At the General Audience Francis calls on nations- Doors open to immigrants

So many “migrants who suffer the cold,
are without food. They cannot enter”, because in some border areas the doors
are closed in their faces. Thus, it so pleases Pope Francis when he hears
word that “nations and authorities open
the heart and open the doors!”. He shared these thoughts with the faithful who
gathered in St Peter’s Square for the General Audience on Wednesday, 16 March.
The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis, which he
delivered in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning.

In the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah,
Chapters 30 and 31 are called the “Book of Consolation”, because in them God’s
mercy is presented with his great capacity to comfort and open to hope the
heart of the afflicted. Today we too want to hear this message of consolation.

Jeremiah
addresses the Israelites who have been deported to a foreign land and he
foretells their return to the homeland. This return is a sign of the infinite
love of God the Father who never abandons his children, but who takes care of
them and saves them. Exile was a devastating experience for Israel. Their faith
had wavered because in a strange land, without the Temple, without worship,
after seeing their homeland destroyed, it was difficult continue to believe in
the goodness of the Lord. What comes to mind is nearby Albania and how, after
so much persecution and destruction, it has managed to rise up in dignity and
in faith. This is how the Israelites suffered in exile.

We
too can experience a sort of exile at times, when loneliness, suffering, death
make us think we have been abandoned by God. How often have we heard these
words “God has forgotten me” said by people who suffer and feel abandoned. Yet
how many of our brothers and sisters at this time are living out an actual and
dramatic situation of exile, far from their homeland, still shocked by the
ruins of their homes, fear in their heart and often, sadly, mourning the loss
of loved ones! In these cases one might ask oneself: where is God? How is it
possible that so much suffering can afflict innocent men, women and children?
When they try to enter by some other route, they close the door to them. They
are there, at the border because so many doors and so many hearts have closed.
Today’s migrants who suffer the cold, are without food. They cannot enter. They
do not feel welcome. It really pleases me when I hear and see that nations,
authorities open the heart and open the doors!

The
Prophet Jeremiah gives us a first response. The exiled people are able return
to see their land and to feel the Lord’s mercy. It is the great message of
consolation: God is not absent, not even today in these tragic situations, God
is near, and does great works of salvation for those who trust in him. One must
not succumb to desperation, but continue to be certain that good conquers evil
and that the Lord will dry every tear and free us from all fear. Thus Jeremiah
lends his voice to the God’s words of love for his people:

“I
have loved you with a love everlasting; therefore I have continued my
faithfulness to you. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin
Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with timbrels, and shall go forth in the
dance of the merrymakers (31:3-4). The Lord is faithful, he does not leave one
to despair. God loves with boundless love, which not even sin can restrain, and
thanks to him the heart of man is filled with joy and consolation.

The
consoling dream of returning to the homeland continues in the words of the
prophet who turning to those who shall return to Jerusalem, says:

“They
shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over
the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the
young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and
they shall languish no more” (31:12).

In
joy and in gratitude, the exiled will return to Zion, climbing the holy
mountain toward the House of God, and in this way they will be able once more
to raise hymns and prayers to the Lord who has freed them. This return to
Jerusalem and its bounty is described with a verb that literally means “to
stream, to flow”. The people are seen, in a paradoxical movement, as a river in
flood that flows toward the high ground of Zion, climbing back up toward the
mountain’s summit. It is a bold image to describe how great the Lord’s mercy
is!

The
land, which the people have had to abandon, has been plundered by enemies and
devastated. Now, however, it comes back to life and blossoms once more. The
exiled themselves shall resemble a watered garden, a fertile ground. Israel,
led back to its homeland by the Lord, takes part in the victory of life over
death and of blessing over curse.

Thus
the people are strengthened and comforted by God. This word is important:
comforted! The repatriated receive life from a font that freely waters them.

At
this point, the prophet announces the fullness of joy, and again in the name of
God proclaims:

“I will turn their mourning in to joy, I
will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (31:13).

The
psalm tells us that when they return to their homeland their lips will break
into smile; it is such a great joy! It is the gift that the Lord also wants to
give to each one of us, with his forgiveness which transforms and reconciles.

The
Prophet Jeremiah has given us the message, portraying the return of the exiled
as a great symbol of consolation given to the heart which converts. The Lord
Jesus, for his part, has brought this message of the prophet to fulfillment.
The true and radical return from exile and the comforting light, after the dark
crisis of faith, is experienced at Easter, in the full and definitive
experience of God’s love, the merciful love that gives joy, peace and eternal
life.