Addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus, His Holiness Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel passage in which the Lord talks to disciples about how all men will be called to account for their lives. Referring to the reading from the Gospel of Mark, the Pontiff said it is not so much a discourse about the end of the world, but rather an invitation to live the present well, to be vigilant and always ready for when we will be called to account for our lives.
As reported by Vatican news, His Holiness Pope Francis remarked that “Although the words in the passage describe the end of times, Jesus is telling us that “the light that will shine on that last day will be unique and new: it will be the light of the Lord Jesus that will come in glory with all the saints”. In that encounter, he explained, we will finally see his Face in the full light of the Trinity; a Face that is radiant with love, and before which every human being will also appear in total truth. The Pontiff said that no one knows the time or the way in which that encounter will happen, but he pointed out, there is a fundamental principle with which we must confront ourselves: “Heaven and earth will pass away but His words will not pass away”. Thus, he said, “each of us will have to understand whether the Word of the Son of God has enlightened our personal existence, or whether he or she has turned their back on him, preferring to trust in their own words”.
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his catechesis invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary “so that the realization of our temporariness on earth and of our limitations do not plunge us into anguish, but directs us back to our responsibility towards ourselves, towards our neighbour, towards the whole world”.
