Dear brothers and sisters, good Sunday!

The Gospel of today’s liturgy (Mk 10, 17:30) tells us about a rich man who encounters Jesus and asks Him: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 17). Jesus invites him to leave everything and follow Him, but the man, sorrowful, goes away because, as the text says, “he had great possessions” (v. 23). It costs to leave everything.

We can see the two movements of this man: at the beginning he runs, to go to Jesus; at the end, though, he goes away sorrowful, he goes away sad. First, he runs towards, and then he goes away. Let us dwell on this.

First of all, this man goes to Jesus running. It is as if something in his heart urges him on: in fact, although he has many riches, he is dissatisfied, he feels restlessness inside, he is searching for a fuller life. As the sick and the possessed often do (cf. Mk 3:10; 5:6), we see this in the Gospel, he throws himself at the Master's feet; he is rich, yet in need of healing. He is rich but needs to be healed. Jesus looks at him with love (v. 21); then, He proposes a “therapy”: to sell everything he has, give it to the poor and follow Him. But, at this point, comes an unexpected conclusion: this man’s face falls and he goes away! So great and impetuous was his desire to meet Jesus; how cold and swift was his farewell.

We, too, carry in our hearts an irrepressible need for happiness and for a life full of meaning; however, we can fall into the illusion of thinking that the answer is found in the possession of material things and earthly securities. Instead, Jesus wants to bring us back to the truth of our desires and to make us discover that, in reality, the goodness we yearn for is God Himself, His love for us and the eternal life that He and He only can give us. The true wealth is to be looked upon with love by the Lord – this is a great wealth – and, as Jesus does with that man, to love each other by making our life a gift for others. Brothers and sisters, therefore, Jesus invites us to risk, to “risk love”: to sell everything to give it to the poor, which means divesting ourselves of the self and our false securities, making ourselves attentive to those who are in need and sharing our possessions, not just things, but what we are: our talents, our friendship, our time, and so on.

Brothers and sisters, that rich man did not want to risk, to risk what? He did not want to risk love, and he went away with a sad face. And us? Let us ask ourselves: what is our heart attached to? How do we satiate our hunger for life and happiness? Do we know how to share with those who are poor, with those who are in difficulty or in need of listening, of a smile, of a word to help them regain hope? Or who need to be listened to… Let us remember this: the true wealth is not the goods of this world, the true wealth is being loved by God, and learning to love like Him.

And now let us ask for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, so that she may help us discover in Jesus the treasure of life.

Dear brothers and sisters!

I continue to follow with concern what is happening in the Middle East, and I ask once again for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts. Let us pursue the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace.

I am close to all the populations involved, in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon, where I ask the United Nations peacekeeping forces to be respected. I pray for all the victims, for the displaced, for the hostages whom I hope will soon be released, and I hope that this great pointless suffering, engendered by hatred and revenge, will end soon.

Brothers and sisters, war is an illusion, it is a defeat: it will never lead to peace, it will never lead to security, it is a defeat for all, especially for those who believe themselves invincible. Stop, please!

I appeal for the Ukrainians not to be left to freeze to death; stop the air strikes against the civilian population, always the most affected. Stop the killing of innocent people!

I am following the dramatic situation in Haiti, where violence continues against the population, forced to flee from their own homes in search of safety elsewhere, inside and outside the country. Let us never forget our Haitian brothers and sisters. I ask everyone to pray for an end to all forms of violence and, with the commitment of the international community, to continue working to build peace and reconciliation in the country, always defending the dignity and rights of all.

Next Friday, 18 October, the “Aid to the Suffering Church” Foundation is organizing the initiative “One million children praying the Rosary for peace in the world”. Thank you to all the boys and girls who are participating! Let us join with them and entrust to the intercession of Our Lady – today is the anniversary of her final apparition in Fatima – let us entrust to the intercession of Our Lady tormented Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan and the other populations who suffer because of war and any form of violence and misery.

I wish everyone a good Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci!

13.10.24