DO NOT SEEK THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD

[Denise]

POPE FRANCIS: DO NOT SEEK THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD

Vatican City, April 2014 (VIS) – “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?”. With this question Pope Francis began his first catechesis following Holy Week, on the feast of St. George, the Holy Father's name day. He continued, “How often we look for life among dead things, things that cannot give life, that are here today and gone tomorrow!”.

The Pope explained that these words help us “when we close ourselves within any form of selfishness or complacency; when we allow ourselves to be seduced by earthly powers and the things of this world, forgetting God and neighbour; when we place our trust in worldly vanities, in money, in success”, and he commented that for us, as for Thomas and Mary Magdalene, “it is not easy to open oneself to Jesus; it is not obvious to accept he life of the Risen Christ and His presence among us”.

“This question helps us resist the temptation to look back, to what was yesterday, and pushes us forward into the future. … Today this question is also addressed to us. You, why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? You, who close in on yourself after a failure or who no longer have the strength to pray? You who feel alone, abandoned by friends, and perhaps even by God? You who have lost hope or you who feel imprisoned by your sins? You who aspire to beauty, spiritual perfection, justice, peace?”.

“We need to hear ourselves repeat and remind each other of the angel’s admonition”, concluded the Holy Father, “since it helps us to emerge from our moments of sadness and opens up horizons of joy and hope. That hope that removes stones from graves and encourages us to proclaim the Good News, capable of generating new life for others. … Let us not seek among those many tombs that promise everything and give nothing!”.