"The interior life is not improvised," the Pope reminds us.At the Angelus, the Pope reflected on this Sunday's Gospel: the parable of the talents. Francis pointed out two different ways of relating to God: "The first way is that of the one who buries the talent received, who does not know how to see the riches that God has given him: he trusts neither the Lord nor himself. (...) In front of him he feels fear. He does not see the appreciation, he does not see the trust that the master places in him, but he sees only the behavior of a master who wants more than he gives, of a judge. This is his image of God: he is not able to believe in his goodness, he is not able to believe in the goodness of the Lord towards us. That is why he blocks himself and does not allow himself to be involved in the mission he has received.
Let us then look at the second way, in the other two protagonists, who reciprocate their master's trust by trusting him in turn. These two invest everything they have received, even if they do not know at the beginning if everything will go well: they study, they see the possibilities and prudently look for the best; they accept the risk of taking a gamble. They trust, study and take risks. In this way they have the courage to act freely, creatively, generating new wealth.
Fear or confidence
The Pope summed up these two attitudes in this way: "This is the choice we have before God: fear or trust. Either you are afraid before God or you have confidence in the Lord. And we, like the protagonists of the parable, - all of us - have received talents, all of us, more valuable than money. But much of how we invest them depends on trust in the Lord, which frees our hearts, makes us active and creative in doing good. Let us not forget this: trust always frees, fear paralyzes. Let us remember: fear paralyzes, trust liberates. This is also true in the education of children. And let us ask ourselves: Do I believe that God is my father and entrusts me with gifts because he trusts me? And I, do I trust him to the point of taking risks without getting discouraged, even when the results are not certain or taken for granted? Do I know how to say every day in prayer: "Lord, I trust in you, give me the strength to move forward; I trust in you, in the things you have given me; tell me how to carry them out"? Finally, also as Church: do we cultivate in our environments a climate of trust, of reciprocal appreciation, that helps us to move forward together, that unblocks people and stimulates the creativity of love in all?"
Beatification of Civil War Martyrs
At the conclusion of the Angelus, the Pope recalled the martyrs of the Spanish Civil War who were beatified: "Yesterday in Seville, Manuel González-Serna, a diocesan priest, and his nineteen companions, priests and lay people, were beatified in 1936, in the climate of religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War. These martyrs bore witness to Christ to the end. May their example comfort the many Christians who in our time are discriminated against because of their faith. Let us applaud the new Blesseds!"
He also reminded the people of Myanmar, Ukraine and the Holy Land: "Peace is possible. Peace is possible. Peace is possible. Let us not resign ourselves to war! And let us not forget that war is always, always, always a defeat. Only the arms manufacturers win," he said after mentioning them.
World Day of the Poor
The Pope also recalled the World Day of the Poor, which is celebrated today: "Today we celebrate the VII World Day of the Poor, which this year has as its theme 'Do not turn your face away from the poor' (Tb 4,7). I thank all those in the dioceses and parishes who have carried out initiatives of solidarity with individuals and families who face difficulties in getting ahead.
Finally, he also asked, as usual, that prayers be said for him.
