L’Osservatore Romano 2013-04-05 - Peace cannot be bought or sold: it is a gift from God – and we must ask for it. Pope Francis reminded us of this on Thursday morning, 4 April, when he spoke of the “awe” shown by the disciples of Emmaus before the miracles of Jesus. The Holy Father commented on the Gospel passage from Luke (24:35-48) which was read at his usual morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, at which employees of the Vatican were present. This morning there were 50 supervisors and workers from Vatican Typography.
“The disciples who were witnesses of the lame man's healing and now see Jesus”, the Pope said, “are a bit out of themselves, but not because of some mental illness: outside themselves because of their awe”. But what is this awe? “It is something”, said the Holy Father, “that drives us out of ourselves, for joy: this is great, it is very great. This is not mere enthusiasm: even fans in a stadium are enthusiastic when their team wins, right? No, this is not some enthusiasm, it is something more profound: it is the wonder that comes when we find ourselves with Jesus”.
This astonishment, the Holy Father explained, is the beginning “of the habitual state of the Christian”. Certainly, he noted, we cannot live forever in wonder, but this is condition is the beginning which allows a “mark to be left on the soul and spiritual consolation”. Actually, the condition of being a Christian should be one of spiritual consolation, notwithstanding problems, pains, sickness. “The last step of consolation”, the Pontiff said, “is peace: one begins with awe, and the minor tone of this wonder, of this consolation, is peace”. The Christian, even in the most painful trials, never loses “the peace and the presence of Jesus” and with “a little courage”, we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, give me this grace that is the sign of the encounter with you: spiritual consolation”; and, above all, he emphasized, “never lose peace”. We look to the Lord, who “suffered so upon the Cross, but he never lost peace. Peace, this peace, is not our own: it is not sold and we do not buy it”. It is a gift of God for which we must beg. Peace is like “the final step of this spiritual consolation, which begins with a joyful wonder”. Wherefore, we must not “trick ourselves with our or others' fantasies, which lead us to believe that these fantasies are reality”. In truth, it is more Christian “to believe that reality may not be so pretty”. The Pope ended by asking for the grace of spiritual consolation and of peace, which “begins with this joyful wonder in the encounter with Jesus Christ”.
The Salesians Fr Sergio Pellini, Director General of the L'Osservatore Romano and the Printing Press, and Fr Marek Kaczmarczyk, Sales Manager – among others – concelebrated with the Pontiff. Also present were Technical Director Domenico Nguyen Duc Nam, Antonio Maggiotto and Giuseppe Canesso.
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This astonishment, the Holy Father explained, is the beginning “of the habitual state of the Christian”. Certainly, he noted, we cannot live forever in wonder, but this is condition is the beginning which allows a “mark to be left on the soul and spiritual consolation”. Actually, the condition of being a Christian should be one of spiritual consolation, notwithstanding problems, pains, sickness. “The last step of consolation”, the Pontiff said, “is peace: one begins with awe, and the minor tone of this wonder, of this consolation, is peace”. The Christian, even in the most painful trials, never loses “the peace and the presence of Jesus” and with “a little courage”, we are able to say to the Lord: “Lord, give me this grace that is the sign of the encounter with you: spiritual consolation”; and, above all, he emphasized, “never lose peace”. We look to the Lord, who “suffered so upon the Cross, but he never lost peace. Peace, this peace, is not our own: it is not sold and we do not buy it”. It is a gift of God for which we must beg. Peace is like “the final step of this spiritual consolation, which begins with a joyful wonder”. Wherefore, we must not “trick ourselves with our or others' fantasies, which lead us to believe that these fantasies are reality”. In truth, it is more Christian “to believe that reality may not be so pretty”. The Pope ended by asking for the grace of spiritual consolation and of peace, which “begins with this joyful wonder in the encounter with Jesus Christ”.
The Salesians Fr Sergio Pellini, Director General of the L'Osservatore Romano and the Printing Press, and Fr Marek Kaczmarczyk, Sales Manager – among others – concelebrated with the Pontiff. Also present were Technical Director Domenico Nguyen Duc Nam, Antonio Maggiotto and Giuseppe Canesso.