Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - "A
person tends to die just as he or she lived : If my life was a journey with the
Lord, trusting in His great mercy , I will be prepared to accept the last
moment of my existence on earth as the final trusting
abandonment into His warm hands, waiting to contemplate His face". This is the Christian vision of death, of
which Pope Francis spoke today , addressing the phrase "resurrection from
the dead " contained in the Creed.
Today
the Pope addressed the first of the two aspects indicated by the Catechism of
the Catholic Church, that "our death and resurrection in Jesus Christ". Almost
50 thousand people were present in St Peter's Square, for the audience despite
freezing temperatures that led the Pope to wear a scarf and "congratulate" those
present. "Congratulations
- he said - because you are brave with
this cold in the square, well done".
Addressing the theme "dying in Christ," Francis said that "there is a wrong way to look at death. Death affects us all, it questions us in a profound way, especially when it touches us closely, or when it involves small children, the helpless in a way that seems 'scandalous' to us. I have always been struck by the question: why do children suffer ? , why do children die? If it is understood as the end of everything , death scares , frightens , it becomes a threat that destroys every dream, every future hope, that destroys every relationship ends every journey. This happens when we consider our life as a period of time locked between two poles: birth and death, when we do not believe in a horizon that goes beyond that of present life when you live as if God did not exist . This concept of death is typical of atheist thinking, that sees our existence as a casual finding of in the world and a journey to nowhere. But there is also a practical atheism, which is a living only for one's own interests , to live only for worldly things . If we allow ourselves to think of death in this way, we have no choice but to conceal death, to deny or trivialize it so it does not frighten us".
"But this false solution rebels in man's heart, the desire we all have for the infinite, the longing that we all have for the eternal. So what is the Christian meaning of death? If we look at the most painful moments of our lives when we have lost a loved one - parents, a brother, a sister, a spouse, a child, a friend - we realize that, even in the drama of loss, even when devastated by loss, the conviction rises from the heart that it cannot all be over, that the good given and received was not in vain . There is a powerful instinct within us that tells us that our life does not end with death. And this is true: our life does not end with the death. This thirst for life has found its real and reliable response in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus not only gives the certainty of life after death, but also illuminates the mystery of each of our deaths. If we live united to Jesus , faithful to Him , we will be able to cope with the passage of death with hope and serenity".
"And how can we draw closer to Jesus ? With prayer, the sacraments and also in the practice of charity. Remember that He is present in the most vulnerable and needy. He identified himself with them, in the famous parable of the last judgment , when he says "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me , naked and you clothed me , sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me . All you ... you did it to one of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me " (Mt 25,35-36.40 .) Therefore, one certain way is to recover the sense of Christian charity and fraternal sharing , taking care of the physical and spiritual wounds of our neighbor. "
"Solidarity in sorrow and in instilling hope - he said - is the premise and condition for receiving the inheritance of that Kingdom prepared for us. Those who practice mercy do not fear death . Think about this : those who practice mercy do not fear death . Do you agree? Lets say it together so as not to forget: ' Those who practice mercy do not fear death ! .' Another time , ' Those who practice mercy do not fear death ! .' And why do they not fear death ? Because they look it in the face in the wounds of their brothers , and overcome it with the love of Jesus Christ. If we open the door of our lives and our hearts to our brethren, then even our death becomes a door that will introduce us to heaven, the blessed homeland , where we're headed , longing to dwell forever with our Father God , with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the saints . "