Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Let us not allow the winds of war, which have begun to blow once more in the Middle East, Ukraine and many other parts of the world, to “extinguish the flame of hope and peace, even when it seems fragile and flickering”. This is the appeal that Pope Leo has once again made today, in the face of the violence, terror and death that have once more struck so many innocent people. He spoke of this during the Angelus prayer, addressing the faithful gathered at Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope has been spending his summer break in recent weeks.
“I renew my hope that the path of dialogue, encounter and diplomacy will be pursued with perseverance,” said the Pope, “for it is the only path capable of leading to a just and lasting peace, in which peoples may live in reconciliation, in mutual security and with respect for the dignity of every person.”
As today marks “Seafarer Sunday” for the Church, he also dedicated a special thought to all “seafarers, fishermen and dockworkers around the world who, though marked by separation from their loved ones and at times by fear of the conflicts ravaging the seas, sustain trade and the lives of many peoples through their patient and unassuming labour”.
The Pope had also spoken of this hunger for peace and justice yesterday in his greeting to those taking part in the event “Lunch with the Pope”, organised for around 200 homeless people and those in vulnerable circumstances at the Borgo Laudato Sì in the Papal Villas at Castel Gandolfo. “I have come without a speech, but with a hunger,” he had said. “A hunger for justice, a hunger for authentic charity, a hunger for a Church that truly knows how to open its doors, to welcome and receive everyone. A Church where there is love for all and where no one is an enemy, where we all know how to live out reconciliation, forgiveness and peace.”
Before today’s Marian prayer, whilst commenting on the parable of the sower proposed by today’s liturgy (cf. Mt 13:1–23), Leo XIV had instead focused on the image of the Father who “never ceases to sow, because he knows that the power of his love is stronger than our weakness”.
“God’s generosity towards us is not naive, but wise,” remarked the Pope, “and he recognises in us the potential for good that we ourselves sometimes fail to realise. For this reason, the Lord, who knows the soil of our hearts well – better than we know it ourselves – never ceases to believe in us, in who we are and in what we can become, day by day, if we entrust ourselves to Him in faith.”
He continued it is precisely “from the generosity and trust with which the seed is sown, and from the humility and openness with which it is received” that “the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow within us and spread; these are, as Saint Paul teaches: ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. “How much our world needs these fruits,” said Pope Prevost, “to be filled with them and transformed.”
Hence the invitation to everyone, “especially during these holidays, to make room for listening to, reading and meditating on the Word of God, cultivating, alongside rest and wholesome enjoyment, meaningful moments of silence and prayer as well. ‘We shall return to our usual occupations,’ concluded the Pope, ‘renewed in body and spirit, ready to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and ever more capable of cooperating in the growth of the Kingdom of God.’
