"In these days thoughts have turned many times to the railway accident that happened in Greece. Many victims. I pray for the deceased and I am close to the injured and relatives. May Our Lady console them. This is how the Pope began his words after the Marian prayer of the Angelus and giving the Blessing from the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, in St. Peter's Square.
The Holy Father then expressed his "sorrow for the tragedy that has occurred in the waters of Cutro (Italy). I pray for the many victims of the shipwreck, for those who survived and for their families. I express my appreciation and gratitude to the local population and to the institutions for their solidarity and welcome to our brothers and sisters".
The Roman Pontiff then renewed his "appeal that such tragedies not be repeated, that the traffickers of people be stopped, and that they not continue to dispose of the lives of people, of so many people, that the journey of hope not be transformed into the journey of death, that the waters of the Mediterranean not be bloodied by these dramatic incidents. May the Lord give us the strength to understand and to mourn".
It is a message that Pope Francis has launched on numerous occasions, for example on the Greek island of Lesbos, on his apostolic journey to Greece and Cyprus, and in so many other places.
The Holy Father then spent some time in silent reflection and prayer, and then went on to greet Romans and pilgrims from Italy and many other countries. In particular, the Holy Father addressed the Ukrainian community of Milan, which has made a pilgrimage to Rome "on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the martyrdom of Bishop St. Josaphat, who gave his life for the unity of Christians". The Pope thanked them for their "commitment to welcome" and asked that "the Lord, through the intercession of St. Josaphat, may give peace to the martyred people of Ukraine".
The Holy Father also greeted pilgrims from Lithuania, who are celebrating St. Casimir, and communities from Zaragoza and Murcia, and from Burkina Faso, among others.
With Jesus, "the luminous beauty of love".
In this Angelus of the Second Sunday of Lent, which proclaims the Gospel of the Transfiguration, Pope Francis said that "it is by being with Jesus that we learn to recognize, in his face, the luminous beauty of self-giving love, even when it bears the marks of the cross," and to "grasp the same beauty in the faces" of others."
"Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him on the mountain and reveals himself to them in all his beauty as the Son of God (cf. Mt 17:1-9)," the Pope began. "Let us ask ourselves: In what does this beauty consist, what do the disciples see, a special effect? No, it is not that. They see the light of God's holiness shining on the face and in the garments of Jesus, the perfect image of the Father."
And then he commented: "But God is Love, and therefore the disciples have seen with their eyes the beauty and splendor of divine Love incarnate in Christ, a foretaste of paradise. What a surprise for the disciples! They had had the face of Love under their eyes for so long and had not realized how beautiful it was! Only now do they realize it, with immense joy."
"The school of Jesus".
"This Gospel also traces for us a path: it teaches us how important it is to be with Jesus, even when it is not easy to understand everything he says and what he does for us."
"It is by being with him, in fact, that we learn to recognize, in his face, the luminous beauty of self-giving love, even when it bears the marks of the cross," Pope Francis said. "And it is at his school that we learn to grasp the same beauty in the faces of the people who every day walk alongside us: family members, friends, colleagues, those who in various ways care for us. How many luminous faces, how many smiles, how many wrinkles, how many tears and scars speak of love all around us!"
"Let us learn to recognize them and fill our hearts with them," the Pope encouraged. "And then let us set out, to bring the light we have received also to others, with the concrete works of love (cf. 1 Jn 3:18), immersing ourselves more generously in daily tasks, loving, serving and forgiving with more enthusiasm and availability."
Francis suggested carrying out a little examination of conscience, as follows: "We can ask ourselves: do we know how to recognize the light of God's love in our lives? Do we recognize it with joy and gratitude in the faces of the people who love us? Do we look around us for the signs of this light, which fills our hearts and opens them to love and service? Or do we prefer the straw fires of idols, which alienate us and close us in on ourselves?"
"The beauty of Jesus gives them strength."
"Jesus, in reality, with this experience is forming them, he is preparing them for an even more important step. From there in a short time, in fact, they will have to know how to recognize in him the same beauty, when he ascends to the cross and his face is disfigured," the Pope added.
"Peter finds it hard to understand," he continued. "I would like to stop time, to put the scene on "pause," to be there and extend this wonderful experience; but Jesus does not allow it. His light, in fact, cannot be reduced to a "magic moment". Then it would become something false, artificial, which dissolves in the fog of passing feelings."
In conclusion, the Holy Father pointed out that "on the contrary, Christ is the light that guides the way, like the pillar of fire for the people in the desert (cf. Ex 13:21). The beauty of Jesus does not turn the disciples away from the reality of life, but gives them the strength to follow him to Jerusalem, to the Cross. May Mary, who guarded the light of her Son in her heart even in the darkness of Calvary, accompany us always on the way of love.
