Pope Francis on May 6, 2018, pointed to the way of life that lives in Christ’s Community, speaking to a crowd estimated at 40,000 gathered to pray the Regina Coeli in St. Peter’s Square.
“In this Easter Season, the Word of God continues to point out to us coherent lifestyles to be the community of the Risen One. Among these, today’s Gospel presents Jesus’ charge: “abide in my love” (John 15:9).
“To inhabit the current of God’s love, to have a stable dwelling is the condition so that our love doesn’t lose its ardor and daring on the way. Like Jesus and in Him, we must also receive with gratitude the love that comes from the Father and abide in this love, trying not to separate ourselves by egoism and sin. It’s a demanding but not impossible program.”
The Holy Father explained that Christ’s love is “an essential attitude of the heart” – not just a “superficial feeling”. We abide in His love by following his commandments and reflect them in our everyday lives. It especially means that we love one another.
“And this love for others can’t be reserved for exceptional moments but must become a constant of our existence,” the Pope continued. “That’s why we are called to protect the elderly as a precious treasure, and with love, even if they create economic problems and hardships.
“That’s why to the sick, even if in the last stage, we must give all the assistance possible.
“That’s why the unborn are always received; that’s why, in the end, life is always protected and loved from conception until its natural end.”
Full TEXT OF POPE’S REMARKS
