POPE TALK | KAIROS GLOBAL | APRIL 2021

Author: Dr Kochurani Joseph

The Lord is risen; darkness cannot have the last word

At times we go through moments of darkness in our personal, family or social life, and fear of there being no way out. We feel perturbed before great enigmas like illnesses, sufferings of the innocent, or the mystery of death. We need a different outlook, a light that illuminates the mystery of life in-depth and helps us to interpret history, beginning with His paschal victory. Christians are called to experience an encounter with Jesus so that illuminated by his light, we might take it and make it shine everywhere. Love is a strength, and it always triumphs over sin and evil.

We need the power and wisdom of God revealed by Jesus 

The Church in Iraq, by God’s grace, is already doing much to proclaim the wisdom of the Cross by spreading Christ’s mercy and forgiveness. Many of our brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens bear the visible and unseen wounds of war and violence. Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion. We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion.

Eyes raised to heaven as we journey on earth

The birthplace of Abraham, Ur Kaśdim, the southern Iraqi city, where faith was born, brings us back to our origins, to the source of God’s work, to the birth of our religions. It was here that Abraham heard God’s call; it was from here that he set out on a journey that would change history. We are the fruits of that call and that journey. God asked Abraham to raise his eyes to heaven and to count its stars. In those stars, he saw the promise of his descendants; he saw us. 

Christian life is a battle against the spirit of evil

Like Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, Christians must be prepared to battle evil, knowing that with faith, prayer, and penance, the victory is assured. During those 40 days, which take place immediately after Christ’s baptism, the ‘duel’ between Jesus and the devil begins, which ends with the Passion and the Cross. In the desert of solitude, the heart, detached from other things and alone, opens itself to the Word of God. Do not be afraid of the desert, look for more moments of prayer, of silence, to enter into ourselves.

We need to remember the closeness, compassion, and tenderness of God

The Gospel says that Jesus, seeing the leper, was moved with compassion. Three words that indicate God’s style: nearness, compassion and tenderness. God draws near to our lives, he is moved to compassion because of the fate of wounded humanity and comes to break down every barrier that prevents us from being in relationship with him, with others, and with ourselves. The leper’s illness was considered a divine punishment, but, in Jesus, he was able to see another aspect of God: the Father of compassion and love who frees us from sin and never excludes us from his mercy. Loving the world in this way, loving it with tenderness, we will discover that each day and everything bears within it a fragment of God’s mystery.

Christian prayer instils ‘invincible hope’ in the human heart

Prayer helps us to see the ‘infinite grace’ that lies beyond the visible world. Today, we need light on how the Liturgy always enters daily life: on the streets, in offices, on public transportation… and there it continues the dialogue with God. Essentially, everything becomes a part of this dialogue with God: every joy becomes a reason for praise, every trial is an opportunity to ask for help. Prayer is always alive in our lives, like embers, even when the mouth does not speak, the heart does.

Pope Francis says …

When we welcome each day in prayer, we are given the gift of courage.

When a person is accompanied by the Lord, he or she feels more courageous, freer, and even happier.

The problems we face no longer seem to be obstacles to our happiness, but appeals from God, opportunities to meet him.

Christian prayer makes Christ’s compassion present.

April

Fundamental Rights

We pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis