“Tomorrow I will travel to Turkey and then to Lebanon to visit the beloved peoples of those countries rich in history and spirituality. It will also be an opportunity to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and to meet with the Catholic community, my Christian brothers and sisters, and those of other religions. I ask you to accompany me with your prayers.
This is how the Pope implored the thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, in the Audience General Audience this Wednesday. Prayer for his apostolic journey that begins tomorrow.
In addition, before giving the blessing, the Pontiff recalled that “next Sunday, the Church will resume the new cycle of celebration of the Christian mysteries with the first Sunday of Advent. This time of year prepares us for Christmas, awakening in all of us the desire to encounter the God who comes.”.
“Life is, above all, a gift from God.”
The theme of the catechesis during the Audience continued that of the Jubilee Year, ‘Christ, our hope.’ The Pope began his reflection with “a question that we all carry deep in our hearts: what is the meaning of life?”.
The passage from Scripture we have just heard answers this question: “Life is, above all, a gift from God, who created us out of love.”
One of the most frequent temptations today is a lack of trust in God's goodness and love, the Pope said. Perhaps we no longer experience life as a gift because we are weighed down by its burdens, “but the risen Christ reminds us that God is always faithful to his plan of love.”
However, he emphasized to the English-speaking pilgrims, and to everyone, “trusting in God, we are invited to participate in this plan of life and love, generating life.”.
Vocation to marriage: “The adventure of motherhood and fatherhood”
“For those of you who live the vocation of marriage,” continued the Successor of Peter, “this means discovering the gift and the adventure of motherhood and fatherhood, in which you are called to participate by bringing new lives into this world and preparing them for eternal life. Do not fear this adventure, but open yourselves in prayer to the gift of life, trusting in the God whom we know loves us.
Shortly afterwards, he would say to the Polish people along the same lines: “May your families never lack the courage to make decisions about motherhood and fatherhood. Do not be afraid to welcome and defend every child conceived: proclaim and serve the Gospel of life. God is “the lover of life”, so always guard it with care and love. My blessing to you all!”.
A disease: lack of confidence in life
In his general remarks, the Pope emphasized that “there is a widespread disease in the world: a lack of trust in life. It is as if we have resigned ourselves to a negative fatalism, to giving up. Life risks no longer being seen as a gift, but rather as an unknown, almost a threat from which we must protect ourselves so as not to be disappointed.”.
That is why Pope Leo has said that “the value of living and generating life, of bearing witness that God is par excellence ‘the lover of life,’ as the Book of Wisdom (11:26) affirms, is today more than ever an urgent call.”.
“Christ is life”
He then gave the example of Jesus in the Gospel, who “constantly confirms his eagerness to heal the sick, mend wounded bodies and spirits, and bring the dead back to life,” and said that Christ is life.
“Generated from the Father, Christ is life and has generated life without sparing himself, giving us his own life, and inviting us to give our lives. To generate means to put life into another,” he continued. “The universe of living beings has spread through this law, which in the symphony of creatures knows an admirable crescendo culminating in the duet of man and woman: God created them in his own image and entrusted them with the mission of also generating in his image, that is, through love and in love.“
Priests of England and Wales on their 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of ordination
At the end of his address to English speakers, the Pope greeted “in a special way the bishops and priests of England and Wales who are celebrating the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of their priestly ordination. As I pray that you may experience an increase in the virtue of hope during this Jubilee Year, I invoke upon all of you and your families the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.
Meanwhile, he told German-speaking pilgrims: “May the grace of this Jubilee rekindle in all of you, pilgrims of hope, the longing for heavenly goods and grant you the joy and peace of our Redeemer. Let us entrust ourselves to the Lord and allow ourselves to be guided by Him toward the fullness of life.”.
Giving oneself to others
To those who speak Spanish, noisy as usual in St. Peter's Square, especially at the end, Leo XIX asked them to give themselves to others and also to receive life. These were his words.
“Let us ask the Lord for the strength to respond to the life he has freely given us with an existence devoted to his service. Let us abandon ourselves to his love so that we may not fear difficulties and face challenges, giving ourselves generously to others. Let us welcome life and God who manifests himself in it: in the children we bring into the world, in the people for whom we are responsible, and in the society we are called to build.”.
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