2024-02-15 09:13:31
Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Ash Wednesday in Rome’s Sabina Basilica, urging the faithful to respond to Jesus’ invitation to “return to the heart”.
(Vatican News) At the beginning of Lent, Jesus invites each of us to “enter the inner chamber.” Pope Francis emphasized this point in his homily when he celebrated Mass on Ash Wednesday, February 14, in the Basilica of Sabina in Rome.
“To enter your inner chamber,” the Pope explains, “means to return to your heart. It is a journey from the outside in,” so that our entire life, including our relationship with God, reflects our true inner state. .
Lent offers us the opportunity to “return” to our true selves, shedding all our masks and pretense. This, the Pope noted, is why “we receive the ashes placed on our heads in a spirit of prayer and humility.” Holy ashes remind us that we are all dust, but at the same time we are loved and protected by God.
“The holy ash placed on our heads invites us to rediscover the mystery of life” and makes us feel loved by God’s “eternal love”.
Called to love our brothers and sisters
The Pope then explained that once we realize that we are loved by God, this awareness helps us understand that we are called to love others.
The traditional prayers, fasts and mourning of Lent are “not just outward actions”, but “the path to the heart, to the core of our Christian life”.
Listen to the voice of the Lord
Pope Francis invites everyone to listen to the voice of the Lord, which is to “enter your inner chamber” and “return to your heart”.
We often “find that we no longer have an inner room,” especially in a world where everything is on social platforms. However, it is precisely in the inner chamber of each of us that “the Lord comes down from heaven to heal you and cleanse you.”
“Let us enter our inner chambers: there lives the Lord, where our vulnerabilities are accepted and where we are loved unconditionally,” the pope urged.
Return to God with all your heart
The Pope called on everyone to “return to God with all your heart.” He encouraged believers to make time for silent worship during Lent, listen to the voice of the Lord in our lives, and not be afraid to “take off the clothes of the world and return to the heart and essence.”
At the end of his homily, the Pope said: “We acknowledge what we are: dust beloved of God.” Because of God, “we will be born once more from the dust of sin to receive the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God.” new life”.
Link URL: www.vaticannews.cn
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