Pope Francis invites us to ask, this Sunday, March 29, 2020, for the gift of «crying» with those who are suffering and crying at the moment due to the pandemic: «let it be Sunday of tears».
On this 5th Sunday of Lent indeed, the Gospel reports the resurrection of Lazarus and how Jesus, deeply moved, mourns the death of his friend.
The Pope expressed this prayer: “Lord, may I cry with you, cry with your people who are suffering at this time. »
«Many are crying today,» insisted the pope, who offered his Mass precisely for those who are crying because of the pandemic: «And we, from this altar, this sacrifice of Jesus, of Jesus who did not have ashamed to cry, let’s ask for the grace to cry. »
Pope Francis often invites to ask for a “gift of tears”, so abundant for the founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1492-1556), at the end of his life, as his journal testifies.
In 2013, the Pope even observed that «sometimes in our lives, tears can become like glasses that allow us to see Jesus».