Pope Francis: The cross reminds us of the sacrifices of the Christian life

Pope Francis said on Sunday that the crucifix we wear or hang on our wall should not be decorative, but a reminder of God's love and the sacrifices involved in Christian life.

"The cross is the holy sign of God's love and a sign of Jesus' Sacrifice, and it must not be reduced to a superstitious object or an ornamental necklace," the Pope said in his Angelus address on August 30.

Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, he explained that, “consequently, if we want to be disciples [of God], we are called to imitate him, spending our lives without reserve for love of God and neighbor”.

"The life of Christians is always a struggle", Francis stressed. "The Bible says that the life of the believer is a militancy: to fight against the evil spirit, to fight against Evil".

The pope's teaching centered on reading the Gospel of the day from St. Matthew, when Jesus begins to reveal to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and be resurrected on the third day.

“At the prospect that Jesus may fail and die on the cross, Peter himself resists and says to Him: 'God forbid, Lord! This will never happen to you! (v. 22) ”, the pope said. “Believe in Jesus; he wants to follow him, but does not accept that his glory will pass through passion “.

He said “for Peter and the other disciples - but also for us! - the cross is something uncomfortable, a 'scandal' ”, adding that for Jesus the real“ scandal ”would be to escape the cross and avoid the will of the Father,“ the mission that the Father has entrusted to him for our salvation ”.

According to Pope Francis, “this is why Jesus replies to Peter: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a scandal to me; because you are not on the side of God, but of men “.

In the Gospel, Jesus then addresses everyone, telling them that to be his disciple he must "deny himself, take up his cross and follow me", the pope continued.

He pointed out that "ten minutes earlier" in the Gospel, Jesus had praised Peter and promised him to be the "rock" on which he had founded his Church. Later, he calls him "Satan".

“How can this be understood? It happens to all of us! In moments of devotion, fervor, good will, closeness to neighbor, let us look to Jesus and move forward; but in the moments when the cross comes, we run away, ”he said.

“The devil, Satan - as Jesus says to Peter - tempts us”, he added. "It is of the evil spirit, it is of the devil to distance oneself from the cross, from the cross of Jesus".

Pope Francis described the two attitudes that the Christian disciple is called to have: renounce himself, that is, convert, and take up his own cross.

"It is not just a matter of bearing the daily tribulations with patience, but of bearing with faith and responsibility that part of the effort and that part of the suffering that the struggle against evil entails," he said.

"Thus the task of 'taking up the cross' becomes sharing with Christ in the salvation of the world," he said. “Considering this, let us allow the cross hanging on the wall of the house, or that little one we wear around our necks, to be a sign of our desire to be united with Christ in lovingly serving our brothers and sisters, especially the least and most fragile. "

"Every time we fix our gaze on the image of Christ crucified, we contemplate that he, as the true Servant of the Lord, fulfilled his mission, giving his life, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins," he said, praying that the Virgin Mary would intercede to "help us not to retreat in the face of the trials and sufferings that the testimony of the Gospel entails for all of us".

After the Angelus, Pope Francis underlined his concern for "the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean area, undermined by various outbreaks of instability". His comments referred to growing tensions between Turkey and Greece over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean waters.

"Please, I appeal to constructive dialogue and respect for international law to resolve conflicts that threaten the peace of the peoples of that region," he urged.

Francis also recalled the upcoming celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which will take place on 1 September.

"From this date, until October 4, we will celebrate the 'Jubilee of the Earth' with our Christian brothers from various churches and traditions, to commemorate the establishment, 50 years ago, of Earth Day," he said.