Pope Francis says "The Holy House of Loreto reminds us that wherever we are, we have a home that preserves our Christian roots..." FULL TEXT - Video
GREETING OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
Air Force ITALIAN,
AT THE END OF THE JUBILEE Loreto
St. Peter's Basilica - Friday, 10 December 2021
(2nd Video below FULL Holy Mass)
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Dear friends of the Italian Air Force!
I come to greet you at the end of the celebration with which you concluded the Lauretan Jubilee, which for the whole Church will close this afternoon in Loreto. I greet the Chief of Staff and the Military Ordinary Archbishop; I greet all of you present here and your colleagues working in Italy and abroad, as well as your family members.
Each jubilee, according to the ancient biblical tradition, reminds us that we are pilgrims in this world: that we are not "masters" of the earth - much less of heaven - but we are entrusted with cultivating and preserving this "garden" in which God has us. places.
This Jubilee, on the centenary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Loreto as "Patroness of all aeronauts" (Decree of Benedict XV, March 24, 1920), reminded us that God also created heaven for us. Contemplating the sky opens us to boundless spaces; it makes us feel small and at the same time "thought about", "remembered" by the One who created the universe (cf. Psalm 8), a reality that never ceases to amaze us as we discover it with ever more powerful instruments of observation. Millions and millions, a thousand million years are behind us!
The sky reminds us that we are also made to fly, not so much in the material sense, but above all in the spiritual one. We are children of a Father who tells us: "Be holy because I am holy". Which is to say: fly high! Do not follow your selfishness which leads you to close yourself; open yourselves to God, open yourselves to others, give space to gratuitousness, service, magnanimity, and your life will take flight.
To you, in particular, who are soldiers of the Air Force, I wish to give space to these values in the daily performance of your duties, but first of all in your personal life, so that there is unity between what you are and what you do. For you, "flying high" means being peacemakers, serving peace both in airborne missions and in ground services, both at home and abroad, in conflict zones. The Holy House of Loreto reminds us that wherever we are, we have a home that preserves our Christian roots; and we have a Mother who watches over us. The house is the Church and the Mother is Mary. From her we learn above all humility, which is the way that leads to Heaven.
Dear friends, I thank you for this visit, for this meeting. May the grace of the Lauretan Jubilee accompany you and continue to bear fruit in your life. And please I ask you to pray for me. Thank you.
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