You have some problem? Some sin? Entrust it to Jesus with faith. He will make you new….
Pope Francis stressed this during his Angelus address today at noon to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, as he recalled that today’s Gospel according to St. Mark presents two interlocking stories, with a single center: faith; and show Jesus as the source of life, as the One Who gives back life to those who trust Him fully.
The two protagonists, the father of the girl who was dead, and Jesus brought back to life, and the sick woman who had suffered bleeding for years, and Jesus healed, are not disciples of Jesus and yet they are restored because of their faith.
«They have faith in that Man. From this, we understand that everyone is admitted on the path of the Lord: no one should feel like an intruder, an abusive person or someone who has no right.»
This possibility is valid for everyone – No one excluded
«To have access to His heart, to the heart of Jesus,» Francis reminded, «there is only this required: to feel in need of healing and to entrust himself to Him.»
«I ask you,» the Pope continued: «Does each one of you feel in need of healing? Of something, some sin, some problem? And, if you hear this, do you have faith in Jesus? These are the two requirements to be healed, to have access to His heart: to feel oneself in need of healing and to entrust oneself to Him.»
Jesus, he noted, goes to discover these people in the crowd and takes them away from anonymity, freeing them from the fear of living.
«He does it with a look and with a word that puts them on the road again after so much suffering and humiliation. We too are called to learn and to imitate these words that liberate, and these looks …»
«Jesus is the Lord, and before Him, physical death is like a sleep: there is no reason to despair. Another ‘death’ is to be afraid of: that of the heart hardened by evil! Of that, yes, we must be afraid!»
«When we feel that our hearts are hardened, and, I allow myself to say ‘the mummified heart,’ we must be afraid of this. This is the death of the heart.»
Never the Last Word
Even sin, even ‘the mummified heart’–Pope Francis stressed– for Jesus, is never the last word, because He has brought us the infinite mercy of the Father.
«Even if we fell down, His soft and strong voice reaches us: “I tell you: get up!” It is beautiful to hear that word of Jesus addressed to each one of us: “I tell you: stand up! Go. Stand up, be brave, get up!”
Jesus, he reminded, restores the girl to life and gives life back to the healed woman, giving life to and strengthening the faith of both.
Pope Francis concluded, praying: «We ask the Virgin Mary to accompany our journey of faith and concrete love, especially towards those in need. And let us invoke her maternal intercession for our brothers who suffer in body and spirit.»
After the midday prayer, the Holy Father prayed for those in Nigeria, Thailand and Syria, where he appealed that the nation’s population be spared from additional suffering. He also applauded recent efforts to work together toward peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Pope Francis also reminded that next Saturday he will be traveling to the southern Italian city of Bari, where he will meet heads of Christian Churches in the Middle East, for a day to pray for peace.
Zenit’s Translation: https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-address-on-two-requirements-for-jesus-to-heal-us/
