Pope Francis: evil has the days counted, because the future belongs to God

Pope Francis said that “evil has the days counted, because the future belongs to God” during his homily at Mass on the occasion of the Sunday of the Word of God.

Before the faithful gathered in a crowded Basilica of San Pedro this January 26 from 9:30 am (local time), the Holy Father presided over the sixth edition of the Sunday of the Word of God, which he instituted in 2019 to grow in the GOD’S PEOPLE “Religious and assiduous familiarity” with the Bible.

The journalists who participate in the jubilee of communication were also present at the Mass, to whom the Pontiff asked them to be “true.”

40 lay people receive the Ministry of Reading

After reading the Gospel of St. Luke, each of the names of the 40 laity to which Pope Francis has conferred by the Ministry of the Reading, becoming announcers of the Word of God.

“Today, forty brothers and sisters from various parts of the world have come here to receive the ministry of the reader; We thank you and pray for them. Let’s all commit to bringing the good news to the poor, to announce the liberation to the captives, to take the blind to the blind and proclaim a year of grace of the Lord, ”said Pope Francis.

In his homily, the Pontiff said that the Word of God “must reach the heart” and produce stupor: “The Word of God always amazes us, always renews us. Enter the heart and always renew. ”

He then explained five actions that characterize the mission of the Messiah: “A unique and universal mission; unique, because only he can do it; Universal, because he wants to include everyone. ”

1. Bring the good news to the poor

Pope Francis recalled that Jesus takes care of the humble and the poor, while recalling the style of God, which is “close, compassionate and merciful.”

2. Announce the liberation to the captives

As a second action, the Holy Father said that “evil has the days counted, because the future belongs to God.”

With the strength of the Spirit, he added, “Jesus redeems us of all guilt and frees our heart from every interior chain, carrying the forgiveness of the Father to the world.”

3. Give the blind view

The Messiah, said the Holy Father, “opens our eyes to the heart, often dazzled by the fascination of power and vanity, diseases of the soul that prevent recognizing the presence of God and that make invisible to the weak and those who suffer ”

4. Give the oppressed

For Pope Francis, “no slavery resists the action of the Messiah, which makes us brothers in his name.”

“This gospel is the word of freedom, which calls us to conversion from the heart, the honesty of thought and perseverance in the proof,” he said.

5. Proclaim a year of grace of the Lord

Finally, Pope Francis indicated that Jesus is sent to “proclaim a year of grace of the Lord.” “It is a new time, which does not wear life, but regenerates it,” he said.

“This gospel is Word of joywhich calls us the reception, the communion and walk, as pilgrims, to the kingdom of God, ”he added.

Through these five actions, he specified that Jesus performs “our liberation, announces that God approaches our poverty, redeems us from evil, illuminates our eyes, bankruptcy the yoke of oppression and makes us enter the jubilation of a time and of a story in which he is present, to walk with us and lead us to eternal life. ”

“The salvation he gives us is not yet fully made; And yet wars, injustices, pain and death will not have the last word about the peoples of the earth and about our history. The Gospel, in effect, is a living and safe word, which never disappoints, ”he said.

The Bible makes memory of Christ and the Spirit updates it

He stressed that “the whole Bible makes memory of Christ and his work and the spirit updates it in our life and in history. When we read the Scriptures, when we pray with them and study them, we do not only receive information about God, but we welcome the spirit that reminds us of everything that Jesus has said and has done. ”

He also advised as sometimes passed to carry “a small new testament” in his pocket, to consult him during the day and “be in contact with the Lord.”

Finally, he encouraged the faithful to respond “with enthusiasm” to the joyful announcement of Christ. “The Lord, in effect, has not spoken to us as mute listeners, but as witnesses, calling us to evangelize at all times and everywhere.”