Pope
at Audience: Mercy, a Gospel essential for a better world
(Vatican Radio) Mother Church teaches us works mercy are
essential for our salvation, said Pope Francis at his general audience on
Wednesday , but “it is not enough to do good to those who do good to us. To
change the world for the better we must do good to those who are unable to reciprocate,
as the Father did with us, in giving us Jesus".
And
once again he had a special thought for the persecuted Christians of the Middle
East. In his greeting to Arabic speaking pilgrims and in particular to those
from Syria and Iraq, Francis said that "the Church, following the example
of his Master, is a teacher of mercy: She faces hatred with love, defeats
violence with forgiveness; responds to weapons with prayer! May the Lord
reward your fidelity, instill courage in your fight against the forces of evil
and open the eyes of those who are blinded by evil, so they may soon see the
light of truth and repent for their mistakes. May the Lord bless you and
protect you always”.
Speaking to the thousands of pilgrims who crowded St Peter’s Square
for the appointment, the Pope said the Church does not teach us about mercy
through theoretic lectures but through the actions of the saints who have
visited those in prison, of mothers who teach their children to share what they
have with those in need, through women like Blessed Teresa of Calcutta who held
the hand of the abandoned so they would not die alone. “This is how the
Mother Church teaches her children the works of mercy. She has learned this
path from Jesus, she learned that this is essential for salvation”.
The Pope was continuing his catechesis on our Mother Church.
"In our previous catechesis, we reflected on the Church as a Mother who
nurtures us in the faith, guides us on the way of salvation, and protects us
from evil. Today, I wish to reflect on the Church as a Mother who teaches us
the works of mercy".
"A good teacher does not get lost in the details, but
points to what is essential so that the child or student can find meaning and
joy in life. It is the truth. For the Gospel, what is essential is mercy God
sent his Son, God became man to save us, that is, to give us His mercy. Jesus
clearly says, summing up His teaching to His disciples: "Be merciful, just
as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36). Can there be a Christian who is not
merciful? No. The Christian must necessarily be merciful, because this is the
heart of the Gospel. And true to this teaching, the Church can only repeat the
same thing to her children: "Be merciful," as the Father is, and as
Jesus was. Mercy”.
He continued: "And so the Church acts like Jesus. She does
not give lectures on love, on mercy. She does not spread a philosophy, a path
of wisdom throughout the world. ... Of course, Christianity is all this, but as
a consequence, in reflection. The Mother Church, like Jesus, teaches by example,
and uses words to illuminate the meaning of her gestures. The Mother Church
teaches us to give food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, to clothe the
naked. And how does she do this? With the example of many saints who have done
this in an exemplary manner; but she also does so with the example of so many
mothers and fathers who teach their children that they must give what they do
not need to those who lack even the basic necessities. It is important to know
this. Even in the simplest of Christian families rule of hospitality has always
been held sacred: may there always be a place at the table and a spare bed for
those who need it".
Moving from his scripted speech, the Pope added: "Once a
mother told me, in the other dioceses, that she wanted to teach this to her
children and told them to help and give food to the hungry. She had three. And
one day at lunch – the father was out at work, she was with her three children,
little ones, 7,5,4 years or so – and there was a knock on the door and a gentleman
was there who asked to eat, and the mother said: ‘Wait a minute'. And she went
back in and told her children: 'There is a gentleman out there who is asking
for something to eat, what should we do? '-'Give him some, Mom, give him some!
'. Each of the children has a steak and fries on their plate: 'Very well, each
of you take half of your dinner and give it to him'- ‘Ah, no, Mom, that’s not
fair!'-'That’s the way it is you have to give him what you have’. And so this
mother taught their children to give of their own food. This is a fine example
that has helped me so much. 'But, I haven’t got any extra – ‘No you have to
give some of what you have! '. This is what Mother Church teaches us. And
you, all of you mothers here today you know what you have to do so that your
children learn to share their things with those in need”.
"The Mother Church teaches us to be close to those who are
sick. How many saints served Jesus in this way! And how many ordinary men and
women, every day, put into practice this work of mercy in a hospital room, or
in a nursing home, or in their own home, assisting a sick person. The Mother
Church teaches us to be close to those who are in prison".
Again the Pope added speaking off the cuff: "'But, Father,
no, this is dangerous, these are bad people'. Each one of us is capable of
this. Listen well: each of us is capable of doing the same thing as the man or
woman who is in prison. We all have the capacity to sin and to do the same, to
make mistakes in life. They are no worse than you or I".
"Mercy - he continued – overcomes every obstacle, knocks
down every wall and brings you to always seek the face of the man, the person.
And it is mercy that changes hearts and lives, that can regenerate a person and
allow them to reintegrate themselves in society. "
"The Mother Church teaches us to stay close to those who
are abandoned and die alone. This is what Blessed Teresa of Calcutta did on the
streets of Calcutta. This is what many Christians are doing and have done
when they are not afraid to shake hands with those who are about to leave this
world. And even here, mercy gives peace to those who leave and those who
remain, making us feel that God is greater than death, and that by abiding in
Him even the final farewell is simply ‘until we meet again’…
Pope Francis added: "Blessed Teresa really understood this.
Although they used to say to her, 'Mother, this is wasting time'. She would
look for people dying on the street, people whose bodies were being eaten by
rats and she would take them home so that they could die clean, in tranquility,
with a caress in peace. She bid them farewell, all of these people! And many
men and women have done this like her. They are waiting for them there, at the
door, to open the gate of Heaven for them. Helping people to die well, in
peace. "
"Dear brothers and sisters, this is how the Mother Church
teaches her children the works of mercy. She has learned this path from Jesus,
she learned that this is essential for salvation. It is not enough to love
those who love us. Jesus says that pagans do this. It is not enough to do good
to those who do good to us. To change the world for the better we must do good
to those who unable to reciprocate, as the Father did with us, in giving us
Jesus. "
The Pope looking away from his text asked: "How much have
we paid for our redemption? Nothing, it’s all free! Doing good without waiting
for something in return, doing a good turn. This is what our Father did for us
and so we must to the same. So go on and do some good! How nice it is to live
in the Church, our Mother Church teaches us that these things that Jesus taught
us. "
Pope Francis concluded: "We thank the Lord, who gives us
the grace to have the Church as mother, she teaches us the path of mercy, which
is the path of life. We thank the Lord. "
(Emer McCarthy)
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