During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis instructs the faithful to dedicate the right attention and care to what really counts in life, and not to that which stifles or overwhelms.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
VATICAN CITY — Despite the cost, sacrifice, or fear involved, Jesus invites you to stay faithful to what counts, and He will take care of the rest.
This was at the heart of Pope Francis’ remarks to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square during his Sunday Angelus address, as he encouraged the faithful to go against the tide and not hesitate to reject common thinking.
The Holy Father began his address by recalling that in today’s Gospel, Jesus repeats to His disciples three times: “Do not be afraid.” Shortly before, the Pope remembered, Jesus spoke to them of the persecutions they would have to endure for the sake of the Gospel.
Risk of losing one’s life for what does not matter
The Pope observed that this reality is still relevant today, as the Church has known great joy, but also great persecution. “It seems paradoxical,” he said, that “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 says to not be afraid, the Pope stressed, pointing out He does so “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.”
Jesus says to be fearful, instead, of one thing: throwing one’s life away, the Pope said.
“One 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 one’s existence chasing after trivial things, which do not fill life with meaning.”
“One should not be so afraid of suffering misunderstandings and criticism, of losing prestige and economic advantages in order to remain faithful to the Gospel,” he explained, “but of wasting one’s existence chasing after trivial things, which do not fill life with meaning.”
Relevant to all of us
The Pope said this warning is relevant to each of us. “Even today,” he said, “one can be laughed at or discriminated against if one does not follow certain fashionable models, which, however, often put second-rate realities at the centre: things instead of people, performance instead of relationships.”
To illustrate his point, the Pope thought of parents, “who need to work to support their family, but cannot live for work alone: they need time to be with their children.”
He then turned to priests or nuns: “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.”
Lastly, he thought of young men and women, “who have a thousand commitments and passions: school, sport, various interests, mobile phones, and social networks, but they need to meet people and realize big dreams, without wasting time on things that pass and do not leave their mark.”
Some renunciation necessary to go against the tide
All this, Pope Francis admitted, “entails some renunciation in the face of the idols of efficiency and consumerism, but it is necessary in order not to get lost in things, which are then thrown away.”
To remain faithful to what counts, the Pope said, has a cost. “It costs going against the tide, freeing oneself from the conditioning of common thinking, being pushed aside by those who ‘follow the wave’.”
But this does not matter, says Jesus: what matters he notes, is, to not throw away the greatest good of our lives, for that which does not have real value.
“Let us ask ourselves then: what am I afraid of?”
“Let us ask ourselves, then,” the Pope said, “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?”
Pope Francis concluded by asking the wise Virgin Mary to grant us her wisdom and courage in the choices we make.
