Msgr. PezziThe forgiveness and purification of memory are conditions for a just peace for Russia and Ukraine".At the General Audience this Wednesday, the Holy Father Pope Francis asked that "we never tire of asking the Queen of Peace for the cause of peace," and encouraged prayer groups, pilgrims and everyone to "renew their commitment to the cause of peace. last year's act of consecration to the Virgin Marythat he may watch over us all in peace, and let us not forget in these days the martyrized Ukrainewho suffers so much," he said.
In addition, addressing the Poles, but also the whole world, he recalled that next Saturday, March 25, "we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, which in your country is also the day of the sanctity of life. As a sign of the need to protect human life, from conception to natural death, the Yes to Life Foundation dedicates the bell called 'Voice of the Unborn,' which I blessed this morning. Its sound carries the message that all life is sacred and inviolable."
The Pope continued to dedicate his catechesis to the passion to evangelize and apostolic zeal, and reflected on the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandiThe letter of St. Paul VI, dedicated to evangelization in the contemporary world, dated December 8, 1975, which he strongly recommended "to read and reread".
Coherence for evangelization
Francis recalled that "to evangelize, more than the mere transmission of doctrinal or moral content, is above all to bear witness to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. This is very important because people need witnesses, that is, people who are coherent between what they believe and what they live, between the faith they profess and the works they do. Coherence, harmony between what they believe and what they live", he stressed.
"The witness of a Christian life entails a path of holiness," the Holy Father continued. "Holiness is not reserved to a few. We are chosen by God and we must bring this gift to others. The zeal of evangelization springs from holiness, from the heart," Francis said.
"Another aspect to be taken into account is that the recipients of the evangelization are not only people who are outside the Church, because they profess another religion or no religion at all, but also we ourselves, who belong to the People of God. This means that the Church herself, in order to evangelize, needs to be evangelized. And for this she is called to travel a demanding path, a path of continual conversion and renewal," the Pope encouraged.
Three questions from St. Paul VI
Then, in his greeting to the Spanish-speaking pilgrims, he invited them "to read and reflect in a personal and communitarian way on the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (on the proclamation of the Gospel), and to bring to prayer these questions formulated by St. Paul VI: What do you proclaim? Do you live what you believe? Do you proclaim what you live?
This morning, the Pope called 'Evangelii Nuntiandi' "the Magna Carta of evangelization. At the end of his text, St. Paul VI places his wishes "in the hands and heart of the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate Conception, on this day especially dedicated to her and on the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council".
"May she be the star of the ever-renewed evangelization that the Church, docile to the Lord's command, must promote and carry out, especially in these difficult and hope-filled times," concluded St. Paul VI.
World Water Day
Before concluding, Pope Francis referred to the celebration of World Water Day. "The words of St. Francis of Assisi come to mind, who thanks the Lord for the humble water that is chaste and pure," he noted. "These simple words speak of the beauty of creation, with the awareness of what it means to care for creation."
"In these days the II Water Conference is taking place," he added. "I pray for the success of the work and hope that this important event will solve the problems of those who suffer from the scarcity of this important primary good. Water cannot be the object of wars, of speculation".
