In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta, His Holiness Pope Francis reflected on the cost of war, calling it a ‘modern-day flood’ whose price is paid by the poorest among us. His Holiness Pope Francis compared the Biblical flood of Noah’s time to the many wars being waged in today’s world. Reflecting on the day’s reading from Genesis (6:5-8;7:1-5,10) in his homily, the Holy Father said there is a golden thread running through the story of the flood and modern-day conflicts.
As reported by Vatican news, The Pontiff said we must ask God for the grace to cry and lament when faced with the world’s calamities and the victims of war, many of whom are starving children, orphans, and the poor who pay the highest price. Faced with these realities, His Holiness Pope Francis invited us to have a heart like God’s – capable of anger, pain, and closeness to others – one that is both human and divine.
The Pontiff highlighted God’s suffering when He sees the evil of men and women, and noted that God “regretted” having created people so much that He decided to erase us from the face of the earth. This is a God with feelings, said His Holiness Pope Francis, “who is not abstract” and who “suffers”, calling this “the mystery of the Lord”. His Holiness Pope Francis said we need to ask for the grace to have “a heart like the heart of God – one made in the likeness of God” that feels pain when witnessing others suffer.
