
Pope Francis said this today to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the customary Angelus appointment.
Among them this Sunday were the family and friends of Emanuela Orlandi, the young Vatican citizen who disappeared in mysterious circumstances 40 years ago and was never found, to whom the pontiff wished to express his closeness at the end of the prayer.
Commenting on Jesus' invitation "Do not be afraid", repeated three times in the Gospel page proposed by the liturgy today (Mt 10,26.28.31), Francis recalled that shortly before, Jesus had spoken to the disciples of the persecutions they will have to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, "a reality that is still relevant today".
"It seems paradoxical," he commented, "the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is a message of peace and justice, founded on fraternal charity and forgiveness, and yet it encounters opposition, violence and persecution. Jesus, however,' he continued, 'says not to fear: not because all will be well in the world, but because for the Father we are precious and nothing that is good will be lost'.
There is, however, something else that must frighten us: to explain this, Jesus uses the image of Geenna, which - the pope recalled - was the great dump of Jerusalem.
"As if to say," he explained, "that we should not be so afraid of suffering misunderstandings and criticism, of losing prestige and economic advantages in order to remain faithful to the Gospel, but of wasting our existence chasing after trivial things, which do not fill life with meaning today".
"Even today," he commented, "one can be laughed at or discriminated against if one does not follow certain fashionable models, which, however, often put things in second place: things instead of people, performance instead of relationships. I am thinking of parents, who need to work to support the family, but cannot live for work alone: they need the time to be with their children. I am also thinking of a priest or a nun: they must be committed to their service, but without forgetting to dedicate time to being with Jesus, otherwise they fall into spiritual worldliness and lose the sense of who they are. And again, I think of a young man or woman, who have a thousand commitments and passions: school, sport, various interests, mobile phones and social networks, but they need to meet people and realise big dreams, without wasting time on things that pass and do not leave their mark".
Knowing how to make some renunciations "in the face of the idols of efficiency and consumerism, it is necessary not to get lost in things, which are then thrown away, as was done then in Geenna. And in today's Geenne people often end up: think of the last ones, often treated as waste material and unwanted objects".
Hence the invitation to ask oneself: "Me, what am I afraid of? Of not having what I like? Of not reaching the goals that society imposes? Of the judgement of others? Or of not pleasing the Lord and not putting his Gospel first?"
"Mary, wise Mother," he concluded, "help us to be wise and courageous in the choices we make".
After reciting the Angelus, recalling the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the pope added: "I wish to take advantage of this circumstance to express, once again, my closeness to the family, especially to the mother, and to assure them of my prayers. I extend my remembrance to all the families who bear the pain of a loved one who has disappeared."
Lastly, citing the serious gang violence that has occurred in recent days in the Támara women's penitentiary in Honduras, Francis invited people to pray to the Virgin of Suyapa, the country's patron saint, that she may "help hearts to open up to reconciliation and make room for fraternal coexistence, even within prisons".
