Silence the guns! The Pope's latest cry from IraqThe Gospel of today's liturgy tells us of a rich man who runs to meet Jesus and asks him: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus invites him to leave everything and follow him. But he was saddened and went away, because," the text says, "he had many possessions.
This is how Pope Francis began his reflection on this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, prior to the recitation of the Marian prayer of Angelus. "It is hard to leave everything. We can see the two movements of this man: At first he runs to see Jesus. At the end, however, he leaves sadly. First he runs to meet him, and then he leaves".
"He feels dissatisfied, despite the riches."
"Let's dwell on this. He goes running to where Jesus is, it is as if something in his heart impels him. In fact, in spite of so many riches, he feels unsatisfied, he carries within himself a restlessness, he goes in search of a full life, and he prostrates himself at the feet of the Master".
"Jesus looks at him with love: he proposes to sell all that he possesses, give it to the poor and follow him. But here he comes to an unexpected conclusion. The man makes a sad face, and says goodbye to him coldly and quickly".
"The good we long for is God himself."
"We too carry in our hearts an irrepressible need for happiness and for a life full of meaning," the Pontiff stressed. "However, we can fall into the illusion of thinking that the answer is to be found in material possessions and earthly securities. Jesus, instead, wants to lead us to the truth of our desires, and make us discover that, in reality, the good we long for is God himself, his love for us and the eternal life that he, and only he, can give us."
"The true richness is that He looks at us with love, as Jesus does with that man. And to love one another, making our lives a gift for others. We are invited to take the risk of selling everything to give it to the poor. What does this mean?" the Pope asked.
"He didn't want to risk love."
It is not just a matter of "sharing things, but what we are, our friendship, our time. Brothers and sisters, that rich man did not want to risk love, to love, and went away with a sad face. Let us ask ourselves: to what is our heart attached? How do we satisfy our hunger for life and happiness? Do we know how to share with those who are poor, with those who are in difficulty, or who need a little listening, a little being listened to, or need a smile, a word to help them regain hope?
Let us remember this: true wealth is not the goods of this world, but being loved by God, and learning to love as He does. Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help us discover in Jesus the treasure of life".
One million children to pray for peace on Friday
After the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Middle East, and showed his closeness to Palestine, Israel and Lebanon,
He also expressed his concern for the dramatic situation in Haiti, and showed his "closeness to our Haitian brothers". A situation that causes them to flee their homes and even their own country.
And he has referred to the foundation's initiative Aid to the Church in NeedThe event, which will take place next Friday, will be attended by one million children who will pray a Rosary for the peace in the world, and has asked us to join these children.
The Pope also recalled that today, October 13, is the anniversary of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, and for this reason he entrusted to her the martyred Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan, and all the peoples suffering from war, so that she may bring the peace.
