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(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Thursday (the Feast of the Ascension) presided over a prayer vigil “To Dry the Tears” in St Peter’s Basilica dedicated to all those who are suffering and who seek consolation. Members of one family and two individuals who have undergone different types of suffering in their lives testified to the gathering about their painful experience and how they were helped to recover from it. During the vigil the reliquary of Our Lady of Tears of Syracuse were on display inside the basilica for the veneration of the faithful. This reliquary is linked to the extraordinary phenomenon that occurred in 1953, when a small plaster picture depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary that was hanging above the bed of a young Italian married couple shed human tears. The reliquary contains part of the tears that flowed miraculously from the image of Our Lady.

Please find below a translation into English of Pope Francis’ prepared meditation during the Prayer Vigil.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

                After the moving testimonies we have heard, and in the light of the word of the Lord that gives meaning to our suffering, let us first ask Holy Spirit to come among us.  May he enlighten our minds to find the right words capable of bringing comfort.  May he open our hearts to the certainty that God is always present and never abandons us in times of trouble.  The Lord Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them alone, but at all times in life he would remain close to them by sending his Spirit, the Comforter (cf. Jn 14:26) to help, sustain and console them.

                At times of sadness, suffering and sickness, amid the anguish of persecution and grief, everyone looks for a word of consolation.  We sense a powerful need for someone to be close and feel compassion for us.  We experience what it means to be disoriented, confused, more heartsick than we ever thought possible.  We look around us with uncertainty, trying to see if we can find someone who really understands our pain.  Our mind is full of questions but answers do not come.  Reason by itself is not capable of making sense of our deepest feelings, appreciating the grief we experience and providing the answers we are looking for.  At times like these, more than ever do we need the reasons of the heart, which alone can help us understand the mystery which embraces our loneliness.

                How much sadness we see in so many faces all around us!  How many tears are shed every second in our world; each is different but together they form, as it were, an ocean of desolation that cries out for mercy, compassion and consolation.  The bitterest tears are those caused by human evil: the tears of those who have seen a loved one violently torn from them; the tears of grandparents, mothers and fathers, children; eyes that keep staring at the sunset and find it hard to see the dawn of a new day.  We need the mercy, the consolation that comes from the Lord.  All of us need it.  This is our poverty but also our grandeur: to plead for the consolation of God, who in his tenderness comes to wipe the tears from our eyes (cf. Is 25:8; Rev 7:17; 21:4).

                In our pain, we are not alone.  Jesus, too, knows what it means to weep for the loss of a loved one.  In one of the most moving pages of the Gospel, Jesus sees Mary weeping for the death of her brother Lazarus.  Nor can he hold back tears.  He was deeply moved and began to weep (cf. Jn 11:33-35).  The evangelist John, in describing this, wanted to show how much Jesus shared in the sadness and grief of his friends.  Jesus’ tears have unsettled many theologians over the centuries, but even more they have bathed so many souls and been a balm to so much hurt.  Jesus also experienced in his own person the fear of suffering and death, disappointment and discouragement at the betrayal of Judas and Peter, and grief at the death of his friend Lazarus.  Jesus “does not abandon those whom he loves” (Augustine, In Joh., 49, 5).  If God could weep, then I too can weep, in the knowledge that he understands me.  The tears of Jesus serve as an antidote to my indifference before the suffering of my brothers and sisters.  His tears teach me to make my own the pain of others, to share in the discouragement and sufferings of those experiencing painful situations.  They make me realize the sadness and desperation of those who have even seen the body of a dear one taken from them, and who no longer have a place in which to find consolation.  Jesus’ tears cannot go without a response on the part of those who believe in him.  As he consoles, so we too are called to console.

                In the moment of confusion, dismay and tears, Christ’s heart turned in prayer to the Father.  Prayer is the true medicine for our suffering.  In prayer, we too can feel God’s presence.  The tenderness of his gaze comforts us; the power of his word supports us and gives us hope.  Jesus, standing before the tomb of Lazarus, prayed, saying: “Father, I thank you for having heard me.  I knew that you always hear me” (Jn 11:41-42).  We too need the certainty that the Father hears us and comes to our aid.  The love of God, poured into our hearts, allows us to say that when we love, nothing and no one will ever be able to separate us from those we have loved.  The apostle Paul tells us this with words of great comfort: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or the sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35, 37-39).  The power of love turns suffering into the certainty of Christ’s victory, and our own in union with him, and into the hope that one day we will once more be together and will forever contemplate the face of the Blessed Trinity, the eternal wellspring of life and love.

                At the foot of every cross, the Mother of Jesus is always there.  With her mantle, she wipes away our tears.  With her outstretched hand, she helps us to rise up and she accompanies us along the path of hope.”

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Acts 1: 1-11; Eph 1: 17-23; Lk 24: 46-53   

Leonardo da Vinci had started to work on a large canvas in his studio.  For a while he worked at it – choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, applying the colors, with his own inimitable genius.  Then suddenly he stopped working on it.  Summoning one of his talented students, the master invited him to complete the work.  The horrified student protested that he was both unworthy and unable of completing the great painting which his master had begun.  But da Vinci silenced him.  "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"  Jesus our Master began to spread the Good News two thousand years ago, by what he said and did, and supremely by what he suffered.  He illustrated his message and he has left us to finish the picture.  Will his life not inspire us to finish the picture? This is the message of the Ascension

Introduction:  Today’s readings describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory after he had promised to send the Holy Spirit as the source of heavenly power for his disciples and commanded them to bear witness to him through their lives and preaching throughout the world.  What we celebrate today is Jesus’ exaltation and the end of his earthly existence, as a prelude to the gift of the Spirit.  The ascended Jesus is still with us because of his promise, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”  He is with us at all times and in all places, releasing a new energy upon the earth, the energy of the Holy Spirit Who enables us to preach his Good News of salvation and to bear witness to him in living out His word.  Hence, today’s feast is the celebration of Jesus’ glory after his suffering and death – the glory in which we also hope to share.  The Ascension and Pentecost, together, mark the beginning of the Church.  The feast of the Ascension tells us that the church must be a community in mission, guided by God’s Spirit and confident of God’s protection even amid suffering and death.

The first reading (Acts 1: 1-11), gives an account of the event of the Ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus from the sight of the disciples and two heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ return in glory.  Today's Psalm response, "God mounts His throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord," with the Psalm it accompanies (Psalm 47), celebrates God's universal kingship. The Psalm was originally sung in connection with a cultic procession honoring the Ark of the Covenant. By his Ascension, the risen Lord likewise "mounts his throne" in glory. 

 The second reading (Eph 1: 17-23; alternate Hebrews 9: 24-28; 10: 19-23): In Ephesians, Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation by saying, "May God enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we may know the great hope to which we have been called."  Our great hope is that one day we too will be ascending to heavenly glory, provided that, with His grace, we live out our faith in Him through the mission of loving service He entrusts to us Our mission is to preach the good news of salvation to the whole world by word and deed. We continue to receive the divine assistance and spiritual gifts necessary for our Christian witnessing through the Holy Spirit Whom the risen Jesus, after his ascension, asked the Father to send on his Church.  Today’s gospel tells us that, with his return to the Father, Jesus completes his mission on earth.  In the descriptions of Christ after his resurrection, we are given a hint of what life will be like in heaven.   But it is in his Ascension that we see him entering fully into the life and glory of God.  The prospect of sharing that glory should be the driving force of our lives.

Exegetical notes: A) The ascension: Each Sunday we profess through the Creed, "He ascended into heaven."  Christ’s Ascension was the culmination of God’s divine plan for Christ Jesus – his return to his Father with his “Mission Accomplished."  Ascension is the grand finale of all his words and of the works He has done for us and for our salvation.  It is a culmination, but not the conclusion.  As he is now with God in glory, he is now with us in Spirit: "Lo, I am with you always." The feast of the Ascension celebrates one aspect of the resurrection, namely Jesus’ exaltation.  He did not wait 40 days to be glorified at God’s right hand. That had already happened at his resurrection.  The focus of this feast is the heavenly reign of Christ.  The Lord is now "seated at the right hand of the Father" as we profess in the Nicene Creed, meaning He alone is in control of the continuing plan of salvation through the Spirit, unrestricted by time, space or culture.  Thus in the Paschal Mystery, Jesus' passion, death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit form one unbroken reality which is to be understood by faith. The Ascension means that Jesus, His salvific suffering for our Salvation completed, is with his Father in glory.

B) The Ascension account: The Biblical accounts of the Ascension focus not so much on the details of the event as on the mission Jesus gave to his disciples.  For example, in the accounts narrated in Luke and Acts, the Ascension took place in Jerusalem.  In Matthew and Mark, on the other hand, the event occurred in Galilee.  All accounts, however, agree that the Ascension took place on a mountain.  In Luke and Acts, the Ascension happened forty days after the Resurrection, a period during which Jesus appeared repeatedly to his followers.  In Matthew and Mark there is no indication of the time period between the Resurrection and the Ascension.  The gospel writers apparently were not aiming at accuracy of historical detail but were more concerned with transmitting Our Lord’s         message.

C) The ascension message: "Preach the good news and be my witnesses:"
Matthew, Mark and Acts record Jesus’ last words differently: 1) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  2) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  3) “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark.16:15).  All are in agreement that (a) Jesus gave his disciples a mission of bearing witness to him by preaching and living the good news.  They are to tell and re-tell the story of Jesus' life, suffering, death and resurrection.  (b) He assured them of the divine assistance of the Holy Spirit in the carrying out of this mission.

D) Christmas and Ascension: The Ascension is most closely related, in meaning, to Christmas.  In Jesus, the human and the divine become united in the person and life of one man.  That's Christmas.  At the Ascension, this human being – the person and the resurrected body of Jesus – became for all eternity a part of who God is.  It was not the spirit of Jesus or the divine nature of Jesus that ascended to the Father.  It was the resurrected body of Jesus: a body that the disciples had touched, a body that had eaten and drunk with them both before and after His Resurrection, a real, physical, but gloriously restored body, bearing the marks of nails and a spear.  This is what ascended.  This is what, now and forever, is a living, participating part of God. The Ascension, along with the Incarnation, is here to tell us that it is a good thing to be a human being; indeed it is a wonderful and an important and a holy thing to be a human being.  It is such an important thing that God did it.  Even more, the fullness of God now includes what it means to be a human being.

Life messages: 1) We need to be proclaimers and evangelizers: In today's gospel, Jesus gives his mission to all the believers: "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This mission is not given to a select few but to all believers. To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. “We preach with words but we proclaim with our lives.” As we celebrate the Lord’s return to His Father in heaven – His Ascension -- we are being commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life and love, of hope and peace, by the witness of our lives. On this day of hope, encouragement and commissioning, let us renew our commitment to be true disciples everywhere we go, beginning with our family and our parish, "living in a manner worthy of the call [we] have received.”

2) We need to live a life of Christian joy in the presence of the ascended Lord. According to Luke, the disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Apparently Jesus' exaltation and final blessing gave them, as it gives us, the assurance that, though absent, he is still present, present even in the pain and sorrow we undergo. That is why St. Augustine assures us, “Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' and when he said: 'I was hungry and you gave me food.' While in heaven he is also with us; and while on earth we are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love."

3) We have a teaching mission:  Jesus taught us lessons of faith, hope, forgiveness, mercy, redemption and love.  We cannot put these lessons on a shelf and ignore them.  They stand before us in the person of Jesus.  Although no longer visibly present in the world, He is present in his words. We must make his words real in our lives and in the lives of others. Christianity was meant to be a faith in which Jesus’ followers would help and care for others, just as Jesus had done.   But the spreading of the Good News to all nations is not a goal that can be attained by human might and craft.  This is why Jesus promises to empower his messengers with His abiding presence and that of the Holy Spirit.   The challenge of sharing the Good News with all mankind should, therefore, begin with our admission that we have often been arrogant and overbearing.  We must learn to be humble and let the Holy Spirit lead the way.

4) The ascended Jesus is our source of strength and encouragement: Perhaps some of the nagging doubts which inevitably accompany the journey of faith could be lessened by our meditating on the Ascension and its implications. When we are too far from faith to pray on our own, let us remember that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, praying for us. When the trials of life feel too heavy to bear, we must remember that Christ will come again in glory, the same glory in which he arose from the tomb, the same glory in which he ascended, and the same glory in which he currently abides. Though our limited perception might find him absent, he is fully present, participating in every moment of our lives. By His ascension, Christ has not deserted us but has made it possible for the Holy Spirit to enter all times and places. In this way it is possible for each of us to be transformed by the power of the Spirit into agents or instruments of Christ. We become enlivened, and our actions become animated in a new way by the Spirit of the God we love and serve. We have become Christs in the world.

There is the funny story of the raw army recruit standing at attention on the drill field. The drill instructor yells, "Forward, march!" And the entire ranks begin to move, all except this one raw recruit. He's still standing there at attention. So the drill instructor strolls over to him and yells in his right ear, "Is this thing working?" "Sir, yes, sir!" The recruit yells. Then the drill instructor walks around to the other ear and yells, "Is this thing working?" "Sir, yes, sir!" The soldier says. "Then why didn't you march when I gave the order?" "Sir, I didn't hear you call my name." Some of us are like that soldier, standing around waiting for God to call our names. But the great commission given by Jesus on the day of his Ascension is a blanket order. It has everyone's name on it. And you can be sure that the Man in charge says, "Go! Make disciples! Teach!” It is your mission and my mission.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)

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(Vatican Radio) On the eve of a special Jubilee Audience in St. Peter’s Square for Rotary members, a conference aiming to step up collaboration between organizations that advocate and work for the rights of refugees took place in the Vatican. 

The conference entitled “Helping Refugees to Start Over” focused on the growing need to provide refugees and migrants – especially children and young people – with education and skills that will enable them to form a new life and contribute to their communities. 

During the discussion members of Rotary International, of the Jesuit Refugee Service and of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and World Food Programme agreed that refugees worldwide should be recognized the fundamental right of access to education programmes as valid tools for social inclusion and human development.

During the Jubilee Audience itself, attended by nearly 9.000 Rotary members from across the globe, Pope Francis encouraged Rotarians to continue in their commitments for a more peaceful and compassionate world.

Speaking to Rotary President Ravi Ravindran, the Pope emphasized the importance of vaccinations against polio and urged the organization to continue to spearhead its successful campaign thanks to which the disease is close to being eradicated. 

One of the participants both in the Audience and in the panel discussion on “Helping Refugees to Start Over” was John Hewco, General Secretary of Rotary International. He spoke to Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni about the humanitarian work of the global Rotary network and said the current migrant and refugee crisis in Europe has become an important topic for Rotarians.  

Listen to the interview:

Rotary, Hewco explains, is an extraordinary international organization that brings together community leaders from around the world to discuss some of the significant challenges that the world is facing and to take concrete action, both locally and internationally.

He says there are 1.2 million Rotarians around the world: “70% of them are now outside of North America, and there is a very strong Rotary presence here in Italy”.

Hewco points out that with the refugee and migrant crisis unfolding in Europe, it’s become an important topic for Rotarians to address: “to help these people as they are coming in, to give them job training and to work with local communities to solve the issue.”

He explains that the point he was making in his intervention during the conference is that it is not only a question of alleviating the refugees’ immediate needs like food, shelter etc. but also to provide them with the skills they are going to need to integrate into society.

Pointing out  that many migrants and refugees are in fact professionals - highly-skilled people who represent a terrific opportunity for society, he says it makes absolute sense for all involved to highlight their value and allow them to make a contribution.    

“So if we can harness these skills, and use those skills to integrate them into society that will go a long way to providing a sustainable, long-term solution to the issue” he said.

Referring to the fact that Pope Francis follows Popes Paul VI and John Paul II in connecting with Rotary to encourage their support of a more peaceful and compassionate world, Hewco says Rotarians have always responded extremely forcefully to this challenge.

“That’s what Rotary is all about: it’s about community leaders coming together in their communities to tackle both local and international challenges. Rotarians in Italy, in Germany, throughout the world have stepped up and have provided shelter, food, long-term training to be able to provide sustainable solutions to refugees throughout the world” he said.

And he says the Rotarian response to the challenges posed by the Pope has always been: “Your Holiness, you’ve challenged us and we’re going to deliver on your challenge to help address this issue throughout the world.”

Regarding a possible collaboration with JRS and its work to provide education, training and vocational skills to vulnerable refugees, Hewco says this is an extremely important mission that needs to be addressed globally “so partnership is absolutely critical”.

“As an example our signature corporate initiative is the eradication of polio and we are very close to eradicating the disease, something we were able to do because we were able to partner with organizations such as Unicef, WHO, the Center for Disease Control, the Gates Foundation” he said.

Similarly, in the refugee context - Hewco concludes voicing his hope that a partnership with JRS may be implemented -  partnership allows each party to bring its  skills and acumen to the table: “so we are able to address the issue successfully”. 

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(Vatican Radio) The Benedict XVI Center for Religion and Society was inaugurated on Thursday at St Mary’s University in Twickenham,  London.

Vatican Radio’s Christopher Altieri, Professor of Philosophy and an external affiliate of the Center, explained to Linda Bordoni that the Centre aims to establish itself as an “international hub” for research to foster links between theology and the social sciences:

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Christopher Altieri explains the Center was officially approved in 2015 as part of efforts to mark the 5th anniversary of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.

He explains that its purpose is to foster dialogue among scholars who come from different disciplines.

“Inter-disciplinarity is one of those academic ‘buzz words’ that get tossed around a lot but don’t always receive careful consideration about what it means and the Center is trying to get it right” he says.

Altieri says members and participants are committed to getting interdisciplinary research right especially in regards to social sciences and their consideration of the role of religion in society and in public life.

“So it involves experts and practitioners in law, in sociology, in economics, in philosophy and theology” he says.

The Center brings them together so that they can talk with each other: “not just about what they are doing in their respective areas of interest and expertise, but really because the members of the Center believe that in order to be good scientists they need to be in conversation with each other and that the disciplines that they practice can be mutually enriching and so the Center is dedicated to that enterprise.” 

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Charlotte, N.C., May 5, 2016 / 11:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- North Carolina’s governor is standing firm against the U.S. Justice Department’s claim that it is unlawful and discriminatory to require individuals to use public bathrooms, locker rooms and showers corresponding to their biological sex.

“The right and expectation of privacy in one of the most private areas of our personal lives is now in jeopardy,” said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. “We will be reviewing to determine the next steps.”

The governor was responding to a letter from the Justice Department asserting that recent North Carolina legislation is in violation of national civil rights laws.

Known as House Bill 2, the North Carolina law says that in public buildings and schools, people must use the restrooms and locker rooms that align with the biological sex on their birth certificate, rather than their self-perceived “gender identity.”

The letter from the Justice Department does not have a legal effect, but warns the state of risk for lawsuits. North Carolina could lose millions of dollars in federal education funding if it does not repeal the law.  

Asking for a response by May 9, the Justice Department told North Carolina that the law must not be implemented. It argued that the legislation violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on the basis of sex.

House Bill 2 was approved in March as a means of blocking a Charlotte City Council Ordinance that would have, among other provisions, allowed individuals to use restroom facilities based on their self-perceived “gender identity.”

Supporters of House Bill 2 say that it is a commonsense protection to make distinctions based on sex when it comes to private areas such as restroom and shower facilities.

They have cited safety concerns, warning that the previous city ordinance would allow any biological male into the women’s restrooms, which could lead to instances of assault.

In the weeks following the law’s passage, more than 90 business leaders – including those from Google Ventures, Starbucks, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Accenture – called for its repeal, saying that it “sanctioned discrimination.”

Entertainers from Bruce Springsteen to Cirque du Soleil cancelled performances in the state, and the NBA threatened to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte. San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee issued an order banning federal employees from traveling to North Carolina.

Ryan T. Anderson, the William E. Simon senior research fellow in American principles and public policy at The Heritage Foundation, argued that the backlash over the bill constitutes “‘cultural cronyism’…whereby big business colludes with big government to get its way.”

“In this instance, big business is trying to get the government to impose its cultural values and its definition of sexuality.”

Anderson told CNA in March that anti-discrimination ordinances including sexual orientation and gender identity are being used “so that anyone who does not comply will be accused of discrimination. It is a way to eliminate dissent.”

He also pointed to the widespread opposition for allowing bathroom access based on gender identity. In North Carolina, 69 percent were in favor of repealing the Charlotte ordinance, according to a poll by Survey USA, sponsored by the Civitas Institute. House Bill 2 was passed by sweeping bipartisan votes, with the House 83-25 and the Senate 32-0.

“The American people are in favor of laws that protect their religious freedom and the safety of women and children in restrooms,” Anderson said. “It is the elites that are not. Public officials will need courage not to be bullied into submission – whether it is by corporate elites, media elites or Hollywood elite – to enact policies that preserve the common good.”

Photo credit: Marcel Derweduwen via www.shutterstock.com.

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Vatican City, May 5, 2016 / 11:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During a prayer vigil on Thursday for all those in need of consolation, Pope Francis stressed that though we cry out in moments of difficulty, we are never alone.

His words of reassurance came after hearing various testimonies of suffering at the prayer vigil which was held as part of the Jubilee of Mercy.

“How many tears are shed every second in our world; each is different but together they form, as it were, an ocean of desolation that cries out for mercy, compassion and consolation,” the Pope said May 5.

The bitterest tears, he noted, “are those caused by human evil: the tears of those who have seen a loved one violently torn from them; the tears of grandparents, mothers and fathers, children; eyes that keep staring at the sunset and find it hard to see the dawn of a new day.”

However, Francis stressed that “in our pain, we are not alone,” and noted that “Jesus, too, knows what it means to weep for the loss of a loved one.”

Pointing to the passage in the Gospel of John when Christ weeps for the death of his friend Lazarus, the Pope noted that Christ sees Mary of Bethany weeping and “nor can he hold back tears. He was deeply moved and began to weep.”

“Jesus’ tears have unsettled many theologians over the centuries,” he said, but even more “they have bathed so many souls and been a balm to so much hurt.”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for his evening “Dry the Tears” prayer vigil for all in need of consolation.

The vigil, marking the Ascension of the Lord, began with three testimonies alternated with biblical readings, in which the families who spoke recounted tragic stories of suffering, including loneliness, suicide, and religious persecution.

After each testimony a candle was lit in front of the reliquary of Our Lady of Tears in Syracuse, which was brought to Rome for the jubilee prayer vigil, and exposed for veneration.

In his speech, Pope Francis noted that in moments of sadness, suffering, and illness, everyone looks for “a word of consolation” amid the anguish of persecution and grief.

“We sense a powerful need for someone to be close and feel compassion for us. We experience what it means to be disoriented, confused, more heartsick than we ever thought possible. We look around us with uncertainty, trying to see if we can find someone who really understands our pain,” he said.

Questions fill the minds of the suffering but frequently without answers, he said, explaining that reason alone is not enough to make sense of the profound grief of those who suffer, nor can it provide answers.

At times like this, “more than ever do we need the reasons of the heart, which alone can help us understand the mystery which embraces our loneliness,” Francis observed.

In addition to knowing what it means to cry in moments of grief, Christ also experienced personally not only fear of suffering and death, but “disappointment and discouragement at the betrayal of Judas and Peter.”

“If God could weep, then I too can weep, in the knowledge that he understands me,” Pope Francis said, explaining that the tears of Christ “serve as an antidote to my indifference before the suffering of my brothers and sisters.”

“His tears teach me to make my own the pain of others, to share in the discouragement and sufferings of those experiencing painful situations,” he said, adding that Christ's tears “cannot go without a response on the part of those who believe in him. As he consoles, so we too are called to console.”

Francis noted how in moments of fear and dismay Christ always turned to his Father in prayer, adding that prayer is the “medicine” for our suffering. “In prayer, we too can feel God’s presence,” which comforts us and gives us strength and hope.

“We too need the certainty that the Father hears us and comes to our aid. The love of God, poured into our hearts, allows us to say that when we love, nothing and no one will ever be able to separate us from those we have loved,” the Pope said.

He concluded his meditation pointing to a passage in the Letter to the Romans in which St. Paul says that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

The power of love, he said, “turns suffering into the certainty of Christ’s victory, and our own in union with him, and into the hope that one day we will once more be together and will forever contemplate the face of the Blessed Trinity, the eternal wellspring of life and love.”

After Francis finished his address, the vigil continued with the collection of individual prayer intentions from those in attendance, as well as the universal prayer for all situations of physical and spiritual suffering.

Pope Francis concluded the vigil by blessing and giving to certain individuals present an image of the Paschal Lamb as an expression of the mercy of the Father for all faithful who live in situations of profound suffering.

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