Only God loves perfectly, Pope Francis says

By (CNA/EWTN)
2/20/2019 (4 weeks ago)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)

Despite the best efforts of human beings, it is only God the Father who will never fall short in loving his children, Pope Francis said Wednesday.

Highlights

By (CNA/EWTN)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
2/20/2019 (4 weeks ago)

Published in Europe

Keywords: God loves perfectly, Pope Francis, catholic online

---

Vatican City, (CNA/EWTN News) - "No one must doubt that he is the recipient of [the Father's] love," the pope said Feb. 20. "He loves us, he loves me, we can say. He loves us even if our father and our mother have not loved us, there is a God in heaven who loves us as nobody on this earth has ever done and will ever do."

At his weekly general audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the 'Our Father,'focusing on the start of the prayer and the words: "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

This means, he said, that though it is impossible to find perfect love on earth, among imperfect creatures, "there is another love, that of the Father 'who is in heaven.' "

"This is a perfect love," he commented. "If all our earthly loves also crumble, and there remains nothing but dust, there is always for all of us, burning, the unique love of God."

Quoting the prophet Isaiah, he said: "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you."

This expression of a Father "in heaven" is meant to express a difference, not a distance, he explained. It is a tireless love that never ends and is always within reach.

This contrasts with the love of human beings, he noted, who though trying their hardest to love others, will be forced to face the reality of their limitations, the "poverty of our forces," and the difficulty of keeping promises that in a moment of grace may have seemed easy to achieve.

Noting the fashion of getting tattoos, the pope said that for God, it is like his people are "tattooed" on the palm of his hands; it cannot be erased.

"Therefore, do not be afraid!" he urged. "None of us is alone."

Even if someone has the misfortune of having an earthly father who has forgotten them, they have not been denied "the fundamental experience of the Christian faith," he said, "of knowing that you are a beloved child of God, and that there is nothing in life that can extinguish his passionate love for you."

More Europe

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »

With prayer, good can overcome evil, Pope Francis says Watch

To pray is to believe in God's power to replace the evil in the world with goodness, Pope Francis said at the general audience Wednesday. ... continue reading

---

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs Watch

Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th ... continue reading

---

---

Cardinal Barbarin remains archbishop, takes leave-of-absence Watch

French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin will remain the Archbishop of Lyon, the Vatican announced Tuesday. According to a statement released by ... continue reading

---

Pope Francis: 'Christianity without tenderness does not work' Watch

Meeting with representatives of a charismatic group dedicated to caring for the sick, Pope Francis on Monday emphasized the need for ... continue reading

---

Pope Francis calls for 'gestures of peace' in wake of mosque attacks Watch

Pope Francis called for gestures of peace to oppose hatred and violence Sunday in the wake of attacks on two mosques in New Zealand. ... continue reading

---

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »