Pope Francis recalled this Sunday, March 21, during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican, that the Cross “has become the quintessential emblem of Christians.”
He explained that whoever comes from countries and cultures where Christianity is little known and wants to know more about Jesus, the first thing he sees “in the churches, in the homes of Christians, even in the body itself” is the crucifix.
For this reason, he has insisted on the importance of “the sign being consistent with the Gospel”, because “the cross can only express love, service, unreserved delivery: only in this way is truly the ‘tree of life’, of the overabundant life “.
The Pontiff, who again presided over the Angelus in private from the Library of the Apostolic Palace due to increasing restrictions in Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic, made this reflection from the fragment of the Gospel of St. John where it is narrated how a group of Greeks approach the apostle Philip and ask him to see Jesus.
Jesus responds to this request “in a way that leads to reflection. He says, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. […] If the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it is left alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit. “
“These words,” the Pope pointed out, “do not seem to respond to the request that those Greeks had made. In fact, they go further. In fact, Jesus reveals that He, for every man who wants to seek Him, is the hidden seed willing to die to bear much fruit. As saying, “If you want to know me and understand me, look at the grain of wheat that dies on the ground, look at the cross.”
The Holy Father has emphasized that “even today many people, often without saying so implicitly, would like to ‘see Jesus’, find him, know him. This makes us understand the great responsibility of Christians and our communities.”
“We must also respond with the testimony of a life given in service. It is about sowing seeds of love not with words carried away by the wind, but with concrete, simple and brave examples.”
In this way, Pope Francis stressed, “the Lord, by his grace, makes us fruitful, even when the ground is barren by misunderstandings, difficulties, or persecutions.”
“Precisely then, in trial and in loneliness, while the seed dies, is the moment when life springs up, to bear ripe fruit in due course. It is in this plot of death and life that we can experience joy. and the true fruitfulness of love, ”he concluded.