(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday reiterated his call for peace in the ongoing
crisis in Egypt saying” “we continue to pray for peace in Egypt together, Mary Queen
of Peace pray for us” The Holy Father also remembered those who were killed in a ferry
disaster in the Philippines this week and prayed for the families in their grief. The
Pope was speaking following the recitation of the Angelus prayer from the Papal Apartments
above St Peter’s Square.
During his Angelus address Pope Francis took his cue
from Sunday’s Gospel liturgy.
He explained that the phrase contained in the
Letter to the Hebrews: "Let us run with perseverance the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus”, is an expression that we must emphasize especially
in this Year of Faith.
The Pope said that Jesus is the key to a loving relationship
with God. He is the only mediator of this relationship between us and our Father
in heaven.
The Holy Father then turned his attention to another phrase in
Sunday’s liturgy, which he said needed to be explained so as not to lead to confusion
or misunderstanding.
Pope Francis was referring to the words that Jesus spoke
to his disciples "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but
division "(Luke 12:51).
“But what does this mean?” the Pope asked.
He
explained that “it means that faith is not something decorative, or ornamental, it
is not there to decorate your life with a little 'of religion.” No, faith, said Pope
Francis, involves choosing God as the centre of one’s life, adding that God is not
empty, he is not neutral, God is love. Jesus, continued Pope Francis does not want
to divide people from each other, on the contrary, Jesus is our peace. But he lays
down the criterion: live for oneself, or live for God.
So, said the Pope,
“the word of the Gospel does not authorize the use of force to spread the faith.
It is 'just the opposite: the true strength of the Christian is the power of truth
and love, which leads to the renunciation of all violence." Faith and violence are
incompatible".
At the end of his address, the Holy Father again stressed that
faith is not something decorative but a force of the soul, before wishing those in
St Peter’s Square a lovely Sunday and a good lunch. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report