杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

杏MAP导航 Francis on Wednesday urged Christians to discover the face of Jesus in the migrants, refugees and the displaced who are forced to flee because of the many injustices that still afflict our world today. 

Celebrating a Mass in the Vatican鈥檚 Casa Santa Marta chapel, to commemorate the 7^th anniversary of his visit to the migrants in the Italian island of Lampedusa, the 杏MAP导航 recalled the words of Jesus - 鈥淲hatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me鈥�.  He said this warning, for better or for worse, is a burning issue today. 

The July 8, 2013 visit of the 杏MAP导航 to the Mediterranean island was the first of his pontificate after his election on 13 March of the same year.  During the visit, he threw a floral wreath in the sea in memory of some 20,000 migrants who died while trying to cross the Mediterranean.  He briefly met and spoke to some young African migrants before celebrating an open-air Mass.

The visit is highly symbolic of the pontificate of the Argentine 杏MAP导航, who wants the Church to be an inclusive one that goes forth to the peripheries, to include all, leaving no one out. 

Seeking God鈥檚 face in others

Noting that the day鈥檚 psalm speaks about seeking the face of God, the 杏MAP导航 said that this fundamental attitude is the ultimate goal of all the faithful. 

In this regard, the Prophet Hosea in the first reading, speaks about how the people of Israel had drifted away from the Lord because of abundance, prosperity and riches which filled their heart with falsehood and injustice, "a sin, from which even we, modern Christians, are not immune.鈥�

Globalization of indifference

Recalling his homily of 7 years ago in Lampedusa, the 杏MAP导航 said that the 鈥渃ulture of comfort, makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people.鈥�  It creates a fleeting and empty illusion, leading to indifference to others, even to the globalization of indifference.  鈥淲e have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn鈥檛 affect me; it doesn鈥檛 concern me; it鈥檚 none of my business!鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

鈥淪ow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said echoing the call of Hosea to conversion. 

Personal encounter entails mission

Seeking the face of the Lord, the Holy Father said, entails the desire for a personal encounter with the Lord, just as it happened with the twelve apostles, as narrated in the day鈥檚 Gospel.  This personal encounter with the Lord, which is a time of grace and salvation, he explained,  鈥渋mmediately entails a mission鈥� 鈥� to proclaim that 鈥渢he kingdom of heaven is at hand.鈥�  "Encounter and mission," he stressed, "cannot be separated." 

鈥淲hatever you did鈥� you did for me鈥�

This mission, the 杏MAP导航 said, is also for the disciples of the third millennium.  鈥淎s we undertake to seek the face of the Lord, we may recognize Him in the face of the poor, the sick, the abandoned, and the foreigners whom God places on our way.鈥�

Recalling the words of Jesus, 鈥渨hatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me鈥�, the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渢he encounter with the other is also an encounter with Christ.鈥�

鈥淚t is He who knocks on our door, hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, imprisoned, seeking an encounter with us and requesting our assistance.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis urged Christians to use the words of Jesus as a fundamental element to examine our conscience on a daily basis.  In this regard, he thought of the detention camps in Libya, 鈥渢he abuses and violence that migrants are victims of, journeys of hope, rescue operations, and push-backs."

"Distilled" version 

The Holy Father remembered meeting a migrant during his visit to Lampedusa, who narrated at length the 鈥渢errible things鈥� they suffered to get there, but the interpreter was very brief.  When the 杏MAP导航 got back home that afternoon, the lady receptionist, a daughter of Ethiopian parents who followed the conversation on television, said the Ethiopian interpreter didn鈥檛 even convey a fourth of the torture and suffering the migrants went through.  What was interpreted, the 杏MAP导航 remarked, was a 鈥渄istilled鈥� version of the real story. 

This is what is happening with Libya today, the Holy Father said.  鈥淭hey give us a 鈥榙istilled鈥� version. 鈥淲e know the war is bad but you can't imagine the hell that one goes through there, in those detention camps.鈥� The 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渢hese people were only coming with the hope and crossing the sea.鈥� 

The 杏MAP导航 concluded, urging the Virgin Mary, under the title, 鈥淪olace or Comfort of Migrants鈥�, to help Christians to 鈥� discover the face of Her Son in all our brothers and sisters who are forced to flee from their homeland because of the many injustices that still afflict our world today鈥�.