Pope Francis reminds us that “the heart of the Good News is God’s free love, which sets no conditions and imposes no burdens on our shoulders, but simply welcomes and loves us freely.”
You “represent a space of beauty, simplicity, and listening, which helps many travelers and pilgrims in need of a break, to come back to themselves, to share the questions and anxieties that they carry in their hearts.” This was stated by the Pope this morning, receiving members of the Fraternity of Romena and the Nain Group.
As is customary, Francis finds three key words for his reflection on this occasion: welcome, care, and fraternity.
Regarding welcome, the Pope explains: “the heart of the Good News is God’s free love, which sets no conditions and imposes no burdens on our shoulders, but simply welcomes and loves us freely; this is how God is: He welcomes everyone and loves us.”
Then, care, “makes us think immediately of Jesus’ compassion, his heart moved by the pain of the world, his inner participation that leads him to weep with those who weep. Caring for wounds: this is at the heart of Jesus’ actions. In particular, I would like to mention the service offered by the Nain Group, which welcomes and accompanies parents who have experienced the tragedy of losing a child. This is an immense, inconsolable pain that should never be trivialized with empty words and superficial answers; it is instead about knowing how to cry together and to bring the cry of one’s own pain to Jesus.”
Finally, fraternity. “You,” the Pontiff explains, “offer anyone who passes through Romena a space of fraternity, where they can cultivate the beauty of being together and discover in each person’s face a brother to love: carrying forward the dream of a fraternal and solidary world; being sowers of peace and social friendship. Today’s world, still marked by violence and conflicts, is in great need of this fraternity, of this social friendship. That is why I ask you to continue to practice fraternal hospitality, to offer a place where people can rest their head and where everyone can feel loved by God and part of a universal fraternity, the one that the Father wanted to inaugurate in Jesus and which Jesus asks us to build together with Him and the Holy Spirit. Life is too short to be selfish.”
