God never gives up on his children, even when they fail, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Sharing the joy of being loved by God despite one's human flaws is the mission of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV said.

"This is the heart of the mission of the church: not to administer power over others, but to communicate the joy of those who are loved precisely when they did not deserve it," the pope said Oct. 1 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"It is the strength that gave rise to the Christian communities and made them grow: men and women who discovered the beauty of returning to life to be able to give it to others," he said.

And as the month of October is dedicated to the holy rosary, Pope Leo invited the faithful "to pray it daily for peace in our world." 

In his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, "Jesus Christ our Hope," Pope Leo reflected on Christ's resurrection as the source of Christian faith and hope.

Not only did the Son of God rise from the dead after his passion and violent death, he said, but he did so in a humble and loving way.

"Indeed, Jesus' resurrection is not a bombastic triumph, nor is it revenge or retaliation against his enemies," he said. "It is a wonderful testimony to how love is capable of rising again after a great defeat in order to continue its unstoppable journey."

"When we get up again after a trauma caused by others, often the first reaction is anger, the desire to make someone pay for what we have suffered," Pope Leo said.

Instead, Jesus "does not take revenge. He does not return with gestures of power, but rather with meekness; he manifests the joy of a love greater than any wound and stronger than any betrayal," he said. 

The Risen Christ appears to his disciples, who had "denied and abandoned him" and are gathered in fear in the upper room, the pope said. He greets them with a simple, "Peace be with you!"

Then Jesus shows his disciples the wounds of his passion, Pope Leo said, but he does so not to shame or embarrass them, but to demonstrate how he is "fully reconciled with everything he has suffered."

"There is not a shadow of resentment. The wounds serve not to reproach, but to confirm a love stronger than any infidelity. They are the proof that, even in the moment of our failure, God did not retreat. He did not give up on us," he said.

"The Lord shows himself to be naked and defenseless," he said. "His is a love that does not humiliate; it is the peace of one who has suffered for love and can now finally affirm that it was worthwhile."

Often, people mask their wounds "out of pride or for fear of appearing weak," he said. And they may say "It doesn't matter" or "It is all in the past," even though "we are not truly at peace with the betrayals that have wounded us."

Jesus, however, "offers his wounds as a guarantee of forgiveness. And he shows that the resurrection is not the erasure of the past, but its transfiguration into a hope of mercy," he said. 

Jesus then entrusts the apostles "with a task that is not so much a power as a responsibility: to be instruments of reconciliation in the world," he said. It is "as if he said: 'Who will be able to proclaim the merciful face of the Father, if not you, who have experienced failure and forgiveness?'"

Jesus gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit, which "sustained him in obedience to the Father and in love even to the cross," the pope said. "From that moment, the apostles will no longer be able to remain silent about what they have seen and heard: that God forgives, lifts up and restores trust."

"Dear brothers and sisters, we too are sent," he said. "Do not be afraid to show your wounds healed by mercy. Do not be afraid to draw close to those who are trapped in fear or guilt."

"May the breath of the Spirit make us, too, witnesses of this peace and this love that is stronger than any defeat," he said.

When greeting Arab-speaking pilgrims, especially those from Lebanon and the Holy Land, Pope Leo said every Christian "is called to be a witness of love and forgiveness being greater than every wound and stronger than every injustice."