Regina Coeli del Papa: “To love like Christ means to come out of oneself”

Sofia Lobos – Vatican City

On the 6th Sunday of Easter, May 9, Pope Francis offered the Marian prayer of the Regina Coeli silhouetted in the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Commenting on the Sunday Gospel according to John (Jn 15: 9-17), in which Jesus invites us to “remain in his love so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be full” (vv. 9-11); the Holy Father asked a fundamental question: “What is this love in which Jesus tells us to stay in order to have his joy?”

“It is love that comes from the Father, because God is love”, said the Pontiff, stressing that the love that Jesus gives us “It is the same with which the Father loves him: pure, unconditioned, free love.”

“By giving it to us, Jesus treats us as friends, makes us know the Father and involves us in his own mission for the life of the world,” said Francisco.

“Remain in the love of Jesus”

Following the exhortation of the Master, “stay in my love”, the Pope underlined that in order to achieve this difficult goal of life, it is necessary to comply with the commandments of God which Jesus summed up in one: “Love one another as I have loved you” (v. 12) ):

Say “no” to other loves: money, success and power

Warning against the risks of deviating from the path traced by the Lord, the Bishop of Rome recalled that to love like Christ is to say no to the other “loves” that the world offers us: the love of God. money, success, power. .

“These deceptive means -Said Francisco- They distance us from the love of the Lord and cause us to become more and more selfish, narcissistic and arrogant. Arrogance leads to a degeneration of love, to abuse others, to make the loved one suffer ”.

Likewise, the Pontiff reflected in his speech on the dangers of sick love which turns into violence:

“And how many women are his victims today!”Francisco added, pointing out that it’s not love since “to love as the Lord loves is to appreciate the person who is by our side and to respect his freedom”, that is, to love her as she is and freely.

The true Christian is not sad

Finally, the Pope recalled that Jesus himself told us that this “abode in the love of the Lord” will always lead us to joy: “That my joy may be in you and your joy may be perfect” (v. 11).

“The Lord wants the joy which he possesses, because he is in total communion with the Father, to be also in us insofar as they are united to him”, the Holy Father expressed by affirming that despite our infidelities, “This joy of knowing that we are loved by God makes us face the trials of life with faith, it makes us go through crises in order to come out better.”

“May the Virgin Mary help us to remain in the love of Jesus and to grow in love for all, witnessing to the joy of the Risen Lord”, he concluded.