Vatican
City, 17 November 2013 (VIS) – At midday today the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the
faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian
prayer, the Pope commented on Jesus' discourse in Jerusalem about the
end of time. Jesus exhorted the apostles not to be deceived by false
messiahs and not to be paralysed by fear, but rather to live this
moment of waiting in hope, as a time of witness and perseverance.
The
Holy Father emphasised the relevance of these words even to us now in
the twenty-first century. “It is a call to discernment”, he said.
“Even nowadays, in fact, there are false 'saviours' who seek to
take Jesus' place: leaders of this world, gurus, holy men, people who
want to attract hearts and minds, especially of young people. Jesus
warns us: 'do not follow them'. And the Lord also helps us not to be
afraid when faced with wars and revolutions, natural disasters and
epidemics: Jesus liberates us from fatalism and false apocalyptic
visions. … He reminds us that we are entirely in God's hands! The
adversity we encounter on account of our faith and our adhesion to
the Gospel are opportunities for witness; they should not turn us
away from the Lord but rather encourage us to abandon ourselves more
fully to Him, to the strength of His Spirit and His grace”.
“In
this moment”, he continued, unscripted, “let us think of the many
Christian brothers and sisters who suffer persecution for their
faith. There are many of them. Perhaps more than in the first
centuries. Jesus is with them. Let us also be united with them by our
prayer and our affection. Let us admire their courage and their
witness. They are our brothers and sisters, who in many parts of the
world suffer for being faithful to Jesus Christ. Let us extend our
heartfelt and affectionate greetings to them”.
Francis
highlighted Jesus' promise to us as a guarantee of victory: “'Stand
firm, and you will win life'. … This is a call to hope and
patience, to know how to await the certain fruits of salvation,
trusting in the deep meaning of life and history; the trials and
difficulties form part of a greater design, and the Lord, the master
of history, guides all to its fulfilment. Despite the disorder and
catastrophes that afflict the world, God's plan of goodness and mercy
will prevail”.
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