Sunday afternoon, the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Pope Francis made a pastoral visit to Saint Mary’s parish of Setteville, at Setteville of Guidonia (Rome). Here is a ZENIT working translation of the transcription of the Pope’s words exchanged with the sick:
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I greet you and promise to pray for you. Each one of you has his own problem or sickness, or worry … There are also children with problems … They are things that can’t be explained, but they happen, life is like this … life is like this. Jesus wanted to be close to us also with His sorrow, with His Passion, with His sufferings, and Jesus is close to all of you. He Himself said so: “If you visit the sick, you visit me” (cf. Matthew 25:36.40). Jesus is with the sick, with those who have problems. And this is true. I know that when there is suffering, when there are problems, it’s difficult to understand, but it’s not about understanding, but about feeling, feeling Jesus’ caresses – only this, and this consoles.
And so that all of you may be able to feel these caresses of Jesus, I will give you my blessing. However, before this, Jesus leads us to His Mother, always. Let us pray all together to our Lady, that Jesus may bless us.
Hail Mary …
[Blessing]
And pray for me, please, don’t forget. And take heart, take heart: don’t let sadness grip you – up not down. Up! The Lord is with us always! Thank you. May God bless you and pray for me.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
