Meditation

Jesus in the Gospel reminds us of a temptation we should be wary of: the desire to be first, to distinguish ourselves from others, a desire that can take root in every human heart. How often has a people believed itself superior, with more acquired rights, with greater privileges to preserve or conquer? What remedy does Jesus offer when this impulse arises in our hearts and in the mentality of a society or a country? To become the least of all and the servant of all; to be where no one wants to go, where nothing happens, in the most distant periphery; and to serve, by creating spaces for encounter with the least, with the excluded. If those in power were to embrace this, if we were to allow the Gospel of Christ to reach the depths of our lives, then the globalization of solidarity would truly become a reality. “While in the world, especially in certain countries, various forms of war and conflict are reappearing, we Christians insist on the proposal to recognize the other, to heal wounds, to build bridges, to strengthen relations and to help one another ‘to bear one another’s burdens’ (Gal 6:2)” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 67 ).

Excerpt from Pope Francis' Angelus

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF THE HOLY FATHER

IN LITHUANIA, LATVIA AND ESTONIA

[22-25 SEPTEMBER 2018]

Santakos Park in Kaunas (Lithuania)

Sunday, September 23, 2018