At the Angelus this Sunday,15 January, Pope Francis spoke about “freedom from attachments” and invited to carry out a free service and care for others without any benefit to oneself.
During the Marian prayer, the Holy Father took the example of John, who “withdraws from the scene” and makes way for Jesus, to explain the importance of ” stepping aside at the right time .”
Before the faithful who listened to him from Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis pointed out that “John puts his disciples in the footsteps of Jesus” and assured that ” he is not interested in having followers, in obtaining prestige and success “.
On the contrary, he explained that the Baptist “presents his testimony and then steps back so that many may have the joy of meeting Jesus.”
“With this true spirit of service, with his ability to leave room, John the Baptist teaches us something important: freedom from attachments,” the Holy Father explained.
In this sense, he said that “it is easy to become attached to roles and positions, to the need to be esteemed, recognized and rewarded.”
For the Pontiff, “this, although it is natural, is not a good thing, because service implies gratuitousness, caring for others without advantages for oneself, without second ends .”
“It will do us good to cultivate, like John, the virtue of stepping aside at the right moment, bearing witness that the reference point of life is Jesus,” he stressed.
He then stated that this is important “for a priest, who is called to preach and celebrate not out of a desire for prominence or interest, but to accompany others towards Jesus .”
But it is also important “for parents, who raise children with many sacrifices and then must leave them free to follow their own path at work, in marriage, in life.”
“And the same goes for other areas such as friendship, life as a couple, community life. Getting rid of one’s own attachments and knowing how to step aside is difficult, but it is very important: it is the decisive step to grow in the spirit of service”, she pointed out.
After this explanation, I invited the faithful to question themselves: “Are we capable of making room for others? Of listening to them, of setting them free, of not tying them to us by pretending to be grateful?”
“Do we know how to be glad when people follow their own path and follow their call, even if it implies a little detachment from us? Do we rejoice in their achievements, sincerely and without envy?” she asked.
Finally, he asked the Virgin Mary “to help us get rid of attachments to make room for the Lord and give space to others.”
At the end of the Angelus, Pope Francis cited the martyred Ukrainian people who suffered so much and asked to be close to them “with our feelings, help and prayer.”
In addition, he recalled that from January 18 to 25 the week of prayer for Christian unity is celebrated under the motto “Learn to do good, seek justice.”
Below is the Gospel commented by Pope Francis this Sunday:
From the Gospel according to Saint John (Jn 1,29-34)
At that time, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and exclaimed: “This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one of whom I have said: ‘He who comes after me, takes precedence over me, because it existed before me.’ I did not know him, but I have come to baptize with water, so that he may be made known to Israel.”
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven in the form of a dove and alight on Him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me: ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and alight. Holy Spirit, that is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Well, I saw him and I bear witness that this is the Son of God.”