Pope Francis: taking into account the little things

POPE FRANCESCO

MORNING MEDITATION IN THE CHAPEL OF
DOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE

Take into account the little things

Thursday, December 14, 2017

(from: L'Osservatore Romano, daily ed., Year CLVII, n.287, 15/12/2017)

Just like a mother and a father, who calls himself tenderly with an endorsement, God is there to sing the lullaby to the man, perhaps making the voice as a child to be sure of being understood and without fear of even making himself «ridiculous », Because the secret of his love is« the great who becomes small ». This testimony of paternity - of a God who asks everyone to show him his wounds in order to heal them, just as dad does with his son - was re-launched by Pope Francis in the mass celebrated on Thursday 14 December in Santa Marta.

Taking inspiration from the first reading, taken "from the book of Israel's consolation of the prophet Isaiah" (41, 13-20), the Pope immediately pointed out that it emphasizes "a trait of our God, a trait that is the proper definition of him: tenderness ». Moreover, he added, "we said it" also in Psalm 144: "His tenderness expands on all creatures".

"This passage from Isaiah - he explained - begins with the presentation of God:" I am the Lord, your God, who hold you by the right and I say to you: Do not be afraid, I will help you ". But "one of the first striking things about this text" is how God "tells you": "Don't be afraid, Jacob's little worm, Israel's larva." In essence, said the Pope, God "speaks like dad to the child". And in fact, he pointed out, "when the father wants to speak to the child, he reduces his voice and, also, tries to make it more similar to that of the child". Moreover, "when the father talks to the child he seems to be ridiculous, because he becomes a child: and this is tenderness".

Therefore, continued the Pontiff, "God speaks to us thus, he caresses us thus:" Do not be afraid, little worm, larva, small "». So much so that "it seems that our God wants to sing us a lullaby". And, he assured, "our God is capable of this, his tenderness is like this: he is father and mother".

Moreover, said Francesco, "many times he said:" If a mother forgets her son, I will not forget you ". It brings us into its own bowels. " So "it is the God who with this dialogue makes himself small to make us understand, to make us trust him and we can tell him with the courage of Paul who changes the word and says:" Dad, abba, dad ". And this is the tenderness of God ».

We are ahead, explained the Pope, to "one of the greatest mysteries, it is one of the most beautiful things: our God has this tenderness that brings us closer and saves us with this tenderness". Of course, he continued, "he punishes us sometimes, but he caresses us." It is always "the tenderness of God". And «he is the great:" Do not be afraid, I am coming to your aid, your redeemer is the saint of Israel "». And so "it is the great God who makes himself small and in his smallness does not cease to be great and in this great dialectic he is small: there is the tenderness of God, the great who makes himself small and the small who is great".

«Christmas helps us to understand this: in that manger the little God», reiterated Francesco, confiding: «I am reminded of a phrase of Saint Thomas, in the first part of the Sum. Wanting to explain this "what is divine? what is the most divine thing? " he says: "You will not compel to maximo continents tamen to minimum divinum est." That is: what is divine is having ideals which are not limited even by what is greatest, but ideals which are at the same time contained and lived in the smallest things in life. In essence, the Pope explained, it is an invitation to "not be afraid of big things, but take into account small things: this is divine, both of them together". And the Jesuits know this phrase well because "it was taken to make one of the tombstones of Saint Ignatius, as to describe also that strength of Saint Ignatius and also his tenderness".

"It is the great God who has the strength of everything - the Pope said referring again to the passage of Isaiah - but he shrinks to make us close and helps us, promises us things:" Here, I make you like a threshing; you will thresh, you will thresh everything. You will rejoice in the Lord, you will boast of the saint of Israel "». These are "all the promises to help us move forward:" The Lord of Israel will not abandon you. I am with you"".

«But how beautiful it is - Francis exclaimed - to make this contemplation of the tenderness of God! When we want to think only in the great God, but we forget the mystery of the incarnation, that complacency of God among us, to come towards us: the God who is not only father but is father ».

In this regard, the Pope suggested some lines of reflection for an examination of conscience: "Am I capable of speaking with the Lord like this or am I afraid? Everyone answer. But someone can say, he can ask: but what is the theological place of God's tenderness? Where can God's tenderness be found well? Where is the place where God's tenderness is best manifested? ». The answer, Francis pointed out, is "the plague: my plagues, your plagues, when my plague meets its plague. In their wounds we have been healed ».

"I like to think - the Pope confided again proposing the contents of the parable of the good Samaritan - what happened to that poor man who had fallen into the hands of the brigands on the journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, what happened when he regained consciousness and lies on the bed. He surely asked the hospital: "what happened?", He poor man told him: "You have been beaten, you have lost consciousness" - "But why am I here?" - “Because someone who has cleaned your wounds has come. He healed you, brought you here, paid the pension and said that he will come back to fix the bills if there is something more to pay "".

Precisely "this is the theological place of God's tenderness: our wounds" said the Pope. And therefore, "what does the Lord ask of us? "But go, come on, let me see your plague, let me see your plagues. I want to touch them, I want to heal them "». And it is "there, in the encounter of our plague with the Lord's plague that is the price of our salvation, there is the tenderness of God".

In conclusion, Francis suggested that we think about all this «today, during the day, and let us try to hear this invitation from the Lord:“ Come on, come on: let me see your wounds. I want to heal them "».

Source: w2.vatican.va