Pope Francis (Ansa)
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November 14, 2021 "We are in a history marked by tribulations, violence, suffering and injustices, awaiting a liberation that never seems to come. Above all, the poor, the most fragile links in the chain, are hurt, oppressed and sometimes crushed by it. ". The Pope emphasized this in the homily of the Mass. "The World Day of the Poor, which we are celebrating, asks us not to look the other way, not to be afraid to look closely at the suffering of the weakest", the Pope added.
"Concrete choices and actions" are needed to help those in difficulty, and this is also true "in the social and political commitment" of Christians. "If our hope is not translated into concrete choices and gestures of attention, justice, solidarity, care for the common home, the sufferings of the poor cannot be relieved, the waste economy that forces them to live on the margins cannot be converted. , their expectations will not be able to flourish. It is up to us, especially us Christians - the Pope said - to 'organize' hope "and" translate it into concrete life every day, in human relationships, in social and political commitment ".
Christians are called to "nourish the hope of tomorrow by healing the pain of today. The hope that comes from the Gospel, in fact, does not consist in passively waiting for things to get better tomorrow, this is not possible, but in making today concrete God's promise of salvation. Today, every day ".
The Pope stressed that "Christian hope is not in fact blissful optimism, indeed I would say adolescent optimism, of those who hope that things will change and in the meantime continue to make their own life, but it is building each day, with concrete gestures , the Kingdom of love, justice and fraternity that Jesus inaugurated ".
So Christians "are asked this: to be, among the daily ruins of the world, tireless builders of hope; to be light as the sun darkens; to be witnesses of compassion while distraction reigns around; to be attentive presences in indifference widespread ".
The Pope renews his appeal to "act now" against climate change. "The cry of the poor, combined with the cry of the earth, resounded in recent days at the United Nations summit on climate change, Cop26, in Glasgow. I encourage those with political and economic responsibilities - Pope Francis said at the Angelus - to act immediately with courage and foresight. At the same time, I invite all people of good will to exercise active citizenship for the care of our common home ".