“God never discards our lives!” Pope Leo assured the faithful during his Angelus on Sunday, during which he reminded the faithful that even rejection and violence cannot thwart God’s saving will.
Addressing those gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, the Pope reflected on the Gospel parable of the vineyard, which sheds light on Jesus’ life and mission. He also recalled Saint Francis of Assisi on the eighth centenary of his death, holding up his witness of faith and fraternal love as a path towards renewing the Church and building peace.
Read the full text of the Pope’s catechesis
God’s mercy is greater than evil
Jesus, the Pope explained, is the Son of God sent into the world, yet rejected by the very people who should have welcomed Him with open arms. “The One who came to bring salvation is condemned; the One who wishes to give life is put to death.” While this rejection invites us to reflect on the many cruelties that afflict the world and the history of peoples, Christ’s teaching reveals the still greater mercy of the Father.
Violence does not have the final word. In His infinite justice, God transforms evil into redemption, as expressed in the words recalled by Jesus: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” What was cast aside, Pope Leo noted, becomes the very foundation that sustains everything. In this way, God guides history and comes to our aid whenever we fall.
Repairing the Church
Turning to the image of the vineyard, the Pope explained that it represents the Church, which our choices can either build up or damage. On the eighth centenary of Saint Francis’ death, he recalled the saint as a labourer who worked fruitfully in the Lord’s vineyard, responding to Jesus’ call to repair His Church. Inspired by the Crucified One, Francis began by building his own life on Christ, sharing in His poverty, joy and sufferings, even to the point of receiving the stigmata. His fervent prayer and charity towards all made him an example for the first friars, who shared his asceticism as an authentic condition for reforming the Church. “Saint Francis repaired the Church by virtue of his faith in the Lord Jesus,” the Pope said, “healing the rifts of discord through the witness of fraternal love.”
A legacy that continues to bear fruit
Eight centuries later, Saint Francis’ charism continues to bear fruit, Pope Leo continued. This is evident both in the great and vibrant Franciscan family and in the many gifts his spiritual legacy offers to the People of God.
As the Church celebrates the Franciscan Jubilee Year, the Pope invited the faithful to “perseveringly ask for the gift of peace and sincerely commit ourselves to building harmony among peoples”.
He concluded by entrusting this work to the intercession of Mary, before praying the Angelus in spiritual union with the faithful gathered at the Shrine of Pompeii for the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary.
Source: Vatican News