Angelus, Francis exhorted to hear “the cry of the hidden young victims of violence”.
Francis’ appeal to hear the hidden cry of abused children victims of violence. "Christ is not a man of great wealth, but a poor man with nowhere to lay his head, He is not a patriarch with numerous offspring, but a homeless bachelor without a nest," he said. And "the Christian cross is not a piece of furniture or an ornament to wear, but a call to that love, with which Jesus sacrificed Himself to save humanity from sin and evil.”
Jesus is " God’s reverse revelation, he is not powerful, he is a servant." In this message of hope of this Lenten Angelus, the Pope assured that "whoever dies with Christ, with Christ shall rise again, those who struggle with Him, with Him shall triumph."
Francis explained to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Angelus prayer, “the message of hope, which the Cross contains, is one that constantly calls us to be strong in our lives." References to the Holy Scriptures and reflections on today's tragedies are woven into Francis’ meditation. “From young people, victims of violence, comes a hidden scream that must be heard”
"I pray and I beg you to pray with me for all those boys and girls victims of violence, abuse, exploitation and war - he said - This is a plague, a hidden scream that needs to be heard, we can not pretend it doesn’t exist. "
The Pontiff then expressed "closeness to the people of Guatemala who are mourning the death of twenty-two girls, all between 14 and 17 years, who were killed in the night by a fire started in the women's section of a shelter for children in San José Pinula, a town about 25 kilometers from the capital of Guatemala. Another forty-young people are hospitalized. "May the Lord receive their souls, help the injured and the whole nation," He invoked.
The Gospel of this second Sunday of Lent, the Pope added, presents the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, “ he took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There, He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.…."
In this way "the Lord’s glory shone in his own person, that same divine glory that can be grasped through faith in his preaching and in his miraculous gestures." And the transfiguration on the mountain is accompanied, "by the appearance of Moses and Elijah, talking with Him."
Jesus is Christian’s role model, that is, "an unexpected messiah: a poor, unmarried man with no home." But " those who struggle with Him, with Him shall triumph." According to Francis, the "brightness" that "characterizes this extraordinary event symbolizes its purpose: to illuminate the minds and hearts of the disciples so that they can clearly understand who their Master is." "it is a flash of light that suddenly opens on the mystery of Jesus and illuminates his whole person and his whole story." And "He has now started his way to Jerusalem, where he will have to suffer the death sentence by crucifixion, Jesus wants to prepare his disciples to this scandal too strong for their faith and, at the same time, to herald his resurrection, manifesting itself as the Messiah, the Son of God".
In fact, Jorge Mario Bergoglio noted, "Jesus proved to be a different Messiah from what expected: not a powerful and glorious king, but a humble and unarmed servant." Therefore, "it is truly a reversed revelation of God, and the cross is the most bewildering sign of this shocking reversal, but, it is exactly from the cross that Jesus will come to his glorious resurrection."
Therefore, the Pontiff continued, "Transfigured on Mt. Tabor, Jesus desired to show His glory to His disciples not to keep them from going through the Cross, but to show them to where He was carrying the Cross.” Therefore “In this Lenten season, let us contemplate devoutly the image of the Crucified Lord: it is the symbol of the Christian faith; it is the symbol of Jesus, who died and rose for us. “The Cross is the gate of the Resurrection,” he said.
Hence the invitation to conversion: "Let us make sure that the Cross marks the stages of our Lenten journey, that we might understand more and more [perfectly] the gravity of sin and the value of the sacrifice with which the Redeemer has saved us – all of us.” And " Blessed the Virgin who was able to contemplate Jesus’s glory concealed under his humanity: might she help us to be with him in silent prayer, to be enlightened by his presence, and bring in our hearts a reflection of his glory even in the darkest of nights, ".
After the Angelus Francis addressed "a cordial greeting to all of you here present, the faithful of Rome and many parts of the world." “to the pilgrims of Freiburg and Mannheim, Germany, as well as those of Lebanon and the marathon runners of Portugal." Francis then wished everyone "a good Sunday" and "Please do not forget to pray for me. Good lunch and goodbye”
