Pope Francis commented this morning, during the recitation of the Marian prayer for the Angelusthe Gospel parable in which a king forgave a servant a large sum of money, and then the servant did not forgive a person who owed him a smaller amount.
St. Peter asks Jesus: "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother's trespasses against me? Up to seven times?", says St. Matthew. And "the message of Jesus is clear: God forgives beyond measure. He is like that, he acts out of love and gratuitousness. We cannot repay him, but when we forgive our brother or sister, we imitate him".
"Forgiving is not therefore a good deed that can be done or not: it is a fundamental condition for whoever is a Christian," the Roman Pontiff said. "Each one of us, in fact, is a "forgiven" or a "forgiven": God has given his life for us and in no way can we make up for his mercy, which he never withdraws from our hearts."
"But by corresponding to his gratuitousness, that is, by forgiving one another, we can bear witness to it, sowing new life around us," Francis stressed.
"Outside of forgiveness, there is no peace."
The Pope went on to define forgiveness: "Outside of forgiveness, in fact, there is no hope; outside of forgiveness, there is no hope; outside of forgiveness, there is no hope. there is no peace. Forgiveness is the oxygen that purifies the air polluted by hatred, it is the antidote that cures the poisons of resentment, it is the way to calm anger and heal so many diseases of the heart that contaminate society.
We must "forgive everything and always! Precisely as God does with us, and as those who administer God's forgiveness are called to do: always forgive," the Holy Father added, commenting that this is what he transmits to priests and confessors.
With words that he has reiterated in his Wednesday catecheses and in previous Angelus, the Pope has pointed out: "This is the heart of God, because God is close and compassionate. Let us ask ourselves, then: do I believe that I have received from God the gift of immense forgiveness, and do I feel the joy of knowing that he is always ready to forgive me when I fall, even when others fail to do so, even when I am unable to forgive myself? And do I know how to forgive in turn the one who has hurt me?"
"Thinking about a person who has hurt us."
In concluding, the Pope proposed "a little exercise: let us try now, each one of us, to think of a person who has hurt us, and let us ask the Lord for the strength to forgive her. And let us forgive her for the love of the Lord: it will do us good, it will restore peace in our hearts. May Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us to accept God's grace and to forgive one another".
Mediterranean Encounters
After praying the Angelus, Francis informed that next Friday "I will travel to Marseille to participate in the conclusion of the 'Mediterranean Encountersa beautiful initiative that takes place in the main Mediterranean cities, bringing together ecclesiastical and civil leaders to promote ways of peace, collaboration and integration around the 'mare nostrum', with special attention to the phenomenon of migration".
"It represents a challenge that is by no means easy, as we see also in the chronicles of these days, but one that must be faced together," the Pope pointed out, "since it is essential for the future of all, which will only be prosperous if it is built on fraternity, putting human dignity, concrete persons, especially those most in need, in the first place."
The Holy Father asked for prayers for this meeting, and thanked the civil and religious authorities who are working to prepare for the meeting of the Holy Father. MarseilleHe greeted everyone, "called to be a port of hope", and greeted everyone, "looking forward to meeting so many brothers and sisters".
Prayer for Ukraine, for peace
Finally, Francis greeted the Romans and pilgrims from Italy and from various countries, especially the representatives of some parishes in Miami, the Pipe Band of the Battalion of St. Patrick, and the Missionary Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, among other groups.
"Let us continue to pray for the martyred one. Ukrainian peopleThe Pope concluded before giving his Blessing by saying: "We pray for peace in all the lands bloodied by war".
