CNA<\/a>).- During his visit to Assisi, Pope Francis told Mass attendees that true peace can only be attained by drawing close to the crucified Lord, stressing the importance of having a relationship with him.<\/p>\n\t\u201cWhat is the peace which (Saint) Francis received, experienced and lived, and which he passes on to us? It is the peace of Christ, which is born of the greatest love of all, the love of the cross,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\tPope Francis celebrated his Oct. 4 Mass for the pilgrims who joined him in the town of Assisi to celebrate the feast of his patron, St. Francis of Assisi.<\/p>\n
\tAt the beginning of his pontificate, the Holy Father revealed in a special audience with journalists that he chose the name \u201cFrancis\u201d because of remarks made to him immediately after his election, in which some of his brother cardinals urged him not to forget the poor.<\/p>\n
\tThe pontiff began his reflections on the life of the Saint, who was born the son of a wealthy fabric merchant, by recalling how his encounter with Jesus inspired him to resign his inheritance and to embrace a life of poverty.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIn all of Francis' life,\u201d the Pope noted, \u201clove for the poor and the imitation of Christ in his poverty were inseparably united, like the two sides of a coin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tDeepening his reflection into the life of the saint, the Pope urged those in attendance to question what sort of witness Francis gave, not just in his words, but more importantly in his life.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cHis first and most essential witness is this: that being a Christian means having a living relationship with the person of Jesus; it means putting on Christ, being conformed to him,\u201d the Pope said, emphasizing that Francis\u2019 journey of faith began \u201cwith the gaze of the crucified Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tReferencing the cross which spoke to St. Francis calling him to serve God, the Holy Father noted that Jesus is depicted as alive, not dead, saying that \u201cThe cross does not speak to us about defeat and failure; paradoxically, it speaks to us about a death which is life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt speaks to us of love, the love of God incarnate, a love which does not die, but triumphs over evil and death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhen we meet the gaze of the crucified Lord, urged the Pope, we become \u201cre-created,\u201d and experience being loved not by our own merits, but in spite of the fact that we are sinners.<\/p>\n
\tA second witness that St. Francis gives us, noted the pontiff, is that \u201ceveryone who follows Christ receives true peace, the peace that Christ alone can give, a peace which the world cannot give.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tPope Francis reflected that often people associate peace with the great Saint of Assisi, but that few go deeper into the peace which he \u201creceived, experienced and lived,\u201d that is \u201cthe peace of Christ\u201d which comes from \u201cthe love of the Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt is the peace which the Risen Jesus gave to his disciples when he stood in their midst and said: \u2018Peace be with you!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cFranciscan peace is not something saccharine,\u201d he said, \u201cThat is not the real Saint Francis! Nor is it a kind of pantheistic harmony with forces of the cosmos\u2026 That is not Franciscan either; it is a notion some people have invented!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe peace of Saint Francis is the peace of Christ, and it is found by those who \u2018take up\u2019 their \u2018yoke,\u2019 namely, Christ\u2019s commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe Holy Father urged that the \u201cyoke\u201d of his patron Saint \u201ccannot be borne with arrogance, presumption or pride, but only with meekness and humbleness of heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tPope Francis concluded his reflections by looking at St. Francis\u2019 witness to respect, \u201csafeguard and protect all that God has created,\u201d in the world, noting the most importantly the Saint\u2019s \u201clove for every human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cFrancis was a man of harmony and peace,\u201d the Holy Father recalled, \u201cFrom this City of Peace, I repeat with all the strength and the meekness of love: Let us respect creation, let us not be instruments of destruction! Let us respect each human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tMay there be an end to armed conflicts which cover the earth with blood; may the clash of arms be silenced; and everywhere may hatred yield to love, injury to pardon, and discord to unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe Pope prayed in particular for peace in the Holy Land, Syria and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\tNoting that St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Italy, the Pope extolled all present \u201cLet us pray for Italy, that everyone will always work for the common good, and look more to what unites us, rather than what divides us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tPope Francis ended his homily by giving the final blessing, and quoting a prayer written by St. Francis.<\/p>\n
\n
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Assisi, Italy, Oct 4, 2013 \/ 04:18 am (CNA).- During his visit to Assisi, Pope Francis told Mass attendees that true peace can only be attained by drawing close to the crucified Lord, stressing the importance of having a relationship with him.<\/p>\n
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