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Pope Francis’ address to the members of the “Sant’Angela Merici” Foundation of Syracuse
Clementine Hall – Saturday, 6 April 2024
The Foundation exists to express in concrete gestures the tears wept by the Blessed Virgin Mary
and at the same time, her maternal desire to dry the tears of her children.
The Weeping Madonna of Syracuse is one of the most unusual and most recent of the approved miraculous images of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The image above is a print of a plaque, of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; the plaque was mass-produced in Tuscany, Italy and shipped to Syracuse for retail sale.
One of the plaques was bought as a wedding gift. After After hanging in the modest home of the Iannusos,
the picture unexpectedly and miraculously shed tears for four days..
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am pleased to meet you and I thank you for being here, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Sant’Angela Merici Foundation of Syracuse which, continuing the inspiration and commitment of Msgr. Gozzo, daily places itself at the service of the most vulnerable.
Your history, and all that you do with generosity in the various operational centers is rooted in that event that marked the city of Syracuse when, in 1953, in the home of the Iannusos, a painting of the Madonna began to weep. They are the tears of Mary, our Mother, the Heavenly Mother, for the sufferings and sorrows of her children. Mary weeps for her suffering children. They are tears that tell us of God’s compassion for us all. We need to reflect on this: God’s compassion. In fact, He gave to all of us His Mother, who weeps our own tears so that we do not feel alone in difficult moments. At the same time, through the tears of the Blessed Virgin, the Lord wants to soften our hearts, which are sometimes dried up by indifference and hardened by selfishness. The Lord wants to make our consciences sensitive, so that we can be touched by the pain of our brothers and sisters and be moved to compassion for them, committing ourselves to lift them up, support them, accompany them.
This is the richness of your history, these are the roots that you must not forget, and above all, this is the meaning of your work.
In fact, through its daily work, which combines professionalism and a spirit of sacrifice, the Foundation exists to express in concrete gestures the tears shed by the Virgin Mary and, at the same time, her maternal desire to wipe away the tears of her children.
And you, brothers and sisters, try to do just that: to wipe away the tears of those who suffer, to accompany those who are in pain, to stand beside the weakest in society, to take care of the most vulnerable, to welcome and accommodate those who live in situations of particular fragility.
Brothers and sisters, the service you offer is precious, and I would like to say this: the source of your work is the Gospel. Remain attached to this source!
Let us not forget this: The Gospel is the source because Jesus was the first to be deeply touched by the suffering of those he met and, as the Evangelist John reminds us “He was deeply moved” (Jn 11:33) by the death of his friend Lazarus.
At the same time, you are a living witness to this Gospel, to the compassion of Jesus, when you strive to accompany those who are suffering, as the Lord commanded his disciples to do when they saw the hungry, exhausted and oppressed crowds.
For Jesus asks us never to separate love of God from love of our neighbor, especially the poorest.
Jesus reminds us that in the end we will not be judged on outward practices but on our love – the love that, like the oil of consolation, we will have been able to pour on the wounds of our brothers and sisters.
He says: “”Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).
Dear friends, I encourage you to continue with your journey.
And I ask of you for a grace which is the most important of all: the grace to know how to be moved,
the ability to cry with those who cry.
The indifference, the individualism that closes us off from the fate of those around us, and the anaesthesia of the heart that no longer moves us in the face of the dramas of daily life, these three things are the worst evils of our society.
Please, do not be ashamed to cry, to feel emotion for those who suffer; do not be afraid to show compassion for those who are fragile, because Jesus is present in them.
Go forth! And do not be discouraged. On the contrary, be grateful if your work remains hidden and requires a silent daily sacrifice.
The good that is done to those who cannot repay it spreads in a surprising and unexpected way.
It is like a small seed hidden in the ground that sooner or later will bring forth a new life.
May Our Lady of Tears protect you, keep you and intercede for you.
And, please, do not forget to pray for me.
