The suffering humanity with its situations of injustice, poverty and suffering has its true answer in the love of God, said Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday. Addressing a large crowd in St. Peter’s Square before praying with them his weekly midday ‘Angelus’, the Pope reflected on Sunday’s Gospel reading on Christ’s loving invitation, 'Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest….” The Pope said that Christ’s compassionate gaze on the suffering crowd seems to extend to our world today, with so many people oppressed by difficult conditions of life, but also deprived of valid points of reference to find a meaning and aim to their existence. "Many of the weak,” he said, “are found in the poorest countries, tested by poverty; and even in the richest countries there are so many dissatisfied men and women, in fact sick with depression.” He remembered the numerous dispersed and refugees, and all those who emigrate putting their own life at risk. The Holy Father said that Christ promises "rest" to all, but only on condition that they take his yoke which "is the law of love, the commandment he left to his disciples." “The true remedy for the wounds of humanity, whether they are material, such as hunger and injustice, or psychological and moral, caused by a false sense of well being,” the Pope said, “is a rule of life based on fraternal love, which has its source in the love of God.” The Pope said, "It is therefore necessary to abandon the path of arrogance and violence that is used to procure positions of greater power, so as to ensure success at any cost." He urged all to abandon an aggressive lifestyle towards the environment. "But above all in human, interpersonal and social relations, the rule of respect and of nonviolence, that is, the force of truth against any abuse is what can ensure a future worthy of man," the Holy Father added.
After praying the ‘Angelus’, the Pope offered an advice on how to spend the vacation. He told the faithful that as they get ready packing to leave a space in their suitcase for the Gospel. Speaking in French, he explained that vacation is “not about leaving for the sake of leaving and resting, but rather it's about living our relationships with our loved ones in a new way with God." Speaking in English, the Pope wishes that holiday makers truly find refreshment for body and spirit and an opportunity to rest in the Lord.
