Catechesis of the Pope: "All is not resolved with justice, love is necessary"

Renato Martinez – Vatican City

"Dear brothers and sisters, we continue our catechesis on the fifth request of the Lord's prayer which says," As we forgive those who offend us. "God loves each one of us infinitely, we depend totally on Him, on whom we receive everything, the life of the body and that of grace.And because we know that he loves us, we also have the badurance that he will forgive us, because we are sinners and that 39, it is necessary to always ask for forgiveness, "said Pope Francis at the General Audience on the last Wednesday of April 2019, continuing his cycle of catechesis dedicated to the prayer of the Lord's Prayer.

In the Church, there are no "self-made" men

In his catechesis, the Holy Father recalled that it is man himself who is indebted to God; our life was not only loved, but also loved. "In the Church there are no self-constituted men," said the pontiff, "men who have made themselves, we are all indebted to God and to many. of people who have offered us favorable living conditions Our identity is built on the good received. "

Who wants to learn how to say thank you

For this reason, Pope Francis declared that the one who prays learns to say "thank you" and asks God to be kind to him. Whatever our efforts, there is always an insurmountable debt before God that we will never be able to repay: He loves us infinitely more than we love him. In addition, the Pontiff stressed that no matter how much we Let's commit to living according to the Christian teachings, in our lives there will always be something to ask forgiveness: think about the days we spent lazily, sometimes when resentment occupied our hearts. It is these experiences, unfortunately not rare, that make us implore: "Forgive our debts, ask God for forgiveness".

A new relationship with our brothers

In this sense, the Holy Father explained that the invocation could have been limited to this first part (Forgive our debts); instead, Jesus established it with a second expression that is only one with the first. The relationship of vertical benevolence on the part of God is refracted and called to be translated by a new relationship that we are living with our brothers. The good God invites us to be all good. The two parts of the invocation are united by a ruthless conjunction: "how." Every Christian knows that the forgiveness of sins exists for him, said the Pope, nothing in the gospels lets us think that God does not forgive the sins of those who are willing and ask to be embraced again.

The grace of God is always demanding

Pope Francis explaining the strength of divine grace recalled that the grace of God, so abundant, is always demanding. Those who have received so much must learn to give so much. That's why, in the gospel of Matthew, immediately after giving us the text of "Our Father", the evangelist stops at the expression of fraternal forgiveness. "But it's strong," said the Pope, speaking spontaneously, "I have sometimes heard people say: I will never forgive that person! What they have me I will never forgive, but God, if you do not forgive, God will not forgive you, You shut the door, We think, if we can forgive, if we do not forgive. "Recounting the story of A priest and confessing an elderly woman who was about to die, the pope said that the woman was sorry for her sins but did not forgive others and that the priest was very anxious because this woman had closed the door. farewell. "Here," says the Pontiff, "we find the link between the love of God and the love of neighbor." Love calls for love, forgiveness calls for forgiveness.

If we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven

In the same way, the Holy Father presented another parable of Matthew's gospel devoted to fraternal forgiveness, the parable of the "wicked servant" who had contracted a huge debt to his king, who was completely tolerated. "An unexpected grace," said the pope, "but it was immediately after the same servant who was angry with one of his brothers who owed him a hundred pence, and although he was accessible, he did not accept the excuses or the In the end, Master calls and condemns him, because if you do not strive to forgive, you will not be forgiven, and if you do not strive to love, you will not be forgiven. not even liked. "

All is not resolved with justice, the love is necessary

"In life – concluded Pope Francis, all is not resolved with justice, love is necessary, that is why Jesus introduces in human relations the strength of forgiveness, so that we may love "beyond what is necessary" and not allow the vengeance of evil extended to stifle the whole world Jesus replaces "the law of retaliation" by the law of love: This that God has done for us, we do it for our neighbor. "God gives every Christian the grace of writing a story of kindness in the lives of his brethren, especially those who have done something unpleasant and uncomfortable. wrong. With a word, a hug, a smile, we can transmit to others what we have most precious: forgiveness.

Tenderness gestures of free forgiveness

Before ending his catechesis, the Holy Father cordially greeted the Spanish-speaking pilgrims from Spain and Latin America, including the students of the minor seminary of Tui-Vigo, on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of his founding, accompanied by his Bishop, Bishop Luis Quinteiro Fiuza. "Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to know how to write a good story in the lives of our brothers – the pope invoked – and to transmit to them with the gestures of tenderness the experience of the free forgiveness that he has given us. Happy Easter of the Resurrection, may God bless you. "