GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS 12 APRIL 2017
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
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| Vatikan, FOTO: pixabayfree |
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
good morning!
good morning!
On Sunday we recalled Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem,
amid the festive acclamation of the disciples and the large crowd. Those people
placed many hopes in Jesus: many expected him to work miracles and great signs,
manifest power and even bring freedom from the occupying forces. Who among them
could have imagined that within a short time, Jesus would have instead been
humiliated, condemned and put to death on the Cross? Those people lost all
earthly hope before the Cross. But we believe that precisely in the Crucifix
our hope is reborn. Earthly hopes collapse before the Cross, but new hopes are
born, those which last forever. The hope born of the Cross is different. It is
a different hope from those that collapse, from those of the world. But which
hope is it? Which hope is born of the Cross?
It may help us to understand what Jesus said right after
he entered Jerusalem: “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
Let us try to think of a grain or a small seed, that falls upon the soil. If it
remains closed within itself, nothing happens; but if instead it splits open, it
germinates and then gives life to an ear of wheat; it sprouts, then becomes a
plant, and the plant will bear fruit.
Jesus brought new hope into the world and he did so in
the manner of the seed: he became very small, like a grain of wheat; he left
his heavenly glory in order to come among us: he “fell into the earth”. But
this still was not enough. In order to bear fruit, Jesus experienced love to
the fullest, allowing himself to be split open by death as a seed lets itself
split open under the ground. Precisely there, at the lowest point of his
abasement — which is also the loftiest point of love — hope burgeoned.
Should one of you ask: “How is hope born?” — “From the Cross. Look to the
Cross; look to Christ Crucified and from there you will receive the hope that
never disappears, which lasts to eternal life”. Indeed, this hope sprouted from
the very force of love: because the love that “hopes all things, endures all
things (1 Cor 13:7), the love that is the life of God, has renewed everything
that it touched. Thus, at Easter, Jesus transformed our sin into forgiveness,
by taking it upon himself. But feel how truly the Paschal Mystery transforms:
Jesus has transformed our sin into forgiveness; our death into resurrection,
our fear into trust. This is why there, on the Cross, our hope is always born
and born anew. This is why with Jesus, all our darkness can be transformed into
light, every defeat into victory, every disappointment into hope. Every one:
yes, every one. Hope overcomes all, because it is born of the love of Jesus who
made himself as a grain of wheat that fell to the soil and died to give life,
and hope comes from that life full of love.
When we choose the hope of Jesus, we gradually discover
that the successful way of life is that of the seed, that of humble love. There
is no other way to conquer evil and give hope to the world. But you might tell
me: “No, it is a losing rationale!”. It might seem so, seem that it is a losing
rationale, because those who love, lose power. Have you considered this? Those
who love, lose power; those who give, impart something, and loving is a gift.
In reality, the rationale of the seed that dies, of humble love, is God’s way,
and only this bears fruit. We see it also in ourselves; possessing always spurs
desire for something else: I have obtained something for myself and immediately
I want another larger one, and so on, and I am never satisfied. That is a
pernicious thirst! The more you have, the more you want. Those who are
insatiable are never sated. Jesus says this in a clear way: “He who loves his
life loses it” (Jn 12:25). You are insatiable, you seek to have many things but
... you will lose everything, even your life; that is: those who love their
own and live for their own self-interest only swell with pride and
lose. However those who accept, who are ready to serve, live in God’s way: thus
they are winners, they save themselves and others; they become seeds of
hope for the world. But it is lovely to help others, to serve
others.... Perhaps we will get tired! But that is the way life is, and the
heart is filled with joy and hope. This is love and hope together: to serve and
to give.
Of course, this true love passes through the Cross,
sacrifice, as for Jesus. The Cross is the obligatory passage, but it is not the
goal; it is a passage: the goal is glory, as Easter shows us. And here another
lovely image comes to our aid: that Jesus gave his disciples during the Last
Supper. He says: “When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour
has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the
anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world (Jn 16:21). Thus: to give
life, not to keep it. This is what mothers do: they give another life; they
suffer, but then they rejoice, they are happy because they have given birth to
another life. It gives joy; love gives birth to life and even gives meaning to
pain. Love is the engine that empowers our hope. Let me repeat: love is the
engine that empowers our hope. Let each one ask: “Do I love? Have I learned how
to love? Do I learn each day to love more?”, given that love is the engine that
empowers our hope.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, in these days, days of love,
let us allow ourselves to be enveloped by the mystery of Jesus who, as a kernel
of wheat, gives us life by dying. He is the seed of our hope. Let us
contemplate the Crucifix: source of hope. We will slowly understand that to
hope with Jesus, is to learn to see, as of now, the plant in the seed, Easter
in the Cross, life in death. Now, I would like to give you a task to do at
home. It will be good for all of us to pause before the Crucifix — you all have
one at home — to look at it and say to it: “With You, nothing is lost. With
You, I can always hope. You are my hope”. Let us now imagine the Crucifix and
let us all together say three times to the [image] of Jesus Crucified: “You are
my hope”. Everyone: “You are my hope”. Louder! “You are my hope”. Thank you.
Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking
part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Nigeria,
Australia, Canada and the United States of America. I offer a particular
greeting to the many student groups present. May this Lenten journey bring all
of us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy
Spirit. God bless you!
A special greeting goes to young people, to the
sick and to newlyweds. Yesterday we recalled Saint
Gemma Galgani, apostle of the Passion of Jesus. Dear young people,
at school you experience the Easter Triduum by reflecting on the love of Jesus
who sacrificed himself on the Cross; dear sick people, may Good
Friday teach you patience even in discomfort; and you newlyweds.
May you experience hope even in the difficult moments of your new family.
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