Jesus calls us out of the tomb of our sin, says Pope
April 07, 2014
In his April 6 Angelus address, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-45).
“Christ is not resigned to the sepulchers that we have constructed with our choices of evil and death, with our mistakes, with our sins,” the Pope said. “He is not resigned to this! He invites us, almost orders us, to come out from the tombs into which our sins have plunged us. He calls us insistently to come out of the darkness of the prison in which we are enclosed, contenting ourselves with a false, selfish, mediocre life.”
Following his address, Pope Francis recalled the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide and said that a pocket-sized edition of the Gospels was being distributed to those present. “But let us do something in exchange for this gift: perform an act of charity, a gesture of love given freely, a prayer for an enemy, a reconciliation, something.”
“Today you can also read the Gospel on so many technological devices,” he added. “You can take the whole Bible with you on a phone, on a tablet. The important thing is to read the Word of God, by any means, but read the Word of God: it is Jesus Who speaks to us there. And welcome it with an open heart. Then the good seed will bear fruit!”
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Further information:
- Pope Francis: There is no limit to the divine mercy (Vatican Radio)
- Pope Francis: Jesus Does not Resign Himself to Any Tomb (VIS)
- The Pope Gives a Pocket-Sized Gospel: Freely Receive, Freely Give! (VIS)
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