During the Angelus prayer on this first Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis invited the faithful to look to Jesus, “the One who relieves our hearts and sustains us on our journey” so that we can face the problems and afflictions of everyday life.

Photo: Vatican news

Newsroom (01/12/2024 20:54, Gaudium Press) In this Advent season in which the Church invites the faithful to prepare for Christmas, Pope Francis urged the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square not to let themselves be discouraged by the worries of daily life and global catastrophes, but to “lift their heads” and “keep their hearts light and watchful.” Jesus’ invitation is taken from the Gospel of the day (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36), in which he addresses a word of hope to his disciples: “Rise and lift your heads, for your deliverance is at hand” (Lk 21:28). “The Master’s concern,” Francis explained from the window of the papal apartment, ”is that your hearts not be insensitive (cf. v. 34) and that you wait with vigilance for the coming of the Son of Man.
“Many of Jesus’ contemporaries, confronted with the catastrophic events they saw happening around them – persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters – were filled with anguish and thought that the end of the world was near,” the Holy Father continued. However, Jesus offers a different perspective: he frees us from false convictions and helps us to interpret the facts in the light of God’s plan, which brings about his salvation even in the most dramatic situations in history.” Francis encouraged the faithful to apply this to the current context, to face “the worries, fears, and anxieties of our personal lives or [deal with] what is happening in today’s world”.

“If worries burden the heart and lead us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the other hand, invites us to lift our heads, to trust in his love that wants to save us and that draws near to us in every situation of our existence, to make room for him and thus rediscover hope,” the Pope stressed.

Lifting our gaze in this Advent season

The Pontiff invited the faithful to reflect on their lives: “Is my heart oppressed by fear, worries, anxiety about the future? Am I able to look at daily events and the vicissitudes of history with God’s eyes, in prayer, with a broader horizon? Or do I let myself be overcome by discouragement?

“May this time of Advent be a precious opportunity to raise our gaze to the One who relieves our hearts and sustains us on our journey,” he concluded.

With information from Vatican news

Compiled by Dominic Joseph