Angelus of June 25th
(ZENIT News/Vatican City, June 25, 2023) – Before about 20,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis prayed the Marian prayer of the Angelus after delivering the traditional Sunday address, which revolved around the Gospel of Sunday, June 25. We now offer the words of the Pope in the Spanish language.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus repeats three times to His disciples: «Do not be afraid» (Mt 10:26, 28, 31). Do not be afraid. Shortly before, He spoke to them about the persecutions they would have to endure because of the Gospel, a reality that remains relevant today: the Church, in fact, from the very beginning, has known, along with its joys—and there have been many—also persecutions, many, huh? It seems paradoxical: the proclamation of the Kingdom of God is a message of peace and justice, founded on fraternal charity and forgiveness, and yet, it encounters opposition, violence, and persecution.
Nevertheless, Jesus tells us not to fear: not because everything will go well in the world, no, not because of that, but because we are precious to the Father, and nothing that is good will be lost. That is why He tells us not to let fear stop us, but to fear something else, just one thing. But what is the thing that Jesus tells us we should fear?
We discovered it through an image that Jesus uses today: the image of «Gehenna» (cf. v. 28). The valley of «Gehenna» was a place that the inhabitants of Jerusalem knew well: it was the city’s great garbage dump. Jesus speaks of it to say that the real fear to have is that of wasting one’s own life. To waste one’s own life, and on this Jesus says: «Yes, be afraid of that.» As if to say: we must not be so afraid of suffering misunderstandings and criticisms, of losing prestige and economic advantages for remaining faithful to the Gospel, no, but of squandering existence by seeking things of little value that do not fulfill the meaning of life.
And this is important for us. In fact, even today one can be the object of mockery or discrimination if they do not follow certain fashion models, which, however, often put secondary realities at the center: for example, pursuing things instead of people, returns instead of relationships. Let’s see some examples. I think of parents who need to work to support their family, but cannot live only for work, they need time to be with their children. I also think of a priest or a religious sister who must be committed in their service, but without forgetting to dedicate time to be with Jesus, otherwise they fall into spiritual worldliness and lose the sense of who they are. Furthermore, I think of a young man or a young woman who have a thousand commitments and passions: school, sports, various interests, mobile phones, and social media, but they need to meet with people and nurture big dreams, without wasting time on passing things that leave no trace.
All of this, brothers and sisters, entails a certain renunciation in the face of the idols of efficiency and consumerism, but it is necessary in order not to get lost in things, which are later discarded, as was done then in the «Gehenna.» And in today’s «Gehennas,» on the contrary, people often end up: let’s think, let’s think of the least, often treated as disposable material and unwanted objects. Remaining faithful to what matters is costly; it costs to go against the current, it costs to free oneself from the conditioning of common thinking, it costs to be marginalized by those who «follow the trend.» But it doesn’t matter, right? It doesn’t matter. Jesus says: what matters is not to waste the greatest good, that is, life. Do not discard life. Only this should scare us.
Let us then ask ourselves: What am I afraid of? Not having what I like? Not achieving the goals imposed by society? The judgment of others? Or rather, not pleasing the Lord and not putting His Gospel first? Mary, ever Virgin, Mother of Wisdom, help us to be wise and courageous in the decisions we make.
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