GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
St Peter's Square
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
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| PHOTO: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO |
34. Works of welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good
morning!
Let us continue to reflect on the
corporal works of mercy, which the Lord Jesus gave us in order to keep our
faith ever alive and dynamic. These works, indeed, show that Christians are not
weary and idle as they await the final encounter with the Lord, but each day go
to meet him, recognizing his face in those of the many people who ask for help.
Today let us concentrate on these words of Jesus: “I was a stranger and you
welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me” (Mt 25:35-36). In our time, charitable
action regarding foreigners is more relevant than ever. The economic crisis,
armed conflicts and climate change force many people to emigrate. However,
migration is not a new phenomenon, it is part of the history of humanity. It is
a lack of historical memory to think that this phenomenon has only arisen in
recent years.
The Bible offers us many concrete
examples of migration. Suffice it to think of Abraham. God’s call spurred him
to leave his country in order to go to another: “Go from your country and your
kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1).
It was so also for the people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were
slaves, went marching in the desert for 40 years until they reached the land
promised by God. The Holy Family itself — Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus —
were forced to emigrate in order to escape Herod’s threat: Joseph “rose and
took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained
there until the death of Herod” (Mt 2:14-15). The history of mankind is a
history of migrations: on every latitude, there is no people that has not known
the migratory phenomenon.
Over the course of the centuries we
have witnessed, in this regard, great expressions of solidarity, although there
has been no lack of social tension. Today, the context of the economic crisis
unfortunately fosters the emergence of attitudes of closure and not of welcome.
In some parts of the world walls and barriers are going up. At times it seems
that the silent work of so many men and women who, in various ways, do all they
can to help and assist the refugees and migrants, is obscured by the clamour of
others who give voice to an instinctive selfishness. However, closure is not a
solution, but instead it ends up fostering criminal trafficking. The only way
to a solution is that of solidarity. Solidarity with the migrant, solidarity
with the foreigner....
The commitment of Christians in this
field is as urgent today as it was in the past. Looking only at the last
century, we recall the splendid figure of Saint Frances Cabrini, who dedicated
her life, along with her companions, to immigrants to the United States of
America. Today too we need these witnesses so that mercy may reach the many who
are in need. It is a commitment that involves everyone, without exception. We
all, dioceses, parishes, institutes of consecrated life, associations and
movements, as individual Christians, are called to welcome our brothers and
sisters who are fleeing from war, from hunger, from violence and from inhuman
living conditions. All together we are a great supportive force for those who
have lost their homeland, family, work and dignity.
Several days ago, a little story took
place in the city. There was a refugee who was looking for a street and a lady
approached him and said: “Are you looking for something?”. That refugee had no
shoes, and he said: “I would like to go to Saint Peter’s to enter the Holy
Door”. And the lady thought: “But he has no shoes, how will he manage to walk
there?”. And she called a taxi. But the migrant, that refugee had a
disagreeable odour and the taxi driver almost didn’t want him to get in, but in
the end he let him board the taxi. And the lady, sitting next to him during the
ride, asked him a little about his history as a refugee and migrant: it took 10
minutes to get here. This man told his story of suffering, of war, of hunger
because he had fled from his homeland in order to migrate here. When they
arrived, the lady opened her purse to pay the taxi driver — who at first had
not wanted this immigrant to board because he smelled — told her: “No, ma’am, I
should be paying you because you made me listen to a story that has changed my
heart”. This lady knew what a migrant’s pain is, because she was of Armenian
descent and knew the suffering of her people. When we do something like this,
at first we refuse because it causes us a little inconvenience, “but... he
smells...”. In the end, the episode gives fragrance to our soul and changes us.
Consider this story and let us think about what we can do for refugees.
And the other thing is to clothe the
naked: what does it mean if not to restore dignity to one who has lost it?
Certainly giving clothing to one who has none; but let us also think about the
women victims of trafficking, cast onto the streets, or of other many ways of
using the human body as a commodity, even that of minors. Likewise, not having
a job, a house, a fair wage are forms of nakedness; being discriminated against
on account of race, of faith, are all forms of “nakedness”, to which as
Christians we are called to be attentive, vigilant and ready to act.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not
fall into the trap of closing in on ourselves, indifferent to the needs of
brothers and sisters and concerned only with our own interests. It is precisely
in the measure to which we open ourselves to others that life becomes fruitful,
society regains peace and people recover their full dignity. Do not forget that
lady, do not forget that migrant who had a disagreeable odour and do not forget
that driver whose spirit was changed by the immigrant.
Special greetings:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims
and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England,
Wales, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan,
Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the
present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for
you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Lastly I offer my greeting to young
people, to the sick and to newlyweds. At the end of the month of October I wish
to recommend praying the Rosary. May this simple Marian prayer indicate to you,
dear young people, the way to interpret God’s will in your life. Love this prayer,
dear sick people, because it brings with it consolation for mind and heart. May
it become for you, dear newlyweds, a privileged moment of spiritual intimacy in
your new family.
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