Pope Francis asks for prayers for refugees displaced by war

Pope Francis today - image Vatican Media

Source: Vatican News

During the Angelus today with pilgrims in St Peter's Square, Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel, and also called for prayers for the many thousands of refugees in the world fleeing war.

Focussing on the Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, that describes how Jesus, after being baptized in the River Jordan, was led by the Spirit into the desert to prepare for his mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven by fasting for 40 days. "At the end of this period of fasting, the tempter, the devil, breaks in and tries three times to put Jesus to the test," he said.

The first temptation, the Pope explained, arises from the fact that Jesus is hungry, and so, the devil suggests: "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." But, he continued, Jesus's response is clear: "One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

The devil's second attempt, the Pope said, "is a bit more astute" - by quoting the Sacred Scripture, he invites Jesus to put God to the test. "But even in this case... Jesus does not allow himself to be confounded, because the one who believes does not put God to the test, but instead entrusts him or herself to God's goodness."

Lastly, the third attempt, he said, reveals the devil's true reasoning: "since the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven means the beginning of his own defeat, the evil one wants to distract Jesus from accomplishing His mission by presenting him a political Messianic perspective."

But, the Pope said, Jesus rejects the idolatry of power and human glory and, in the end, drives the tempter away, saying to him: "Begone, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve'".

Pope Francis reflected at length on how Jesus does not enter into dialogue with the devil. Jesus, he said, responds to the devil with the Word of God, not with his word, and he urged the faithful to always be alert and careful and to do the same.

Today as well, Pope Francis said, Satan breaks into people's lives to tempt them with his enticing proposals.

The devil, he said, "mixes his own voice with the many other voices that try to tame our conscience," and he warned believers to be aware that "messages come at us from many places enticing us to "experience the intoxication of transgression."

"Jesus' experience teaches us that temptation is an attempt to walk alternative paths than those of God," he said.

He described them as paths that perhaps give us "the sensation of being self-sufficient, of enjoying life as an end in itself."

However, all of this is illusory, he said, and "very quickly, we realize that the more we distance ourselves from God, the more defenseless and helpless we feel when facing the large existential problems."

The Pope concluded his catechesis appealing for the intercession of Our Lady, to help us, during this time of Lent, "to be vigilant when confronted with temptation, and not to submit ourselves to any idol whatsoever of this world, and to follow Jesus in the battle against evil. Thus, he said, we too will be victorious with Him."

Pope Francis then asks the faithful to join him in prayer for the many displaced people who are fleeing wars across the globe.

He said: "I am saddened by the news of so many displaced people, so many men, women and children who are discarded by war…. My thoughts go to the hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking refuge and help throughout the world, and noting that there is much in the news about them in these days, the Pope said: "Let us pray for them."

Pope Francis' appeal for prayers comes as hundreds of migrants are heading to Greece from Turkey, and thousands more are gathered on the Turkish side seeking entry after Ankara relaxed curbs on their movement.

At least 500 people had arrived by sea on three Greek islands close to the Turkish coast within a few hours this morning.

On the mainland further north, groups waded across a river to the Greek side. Reuters reporters said they included an Afghan mother with a five-day-old infant.

Turkey said on Thursday it would no longer restrain hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in its territory from reaching Europe despite an agreement to do so reached with the EU in 2016. Its announcement triggered an almost instant rush to the borders it shares with European Union member Greece. Today Turkey announced that it had allowed more than 76,000 to cross its border with Greece.