Pope Francis has urged to pray for peace in the tormented Ukraine, and in a special way on this Sunday for Palestine e IsraelThe international conference will be hosted by Jordan on June 11 to address the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, in a forum also organized by the President of Egypt and the United Nations.
Indeed, as the Pontiff pointed out, under the name "Call to Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza", the conference will be chaired by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Egyptian President Abdelfatah al Sisi and the UN Secretary General António Guterres, the Jordanian Royal Court reported. The Pope has encouraged relief to the people of Gaza and that no one should prevent the arrival of humanitarian aid.
The Pope also recalled the tenth anniversary of the Invocation for Peace in the Holy Land, in which the Presidents of Israel and Palestine, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, participated on June 8, 2014, and which was recalled by Francis in a moment of prayer celebrated in the Vatican Gardens.
Francis said in the Angelus Today's message that "shaking hands is possible" and that "making peace requires courage, more courage than waging war". Yesterday, the Pontiff again called for Israel and Palestine to live side by side, and encouraged prayer for the peace.
"Jesus was free."
"The Gospel of today's liturgy [with the. reading The Holy Father began his reflection on this Sunday in St. Peter's Square by saying that Jesus, after beginning his public ministry, was faced with two reactions: that of his relatives, who were worried and feared that he had gone mad; and that of the religious authorities, who accused him of acting under the influence of an evil spirit.
In reality, "Jesus preached and healed the sick with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit made him divinely free, that is, capable of loving and serving without measure and without conditions," he continued, focusing on the freedom of Jesus.
"Jesus was free with respect to riches: that is why he left the security of his village, Nazareth, to embrace a poor life full of uncertainties, healing the sick and anyone who came to him for help, without ever asking for anything in return," the Pontiff added.
Freedom from power, riches, fame and fame
"He was free with regard to power: indeed, he called many to follow him, but he never forced anyone to do so; and he never sought the support of the powerful, but was always on the side of the last, and taught his disciples to do the same."
Finally," he was free with regard to the search for fame and also for approval, and for this reason he never gave up speaking the truth, even at the cost of not being understood, and of becoming unpopular, until he died on the cross; and he did not allow himself to be intimidated, nor bought, nor corrupted by anything or anyone".
"Jesus was a free man," the Pope has stressed on several occasions. "And this is important for us too. In fact, if we allow ourselves to be conditioned by the pursuit of pleasure, power, money or approval, we become slaves to these things."
Growing in freedom
"If, instead, we allow God's gratuitous love to fill us and expand our hearts, and if we let it overflow spontaneously by giving it to others, with our whole being, without fear, calculation or conditioning, then we grow in freedom and spread its good perfume around us, in our home, in our family and in our community."
Finally, the Pope asked some questions, as usual: "Then, we can ask ourselves: am I a free person? Or did I let myself be imprisoned by the myths of money, power and success, sacrificing my serenity, my peace and those of others? Do I diffuse, in the environments in which I live and work, fresh air of freedom, sincerity, spontaneity?"
In conclusion, Francis prayed that "the Virgin Mary may help us to live and love as Jesus taught us, in the freedom of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:15,20-23)".
