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Pope Francis, “with a broken heart”, repeats his appeal for the weapons to be silent. Thus the Pontiff at the Angelus, recited as usual from the window of the apostolic palace. “In recent days we have been shocked by something tragic: the war – these are his words -. We have repeatedly prayed that this path would not be taken. And now we plead with God even more intensely. For this reason, I renew the invitation to make March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine. A day to be close to the sufferings of the Ukrainian people to feel all brothers and sisters and to invoke from God the end of the war. Those who make war forget humanity, he is not with the people, he is not interested in the concrete life of the people, but he puts before all the interests of part of the power. He relies on the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons and in every conflict the geche is the furthest from the will of God. And he distances himself from the common people who are the real victory in every conflict. I think of the elderly, of those seeking refuge, of mothers on the run with their children. They are brothers and sisters for whom it is urgent to open humanitarian corridors and who must be welcomed. With a broken heart, I repeat the weapons are silent – and let’s not forget the wars in other parts of the world: in Yemen, in Syria, in Ethiopia -. God is with the peacemakers, not with those who use violence. Because those who love peace, as stated in the Italian Constitution, repudiate war as an instrument of offense against the freedom of other peoples and as a means of resolving international disputes “.
After some greetings, the Pope added: “I also see many flags of Ukraine in the square. Praise be to Jesus Christ“, with the latter sentence pronounced in Ukrainian.
Before reciting the Marian midday prayer, Francis commented on the Gospel of the day, recalling the risk of “looking at the speck in the eye of the brother without noticing the beam in ours”. In other words, “to be very attentive to the defects of others, even to those as small as a straw, serenely neglecting our own, giving them little weight”. It is true, the Pope noted, what Jesus says. “We always find reasons to blame others and justify ourselves. And many times we complain about things that are not right in society, in the Church, in the world, without first questioning ourselves and without first committing ourselves to change ourselves. But – Jesus explains – in doing so our gaze is blind. And if we are blind we cannot pretend to be guides and teachers for others: a blind man, in fact, cannot guide another blind man.
From here the invitation “to clean up our gaze”, “recognize our miseries”. “Because if we are not able to see our faults, we will always be inclined to magnify those of others. If, on the other hand, we recognize our mistakes and our miseries, the door of mercy opens for us”. God, Francis added, “looks at us like this: he does not see irremediable mistakes in us, but children who make mistakes. God always distinguishes the person from his mistakes. He always believes in the person and is always ready to forgive mistakes. And he invites us to do the same: to seek not evil in others, but good “.
The second part of the Pontiff’s reflection is dedicated to “our speaking”. “The words we use tell us who we are. Sometimes, however, we pay little attention to our words and use them superficially. But words have weight: they allow us to express thoughts and feelings, to give voice to the fears that we have and the projects we intend to carry out, to bless God and others. Unfortunately, however, with the language we can also feed prejudices, raise barriers, attack and even destroy our brothers: gossip hurts and slander can be sharper than a knife! “
“Nowadays, then, especially in the digital world, – Pope Bergoglio points out” words run fast; but too many convey anger and aggression, feed false news and take advantage of collective fears to propagate distorted ideas. A diplomat, who was UN Secretary General and won the Nobel Peace Prize, said that “to abuse the word is to despise the human being” (D. HAMMARSKJÖLD). Let us ask ourselves then – the Pontiff exhorts – what kind of words do we use: words that express attention, respect, understanding, closeness, compassion, or words that mainly aim to make us beautiful in front of others? And then, do we speak mildly or do we pollute the world by spreading poisons: criticizing, complaining, feeding widespread aggression?
Mary, whose humility God has looked upon, the Virgin of silence that we now pray, help us to purify our gaze and our speech “, concluded Francis.
