FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
On Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent for the Church, Pope Francis said in a message to the faithful that death is a reality that we must face.
On this important day, the Pope, who has been hospitalized for twenty days in the Gemelli hospital, cannot preside over the traditional ceremony on Rome's Aventine Hill. Last year, weather conditions prevented the Pope from attending the first part of the ceremony, but he presided over the Mass. This year, due to his health condition, he is in the hospital, undergoing intensive care amid frequent respiratory crises.
Last night he used an oxygen mask to breathe more easily, while this morning he was returned to a lighter form of oxygenation. In his absence, the Aventine Mass is presided over by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, who reads the message prepared by the Pope for the occasion.
In this message, Francis dwells on the theme of the fragility and transience of human life. “ Grace reminds us that we are dust, from dust we came and to dust we will return, ” he writes, citing the psalms that remind us that life is temporary and that man spends energy accumulating things that he does not know who will take after him.
This reflection coincides with his recent message from the hospital, when the Pope expressed the conviction that human frailty contains a “ hidden blessing ” and teaches us to have more trust in God. He adds that “ the state of frailty reminds us of the drama of death ,” a subject that modern society often tries to avoid, but which remains an inescapable reality.
The Pope also draws attention to the suffering of humanity, mentioning ideological divisions, social injustices, exploitation of natural resources, violence and wars, which he calls "toxic dust" that pollute the world and create uncertainty for the future.
However, his message is a call for hope. " The Easter we are walking towards supports us in our fragility ," he emphasizes, warning us not to see life as meaningless, as some do who believe that everything ends with death. On the contrary, the Pope invites us to raise our heads and look beyond, towards the hope of resurrection.
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