Pope: With God in your life there are always new possibilities

Image: Vatican News

Source: Vatican News

During the Angelus with pilgrims in St Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Francis reflected on the day's Gospel, that tells of how Jesus invites some fishermen, including Simon Peter, to go back out to sea and cast their nets again (Lk 5:1-4). He said: "Jesus climbs into Simon's boat and invites him to put out into the open water."

"It is a beautiful image... every day the boat of our life leaves the shores of our home to sail out into the sea of daily activities; every day we try to 'fish from the sea', to cultivate dreams, to pursue projects, to experience love in our relationships."

But often, like Peter, we experience the disappointment of trying so hard and not seeing the desired results: "We are left with a sense of defeat, while disappointment and bitterness arise in our hearts."

That empty boat, is the symbol of our incapacity, the pulpit from which Jesus proclaims the Word.

It's what the Lord loves to do, Pope Francis noted: "to climb into the boat of our lives when we have nothing to offer him; to enter our voids and fill them with his presence; to make use of our poverty to proclaim his wealth, our miseries to proclaim his mercy."

He said: "God does not want a cruise ship ... a poor ramshackle boat is enough for him, as long as we welcome him. " He invited the faithful to ask themselves whether they "let Him into the boat of their lives?" Whether they "make available to Him the little they have?"

Feeling unworthy because we are sinners is an excuse, he said, that the Lord does not like because it distances Him from us.

In this way, the Pope continued, the Lord rebuilds Peter's trust. He climbs into his boat and tells him to put out from the land. And even though it was not a good time of the day for fishing, Peter trusts Jesus. "He does not base his trust on the strategies of fishermen, which he knows well, but on the newness of Jesus. It is the same for us too: if we welcome the Lord into our boat, we can put out to sea," he said.

The Pope urged believers to not yield to disappointment "when we catch nothing", to not give up. Always, he said, "in personal life as well as in the life of the Church and society, there is something beautiful and courageous that can be done."

He concluded saying: "We can always start again - the Lord always invites us to get back on our feet because He opens up new possibilities. So let us accept the invitation: let us chase away pessimism and mistrust, and put out to sea with Jesus!"

After his reflection Pope Francis mentioned that it was the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation. He said: "There are about three million girls who, every year, undergo this surgery, often in very dangerous conditions for their health. This practice, unfortunately widespread in various regions of the world, humiliates the dignity of women and seriously undermines her physical integrity."

He mentioned that Tuesday is the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita and the World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Trafficking in Persons. He said: "This is a deep wound, inflicted by the shameful search for economic interests without any respect for the human person. Many girls - we see them on the streets - who are not free, they are slaves of traffickers, who send them to work and, if they don't bring the money, they beat them. Today this happens in our cities. Let's think about it seriously. In the face of these plagues of humanity, I express my sorrow and I urge those who are responsible for them to act decisively, to prevent both exploitation and humiliating practices that particularly afflict women and girls."

Pope Francis also mentioned two sad but positive events that have happened in the past week - firstly the huge efforts in Morocco to save a small boy that fell down a deep well. Sadly the child died but the Pope commended the rescue workers and people who gathered to pray and support their efforts.

And he praised another event which he said "happened here in Italy, and will not appear in the newspaper" - the villagers of Monferrato this week clubbed together to fly a 25 year-old terminally-ill migrant worker back to Ghana granting his wish to die in the arms of his father.

"This shows us that today, in the midst of so much bad news, there are good things, there are 'saints next door'. Thank you for these two testimonials which are good for us," he said.

Pope Francis ended the audience after blessing a statue of St Josephine Bakhita and greeting all those present.

Watch on Vatican YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JHUdM-qIg

Read the prepared text : https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2022/02/06/0088/00176.html