Pope at Angelus: Seek and remain in the Lord for fullness of life

By Vatican News

Recalling the Sunday Gospel when Saint Peter confirms the faith and trust the disciples have in Jesus by saying "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life," Pope Francis said with that "beautiful expression" Peter shows how the disciples wish to stay with the Lord, not to leave Him. The disciples had heard the Lord preach, witnessed His miracles, and continued to share in His public and private life, the Pope explained.

The Pope pointed out how it was not easy to follow the Lord, as the disciples did not always understand what the Master was saying or doing. And it was a struggle for them to accept the radical nature of Jesus' love for all, the ultimate demands of his mercy, and the Lord's action going beyond the norms of institutional religions and traditions. But only in the Lord did Peter and the other apostles find "the answer to the thirst for life, for joy, for love that animates them" and thus "experience the fullness of life they seek, beyond the limits of sin and even death." 

The challenge to follow the Lord also regards each one of us, the Pope explained, as we also struggle to understand His ways and to make His criteria and example our own. The key is always to stay close to the Lord, to follow His Gospel, to receive His grace in the sacraments, the Pope added, to be with Him in prayer and follow His example of humility and charity. By doing so, "the more we experience the beauty of having Him as our Friend," the more we "realise that He alone has the 'words of eternal life.'"

The Pope then recommended we reflect on how much Jesus is present in our own lives and whether we allow ourselves to be touched and moved by His words.