Regina Coeli. Pope: “Jesus is not a ghost, he is a living person”

Mireia Bonilla – Vatican City

After several weeks, the Pontiff appeared again this afternoon from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful present in St. Peter’s Square and not from the Vatican Library as he did, at the occasion of restrictions due to the pandemic.

From the balcony, on this third Sunday of Easter, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of the day according to Luke, from where from the Upper Room in Jerusalem, the Risen Christ appears in the middle of the group of disciples and greets them saying: “ Peace with you! ”But“ they were afraid and thought they had “seen a ghost”, ”said the Pope. Then Jesus shows them the wounds on his body and says: “Look at my hands and my feet; I am myself. Palpadme ”and to convince them, he asks for food and eats it in front of their astonished gaze.

Francis assures that there are two details in this description: the first is that “the Gospel says that the apostles, because of their great joy, still did not believe, the joy they had was such that they did not believe. couldn’t believe it was true. El otro detalle que señala el Papa es que “estaban atónitos, sorprendidos, porque el encuentro con Dios siempre te lleva al estupor, va mas allá del entusiasmo y la alegría y estos estaban felices, pero era una felicidad que les hacia pensar: esto no Maybe. “” It is the amazement of the presence of God – says the Pope – do not forget this state of mind. “

The Pontiff assures us that this Gospel passage is characterized by three very specific verbs “which, in a certain sense, reflect our personal and community life: watch, to touch Yes arriving “. “Three actions – he says – which can give the joy of a true encounter with the living Jesus.” Indeed – he underlines – “this passage from the Gospel tells us that Jesus is not a” ghost “, but a living Person” and reminds us that being a Christian “is not above all a doctrine. or a moral ideal, it is a living relationship with him., with the Risen Lord: we look at him, we touch him, we feed on him and, transformed by his love, we look at, touch and nourish others as brothers and sisters “.

Look: one of the love verbs

“Look at my hands and my feet,” Jesus said. The Holy Father explained that “watch” It is not just a matter of seeing, but it also involves “intention and will”. This is why – says the Pope – it is one of the verbs of love: “The mother and the father look at their child, lovers look at each other; the good doctor watches the patient attentively … Looking is a first step against indifference, against the temptation to turn away from the difficulties and sufferings of others ”.

Touch: love requires proximity and contact

The second verb pointed out by the Pope is “to touch” and he takes up today’s Gospel to explain that Jesus, inviting the disciples to touch him, so that they can verify that he is not a ghost, “indicates to them and indicates to us that the relationship with him and with our brothers cannot be “at a distance.” “There is no Christianity at a distance – underlines the Pope – there is not only a Christianity in the sphere of the gaze.” Moreover, the Pope assures us that love “requires closeness, contact, sharing of life.” In fact – he points out – “the good Samaritan did not only look at the man he found half-dead on the road: he bent down, took care of his wounds, put him on his mount and took him to the inn. And it is the same with Jesus: to love him is to enter into a vital and concrete communion with him ”.

Eating with family and friends is an expression of love

Finally, Francisco speaks of the verb “arriving “ and ensures that it “expresses our humanity in its most natural misery, that is to say our need to feed ourselves in order to live.” “But eating – he insists – when we do it together, with family or friends, it also becomes an expression of love, of communion, of celebration.” “How often do the Gospels show us Jesus living this convivial dimension! – exclaims the Pope – to the point where the Eucharistic banquet has become the emblematic sign of the Christian community ”. For this reason, for the Pope, “eating together” is “the center of Christian life”.