Sunday, March 31, 2013

For the city and the world


This morning at 10:15am local time in Rome, the Holy Father presided at the Mass for the day of the Resurrection of the Lord.  The Mass took place in Saint Peter's Square and about 250,000 faithful were present, including Roman citizens and other pilgrims from all parts of the world who are visiting in the Eternal City for Easter.

The liturgy began with the Rite of Resurrexit (the opening of the Icon of the Resurrection), but according to tradition, the Holy Father does not preach the homily during the Mass of Easter Sunday since he presents his Urbi et Orbi message after the completion of the liturgy.


At noon local time in Rome, at the conclusion of the Easter Day Mass, the Holy Father moved to the central balcony, above the main doors of Saint Peter's Basilica, from where he pronounced his Urbi et Orbi message: greetings which traditionally have been issued on this day by the Holy Father, addressed to the people gathered in Saint Peter's Square, and transmitted via radio and television to all corners of the globe (thus the name of the greeting: to the City and the World).

Here is the English-language translation of the Holy Father's message:


Message of the Holy Father Francis
on the occasion of his
Urbi et Orbi Blessing


Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons…

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs!

We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.

This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14).

So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.

And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.

Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?

Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.

Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! May the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.

Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’ (Ps 117:1-2).


Greeting
Dear Brothers and Sisters, to you who have come from all over the world to this Square at the heart of Christianity, and to you linked by modern technology, I repeat my greeting: Happy Easter!

Bear in your families and in your countries the message of joy, hope and peace which every year, on this day, is powerfully renewed.

May the risen Lord, the conqueror of sin and death, be a support to you all, especially to the weakest and neediest. Thank you for your presence and for the witness of your faith. A thought and a special thank-you for the beautiful flowers, which come from the Netherlands. To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace.

With catechumens from around the world

At 8:30pm local time in Rome last night, the Holy Father presided at the celebration of the Easter Vigil inside Saint Peter's Basilica.  The blessing of the Easter fire took place in the entrance to the Basilica (inside the first set of doors), and there the Paschal candle was prepared, blessed and lit.  Led by the illuminated Paschal candle, the procession then made its way in the darkness toward the high altar of Saint Peter's, and then the Exultet was chanted by one of the deacons.

Next, the Liturgy of the Word was proclaimed in various languages, and after the homily, the Holy Father initiated four adults (through Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist) who are from Italy, Albania, Russia and the United States of America.

 
Homily of the Holy Father Francis
for the Paschal Vigil

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

1. In the Gospel of this radiant night of the Easter Vigil, we first meet the women who go the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, a traditional act of affection and love for a dear departed person, just as we would. They had followed Jesus, they had listened to his words, they had felt understood by him in their dignity and they had accompanied him to the very end, to Calvary and to the moment when he was taken down from the cross. We can imagine their feelings as they make their way to the tomb: a certain sadness, sorrow that Jesus had left them, he had died, his life had come to an end. Life would now go on as before. Yet the women continued to feel love, the love for Jesus which now led them to his tomb. But at this point, something completely new and unexpected happens, something which upsets their hearts and their plans, something which will upset their whole life: they see the stone removed from before the tomb, they draw near and they do not find the Lord’s body. It is an event which leaves them perplexed, hesitant, full of questions: "What happened?", "What is the meaning of all this?" (cf. Lk 24:4). Doesn’t the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don’t understand, we don’t know what to do. Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God’s surprises. Dear brothers and sisters, we are afraid of God’s surprises! He always surprises us! The Lord is like that.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.

2. But let us return to the Gospel, to the women, and take one step further. They find the tomb empty, the body of Jesus is not there, something new has happened, but all this still doesn’t tell them anything certain: it raises questions; it leaves them confused, without offering an answer. And suddenly there are two men in dazzling clothes who say: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; but has risen" (Lk 24:5-6). What was a simple act, done surely out of love – going to the tomb – has now turned into an event, a truly life-changing event. Nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of those women, but also in our own lives and in the history of mankind. Jesus is not dead, he has risen, he is alive! He does not simply return to life; rather, he is life itself, because he is the Son of God, the living God (cf. Num 14:21-28;Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10). Jesus no longer belongs to the past, but lives in the present and is projected towards the future; Jesus is the everlasting "today" of God. This is how the newness of God appears to the women, the disciples and all of us: as victory over sin, evil and death, over everything that crushes life and makes it seem less human. And this is a message meant for me and for you dear sister, for you dear brother. How often does Love have to tell us: Why do you look for the living among the dead? Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness... and that is where death is. That is not the place to look for the One who is alive!

Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.

3. There is one last little element that I would like to emphasize in the Gospel for this Easter Vigil. The women encounter the newness of God. Jesus has risen, he is alive! But faced with empty tomb and the two men in brilliant clothes, their first reaction is one of fear: "they were terrified and bowed their faced to the ground", Saint Luke tells us – they didn’t even have courage to look. But when they hear the message of the Resurrection, they accept it in faith. And the two men in dazzling clothes tell them something of crucial importance: remember. "Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee… And they remembered his words" (Lk 24:6,8). This is the invitation to remember their encounter with Jesus, to remember his words, his actions, his life; and it is precisely this loving remembrance of their experience with the Master that enables the women to master their fear and to bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and all the others (cf. Lk24:9). To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future. May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives.

On this radiant night, let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who treasured all these events in her heart (cf.Lk 2:19,51) and ask the Lord to give us a share in his Resurrection. May he open us to the newness that transforms, to the beautiful surprises of God. May he make us men and women capable of remembering all that he has done in our own lives and in the history of our world. May he help us to feel his presence as the one who is alive and at work in our midst. And may he teach us each day, dear brothers and sisters, not to look among the dead for the Living One. Amen.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

He is risen!



Homily for the Easter Vigil
(and with modifications, for Easter Day)

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

My dearest friends, standing with me here in this holy light, together we have journeyed through the first two parts of the Easter Triduum, and now we are in the midst of celebrating the great joy of good news: the news that He who washed the feet of his disciples, He who broke bread and commanded us to do the same, He who suffered and died on the cross is risen!  This news was proclaimed to the women who went to the tomb early on that first Easter morning.  Their initial response was disbelief; if someone had stolen the body and hidden it, then all the talk about resurrection would have been in vain, and any hopes they may have carried in their hearts would have been crushed, yet the words they heard, the truth they discovered must have filled their hearts with excitement and joy, for they went immediately to the place where the disciples were, and announced the good news to them.  At some level, the women must have believed what they had heard and seen at the empty tomb - that he was risen - otherwise they would never have dared to speak.

At some level, we too must believe this good news.  Otherwise, I for one am living a life in vain, but all around us, there are signs of God’s love made known to us in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.  This gospel that we preach is a truth that has been unfolding since the beginning of created time.  It includes the moment when the faith of Abraham (who we refer to as our Father in faith) was tested, even to the point of being asked to sacrifice his own son.  The good news of God’s love for us was again made known when Moses led the Israelite people through the waters of the Red Sea, out of slavery and into the Promised Land. 

The God who created the universe, who tested Abraham, and who led his people out of slavery has given us the gift of water with which we satisfy our deepest thirst.  The water of life which we receive from God slakes our physical thirst, but also our spiritual thirst for his love, for his compassion, for his mercy.

Dear friends, we are here together in this church tonight, not because of anything we ourselves have accomplished; on the contrary, despite our best intentions and efforts, Jesus has already died once for all.  He has already risen, and in the light of his resurrection, we have the promise of everlasting life.  This is the reason we are here tonight (today).  This is the reason for our faith.  This is the reason why we must love with all our hearts: because before we could even fathom the meaning of love, God has loved us eternally.

Our journey of faith leads us to discover the true depth of this divine love.  This journey begins on the day of our baptism.  On that day, we are united with Jesus in a death like his, and the graces given through baptism continue to unfold throughout our entire lives.  Each of the Sacraments that we celebrate is another manifestation of this love so freely given for each of us.  Tonight, catechumens from all corners of the earth, who have had the awareness of faith awakened within them will approach the font of grace and be baptised with life-giving water.  Through the boundless love of our God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them, and they will be sealed with the gifts of this same Spirit as we mark their foreheads with the Chrism of salvation.  Like all those who approach the altar during this celebration, they will receive the bread of life and drink from the cup of salvation.

We human beings need these tangible, visible signs to remind us of the great gift of God’s love.  They help us to strengthen our faith, to run like Peter did to the tomb when we have our doubts, to listen in faith to the words that were announced to the women in the early hours of that first Easter morning: He is risen!  He is not here!  Even those of us who have heard these words whispered in our ears time and time again still return to the empty tomb, searching for evidence, but the only evidence we will find is the linen cloths, lifeless reminders of the love Jesus demonstrated to us when he washed the disciples feet, and the same startling words that were spoken to the women, the words that made it possible for them to come to believe.

Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here.  He is risen.  Alleluia!

Virtually present


This afternoon, Holy Saturday, there was a special moment of veneration for the Shroud of Turin, held in the Cathedral of that city.  The liturgy which took place at this moment (which has only just been concluded at the time of writing this post) was trasmitted by television courtesy of RAI Uno worldwide beginning at 5:15pm local time in Rome and ending at 6:40 (11:15am - 12:40pm EDT).

This is a special initiative organized during the Year of Faith, and at the invitation of the organizing committee the Holy Father Francis recorded a video messaage, the text of which is provided here:




Message of the Holy Father
for the Veneration of the Shoud of Turin
Broadcast on RAI Uno

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I join all of you gathered before the Holy Shroud, and I thank the Lord who, through modern technology, offers us this possibility.

Even if it takes place in this way, we do not merely look, but rather we venerate by a prayerful gaze. I would go further: we are in fact looked upon ourselves. This face has eyes that are closed, it is the face of one who is dead, and yet mysteriously he is watching us, and in silence he speaks to us. How is this possible? How is it that the faithful, like you, pause before this icon of a man scourged and crucified? It is because the Man of the Shroud invites us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image, impressed upon the cloth, speaks to our heart and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of the Cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love.

Let us therefore allow ourselves to be reached by this look, which is directed not to our eyes but to our hearts. In silence, let us listen to what he has to say to us from beyond death itself. By means of the Holy Shroud, the unique and supreme Word of God comes to us: Love made man, incarnate in our history; the merciful love of God who has taken upon himself all the evil of the world to free us from its power. This disfigured face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life which does not respect their dignity, by war and violence which afflict the weakest… And yet, at the same time, the face in the Shroud conveys a great peace; this tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty. It is as if it let a restrained but powerful energy within it shine through, as if to say: have faith, do not lose hope; the power of the love of God, the power of the Risen One overcomes all things.

So, looking upon the Man of the Shroud, I make my own the prayer which Saint Francis of Assisi prayed before the Crucifix:
Most High, glorious God,
enlighten the shadows of my heart,
and grant me a right faith, a certain hope and perfect charity,
sense and understanding, Lord,
so that I may accomplish your holy and true command. Amen.

Friday, March 29, 2013

In judging us, God loves us

At the conclusion of the Via Crucis celebrated tonight in the Colosseum in Rome, the Holy Father Francis spoke a few words to the gathered faithful.


His Holiness said that the cross reveals a judgement, namely that God, in judging us, loves us ... If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned not by him, but by my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.

The texts for the Stations of the Cross were written this year by Lebanese young people under the guidance of Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Maronite Church.


Pope Francis concluded the ceremony thanking those who had participated, and those who accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and elderly.

I do not wish to add too many words, he continued. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. In judging us, he loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.


He said that the word of the Cross is also Christians' answer to evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did. 
We now continue this Via Crucis in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness. Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus, who loves us so much. Who is all love.

Pope Francis' first Vatican Passion

At 5:00pm local time in Rome today the Holy Father Francis presided at the celebration of the Passion of the Lord in the Vatican Basilica. As in all other places where this liturgy was celebrated today, the Passion of Our Lord according to Saint John was recounted.  In the case of the Vatican celebration, the Preacher of the Papal Household, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. then shaed the following reflection:


Homily shared by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap.
Preacher of the Papal Household
for the celebration of the Passion of the Lord, Vatican Basilica

Justified as a gift through faith in the Blood of Christ


“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith in his blood. He did this to show his righteousness [...] to prove at the present time that he is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus”(Rom 3:23-26).

We have reached the summit of the Year of Faith and its decisive moment. This is the faith that saves, "faith that overcomes the world" (1 Jn 5:5)! Faith – the appropriation by which we make ours the salvation worked by Christ, by which we put on the mantle of his righteousness. On the one hand there is the outstretched hand of God offering man His grace; on the other hand, the hand of man reaching out to receive it through faith. The "new and everlasting Covenant" is sealed with a handclasp between God and man.

We have the opportunity to make, on this day, the most important decision of our lives, one that opens wide before us the doors of eternity: to believe! To believe that "Jesus died for our sins and rose again for our justification" (Rom 4:25)! In an Easter homily of the 4thcentury, the bishop pronounced these extraordinarily modern, and one could say existentialist, words: “For every man, the beginning of life is when Christ was immolated for him. However, Christ is immolated for him at the moment he recognizes the grace and becomes conscious of the life procured for him by that immolation” (The Paschal Homily of the Year 387 : SCh, 36 p. 59f.).

What an extraordinary thing! This Good Friday celebrated in the Year of Faith and in the presence of the new successor of Peter, could be, if we wish, the principle of a new kind of existence. Bishop Hilary of Poitiers, converted to Christianity as an adult, looking back on his past life, said, "before meeting you, I did not exist".

What is required is only that we do not hide from the presence of God, as Adam and Eve did after their sin, that we recognize our need to be justified; that we cannot justify ourselves. The publican of the parable came to the temple and made a short prayer: "O God, have mercy on me a sinner". And Jesus says that the man returned to his home "justified", that is, made right before him, forgiven, made a new creature, I think singing joyfully in his heart (Lk 18:14). What had he done that was so extraordinary? Nothing, he had put himself in the truth before God, and it is the only thing that God needs in order to act.

 
Like he who, in climbing a mountain wall, having overcome a dangerous step, stops for a moment to catch his breath and admire the new landscape that has opened up before him, so does the Apostle Paul at the beginning of Chapter 5 of the letter to the Romans, after having proclaimed justification by faith:

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5: 1-5).

Today, from artificial satellites infrared photographs of whole regions of the Earth and of the whole planet are taken. How different the landscape looks when seen from up there, in the light of those rays, compared to what we see in natural light and from down here! I remember one of the first satellite pictures published in the world; it reproduced the entire Sinai Peninsula. The colors were different, the reliefs and depressions were more noticeable. It is a symbol. Even human life, seen in the infrared rays of faith, from atop Calvary, looks different from what you see "with the naked eye".

"The same fate”, said the wise man of the Old Testament, “comes to all, to the righteous and to the wicked...I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well"(Ecc 3:16; 9:2). And in fact at all times man has witnessed iniquity triumphant and innocence humiliated. But so that people do not believe that there is something fixed and sure in the world, behold, Bossuet notes, sometimes you see the opposite, namely, innocence on the throne and lawlessness on the scaffold. But what did Qoheleth conclude from all this? " I said in my heart: God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for everything" (Ecc 3:17). He found the vantage point that puts the soul in peace.

What Qoheleth could not know and that we do know is that this judgement has already happened: "Now”, Jesus says when beginning his passion, “is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself"(Jn 12:31-32).

In Christ dead and risen, the world has reached its final destination. Human progress is advancing today at a dizzying pace and humanity sees new and unexpected horizons unfolding before it, the result of its discoveries. Still, it can be said that the end of time has already come, because in Christ, who ascended to the right hand of the Father, humanity has reached its ultimate goal. The new heavens and new Earth have already begun.

Despite all the misery, injustice, the monstrosities present on Earth, he has already inaugurated the final order in the world. What we see with our own eyes may suggest otherwise, but in reality evil and death have been defeated forever. Their sources are dry; the reality is that Jesus is the Lord of the world. Evil has been radically defeated by redemption which he operated. The new world has already begun.

One thing above all appears different, seen with the eyes of faith: death! Christ entered death as we enter a dark prison; but he came out of it from the opposite wall. He did not return from whence he came, as Lazarus did who returned to life to die again. He has opened a breach towards life that no one can ever close, and through which everyone can follow him. Death is no longer a wall against which every human hope is shattered; it has become a bridge to eternity. A "bridge of sighs", perhaps because no one likes to die, but a bridge, no longer a bottomless pit that swallows everything. "Love is strong as death", says the song of songs (Sgs 8:6). In Christ it was stronger than death!

In his "Ecclesiastical History of the English People", the Venerable Bede tells how the Christian faith made its entrance into the North of England. When the missionaries from Rome arrived in Northumberland, the local King summoned a Council of dignitaries to decide whether to allow them, or not, to spread the new message. Some of those present were in favor, others against. It was winter and outside there was a blizzard, but the room was lit and warm. At one point a bird came from a hole in the wall, fluttered a bit, frightened, in the hall, and then disappeared through a hole in the opposite wall.

Then one of those present rose and said: "Sire, our life in this world resembles that bird. We come we know not from where, for a while we enjoy the light and warmth of this world and then we disappear back into the darkness, without knowing where we are going. If these men are capable of revealing to us something of the mystery of our lives, we must listen to them". The Christian faith could return on our continent and in the secularized world for the same reason it made its entrance: as the only message, that is, which has a sure answer to the great questions of life and death.



The cross separates unbelievers from believers, because for the ones it is scandal and madness, for the others is God's power and wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 1:23-24); but in a deeper sense it unites all men, believers and unbelievers. "Jesus had to die [...] not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God"(cf. Jn 11:51f). The new heavens and the new Earth belong to everyone and are for everyone, because Christ died for everyone.

The urgency that comes from all this is that of evangelizing: "The love of Christ urges us, at the thought that one has died for all" (2 Cor 5:14). It urges us to evangelize! Let us announce to the world the good news that "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because the law of the spirit which gives life in Christ Jesus has delivered us from the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:1-2).

There is a short story by Franz Kafka that is a powerful religious symbol and takes on a new meaning, almost prophetic, when heard on Good Friday. It's titled "An Imperial Message". It speaks of a king who, on his deathbed, calls to his side a subject and whispers a message into his ear. So important is that message that he makes the subject repeat it, in turn, into his hear. Then, with a nod, he sends off the messenger, who sets out on his way. But let us hear directly from the author the continuation of this story, characterized by the dreamlike and almost nightmarish tone typical of this writer:

"Now pushing with his right arm, now with his left, he cleaves a way for himself through the throng; if he encounters resistance he points to his breast, where the symbol of the sun glitters. But the multitudes are so vast; their numbers have no end.  If he could reach the open fields how fast he would fly, and soon doubtless you would hear the welcome hammering of his fists on your door.  But instead how vainly does he wear out his strength; still he is only making his way through the chambers of the innermost palace; never will he get to the end of them; and if he succeeded in that nothing would be gained; he must next fight his way down the stair; and if he succeeded in that nothing would be gained; the courts would still have to be crossed; and after the courts the second outer palace; and so on for thousands of years; and if at last he should burst through the outermost gate—but never, never can that happen—the imperial capital would lie before him, the center of the world, crammed to bursting with its own sediment.  Nobody could fight his way through here even with a message from a dead man.  But you sit at your window when evening falls and dream it to yourself”.

From his deathbed, Christ also confided to his Church a message: "Go throughout the whole world, preach the good news to all creation" (MK 16:15). There are still many men who stand at the window and dream, without knowing it, of a message like his. John, whom we have just heard, says that the soldier pierced the side of Christ on the cross "so that the Scripture may be fulfilled which says 'they shall look on him whom they have pierced"(Jn 19:37). In the Apocalypse he adds: "Behold, he is coming on the clouds, and every eye will see him; they will see him even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the Earth will lament for him "(Rev 1:7).

This prophecy does not annouce the last coming of Christ, when it will no longer be the time of conversion, but of judgment. It describes the reality of the evangelization of the peoples. In it, a mysterious but real coming of the Lord occurs, which brings salvation to them. Theirs won't be a cry of despair, but of repentance and of consolation. This is the meaning of that prophetic passage of Scripture that John sees realized in the piercing of the side of Christ, and that is, the passage of Zechariah 12:10: "I will pour out on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and consolation; they will look to me, to him whom they have pierced".

The evangelization has a mystical origin; it is a gift that comes from the cross of Christ, from that open side, from that blood and from that water. The love of Christ, like that of the Trinity of which it is the historical manifestation, is "diffusivum sui", it tends to expand and reach all creatures, "especially those most needy of thy mercy." Christian evangelization is not a conquest, not propaganda; it is the gift of God to the world in his Son Jesus. It is to give the Head the joy of feeling life flow from his heart towards his body, to the point of vivivfying its most distant limbs.

We must do everything possible so that the Church may never look like that complicated and cluttered castle described by Kafka, and the message may come out of it as free and joyous as when the messenger began his run. We know what the impediments are that can restrain the messenger: dividing walls, starting with those that separate the various Christian churches from one another, the excess of bureaucracy, the residue of past ceremonials, laws and disputes, now only debris.

In Revelation, Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks (Rev 3:20). Sometimes, as noted by our Pope Francis, he does not knock to enter, but knocks from within to go out. To reach out to the "existential suburbs of sin, suffering, injustice, religious ignorance and indifference, and of all forms of misery."

As happens with certain old buildings. Over the centuries, to adapt to the needs of the moment, they become filled with partitions, staircases, rooms and closets. The time comes when we realize that all these adjustments no longer meet the current needs, but rather are an obstacle, so we must have the courage to knock them down and return the building to the simplicity and linearity of its origins. This was the mission that was received one day by a man who prayed before the Crucifix of San Damiano: "Go, Francis, and repair my Church".

"Who could ever be up to this task?" wondered aghast the Apostle before the superhuman task of being in the world "the fragrance of Christ"; and here is his reply, that still applies today: "We're not ourselves able to think something as if it came from us; our ability comes from God. He has made us to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; because the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life"(2 Cor 2:16; 3:5-6).

May the Holy Spirit, in this moment in which a new time is opening for the Church, full of hope, reawaken in men who are at the window the expectancy of the message, and in the messengers the will to make it reach them, even at the cost of their life.

The ultimate act of love



He did not open his mouth
Homily for the Passion of the Lord
Crucifixion is nasty business.  It’s a method of torture that still exists today, although we don’t hear much about it being employed.  It was the method of choice employed by Romans to inflict justice upon all those who dared to oppose them: an effective means of making their point.  Romans and non-Romans alike were very familiar with crucifixion, usually reserved for bandits, but the crucifixion we remember today was not inflicted upon a criminal – and that’s what makes this day, this act so memorable.

Since the time of the prophet Isaiah, and even before, the Jewish people have known that the servant of the Lord would be called to a life of suffering.  Belief in a God who speaks a promise of life in the face of death, belief in a God who speaks of mercy in the face of torture, belief in a God who speaks of love, even in the face of derision … belief in such a God has always been understood to bring with it a response of disbelief and challenge because a world that is based on competition and power is often threatened by the potential power of forgiveness.

Today is a day in which actions speak much louder than any words ever could.  He who had celebrated the Jewish Passover meal with his closest friends in the Upper Room, and then surprised them by washing their feet and speaking to them about love and forgiveness found himself having to model such behavior only hours later.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, he had prayed for strength, but even as he prayed, his captors were approaching.

Even today, more than two millennia later, the world in which we live is still struggling to proclaim a gospel that is afraid of love – a gospel that prefers individualism and competition, a gospel which at times ignores the needs of the elderly and the underprivileged, but Jesus suffered and died so that those who have no voice might know that they are heard, and better yet, that their plight is understood.

Tested in every way as we are, Jesus understands our weakness.  The liturgy of Good Friday gives us a glimpse into the heart of the man who had prayed so fervently the night before, daring even then to hope that his Father might take away the suffering that lay ahead.  When we find ourselves in situations where suffering is imminent, do we not also dare to hope that God might take it away from us?  Yet, Jesus accepted his suffering: thy will be done.

The startling part of the drama of Good Friday was not necessarily that a man had been condemned to death; many before him had suffered the same fate, and in fact two other criminals had also been sentenced to die that day.  What was truly remarkable was the fact that although he was innocent, he did not argue.  If you are looking for me, let these men go.  He did not even raise his voice. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

Through all of the trials of that day, even when he was standing before the most powerful of the land, his words were serene.  It was as though he knew that the gifts he had entrusted to his disciples the night before were to be fulfilled by his sacrifice.  Because he did not open his mouth in protest, his suffering and death were made different from every other crucifixion that had ever happened before.  His acceptance of pain inflicted by the hands of humans transformed his sacrifice into a gift, and provided the witness of martyrdom on which the faith of the Church was founded.

On that first Good Friday, those who understood this sacrifice were able to strengthen their faith: a woman who watched her son die walked away with a new son; a disciple received a mother; a member of the ruling Sanhedrin took possession of the dead man's body and offered his own tomb for burial; a disciple who was in hiding came forward and offered to help with the burial.  Even as he was dying, Jesus was giving of himself in love.  The ultimate sacrifice of love calls forth love from all those who stand and watch.  Because of his sacrifice of love, the love of disciples, of martyrs, of believers hidden and known is still kindled today.  Because of his sacrifice of love, we too can love.  Because of his sacrifice of love, a sentence of torture and death was transformed into the ultimate act of love; we live in the light of this act of love, and he did not open his mouth.

Reflecting on priesthood

For the past number of years, each time I come to the evening of Holy Thursday and sit in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, I am compelled to write reflections on priesthood.  I choose to share them with some of the brothers who have walked parts of the road with me, and with others who may benefit from these musings.


Reflections on Priesthood
Holy Thursday 2013

Dearest brothers,

On this day when we celebrate the gift of our priesthood, I cannot help but think of all of you, and I give thanks to God for the gift that each of you brings to the Church that our newly-elected Holy Father has referred to as the People of God, the Holy People of God who are on a journey toward the ultimate encounter with Jesus Christ.  This Church, this People of God needs our gifts, the gifts and talents that each of us brings, so that we might better be able to recognize the Lord’s call for us to step outside of ourselves in order to share with our world the gift of God’s mercy.

Like you, I have celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on this night.  The gathering of the people of God in the parish church which has been confided to my pastoral care was truly a blessing to behold.  As I stood at the door and watched, people streamed in.  As each entered, there were joyful embraces and welcoming words.  Most were familiar with the surroundings and the established practices, but others were visitors and perhaps there were also a few travellers who had never before set foot in this place.  Each of them brought with him or her, a particular story of faith, and together our voices melded to create a joyous chorus.

As I watched this procession, I could not help but think of the words spoken by Pope Francis this morning during the Mass of Chrism: A good priest can be recognized by the way his people have been anointed.  I am relatively new to the parish where I currently serve, so I feel very much that the faith of the people who frequent these pews is truly a gift to me – the fruit of the work of sowing seeds that has been done by all those who have previously served as pastors in this parish, and by those who continue to serve in the role of the deaconate.  For this gift, and for the confidence that has been placed in me by our Bishop, I give thanks to God.

In the midst of the community of faith who gathered for this celebration, there were three who have been involved for a number of weeks or months in the process of discerning their call to full communion with our Church.  I watched their faces too, and saw there the smiles which speak of the excitement that is building within them, and the anticipation for the day when they will finally be washed in the waters of Baptism, and welcomed into the full embrace of the faith.  These catechumens have also enriched my faith over the past number of months by the sincerity of their questions and by the ever-more-present joy that seems to be dawning upon them as they draw closer and closer to the moment when they will finally be able to receive the Sacraments.  One of these, a young teenager, though baptised as a child has never had the opportunity to celebrate any of the other Sacraments.  He himself told his parents that he is tired of waiting for the Eucharist.  His hunger for this special food is evident and almost tangible.  His enthusiasm is infectious, and it seems that his hunger for the Eucharist makes me appreciate even more the great gift that is ours, and the awe-inspiring responsibility that has been confided to us – to share this gift with the holy people of God.

Even as my heart is enriched by such experiences, I cannot help but think tonight of those of our brothers who find it difficult at this time to find reasons for hope.  Some of us carry great burdens, and unfortunately, not all of us have had the grace of encouragement and affirmation for the gift of our priesthood.  Those who are suffering the martyrdom of doubt and loneliness are very close to my heart, especially on this night.  In fact as I washed the feet of some of the parishioners tonight during the Mass, I could not help but think of and pray for some of the priests I know who are walking in the shadows of isolation due to advanced age, and about others who have come close to despair because they have felt abandoned.

There are some of our brothers who harbour secrets, and fears that have the power to paralyze them, and there are some who have been all but forgotten by those they once may have considered their dearest friends.  There is a reason why divine providence placed the betrayal of Judas side by side with the tender gesture of the Master washing the feet of his disciples: those of our brothers who find it most difficult to discover joy and consolation at this time are the ones who are most in need of our prayer and our gestures of support.  Even so, I am not sure that there is much that I can offer: my efforts at such support seem much too meagre, but the words of Jesus on this night give me hope – Do you know, what I have done for you, you who call me your teacher and your Lord?  If I have washed your feet, so you must do, as I have done for you.

These words which were sung during the washing of feet tonight challenge me to renew my resolve to follow in the footsteps of the One who has invited us to walk in his footsteps.  Pray for me, dear brothers, and know that I too pray for you.  There are times when all of us are like the disciples: looking on uncomprehendingly as the Master models for us the tender service toward others that he asks us to exercise.  Only through knowledge of this example in our own lives will we be able to imitate it for the sake of those we serve.

And most difficult of all for some of us, there are times when we must admit that we are the ones who must ask for our own feet to be washed.  It’s so difficult at times to admit that we need help, or to accept complements with grace, or to recognize that others are aware of our struggle and want to offer their support.  It is a gift to them that we offer if we allow them to help us to carry the cross.

Remember, dear brothers, that it was God who chose us and invited us to discover the heart of the shepherd, so that we in turn could help to shepherd the flock.  He has given us an example which we must follow: the example which he himself proclaimed by the way he loved his disciples and called them in turn to love.  By the example of his life, he has shown us the importance of prayer so that we might always be close to the Father, and from the cross, he gave us his mother so that we might also know the tender love of the one who knew how to call her son into service at Cana.

May the Mother of Jesus, who is the Mother of all priests intercede for us and keep us all in her tender embrace, guiding us always toward the tender heart of her Son so that we might always know the peace of his consolation, and be emboldened by his invitation to serve.

With the assurance of my prayer, and with every good wish that you may discover the joy of the Risen Christ this Easter, I am
Yours fraternally in Christ.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

As I have done to you

Homily for the Mass of the Lord's Supper

I have set you an example
My dear friends, we have begun the liturgy of the Easter Triduum. The liturgy we celebrate tonight is the first part of one liturgical celebration that will include not only our gathering with the disciples and Jesus in the Upper Room, but also with Mary and John at the foot of the cross on Good Friday.  This same liturgy will continue into the evening hours of Saturday to include the Easter Vigil, as we wait in faith for the celebration of the Resurrection.  All three of these moments are seen as one liturgical action; each of them draws its meaning from the other.



Our participation in this mystery allows us to be present across time, at the moment when God made a promise to his people, the Israelites. He instructed them then to slaughter a lamb and to use its blood to mark the houses where they live. Blood is messy stuff. It leaves an indelible mark on whatever it touches: once it stains, it’s not easily removed. The sign of blood was used to save the Israelites from God’s vengeance, and it was used as well as a sign of salvation for us when the blood of Jesus stained the wood of the cross.

Some who are here tonight might remember Bishop Fulton Sheen. He once described the Eucharist as the un-bloodied sacrifice. Ever since I read that description, I’ve always celebrated this evening liturgy of Holy Thursday with a different understanding. Bishop Sheen explained that Jesus knew that he was about to die, and he wanted to leave his disciples with a way to remember the sacrifice, not as moments of suffering, but as moments during which the ultimate gift of life was being handed over. When Jesus broke bread and shared the cup with his disciples in the Upper Room, he was giving them a way to enter into and commemorate the sacrifice that he would endure. Because we enter into that sacrifice each time we gather around this altar of sacrifice, we too receive the gifts of his body and blood, but Jesus didn’t stop with the gifts of bread and wine; he commanded his disciples to enact this gift in service to others.



The liturgy of Holy Thursday also includes the action of washing feet, just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. This is not done so that we might ensure that all the dirt is removed from between our toes; it’s done as a symbolic reminder that if we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we must be willing to serve as he did, even to the point of willingly performing even the most menial of tasks. If I your Lord and master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

The world around us is sorely in need of people who are willing to wash one another’s feet. Even though we may have the best of intentions, too often are the occasions when we become caught up in our own worlds, concerned with our own preoccupations, and neglect the needs of others. At times these calls for help are easily answered, requiring little of us, and sometimes they are more demanding. Jesus commands us to see each call as an opportunity to wash the feet of another. No task is too difficult for us to undertake, and no task should ever be beneath our dignity because every response of our God is born out of love, and he asks us only to do what he himself has first done for us.

The Eucharist that Jesus gives to his disciples is broken before it can be shared because he asks us to allow ourselves to be broken out of love for him and out of love for our brothers and sisters. Only the heart that is broken in love will know how to love as Jesus loves. Only the hands that allow themselves to be guided in love will know how to reach out in service to the poor, the neglected, the lonely and the marginalized. Only the soul that is nourished with the bread of life will be able to share this gift of life with souls who hunger for compassion, and only those who have tasted the blood of Christ’s sacrifice will know how to bind up the wounds of those who suffer the indignities of injustice.

I have set you an example, says the Lord, that you also should do as I have done to you.

The pope washes feet in prison



At 5:00pm this afternoon in Rome, the Holy Father Francis left the Vatican and travelled to the Casal del Marmo Juvenile Detention Centre where he celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper beginning at 5:30pm.

Concelebrating with the Holy Father were His Eminence, Agostino Cardinal Vallini, the Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome; His Excellency, Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Substitute for the Secretariat of State; Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, His Holiness’ personal secretary; and Father Gaetano Grecco, Chaplain of the Casal del Marmo.  Some representatives of the personnel and volunteers who work at the Casal del Marmo were also present.

Pope Francis washed the feet of twelve of the young people, who were from various countries and religious traditions, and since there are only young men at the Casal del Marmo, His Holiness also asked for two young women to be added to the group.

At the conclusion of the liturgy, before returning to the Vatican, His Holiness met with the entire family of the Detention Centre.  Present at this encounter, among others, were from the Ministry of Justice and Grace: the Honorable Paola Severino; from the Department for Juvenile Justice, Caterina Chimnici; from the Prison Police of Casal del Marmo, Saulo Patrizi; and the Director of Casal del Marmo, Liana Giambartolomei.

As an expression of their gratitude, the residents of the Casal del Marmo presented the Holy Father with a wooden cross, and with a faldstool (the foldable stool which has traditionally been used by bishops when officiating in their own Cathedral, away from their thrones, or when presiding in a place outside their Cathedrals).


Homily of His Holiness Francis
for the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Casal del Marmo, Rome

“This is moving, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Peter understands nothing. He refuses but Jesus explains to him. Jesus, God did this, and He Himself explains it to the disciples.. ‘Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do’.

It is the example set by Our Lord, it’s important for Him to wash their feet, because among us the one who is highest up must be at the service of others. This is a symbol, it is a sign – washing your feet means I am at your service. And we are too, among each other, but we don’t have to wash each other’s feet each day. So what does this mean? That we have to help each other…sometimes I would get angry with one someone, but we must let it go and if they ask a favor of do it!

 
Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop I must be at your service. But it is a duty that comes from my heart and a duty I love. I love doing it because this is what the Lord has taught me. But you too must help us and help each other, always. And thus in helping each other we will do good for each other.

Now we will perform the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet and we must each one of us think, Am I really willing to help others? Just think of that. Think that this sign is Christ’s caress, because Jesus came just for this, to serve us, to help us”.