the person and is always ready to forgive errors. We know that God always forgives. And he invites us to do likewise: not to look for evil in others, but the good. After our gaze, today Jesus invites us to reflect on our speech. The Lord explains that “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (v. 45). It is true, from the way a person speaks, you can tell straight away what is in their heart. The words we use say who we are. At times, though, we pay scarce attention to our words and we use them superficially. But words carry weight: they enable us to express thoughts and feelings, to give voice to the fears we have and the plans we intend to realize, to bless God and others. Unfortunately, however, through our tongue we can also feed prejudices, raise barriers, attack and even destroy; we can destroy our brothers and sisters with our words. Gossip hurts and slander can be sharper than a knife! These days, especially in the digital world, words travel fast; but too many of them convey anger and aggression, feed false news and take advantage of collective fears to propagate distorted ideas. A diplomat, who was Secretary General of the United Nations, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, said that “to misuse the word is to show contempt for man” (D. Hammarskjöld, Markings, 1955, 112). Let us then ask ourselves what type of words we use: words that express care, respect, understanding, closeness, compassion, or words that aim mainly to make us look good in front of others? And then, do we speak mildly or do we pollute the world by spreading venom: criticizing, complaining, feeding widespread aggression? May Our Lady, Mary, whose humility was seen by God, Virgin of silence to whom we now pray, help us purify our gaze and our speech. Excerpt from the Angelus Address given by His Holiness Pope Francis on March 6, 2022 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2022/documents/20220306-angelus.html Picture: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/pope-francis-unique Coat of Arms: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en.html Picture: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/whats-fig-tree-anyway Except from “The Power of One”: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/power-one "God does not look for big things- He looks for how much love we put in the giving". St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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