The wounds of Christ and mercy

In a homily last Sunday of Easter, Pope Francis said:

“Jesus gave his disciples a third gift of mercy: his wounds. But how can wounds heal us? By mercy. In those wounds, like Thomas, we can touch the fact that God loved us to the end. He made our wounds his own and borne our weaknesses in his own body. His wounds are open channels between him and us, shedding mercy upon our misery. His wounds are the pathways God opened up for us to enter into his tender love and ‘touch’ who he is. In adoring and kissing his wounds, we realise that in his tender love our weaknesses are accepted. This happens at mass, where Jesus offers us his wounded and risen body. We touch him and he touches our lives.”

Pandemic, poor, climate change

In L’Osservatore Romano, Card. Michael Czerny, undersecretary for migrants and refugees at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, wrote on ‘An Easter for rebirth after the long Lent of the pandemic’:

“The poorest paid workers in suspended sectors of the economy – restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, tourist destinations, entertainment – are suddenly destitute and left to fend for themselves. Another global threat not suspended by the pandemic is climate change. While the onset of COVID-19 was sudden and specific, climate change is a long-term affair. Despite the differences, they combine in their ethical, social, economic, political and global relevance: They affect everyone, above all the poorest and most fragile.”

Secular civil state

Chaldean Primate Cardinal  Louis Raphael Sako wrote on the patriarchate’s website and sent to AsiaNews: “The basis of the civil state is to guarantee the equal rights and duties of all citizens and provide them with a dignified life. A civil state embraces all religions, cultures, groups and languages, administers public affairs fairly and protects against dangers.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)