During the Angelus Pope Francis, on Sunday, June 30, on the basis of the Gospel of the dayThe fact that Jesus touched two women considered impure according to Jewish law was emphasized.
Christ, said the Pontiff, "challenges a mistaken religious conception, according to which God separates the pure on the one hand and the impure on the other". God, as our Father, does not make such a distinction, "because we are all his children, and impurity does not derive from food, sickness or even death, but impurity comes from an impure heart."
God does not keep us at a distance
This is the lesson we must learn from this Gospel passage, the Pope explained. "In the face of the sufferings of the body and spirit, in the face of the wounds of the soul, in the face of situations that overwhelm us and even in the face of sin, God does not keep us at a distance, God is not ashamed of us, God does not judge us." What the Lord does, Francis pointed out, is to draw near "to allow himself to be touched and to touch us," because in this way he saves us from death.
Christ, the Holy Father affirmed, looks at every Christian to say: "I suffered all the consequences of sin in order to save you. And with this, the believer is filled with hope.
Faced with this, the Pope encouraged everyone to ask themselves: "Do we believe that God is like this? Do we allow ourselves to be touched by the Lord, by his Word, by his love? Do we enter into relationship with our brothers and sisters, offering them a hand to lift them up, or do we keep our distance and label people based on our tastes and our preferences?"
Francis concluded his meditation by asking that "we look to the heart of God, so that the Church and society may not exclude, may not exclude anyone, may not treat anyone as 'impure', so that everyone, with their own history, may be welcomed and loved without labels, without prejudice, so that they may be loved without adjectives".
The Pope, the Protomartyrs and Peace
After praying the Angelus, the Pope wanted to greet "the children of the Missionary Circle 'Misyjna Jutrzenka'" from Poland, and pilgrims "from California and Costa Rica. He also mentioned "the Daughters of the Church" and "the boys of Gonzaga, in Mantua".
As usual, the Holy Father prayed for peace, placing this intention in the hands of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He also recalled the Roman Protomartyrs and pointed out that "we too live in times of martyrdom, even more so than in the first centuries". He wanted to send a message of support to all Christians who suffer persecution and violence for living their faith, and asked all Catholics to support them and be "inspired by their witness of love for Christ".
