Pope Francis met the Catholic community in Romania. They account for less than 7 percent of the country's 20 million inhabitants.
The pope presided over this Mass in St. Joseph's Cathedral. He was accompanied by around thousand people inside and many more outside, who followed the ceremony from the big screens.
As it was the feast of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin St. Elizabeth, the pope spoke about the difficult paths many women take as the Blessed Mother did.
POPE FRANCIS
“Contemplating Mary enables us to turn our gaze to all those many women, mothers and grandmothers of these lands who, by their quiet sacrifices, devotion and self-denial, are shaping the present and preparing the way for tomorrow’s dreams. Theirs is a silent, tenacious and unsung sacrifice; they are unafraid to 'roll up their sleeves' and shoulder difficulties for the sake of their children and families, hoping 'against all hope.'”
Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel passage about Mary's visitation to her cousin. He used it to explain the relationship between the young and elderly, as Elizabeth was much older than the Blessed Mother.
POPE FRANCIS
“Here, young and old meet, embrace and awaken the best of each other. It is a miracle brought about by the culture of encounter, where no one is discarded or pigeonholed, but all are sought out. This is because all are needed to reveal the Lord’s face. They are not afraid to walk together, and when this happens, God appears and works wonders in His people.”
The pope recalled that God is with people, something that should always be a reason for joy.
POPE FRANCIS
“Without joy, we remain paralyzed, slaves to our unhappiness. Often the problem of faith is little to do with the lack of means and structures, of quantity, nor the presence of those who do not accept us. The problem of faith really has to do with the lack of joy. Faith wavers when one wanders into sadness and discouragement.”
Finally, Pope Francis invited Romanians to build a culture of encounter that their country needs to combat indifference and division.
