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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The media and social networks can be crueler than the beast, a papal preacher told Vatican officials and officials.
Cardinal Raniello Cantalamessa delivered the first Lenten meditation of 2024 on February 23 in the Audience Hall of Paul VI, saying: “When they point out distortions in society and in the Church, they deserve every respect and respect.” said. .
But when you “attack someone out of prejudice, simply because they are not on your side,” or when you are motivated by “malice and destructive rather than constructive intent.” should not be praised, said a Capuchin friar.
This reflection will see Pope Francis and members of the Holy See suspend their normal activities to participate in a week of personal spiritual reflection for the start of Lent from February 18th to 23rd. It was done after. Many of the chairs reserved for Privy Council members and Pope Francis were empty.
Cardinal Cantalamessa said, “Unfortunately, there are teeth in society today that gnash their teeth more mercilessly and more cruelly than the teeth of the beast.” “They are the fangs of the media and so-called social networks.”
“What a shame for anyone, whether laity or clergy, who has been put through this meat grinder today!” he said.
“In this case, it is legitimate and necessary to assert one’s reasons in the appropriate forum, but if this is found to be impossible or of no use, it is left to the believer to “The only thing to do is to join Christ, scourged and crowned, ‘thorned and spat upon,'” he said.
“It’s difficult and painful, to say the least, especially when your natural family or your religious family is involved,” he said. “But God’s grace can, and often has, made all of this an opportunity for purification and sanctification.”
“The key is to have faith that truth will ultimately triumph over lies, as happened in the case of Jesus. And perhaps silence can be more victorious than even the most aggressive self-defense.” “I guess so,” he said.
The papal preacher divided the five reflections of Lent on five of the seven “I am” declarations Jesus made in the Gospel of John, each with “I am the bread of life.” He said he would dedicate it to the five beginnings.
“How did he, Jesus, become for us the bread of life?” asked Cardinal Cantalamessa.
Jesus answered in the Gospel of John (12:24): “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; it dies and bears much fruit,” the cardinal said. .
The image of grain falling to the ground and withering, he said, shows not only the fate of Jesus, but also “the fate of all of Jesus’ true disciples.”
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, on his way to Rome, describes how he willingly “becomes food to wild beasts, for the beast is the way to God; It will be ground in their teeth.” It is pure bread,” the cardinal said, quoting the saint.
“We also have something to say about this,” the cardinal said. To quote St. Augustine, given that humans are “vessels of clay that are bruised by the slightest scratch,” it is clear that “each of us, in our environment, has the teeth of a wild beast that grinds us down.” There is.”
“We must learn to make this situation an instrument of sanctification, rather than an instrument of hardening of heart, hatred and discontent,” Cardinal Cantalamessa said.
“If we too wish to be ground into the flour of God, there are many opportunities that cannot be wasted. We must all discern and sanctify what is offered to God in our places of service.” “No,” he said.
“One opportunity is to accept the contradiction, to give up trying to justify ourselves, and to always want to be right when the importance of the issue doesn’t require us to do so,” he said. Ta.
The other thing to do is to “put up with people whose personality, way of speaking, or behavior irritates you, and instead of feeling irritated inside, try to think that maybe you are that kind of person to someone else.” he said. .
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