Pope Francis to prisoners: Never lose hope in God’s
mercy
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday for the
Jubilee for Prisoners in Saint Peter’s Basilica, during which he reminded
prison detainees to never lose hope, or fall into the temptation that they can
never be forgiven.
Around 1,000 detainees from 12 countries took part in the weekend
celebrations, along with their families, prison chaplains and staff, and
various associations.
The Jubilee for Prisoners marks one of the final major events of
the Jubilee of Mercy, which will come to an end on November 20.
Pope Francis centred his homily for Mass for the Jubilee of
Prisoners on the theme of hope as it appears in the day’s Mass readings.
For instance, there are the seven brothers from the second book of
Maccabees who speak about the hope of being raised again by God, and then
Jesus’ response to the Sadducees, that God is not “the God of the dead, but of
the living.”
“Hope is a gift of God,” and should be nourished, the Pope said.
“Whenever someone makes a mistake, the Father’s mercy is all the
more present, awakening repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.”
The Pope acknowledged that the loss of freedom experienced by
detainees, is the worst part of serving time for one’s crimes. However, he
urged those in prison to maintain the “breath” of hope.
The Holy Father turned to day’s reading from the letter to the
Romans, in which “Paul almost seems to tell us that God too hopes”.
“His mercy gives him no rest. He is like that Father in the
parable, who keeps hoping for the return of his son who has
fallen by the wayside”.
“If God hopes, then no one should lose hope. For hope is the strength to
keep moving forward. It is the power to press on towards
the future and a changed life. It is the incentive to
look to tomorrow, so that the love we have known, for all our failings, can
show us a new path.”
Pope Francis spoke of the “hypocrisy” of those who see prisoners
only as “wrongdoers”, and who disregard the possibility of rehabilitation.
Going off the cuff from his prepared homily, the Pope said how
every time he enters a prison, he asks himself: “‘Why them and not I?’ All of
us have the possibility of making mistakes.”
The Holy Father reminded those in prison to not be held “captive”
by their past mistakes, and “never yield to the temptation of thinking that we
cannot be forgiven.”
Pope Francis turned his reflection to the importance of
forgiveness among those who have experienced violence or abuse against
themselves or their loved ones.
Acknowledging that there are some wounds that only God can heal,
the Pope said that, nonetheless, “when violence is met with forgiveness, even
the hearts of those who have done wrong can be conquered by the love that
triumphs over every form of evil.”
“In this way, among the victims and among those who wronged them,
God raises up true witnesses and workers of mercy.”
Pope Francis concluded his reflection by turning to the statue of
Our Lady of Mercy, an image of Mary with the child Jesus, who is holding a set
of chains.
“May she intercede for you, so that your hearts can experience the
power of hope for a new life, one worthy of being lived in complete freedom and
in service to your neighbour.”
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