Rome (Friday, September 16, 2016, Gaudium Press) Don’t be afraid in times of discouragement, poverty or difficulty because we can rely on God and He will provide solace, Pope Francis told pilgrims in St Peter’s Square during the General Audience on Wednesday. 
Reflecting on the Gospel passage by Matthew in which Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Pope Francis said: “We hear the Lord calling the discouraged, the poor and the little ones to himself, and telling them they can always rely on God.”
The Holy Father invited all believers, especially those who feel most powerless, to trust in God’s mercy, to open their hearts to Him, even if they feel unworthy, and they will be filled with the joy of forgiveness.
The Pope referred again and again to the Holy Year of Mercy and said pilgrims around the world have been crossing the threshold of a Holy Door of Mercy – be it in a hospital, in a prison or anywhere – in the search for conversion, for friendship with Jesus, for the comfort that only He can provide.
He expressed his disapproval for those pastors of the Church who become ‘princes’ and distanced from their people and from the poor. “That is not the spirit of Jesus” he said.
Pointing out that in approaching the Lord’s inexhaustible mercy, we will discover his “easy yoke” – “Jesus who bears the burdens and needs of humanity shows us the way to salvation; by participating in his sufferings and by learning from his service to the poor, we come to know the will of God for us.”
So, Pope Francis concluded: “When we are tired or despondent, let us not be afraid, let us come to Christ, trust in him, rest in him and joyously serve him.”
Source: Vatican Radio
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