An invitation to change perspective, to "no longer live for ourselves," but to bring a different kind of fire into the world, one capable of illuminating without destroying. This is the message Pope Leo entrusted to the faithful during his homily at Mass celebrated in Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano, a place steeped in history that the Pontiff described as "a womb of God," ready to embrace the fragility of each person.
"Not the fire of weapons, nor even that of words that incinerate others," the Pope said, but the fire of love that "lowers itself and serves, that opposes indifference with care and arrogance with meekness." A fire that, unlike armaments, costs nothing, but that "can cost misunderstanding, ridicule, and even persecution."
The most authentic peace – the Pontiff recalled – is born precisely from having this flame within oneself.
Standing before the circular walls of the ancient Sanctuary, Pope Leo emphasized the value of the architectural symbol: "The shape of the Rotunda makes us feel welcomed into the bosom of God." The Church, he explained, is not an earthly power, but a space where the weaknesses, failures, and wounds of each person are embraced by the "gentle strength of a love without edges, an unconditional love." In Mary, he added, the community of believers becomes mother: not through worldly power, but by the virtue of charity.
The Pope did not hide the radical nature of the Gospel: following Jesus sometimes means accepting divisions, even within families, and renouncing the false peace of comfort and a quiet life.
“The world accustoms us to exchanging peace for tranquility,” he warned, “but Jesus came to cast fire on the earth.”
(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)
