The Pope has made it clear that Christian charity, one of the three theological virtues together with faith and hope, cannot be understood exclusively as an attitude of “philanthropy” since those who profess the Christian faith must “see Jesus in the face of the Lord. poor”.
“Charity is always the main path to perfection. But it is necessary that works of solidarity do not deviate from contact with the Lord Jesus. Christian charity is not simple philanthropy but, on the one hand, is looking at the other with the same eyes that Jesus and, on the other, is to see Jesus in the face of the poor, “said the pontiff during the Angelus this Sunday.
Francisco has looked like every Sunday to the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace where the Library is located. From there, before a group of faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, separated by the safety distance to avoid infections and wearing a mask, he pointed out that for Christians Jesus is precisely “the center” of life and the end of everything. “commitment in the Church and in society”.
“It is essential and laudable that the pastoral care of our communities is open to the many poverties and emergencies”, he has influenced at another moment of his speech. The Pope has also used the Marian prayer on Sunday to lash out at the habit of speaking ill of others.
“Talking about others is not so demanding, although in this case the perspective of faith and not gossip is already required. And the disciples seem to have a competition in referring to the different options, which perhaps to a large extent they themselves shared” , has manifested.
The Pope also recalled that this Saturday was the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Acts of Violence Motivated by Religion or Beliefs.
For this reason he has asked prayers for people who are still persecuted today for reasons of faith. “They are many”, has indicated. He has also referred to the Tamaulipas massacre in Mexico ten years ago when 72 people from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and India who were trying to reach the United States were killed, according to what happened this Saturday. And in this regard he has stated: “The Lord will ask us to account for the immigrants who have fallen victim to the culture of discarding on the journey of hope.”
Finally, he urged not to forget the families that have lost a relative due to the coronavirus disease: “Let’s not forget victims of the coronavirus. I have heard the testimony of a family that has lost their grandparents without being able to greet you. There has been so much suffering and so many people who have lost their lives due to this disease. So many doctors, religious nurses … “, the pontiff had an impact.
