Speaking during the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Holy Father Pope Francis reflected on the episode in the Bible that tells of Jesus’ miraculous healing of a deaf and dumb man. The Pontiff invited all Christians not to turn away from the suffering of their brothers and sisters.
As reported by Vatican news, Pointing out that Jesus always “acts with discretion” as he “does not want to impress people, he is not looking for popularity or success, he just wants to do good to people” His Holiness Pope Francis said that “with this attitude, He teaches us that good must be done without clamor and without ostentation”. But above all, he explained, Jesus – who is fully integrated and part of man’s earthly humanity – makes it clear that the miracle happens thanks to his union with the Father. And urging believers not to “remain deaf and dumb in the face of the suffering of people marked by disease, anguish and difficulty”, the Pontiff said in today’s world too often the sick and the suffering are seen as a problem, “while they should be an opportunity to show the concern and solidarity of society towards the weakest”.
Speaking after the recitation of the Marian prayer, the Pontiff recalled the proclamation of a new Blessed: the Venerable Alfonsa Maria Eppinger, founder of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer, whom he described as a courageous woman and whose “suffering, silence and prayer”, he said, provided a testimony of “God’s love especially for those who are are sick in body and spirit”.
