On Thursday, April 25, 60 thousand gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Rome. teenagers, young people and adults from all over Italy to meet Pope Francis, who in his speech focused on the healing power of a hug.
Jānis Evertovskis – Vatican
Those present, who arrived in Rome in more than 600 buses as well as trains and cars, were the Italian Catholic Associations Azione Cattolica members. Since 1868, the association has been giving children of all ages the opportunity to follow the path of human and spiritual growth. The Holy Father called on them to promote a “culture of hugs”.
“A moment ago, while driving among you, I met looks full of joy and hope,” he began. “Thank you for this so close and beautiful embrace that from here tends to embrace all humanity, especially those who suffer. We must never forget the people who are suffering”. The meeting of children and adults was devoted to the theme “With open arms” (Italian: a braccia apertewhich the word “hug” also resembles – embrace).
The Pope reminded that a hug is one of our most spontaneous forms of expression. A person’s life begins with a hug – a parent’s hug, followed by many other hugs that fill his days and years with meaning and significance. Our lives are especially surrounded by God’s embrace. God loves us, He loved us first, and never ceases to draw us close to Him, especially when we have lost our way and come back to Him, as the parable of the merciful Father shows. What would our life be like and how could the Church fulfill its mission without these hugs? – asked Francis. In this regard, in the continuation of the address, he offered three points of reflection on the three types of hugs: the hug that is missing, the hug that saves, and the hug that changes life.
The first is a hug, how much is missing. Our openness in today’s world is often met with closure and resistance, as a result of which our hands freeze and our palms clench into threatening fists, the Pope admitted. “It is very dangerous,” he emphasized. “Wars usually start from missing hugs or rejected hugs, followed by prejudice, disagreements, suspicions, and even viewing the other as an enemy. This is happening today, unfortunately, in many places in the world before our eyes. You, on the other hand, with your presence and work can testify to everyone that the path of the embrace is the path of life”.
The second is a hug that saves. By hugging each other, we express such positive and fundamental values as sincerity, respect, trust, encouragement and reconciliation, continued Francis. But it takes on even more importance within the framework of the faith dimension. At the center of our existence is the merciful embrace of God who saves, the embrace of the good Father revealed in Christ. The face of the Father shines in every gesture of Jesus – forgiveness, healing, liberation and service. But the culmination of God’s love is the Eucharist and the cross, where Christ gives his life for the redemption of the world, for the benefit of everyone who accepts him with an open heart. Jesus forgives even his crucifiers. Let us never lose sight of the embrace of the Father who saves – the Pope urged. As children, let us let Him embrace us. We all have something of a child in our hearts that needs a hug. Let the Lord embrace us, and in this way we will learn to embrace others.
The third is a life-changing hug. The Holy Father emphasized that a hug can change life and open new paths, paths of hope. The embrace changed the lives of many saints. For example, Saint Francis of Assisi, embracing the leper, left everything to follow the Lord. It is also important for us, including associations Azione Cattolica for a life that is multifaceted and whose common denominator is precisely “the embrace of close love” (cf. Col 3:14; Rom 13:10). This love is the only essential distinguishing mark of Christ’s disciples, the presupposition, form, and purpose of every means of sanctification and apostolate. The Pope invited those present to let it be the basis of all their efforts and service. The closer you embrace and support a brother in trouble in your merciful arms, the more visible the presence of Christ will be – he reminded.
The Holy Father called for the promotion of a “culture of hugs” in order to restore family ties and relationships in the field of education, processes of reconciliation and justice, efforts for community and co-responsibility, and build a future of peace.
Seeing so many people gathered together, the Pope addressed the issue of synodality at the end of his speech. He pointed out that this is the third stage of the synodal journey, which is the most challenging and the most important stage. That is why we need people formed by the Holy Spirit, “pilgrims of hope”, synodal men and women who know how to create dialogue, cooperate, search together, as the theme of the approaching Jubilee says, people who are able to mark and walk new paths. Francis invited those present to be “athletes and standard bearers of synodality” in order to fully implement this path in their parishes and dioceses.
