Pope Francis at audience: our faith an anchor in
heaven
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General
Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, during which he continued his catechetical reflections on the theme of Christian
hope, focusing specifically on the final words of comfort and consolation the
Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew records Our Lord speaking to the
disciples immediately before ascending into heaven and taking His place at the
right hand of the Father.
“‘I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the
world. (Mt 28:20)’” began Pope Francis in his main catechesis, quoting the very
last words of Matthew’s Gospel. “These last words of the Gospel of Matthew,” he
went on to say, “recall the prophetic proclamation we find at its beginning:
‘[T]hey shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us,
(Mt 1:23; cf. Is. 7:14)’”
Then, departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis said,
“God will be with us, every day, until the end of the world.
Returning to his prepared remarks, the Holy Father
explained, “Jesus will walk with us every day until the end of the world. “The
whole gospel is encapsulated in these two quotations, words that convey the
mystery of God, whose name, whose identity is being-with: He is not an isolated
God, He is God-with-us, especially with us, that is, with the human creature.”
Again departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis said,
“[T]he closeness of God, the love of God, the journey of God with us, is also
called the ‘Providence of God’: He provides for our lives.”
In a final major departure from his prepared text, Pope
Francis reflected on a suggestive nautical image: that of the anchor.
“[T]he anchor,” said Pope Francis, “is the instrument that
navigators throw on the beach – and then they grab onto the anchor line to pull
the ship to shore. Our faith is the anchor [we have] in heaven: we have our
lives anchored in heaven. What must we do? Grab hold of the line – it’s always
there – and let us go forward, for we are certain our life has something like
an anchor in heaven, on that shore to which we’ll come one day.”
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