Pope at Angelus: Welcoming those
at our door brings peace and hope
At the Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis speaks of the
importance of not feeling burdened when offering a warm welcome and a sense of
fraternity to those in need as a way of combining contemplation and action.
By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis focused his catechesis at the Angelus, Sunday,
on the importance of not allowing life’s events to overwhelm us, encouraging
the faithful to listen to the Lord, whose voice is a guidance.
The day’s Gospel describes Jesus’ visit to the house of
Martha and Mary. The two sisters welcome Him, and whilst one sister, Mary, sits
at His feet - with the desire to listen to each and every word He speaks - the
other sister, Martha, tends to Jesus’ needs.
The Pope expressed the importance of Mary’s actions,
explaining that when we really listen to Him, the Lord surprises us, “the
clouds disappear, doubts give way to truth, fears to serenity…”. The Pope
underlined the importance of always making room for the Lord, as listening to
Him will help us “carry out well the tasks that life assigns to you".
Service without anxiety
Pope Francis then turned his reflection to Martha, who upon
doing her best to make everything perfect for her special guest, becomes
irritated at her sister who is doing nothing to help her. Upon realizing this,
Jesus says to her "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many
things".
Pope Francis explained that with these words, Jesus “does
not intend to condemn the attitude of service, but rather the anxiety with
which it is sometimes experienced”. Instead, he said “we express Martha’s
concern” and we follow her example in order to make sure that in our
communities “there is a sense of welcome”, so that “everyone can feel ‘at
home’, especially the little ones and the poor”.
Wisdom can combine contemplation and action
The Pope went on to explain that the story of Jesus’ visit
to these two sisters “reminds us that the wisdom of the heart lies in knowing
how to combine these two elements: contemplation and action.” He explained that
Martha and Mary show us that both attitudes must go hand in hand in order for
us to “savour life with joy”: we must listen to Jesus, as “He reveals to us the
secret to everything” whilst still being “ready in hospitality, when He passes
by and knocks on our door”.
Pope Francis concluded his reflection with a prayer to the
Virgin Mary, asking that she “give us the grace to love and serve God and our
brothers and sisters with the hands of Martha and the heart of Mary, so that by
always listening to Christ we may be artisans of peace and hope.”
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