RIMINI (ITALPRESS) – “Most Reverend Excellency, on the occasion of the 45th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, the Holy Father wishes to reach out to the participants with a message of good wishes, greeting the organizers, volunteers and all those who will take part in the event, whose title represents a heartfelt appeal to responsibility: ‘If we are not seeking the essential, then what are we seeking?'” This was written by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in his message to the Bishop of Rimini, Monsignor Nicolà Anselmi, quoting Pope Francis’ wish for the Meeting that opens tomorrow. “Precisely as we go through complex times, the search for what constitutes the center of the mystery of life and reality is of crucial importance. Our age, in fact, is marked by various problems and considerable challenges, before which we sometimes find a sense of powerlessness, a renunciatory and passive attitude that can lead us to “drag life down” and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the daze of the ephemeral, to the point of losing the meaning of existence. In this scenario, therefore, the choice to set out on the trail of what is essential is as pertinent as ever,” the message continues. Pope Francis therefore encourages the attempt to seek, with passion and enthusiasm, what brings out the beauty of life, addressing the question posed by Fr. Luigi Giussani when he boldly stated, “The heart is broken by sclerosis, that is, by the loss of passion and the taste for living. […] Old age at twenty and even earlier, old age at fifteen, this is the characteristic of today’s world” (Il senso religioso, Milan 2013, 116-117).””As the icy winds of war blow, adding to recurring phenomena of injustice, violence and inequality, as well as the serious climate emergency and an unprecedented anthropological mutation, it is imperative to stop and ask ourselves: is there anything worth living for and hoping for? From the very beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has been urging us to read even the resistances, labors and falls of today’s men and women as a call to reflect, so that the heart may be opened to an encounter with God and each person may become aware of himself, his neighbor and reality,” Parolin further writes. His constant invitation is to become beggars of what is essential, of what gives meaning to our lives, first of all by stripping ourselves of what weighs down our daily lives, following the example of a climber who, having reached the attack of the rock face, must rid himself of the superfluous in order to be able to climb more expeditiously. In doing so, we discover that the value of human existence does not consist in things, in successes achieved, in the race of competition, but first and foremost in that relationship of love that sustains us, rooting our journey in trust and hope: it is friendship with God, which is then reflected in all other human relationships, that grounds the joy that will never fail. We are loved, this is the essential truth, which Fr. Giussani himself announced to young university students: “You are loved. This is the message that comes in your life[ … ]. This is Jesus Christ in human history, the continuous beginning of this message, “You are loved!” What is life? Being loved. What about the being on us? Being loved. And the destiny? To be loved” (Litterae Communionis Tracce, 1996, no. 1).””On the same wavelength, Pope Francis reminds us that “what is essential, most beautiful, most attractive and at the same time most necessary for us is faith in Christ Jesus” (Address to the Plenary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Jan. 26, 2024). For only the Lord saves our fragile humanity and, in the midst of adversity, causes us to experience a gladness that would otherwise be impossible. Without this point of anchorage, the boat of our life would be at the mercy of the waves and would risk sinking,” the message continues. “Returning to the essential that is Jesus does not mean evading reality but, on the contrary, is the condition for truly immersing oneself in history, for facing it without running away from its challenges, for finding the courage to risk and love even when it seems not worth it, for living in the world without any fear. As the then Archbishop Montini had to write: “You are necessary to us, O Christ, O Lord, O God-with-us, to learn true love and to walk in the joy and strength of your charity, along the path of our strenuous life” (Omnia nobis est Christus. Pastoral Letter to the Archdiocese of Milan for Lent 1955).””In this spirit, then, the Holy Father appreciates and shares the purpose of the upcoming Meeting, because aiming at the essentials helps us to take our lives into our own hands and make them an instrument of love, mercy and compassion, becoming a sign of blessing for our neighbor. In the face of the temptation of discouragement, the complexity of the current crisis and, in particular, the challenge of a peace that seems impossible, the Holy Father urges everyone to become responsible protagonists of change, actively collaborating in the Church’s mission, in order to give life together to places where Christ’s presence can be seen and touched. This choral commitment can generate a new world, where finally to triumph is the Love that in Christ was manifested to us, and the entire planet becomes a temple of fraternity – concludes Parolin -. Pope Francis hopes that the rich program of the Meeting, in the multiplicity of proposals and languages, may arouse in many the desire to become seekers of the essential and make the passion for the proclamation of the Gospel flourish in hearts, a source of liberation from all slavery and a force that heals and transforms humanity. To all, organizers, volunteers and participants, He heartily sends His blessing, asking you to please pray for him.”
– Photo: Photogram Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
