The Evangelical Pope | Upholding the Wonder of Life

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Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               ¹⁷ “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

               __ Jeremiah 32:17 (New International Version)

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Jeremiah 32:17 in all English translations

Innsbruck, Austria – 27 June 1992 | A decent homeland means more than clean air, clear water, and healthy soil.

Home, which each of us longs for, grows where people are good to one another and stand up for one another, tolerate one another even in their weaknesses, where there is time for a trusting conversation, where one is prepared to forgive.

Home means responsible design of the community of residence and the place of work, attentive care for Sundays and public holidays, cultivating hospitality, neighborly help, and political culture. Such an experience of home can even become a premonition of our eternal home.

When it runs deep, our understanding of the homeland includes a profound respect for human dignity. It begins with the unwavering value we place on human life. When society falters in this regard, it becomes crucial to uphold the right to life in the name of God and human dignity.

At the other end of our earthly journey, the dignity of the elderly, the sick, and the dying is entrusted to us all as protection and responsibility. But guest workers and foreigners, the disabled and marginalized people, those who have stumbled, and sinners are also entitled to have their primary, lasting dignity recognized.

When we view the structural unemployment problem through the lens of a 'decent homeland,' it becomes clear that we should expect the solidarity of those better off. This collective responsibility is crucial in creating a society where everyone can thrive.

Excerpted from:

PASTORALBESUCH IN ÖSTERREICH, HL. MESSE FÜR DIE GLÄUBIGEN DER DIÖZESEN, INNSBRUCK UND FELDKIRCH IM «BERGISEL STADION» PREDIGT VON JOHANNES PAUL II, Innsbruck - Montag, 27. Juni 1988

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/de/homilies/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19880627_innsbruck.html