Pope Francis urged Christians to dare to be faithful to the teachings of the Church and not to be afraid if they have to suffer criticism, economic disadvantage or persecution, reports the Catholic News Agency .

In his speech on Sunday, the Pope emphasized that the words of Jesus, "Do not be afraid!", are still valid today.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul! Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both the body and the soul by throwing him into damnation!" (Matthew 10:28)    

Pope Francis emphasized that Jesus said this to the disciples after he had shared with them the persecutions they would have to suffer because of the preaching of the Gospel, and added that all of this is still valid today.

"For since the beginning, the Church has experienced many persecutions, along with joys - of which there were many. It seems paradoxical: the proclamation of the kingdom of God is a message of peace and justice based on brotherly love and forgiveness, yet it meets with resistance, violence and persecution,” he said.

“However, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. Not because all will be right in the world, no. But because we are precious to his Father, and nothing good will be left to waste"

he added.

He also pointed out that Jesus' words also mean that the only real fear a person should be afraid of is throwing away his life in pursuit of things that ultimately don't matter.

Speaking of young people, he explained that they can get so caught up in sports, school, social media and their cell phones that they spend too much of their time "on fleeting things." “All this requires some renunciation of the idols of efficiency and consumption. … Think of the smallest, who are often treated as waste and unwanted objects”.

"The important thing is not to throw away the greatest good: life. That's the only thing we should be afraid of."  

Source: vasarnap.hu

In the cover photo, Pope Francis gives a speech at the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics of Pázmány Péter Catholic University on April 30, 2023. Source: MTI/Tamás Kovács