Mercy reflection from Pope Francis
On Friday, March 27, Pope Francis offered an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing, a phrase which means “To the City and the World” in Latin, calling on all to share in prayer, mutual service and solidarity during this time of pandemic crisis.
Reflecting on Jesus calming the sea, Pope Francis invited listeners to remember how deeply every person is loved by God and how much our world belongs to one another. The Pope only offers an Urbi et Orbi address under certain solemn occasions, as it is considered to be the most solemn of blessings.
Below are excerpts of the Pope’s address.
“We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat … are all of us …
“In this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about our image, has fallen away, uncovering once more that (blessed) common belonging, of which we cannot be deprived: our belonging as brothers and sisters.
” ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ Lord, your word this evening strikes us and regards us, all of us … You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not …
“It is the life in the Spirit that can … demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people – often forgotten people – who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines nor on the grand catwalks of the latest show, but who without any doubt are in these very days writing the decisive events of our time: doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests, religious men and women and so very many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by themselves …
“How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday gestures, how to face up to and navigate a crisis by adjusting their routines, lifting their gaze and fostering prayer. How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all. Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons …
“Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring. It means finding the courage to create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity …. ”
For a full text of the Pope’s Urbi et Orbi please see here.
Each Monday and Wednesday, SALVEtoday will provide a prayer of reflection for the University community to reflect upon during this time of remote living and learning. #salvesgotthis #wellnesswednesdays
Featured photo by Getty Images/neneos
