atican City, 24 April 2013
(VIS) – Pope Francis dedicated the catechesis of his Wednesday
general audience to three Gospel texts that help us to enter into the
mystery of one of the truths professed in the Creed: that Jesus “will
come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”. The three
texts are: the parable of the ten virgins; the parable of the
talents; and the final judgement. They all form part of Jesus'
teaching on the end of time in the Gospel of St. Matthew.
Before
the more than 75,000 persons filling St. Peter's Square, the Holy
Father spoke of the “'immediate time' between Jesus' first and
final comings, which is precisely the time in which we are living.
The parable of the ten virgins is located within this context.”
They are awaiting the Bridegroom but fall asleep because he is late
in arriving. Five of them, who are wise, keep oil aside and can light
their lamps when the Bridegroom arrives unexpectedly. The other,
foolish ones, do not have it and, while they look for it, the nuptial
celebrations have already begun and the door to enter into the
banquet is closed to them.
“The
Bridegroom is the Lord and the time of awaiting his arrival is the
time that He gives us, with mercy and patience, before his final
coming. It is a time of vigilance, a time in which we must keep the
lamps of faith, hope, and love lit. [It is a time] to keep our hearts
open to the good, to beauty, and to truth; a time to live according
to God because we do not know either the day or the hour of Christ's
return. What is asked of us is to be prepared for the encounter,
which means knowing how to read the signs of his presence, to keep
our faith alive with prayer and the Sacraments, and to be vigilant so
as not to fall asleep, not to forget God. The life of Christians who
are sleeping is a sad life, not a happy life. Christians must be
happy, [feeling] the joy of Jesus.”
The
second parable, of the talents, “makes us reflect on the
relationship between how we use the gifts we have received from God
and his return when he will ask us how we have used them. … This
tells us that our awaiting the Lord's return is a time of action …
time to make the most of God's gifts, nor for ourselves, but for him,
for the Church, for others. [It is] the time in which to always seek
to make good grow in the world. Particularly in this time of crisis,
today, it is important not to be locked up in ourselves, removing our
talents, our spiritual and material riches, everything that the Lord
has given us, but to open ourselves, to be compassionate, to be
attentive to others.”
“In
the square today there are many young persons. Is this true? Are
there many youth? Where are they? To you, who are at the beginning of
life's path, I ask: have you thought of the talents that God has
given you? Have you thought of how to put them at the service of
others? Don't take your talents away! Bet on great ideals, those
ideals that enlarge our hearts, those ideals of service that make
your talents fruitful. We were not given life so that we might hold
it back, jealously, for ourselves, but it was given to us so that we
might offer it. Dear young persons, you have great souls! Don't be
afraid to dream of great things!”
The
Holy Father then spoke of the story of the final judgement that tells
of the second coming of the Lord when He will judge all human beings,
living and dead. At his right hand will be those who have acted in
accordance with God's will, helping the hungry, the thirsty, the
foreigner, the naked, the ill, the imprisoned—I said 'foreigner'. I
am thinking of all the foreigners who are here in the Diocese of
Rome. What are we doing for them?“ the Pope asked.
In
the story, at the Lord's left hand are those who did not assist their
neighbour. “This tells us that we will be judged by God on charity,
on how we have love our brothers and sisters, especially the weakest
and most needy of them. Of course, we always have to keep in mind
that we are judged, we are saved by grace, by an act of God's
gratuitous love that always precedes us. Alone we can do nothing.
Faith is foremost a gift that we have received. But, to bear fruit,
God's grace always requires our openness to him, our free and
concrete response. Christ comes to bring us the mercy of the God who
saves. We have been asked to entrust ourselves to him, to make our
good lives—made of deeds inspired by faith and love—match the
gift of his love.”
“Looking
to the final judgement must never frighten us,” the pontiff
concluded. “Rather, it urges us to live the present better. With
mercy and patience, God offers us this time so that we might learn
every day to recognize him in the poor and the small, might strive
for the good, and might be vigilant in prayer and love. The Lord, at
the end of our existence and of history, may then recognize us as
good and faithful servants.”
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