Pope Francis has reminded the faithful that God is a gentle father who holds us by the hand, and that to dialogue with Him, Christians must become like small children.
The Lord says, “I’m by your side,” the Pope said, and He assures His children through His “caress.”
“This is the tenderness of our Lord and of His love; this is what He tells us and this gives us the strength to be tender,” Francis reflected. “But if we feel we’re strong, we’ll never experience those caresses from the Lord, those caresses from Him that are so wonderful. ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you and I’ll hold your hand,’”
The Pope pointed out that there are two aspects to this love: first, love is more about giving than receiving, and, second, love is more about actions than words.
“When we say it’s more about giving than receiving, that’s because love communicates, it always communicates. And it’s received by the one who is loved,” he said, adding, “When we say that it’s more about actions than words, that’s because love always generates life and makes us grow.”
“When we arrive, He’s there. When we look for Him, He has already been looking for us. He is always in front of us, waiting to receive us in His heart, in His love. And these two things can help us to understand the mystery of God’s love for us.”
He added that, “In order to communicate this, He needs us to be like small children, to lower ourselves. And at the same time, He needs our astonishment when we look for Him and find Him there, waiting for us.»
Continuing to speak on the loving heart of God, the Pope recalled Jesus’ words about himself, he said: “‘I am meek and humble of heart.’ Even He, the Son of God, lowers himself to receive his Father’s love.”
God is always there in front of us and waiting for us, Francis said, before calling on God to “give us the grace to enter into the mysterious world of his love.” (D.C.L.)
