"Participation in the Eucharist is essential."Myanmar and the Holy Land: the urgency of fraternityChurch in Nigeria calls for respect and dialogue in the face of persecution of ChristiansTranslation of the article into Italian
This morning the Holy Father traveled to Matera to celebrate the closing mass of the XXVII National Eucharistic Congress Italian. In his homily he stressed the importance of "adoring God and not the self. To put Him at the center and not the vanity of self. To remember that the Lord alone is God and that everything else is a gift of his love. For if we worship ourselves, we die in the suffocation of our little self; if we worship the riches of this world, they take hold of us and make us slaves; if we worship the god of appearance and get drunk on waste, sooner or later life itself will ask us for the bill."
Pope prays for the needy
The today's gospel narrates the scene of the rich man Epulon and the poor man Lazarus, which is particularly appropriate for speaking of helping one's neighbor. For this reason, at the time of the Angelus prayer, the Pontiff made special reference to some of the conflicts of our times.
Among the most peripheral places Pope Francis has visited is undoubtedly Myanmar, so it is not surprising that he recalled how for "more than two years this noble country has been plagued by serious armed clashes and violence, which have caused many victims and displaced persons. This week I heard the cry of pain at the death of children in a bombed school. May the cry of these little ones not fall into oblivion! These tragedies must not happen!".
Nor could Ukraine, which has already been mentioned more than 80 times by the Pope so far this year, be missing. "May Mary, Queen of Peace, console the Ukrainian people and obtain for the leaders of the nations the strength of will to immediately find effective initiatives that will lead to the end of the war". The Vatican has recently launched a peace proposal to resolve the conflict.
Migrants in the memory of Matera
The violence that has been unleashed in some African countries against priests and faithful is once again making the headlines every week in the Western media. On this occasion the Pope has joined the appeal of the bishops of Cameroon for the release of eight people kidnapped in the diocese of Mamfe, including five priests and a nun.
Finally, this Sunday the Church celebrates the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This year's theme is entitled "Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees". The Holy Father has exhorted to facilitate that each person finds his or her place and is respected: "where migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking can live in peace and dignity. For the Kingdom of God is realized with them, without exclusion". He also highlighted how, thanks to these people, communities can grow at various levels, socially, economically, culturally and spiritually. Sharing one's own tradition can enrich the People of God.
