The Bishop Emeritus of Novara, chosen by the Pope to write a meditation booklet for Holy Friday, said this in a statement to Vatican Radio

Stations of the Cross: The key word in this year’s texts is guard...

Pope Francis’ first homily – in which he referred to the figure of St. Joseph, guardian of Mary and Jesus – contained the theme that inspired the texts for the Stations of the Cross. The procession will be taking place in the Colosseum on Holy Friday. The Pope asked the Bishop Emeritus of Novara, Mgr. Renato Corti, to write this year’s meditations. Speaking to Vatican Radio, the monsignor explained that “the key word, the common thread that runs through the meditations, is guardianship, to guard. I especially recalled that passage in which the then recently-elected Pope spoke about the cross being the shining beacon of God’s love which guards us. The way I see it we are also called to be guardians out of love for humans.”

“I referred back to what Saint Paul says about God’s love and how far it stretches,” Mgr. Corti said. “This is where I got the term “guardianship” from, using it in reference to the Word of God, the Eucharist and forgiveness.”

“I spared a special thought for the family, adding a prayer for the work being done by the Synod, so that participants may be guided by the spirit of mercy and truth,” Corti added. “I tried to include elements that are useful for Church life and draw attention to some serious situations in today’s society which go against the spirit of guardianship: harm caused to the young, the abandonment of the poor, the neglected pillars pf peace recalled by John XXIII (truth, justice, freedom and love). There is also an explicit – but balanced - reference to hot issues that are concerning the world: from the death penalty which needs to be abolished, to torture which needs to stop, from the inhumane treatment of the innocent and people who are barbarically killed, to human trafficking. But I also remind people of the positive and beautiful experiences of those who bring hope: for example the missionaries who save child soldiers, restoring their dignity.”

How did you express the violence with which human beings are killed, fuelling hatred in name of a distorted vision of religion? “I am personally feeling this spiritual experience, that is the fact that this difficult international situation which is painting a bleak future, is helping us Christians to understand more clearly that the Gospel is the best thing for humans and there is nothing that can defend man like the Gospel and that one’s encounter with Jesus Christ is very fortunate. So it is a terrible but also a bright time. It must be seen in terms of passion and courage on the part of Christians who throughout the world are becoming clear examples of bearing witness to the faith, to the point of martyrdom. It is a time that allows those of us living in Europe to wake up and say: here we wither away our Sunday  while in Africa there are people who travel thousands of kilometres to go to mass. Let us learn from them.”

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