On the morning of this Thursday, 28 July, Pope Francis presided over a mass meeting at the National Shrine of Saint-Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, where he assured that, failing that, “the Lord is with us and on our path.” Let’s go”.
About an hour before the start of Mass, Pope Francis descends into the Popemobile, from where he can greet believers who greeted him from the side of the road.
Pope Francis, with a happy face and without losing his smile, also kissed several young children who approached the Popemobile, where he was accompanied by Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec.
During his sermon, the Holy Father comparing the disciples’ journey to Emmaus’ “course of life”, Where “we carry on the dreams, projects, illusions and hopes that reside in our hearts”.
In this sense, he assures that sometimes “we face our own weaknesses and weaknesses, we experience defeat and despair, and at times we are blocked by a sense of failure that paralyzes us.” “
Pope Francis explained that it is in those moments when “the Lord comes to visit us, stands with us, walks us along the same path with the conscience of a merciful passerby who wants to open our eyes and burn our hearts.” Huh.”
He insisted, “Thus, when disappointments give way to encounter with the Lord, life is reborn to hope and we can have reconciliation with God, along with our brothers.”
Later, he encouraged “to follow the itinerary of this path which we might title: from failure to hope,
Along these lines, the Pope assures that this experience of defeat is “when we see what we believe or with which we have fallen ourselves and also when we feel beneath our sense of sin and guilt. “
“We too, before the scandal of evil and before the body of Christ wounded in the flesh of our indigenous brethren, are in bitterness and feel the weight of the fall,” he continued.
Pope Francis also warned “The Temptation to Escape”a temptation “from an enemy who threatens our spiritual path and the way of the Church; he wants us to believe that defeat is certain.”
The Pope assured that only by the love of God it is possible to heal the wounds of the past and encouraged to believe that “Jesus joins our path”.
“Let us let Him reach us, His Word that explains the history we live as individuals and as a community, and the One who shows us the way to healing and reconciliation,” he said. asked the believers.
Furthermore, he invited his word to be at the heart of everything,”One who illuminates events and gives us eyes to see the effective presence of God’s love And obviously the potential for good even in lost situations”.
“Let us also keep the Eucharist bread, which Jesus breaks for us today, to share his life with us, to embrace our weaknesses, to support our weary feet, and to heal our hearts” , he concluded.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, Cardinal Gerald thanks Pope Francis for his presence And his prayers for the Canadian people.
Later, Pope Francis blessed the attendees and a sick child and left the church in a wheelchair.
It should be noted that this Basilica is located next to the San Lorenzo River, 30 km east of Quebec CityAnd for decades he has been credited with healing diseases and performing miracles.
For this reason, the temple has become a sanctuary, with about half a million pilgrims making a pilgrimage each year, especially during the feast of Santa Ana, the grandmother of Jesus.
According to official figures, 5000 people were waiting outside the church and 2,000 people were waiting inside the temple.
