Pope Francis urges the faithful to shatter the chains of evil by embracing love and harmony

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

The most prominent and loved shepherd of our times yesterday directed his flock to “love always and love everyone”.

Presiding the mass held at Bahrain National Stadium on the third day of his visit, His Holiness Pope Francis urged the faithful to shatter the chains of evil and break the coil of violence by embracing love and harmony.  

The words of Jesus Christ today invite us to love always, said the Pope.

"He knows that within our relationships there is a daily struggle between love and hatred", and in this way, too, within our hearts "there is a daily clash between light and darkness". 

The Pope emphasised that Jesus suffers when He sees, all around the world, "ways of exercising power that feed on oppression and violence, seeking to expand their own space by restricting that of others, imposing their own domination and restricting basic freedoms, and in this way oppressing the weak".  

The ‘Holy Father’ went on to ask what we are to do in such situations, before responding that "the Lord asks of us not to dream idealistically of a world of fraternity, but to choose, starting with ourselves, to practice universal fraternity, concretely and courageously, persevering in good even when evil is done to us, breaking the spiral of vengeance, disarming violence, demilitarising the heart". 

T h e concept of “loving everyone” centred around the Pope’s message.

“Although we can be committed to loving, it is not enough if we restrict this commitment to our close circles.

"If we want to be children of the Father and build a world of brothers and sisters, the real challenge is to learn how to love everyone, even our enemies."

“We need to disarm, to shatter the chains of evil, break the spiral of violence, and put an end to resentment, complaints, and selfpity. We need to keep loving, always.

This is Jesus’ way of giving glory to the God of heaven and building peace on earth,” the Holy Father said. 

Concluding his sermon, Pope Francis stressed that the power of Jesus is love.

“He gives us the power to love in this way, a power which to us, seems superhuman,” the Pope stressed.