As Jesus calls his disciples his “friends” in the Gospel of Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to take a moment to think of all the friends God has put in our lives, and thank Him for that gift.
Before praying the Regina Caeli on May 5, the Pope considered:
In the Bible the “servants” of God are special people, to whom He entrusts important missions, such as, for example, Moses (cf. Ex 14:31), King David (cf. 2 Sam 7:8), the prophet Elijah (cf. 1 Re 18:36), up to the Virgin Mary (cf. Lk 1:38). They are people in whose hands God places His treasures (cf. Mt 25:21). But all of this is not enough, according to Jesus, to say who we are for Him, it is not enough: He wants more, something greater, that goes beyond goods and plans themselves: it takes friendship.
After inviting the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square to thank God for their friends, he recommended that we do a brief self-examen with the following questions:
And so let us ask ourselves: What face does the Lord have for me? The face of a friend or of a stranger? Do I feel loved by Him as a dear person? And what is the face of Jesus that I show to others, especially to those who err and need forgiveness?
And today we celebrate...