«Love is the measure of faith»

«Love is the measure of faith, and faith is the soul of love. We can no longer separate religious life from service to our brothers and sisters, to those concrete brothers and sisters whom we meet. We can no longer separate prayer, the encounter with God in the Sacraments, from listening to others, from closeness to their life, and especially to their wounds». Strong words spoken by Pope Francis this Sunday at noon (October 26) during the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square.

«In the midst of the dense forest of precepts and prescriptions, of yesterday and today, Jesus makes an opening that allows us to discover two faces: the face of the Father and that of our brother». «Jesus does not offer us two formulas or two precepts, but two faces, or rather a single face, that of God reflected in so many faces, because in the face of every brother, especially the least, the most fragile and defenseless, the very image of God is present». «We should ask ourselves, when we meet one of these brothers, whether we are able to recognize in him the face of God. Are we capable of this?» the Pope asked, in the presence of tens of thousands of faithful in Saint Peter's Square.

«Remember this: love is the measure of faith. How much do you love? How is your faith? I believe as much as I love”, the Pope added, speaking off the cuff. «The visible sign that the Christian can show to witness God's love to the world», the Pope added, «is love of our brothers and sisters». «That is why the commandment of love of God and of neighbor is the first commandment, not because it is at the top of the list of commandments, but because it is at the center, because it is the heart from which everything must flow and to which everything must return and refer». In this regard, Pope Francis recalled that «already in the Old Testament, the demand to be holy, in the image of God who is holy, also included the duty to care for the weakest, such as the stranger, the orphan, the widow». «Jesus fulfills this law of the covenant, he who unites in himself, in his flesh, divinity and humanity in a single mystery of love».

Source: News.va