This was the atmosphere in the Vatican during Wednesday’s General Audience.
During the catechesis, Pope Leo XIV warned young people about the dangers that hyper-connectivity can create in today’s world.
POPE LEO XIV
Our world is permeated by a climate of violence and hatred that mortifies human dignity. We live in a society that is becoming ill due to a kind of “bulimia” of social media connections: we are hyper-connected, bombarded with images—sometimes even false or distorted. We are overwhelmed by countless messages that stir within us a storm of contradictory emotions.
Pope Leo XIV explained to the faithful gathered the meaning of the word “Ephphatha”—an expression Jesus used to heal a deaf and mute man.
POPE LEO XIV
Mark records the word in Aramaic, “Ephphatha,” almost to let us feel the sound and breath of it “live.” This simple and beautiful word carries the invitation that Jesus gives to this man who had stopped hearing and speaking. It’s as if Jesus were saying: “Open yourself to this world that frightens you! Open yourself to the relationships that have disappointed you! Open yourself to the life you’ve given up facing!” Closing oneself off, in fact, is never a solution.
This happened to also the Pope’s first General Audience after the summer break.
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Trans. CRT
