Pope Francis did not participate in the Ash Wednesday mass todaybeginning of Lent for Catholics, for knee painbut in his homily, read on his behalf by his “number two”, he asked God for a peace that “men alone cannot build”, alluding to Ukraine.
“On this day of prayer and fasting for Ukraine, we implore God that peace that men alone cannot build”said the pontiff in his homily, read at Mass by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
And finished: “O Lord, you who see in secret and reward us beyond all our expectations, hear the prayers of all who trust in you, especially the humblest, the most tried, those who suffer and flee under the din. of the weapons. Bring peace back to our hearts, give your peace back to our days”.
The 85-year-old pontiff had announced on Friday that he would not be able to participate in this rite due to acute gonalgia, rheumatic-type knee pain, which is why the doctor had recommended rest and which also forced him to cancel a trip. to Florence (north) last Sunday.
Francis did participate this morning in the Wednesday general audience with the faithful in the Paul VI Hall, which he presided over seated, although when he entered he was seen limping, and at the end of the catechesis he greeted some standing attendees.
In the afternoon he did not preside over the Ash Wednesday masswhich is celebrated in the Roman basilica of Santa Sabina, and in which it is also necessary to process from the nearby church of San Anselmo, both on the Aventino hill.
Cardinal Parolini presided over the rite and read the homily prepared by the popein which he explained that the ash imposed on the forehead of the faithful is a reminder of the “expiration of the human condition”.
This reflection, the pontiff pointed out, is “like a bitter but effective medicine to cure the disease of appearance”, an evil that “enslaves the person, leading him to depend on the admiration of others”.
“The ash brings to light the nothingness that hides behind the frantic search for worldly rewards, it reminds us that worldliness is like dust, that a little wind is enough to take it away,” he warned.
Francis recommended prayer, charity and fasting. This last practice, he maintained, “is not a diet” but serves to free people from “the self-referentiality of the obsessive search for physical well-being.” (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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