The Trinity is Saving Love for a Broken World: Pope Francis

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square Feb. 26, 2020. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, 07 June, 2020 / 5:16 pm (ACI Africa).

The Holy Trinity is saving love in a world filled with corruption, evil, and the sinfulness of men and women, Pope Francis said Sunday.

In his weekly address before the Angelus prayer June 7, the pope said though God created a good and beautiful world, after the fall “the world is marked by evil and corruption.”

“We men and women are sinners, all of us,” he continued, speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“God could intervene to judge the world, to destroy evil and chastise sinners. Instead, He loves the world, despite its sins; God loves each of us even when we make mistakes and turn away from him,” he said.

Pope Francis reflected on the feast of the Holy Trinity and the words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“These words indicate that the action of the three divine Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is all one single plan of love that saves humanity and the world,” he stated.

The pope pointed to the great love of God the Father, who, to save sinners, sent his Son and the Holy Spirit.

“The Trinity is therefore Love, all at the service of the world, which he wishes to save and recreate.”

“God loves me. This is the sentiment of today,” he underlined.

According to Francis, to live a Christian life means welcoming God-Love, encountering Him, searching for Him, and placing Him first in our lives.

“May the Virgin Mary, dwelling-place of the Trinity, help us to welcome with an open heart the love of God, which fills us with joy and gives meaning to our journey in this world, always guiding us towards our destination, which is Heaven,” he prayed.

After praying the traditional Marian prayer, Pope Francis addressed those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, noting that their “small presence” was a sign that “the acute phase” of the coronavirus pandemic is over in Italy.

When people broke into applause at the words, the pope warned that they should not declare “victory” too early, and everyone should continue to follow the health and safety regulations in place.

He also noted that some countries are still deeply affected by the coronavirus and continue to have many deaths.

There is one country, he said, where on Friday “one person died per minute. Terrible!”

The pope appeared to be referencing Brazil, where on June 5, an editorial on the front page of the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper said COVID-19 is “killing a Brazilian per minute,” after the country recorded 1,473 deaths in 24 hours.

According to the John Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard, Brazil has the second-most cases of the coronavirus in the world after the United States with nearly 673,000 confirmed cases. Brazil is third in the world for deaths, with almost 36,000 recorded as of Sunday.

“I wish to express my closeness to those populations, to the sick and their families, and to all those who care for them,” Francis said.

He concluded by pointing to the Church’s dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June. He asked everyone to repeat with him an old prayer he was taught by his grandmother: “Jesus, make my heart like unto thine.”

“Indeed, the human and divine Heart of Jesus is the wellspring where we can always draw upon God’s mercy, forgiveness and tenderness,” he said, encouraging everyone to focus on the love of Jesus.

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“And we can do this by adoring the Eucharist, where this love is present in the Sacrament. Then our heart too, little by little, will become more patient, more generous, more merciful,” he said.

Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.