The joy of Christ’s resurrection can repair the widespread sadness and malaise in today’s world, Pope Leo XIV said yesterday. Source: CNS.
“On the paths of the heart, the Risen One walks with us and for us,” the Pope said during his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square.
“It is the Risen One who radically changes our perspective, instilling hope that fills the void of sadness,” he said.
Greeting Polish-speaking visitors during the audience, the Pope highlighted that October 22 marked the feast of St John Paul II, the date of his inaugural Mass in 1978, during which he proclaimed, “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ”.
“Exactly 47 years ago, in this square, he urged the world to open itself to Christ,” Pope Leo said. “This appeal is still valid today: We are all called to make it our own.”
In his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, “Jesus Christ our Hope,” Pope Leo reflected on how Christ’s resurrection “can heal one of the malaises of our time: sadness.”
“Intrusive and widespread, sadness accompanies the days of many people,” he said in his main address in Italian. “Sadness robs life of meaning and vigour, turning it into a directionless and meaningless journey.”
A similar scenario can be seen in the Gospel of Luke’s account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he said. “Disappointed and discouraged, they leave Jerusalem, leaving behind the hopes they held in Jesus, who has been crucified and entombed.”
However, they met a stranger along the road who listened to them, “allowing them to unburden their disappointment,” the Pope said. A bit of hope is rekindled in their hearts when the stranger rebukes them for being slow to believe everything that the prophets have declared, “that Christ had to suffer, die and rise again”.
It is only after they sit down and break bread with the “mysterious travelling companion” that the two disciples recognise him as Jesus, and he immediately disappears from their view, he said.
“Everything becomes clear: the shared journey, the tender and powerful word, the light of truth,” Pope Leo said. “Immediately, joy is rekindled, energy flows back into their weary limbs, and gratitude returns to their memory.”
Their souls are filled “with an unexpected and joyful realisation: Christ is truly risen!” he said in English. “The Lord wishes to do the same for us, by dispelling any sadness and desperation that we may be feeling.”
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The risen Christ brings joy, hope along life’s journey, Pope says (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
