Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) –
At midday today the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study
to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Francis reflected on the day's reading, from Chapter 10 of the Gospel
of St. Mark, which is divided into three scenes corresponding to
three gazes of Jesus. The first scene presents the encounter between
the Teacher and the young man who asks, “What must I do to inherit
eternal life?”. “Eternal life is not only the life of the
hereafter, but it is also full life, complete and limitless”, said
the Pope. “Jesus' response translates into an intense gaze full of
tenderness and affection”. He understands the youth's weakness and
answers that he must “give everything he has to the poor and follow
Him. But the youth's heart is divided between two masters: God and
money, and he goes away sad. This shows us that faith and attachment
to riches cannot coexist. Thus, in the end, the initial impulse felt
by the youth vanishes in the unhappiness of an invitation to follow
that fails”.
In the second scene, Jesus gaze is
pensive, and warning. Looking around Him, He says to His disciples,
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”.
Seeing the wonder of his disciples, who ask, “Then who can be
saved?”, Jesus responds with a gaze of encouragement – this is
the third gaze – and says, salvation, yes, “For human beings it
is impossible, but not for God. If we trust in the Lord, we can
overcome all the obstacles that prevent us from following Him on the
path of faith. To entrust oneself to the Lord. He will give us
strength; He will give us salvation; He will accompany us along the
journey”.
Finally, the third scene is that of
Jesus' solemn declaration. “I assure you that he who leaves
everything to follow me will have eternal life in the age to come and
a hundred times more now in this present age”. The Pope explained,
“This 'hundred times more' is made up of the things that are first
possessed and then left, but which are found infinitely multiplied.
We deprive ourselves of goods and receive in exchange the joy of the
true good; we free ourselves from slavery to things and we win the
liberty of service out of love; we renounce possession and attain the
happiness of giving. As Jesus said, 'There is more joy in giving than
receiving'”.
“Only in welcoming with humble
gratitude the Lord’s love do we free ourselves from the seduction
of idols and the blindness of our illusions. Money, pleasure and
success dazzle us, only to disappoint us later. They promise life but
bring death. The Lord asks us to detach ourselves from these false
riches to enter into true life, a full life, that is authentic and
luminous”. Before imparting his blessing, the Pope asked those
present if they had felt Jesus' gaze upon them, and how they would
want to respond. “Do you prefer to leave this square with the joy
that Jesus gives us, or with the sadness in your heart that
worldliness offers us?”, he said, asking Our Lady to help open our
heart to Jesus' love.
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