Vatican City, 2 March 2014 (VIS) – At
midday Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray the
Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the
Marian prayer, he spoke about “divine Providence” and how it is
presented by the prophet Isaiah, with the image of maternal love,
full of tenderness. “God does not forget about us, any of us! …
He forgets no-one, He remembers every name and surname”, he
continued. “He loves us, and does not forget about us. What a
beautiful thought is this invitation to trust in God”.
“Thinking of all those who live in
precarious conditions, or even in poverty that is an affront to their
dignity, these words of Jesus' may seem abstract, if not illusory.
But in fact they are more relevant than ever! They remind us that we
cannot serve two masters: God and wealth. For as long as each person
seeks to accumulate wealth for himself, there will be no justice. We
must understand this well! If, instead, trusting in God's providence,
we seek his Kingdom together, then no-one will lack the means to live
with dignity”.
“A heart occupied with the desire to
possess is a heart full of this desire, but without God. … In a
heart possessed by wealth, there is not much space for faith. … If,
however, we leave for God the space that is due to Him – the first
place – then His love will lead us also to share our wealth, to put
it at the service of projects for solidarity and development, as we
may see in many examples, some of them recent, in the history of the
Church. And in this way God's Providence passes through our service
to others, our sharing with others”.
“The path that Jesus shows to us may
seem unrealistic compared to the prevalent mentality and in view of
the problems caused by the economic crisis. … To ensure that no-one
lacks bread, water, clothing, shelter, work, and health, it is
necessary for all of us to recognise that we are children of the
Father in Heaven and that we are therefore all brothers, and to
behave accordingly”. The Pope concluded by inviting those present
to invoke the intercession of Our Lady “so that we may all make
efforts to live in a simple and sober way, keeping watch over the
needs of our most disadvantaged brothers”.
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