At 9:30am today, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Saint Peter's Square, marking the Jubilee of Priests and Seminarians.
Celebrating the Jubilee of Priests on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to point to the heart, that is to say, to look inward, to the most robust roots of our life, to the nucleus of our affections, in a word, to the centre of the person. Today, we want to look at two hearts: the Heart of the Good Shepherd and our pastors' hearts.
The Heart of the Good Shepherd is not only the Heart that has mercy on us, but it is mercy itself. In it, the Father's love shines; in it, I feel safe, welcomed and understood as I am; in it, with all my limits and sins, I taste the certainty of being chosen and loved. Looking toward that Heart renews the first love: the memory of the moment when the Lord touched my soul and called me to follow him, the joy of having thrown the nets of life on his Word (cf Lk 5:5).
The Heart of the Good Shepherd tells us that his love has no limits, it never grows tired and never gives up. In it, we see his continuous self-giving, without any limits; in it we find the source of faithful and humble love, that gives us liberty and leaves us free; in it we discover every time that Jesus loves us until the end (Jn 13:1) - his love does not run out, it continues until the end - without ever imposing itself.
The Heart of the Good Shepherd leans toward us, it is especially attracted to those who are most distanced; it stubbornly points like the needle of a compass; it reveals the dangers of particular loves because it wants to reach us all, and never wants to lose any of us.
Before the Heart of Jesus, the fundamental question of our priestly life is born: where is my heart? This is a question that we priests should ask ourselves again and again, every day, every week: where is my heart? At times, our ministry is filled with many plans and projects, that put us in many different places and situations: teaching about the liturgy, charitable work, pastoral commitments and even administrative tasks. In the midst of so many activities, the question remains: where is my heart? I recall a prayer from the liturgy that is very beautiful: Ubi vera sunt gaudia … Where we are facing, what treasure are we seeking? Because - Jesus says - where your treasure is, there will your heart be (Mt 6:21). There are weaknesses in all of us, even sins. But let's go deep, to the root of our weaknesses, of our sins, and let us ask ourselves: what is the treasure is that takes us away from the Lord?
There are two irreplaceable treasures in the Heart of Jesus: the Father and us. His days are spent in prayer to the Father and in meetings with people. Not in distancing, in meeting. So the heart of Christ the shepherd know only two directions: the Lord and the people. The heart of the priest overflows with the love of the Lord; this is the reason why he does not look toward himself - he should not look toward his own interests - but is open to God and to others. His is no longer the heart of a dancer who allows himself to be led by the suggestions of the moment or who goes here and there in search of consensus and small satisfactions. Instead, his is a heart that is fixed on the Lord, enthralled by the Holy Spirit, open and available to others. And there he makes reparation for his sins.
In order to help our hearts to burn with love for Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we can train ourselves to do three things that are suggested in today's readings: seek, include and rejoice.
Seek. The prophet Ezekiel reminded us that God himself seeks out his flock (Ez 34:11, 16). The gospel tells us that He: goes in search of the one who is lost (Lk 15:4), without being afraid of the risks; without any hesitation, he goes out from the place where the others are feeding and even outside of normal working hours ... and he doesn't get paid any overtime. He does not take any account of the search; he doesn't think: today, I have already done my work; if there is anything else, I'll take care of it tomorrow; instead, he goes to work immediately; his heart is restless until he finds the one lost sheep. When he finds it, he forgets how tired he is and places it on his shoulders, he is happy. Sometimes, he has to go out to look for the sheep, to speak, to persuade; at other times, he has to remain in front of the tabernacle, wrestling with the Lord for that lost sheep.
This is the heart that seeks: it is a heart that does not deprive anyone of time or space. Woe to the shepherds who deprive others of their ministry! It is not jealous of legitimate tranquility - legitimate, I say, even of that - and it never pretends to not be disturbed. The pastor according to the heart of God does not defend his own convenience, is not preoccupied with caring for his own good name, but he will be slandered, like Jesus was. Without fear of criticism, he is willing to risk everything, even to imitate his Lord. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you ... (Mt 5:11).
A pastor according to the heart of Jesus leaves his heart free to leave behind his own concerns, not to live by counting everything that he has and the hours that he has served: he is not a spiritual accountant but a good Samaritan in search of those in need. He is a shepherd, not an inspector of the flock, and he dedicates himself to the mission, not to fifty or sixty percent, but with everything he has to offer. He goes out to search and he finds, because he takes risks. If the shepherd doesn't take risks, he will never find what he's looking for. He does not stop when he becomes disillusioned or tired, he doesn't give up; in fact, he is stubborn about being good, imitating the divine stubbornness that no one can escape. This is the reason why he not only holds the doors open, but he goes out in search of those who no longer want to enter through the door. And like every good Christian, and as an example for every Christian, he is always in going out of himself. The epi-centre of his heart is found outside of himself: it is turned away from himself, focused only on Jesus. He is not attracted by his own will, but by God's YOU and by the WE of other people.
The second word: include. Christ loves and knows his sheep; he gives his life for them none of them has been lost (cf Jn 10:11-14). His flock is his family and his life. He is not a leader who is feared by his followers, but a Shepherd who walks with them and calls them by name (cf Jn 10:3-4). And he wants to gather the sheep who still do not live with Him (cf Jn 10:16).
So it is also for Christ's priest: he is anointed for the people, not to choose his own activities, but to be close to the people who God, through the Church, has confided to his care. No one is excluded from his heart, from his prayer and from his smile. With a loving glance and the heart of a father, he welcomes them, includes them and, when he must, corrects them, and always in order to draw close to them; no one is despised but for all people he is ready to dirty his hands. The Good Shepherd does not wear gloves. He is a minister of communion who celebrates and lives, he does not wait for greetings and for compliments from others, but is always the first to offer his hand, to dismiss rumors, judgments and poisons. With patience he listens to problems and accompanies a person at every step of the journey, bestowing divine forgiveness with generous compassion. He does not scold those who leave the road or lose their way, but he is always ready to help them re-enter and to recompose them when they face strife. He is a man who knows how to include.
Rejoice. God is full of joy (Lk 15:5): his joy is born out of forgiveness, from the life that emerges, from the son who once again breathes the air in the house. The joy of Jesus, the Good Shepherd is not a self-directed joy, but a joy for others and with others, the true joy of love. This is also the joy of the priesthood. He himself is transformed by the mercy that he gives freely. In prayer, he discovers God's consolation and experiences the fact that nothing is stronger than His love. This is the reason why he is peaceful within, and he is happy to be a channel of mercy, to bring men and women closer to the Heart of God. For him, it is not normal to be sad; this is only a passing thing. Difficulty is strange to him, because he is a pastor according to the humble Heart of God.
Dear priests, in the Eucharistic celebration, we re-discover daily our identity as pastors. Every time we preside at the Mass, we can truly make his words our own: This is my body, offered in sacrifice for you. This is the meaning of our lives, these are the words with which, in a certain sense, we can renew the promises of our Ordination every day. Thank you for your yes, and for the many hidden yeses that you utter every day, that only God knows about. Thank you for your yes to giving your life united with Jesus: this is the purest source of our joy.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Mass celebrating the Jubilee of Priests
Celebrating the Jubilee of Priests on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to point to the heart, that is to say, to look inward, to the most robust roots of our life, to the nucleus of our affections, in a word, to the centre of the person. Today, we want to look at two hearts: the Heart of the Good Shepherd and our pastors' hearts.
The Heart of the Good Shepherd is not only the Heart that has mercy on us, but it is mercy itself. In it, the Father's love shines; in it, I feel safe, welcomed and understood as I am; in it, with all my limits and sins, I taste the certainty of being chosen and loved. Looking toward that Heart renews the first love: the memory of the moment when the Lord touched my soul and called me to follow him, the joy of having thrown the nets of life on his Word (cf Lk 5:5).
The Heart of the Good Shepherd tells us that his love has no limits, it never grows tired and never gives up. In it, we see his continuous self-giving, without any limits; in it we find the source of faithful and humble love, that gives us liberty and leaves us free; in it we discover every time that Jesus loves us until the end (Jn 13:1) - his love does not run out, it continues until the end - without ever imposing itself.
The Heart of the Good Shepherd leans toward us, it is especially attracted to those who are most distanced; it stubbornly points like the needle of a compass; it reveals the dangers of particular loves because it wants to reach us all, and never wants to lose any of us.
Before the Heart of Jesus, the fundamental question of our priestly life is born: where is my heart? This is a question that we priests should ask ourselves again and again, every day, every week: where is my heart? At times, our ministry is filled with many plans and projects, that put us in many different places and situations: teaching about the liturgy, charitable work, pastoral commitments and even administrative tasks. In the midst of so many activities, the question remains: where is my heart? I recall a prayer from the liturgy that is very beautiful: Ubi vera sunt gaudia … Where we are facing, what treasure are we seeking? Because - Jesus says - where your treasure is, there will your heart be (Mt 6:21). There are weaknesses in all of us, even sins. But let's go deep, to the root of our weaknesses, of our sins, and let us ask ourselves: what is the treasure is that takes us away from the Lord?
There are two irreplaceable treasures in the Heart of Jesus: the Father and us. His days are spent in prayer to the Father and in meetings with people. Not in distancing, in meeting. So the heart of Christ the shepherd know only two directions: the Lord and the people. The heart of the priest overflows with the love of the Lord; this is the reason why he does not look toward himself - he should not look toward his own interests - but is open to God and to others. His is no longer the heart of a dancer who allows himself to be led by the suggestions of the moment or who goes here and there in search of consensus and small satisfactions. Instead, his is a heart that is fixed on the Lord, enthralled by the Holy Spirit, open and available to others. And there he makes reparation for his sins.
In order to help our hearts to burn with love for Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we can train ourselves to do three things that are suggested in today's readings: seek, include and rejoice.
Seek. The prophet Ezekiel reminded us that God himself seeks out his flock (Ez 34:11, 16). The gospel tells us that He: goes in search of the one who is lost (Lk 15:4), without being afraid of the risks; without any hesitation, he goes out from the place where the others are feeding and even outside of normal working hours ... and he doesn't get paid any overtime. He does not take any account of the search; he doesn't think: today, I have already done my work; if there is anything else, I'll take care of it tomorrow; instead, he goes to work immediately; his heart is restless until he finds the one lost sheep. When he finds it, he forgets how tired he is and places it on his shoulders, he is happy. Sometimes, he has to go out to look for the sheep, to speak, to persuade; at other times, he has to remain in front of the tabernacle, wrestling with the Lord for that lost sheep.
This is the heart that seeks: it is a heart that does not deprive anyone of time or space. Woe to the shepherds who deprive others of their ministry! It is not jealous of legitimate tranquility - legitimate, I say, even of that - and it never pretends to not be disturbed. The pastor according to the heart of God does not defend his own convenience, is not preoccupied with caring for his own good name, but he will be slandered, like Jesus was. Without fear of criticism, he is willing to risk everything, even to imitate his Lord. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you ... (Mt 5:11).
A pastor according to the heart of Jesus leaves his heart free to leave behind his own concerns, not to live by counting everything that he has and the hours that he has served: he is not a spiritual accountant but a good Samaritan in search of those in need. He is a shepherd, not an inspector of the flock, and he dedicates himself to the mission, not to fifty or sixty percent, but with everything he has to offer. He goes out to search and he finds, because he takes risks. If the shepherd doesn't take risks, he will never find what he's looking for. He does not stop when he becomes disillusioned or tired, he doesn't give up; in fact, he is stubborn about being good, imitating the divine stubbornness that no one can escape. This is the reason why he not only holds the doors open, but he goes out in search of those who no longer want to enter through the door. And like every good Christian, and as an example for every Christian, he is always in going out of himself. The epi-centre of his heart is found outside of himself: it is turned away from himself, focused only on Jesus. He is not attracted by his own will, but by God's YOU and by the WE of other people.
The second word: include. Christ loves and knows his sheep; he gives his life for them none of them has been lost (cf Jn 10:11-14). His flock is his family and his life. He is not a leader who is feared by his followers, but a Shepherd who walks with them and calls them by name (cf Jn 10:3-4). And he wants to gather the sheep who still do not live with Him (cf Jn 10:16).
So it is also for Christ's priest: he is anointed for the people, not to choose his own activities, but to be close to the people who God, through the Church, has confided to his care. No one is excluded from his heart, from his prayer and from his smile. With a loving glance and the heart of a father, he welcomes them, includes them and, when he must, corrects them, and always in order to draw close to them; no one is despised but for all people he is ready to dirty his hands. The Good Shepherd does not wear gloves. He is a minister of communion who celebrates and lives, he does not wait for greetings and for compliments from others, but is always the first to offer his hand, to dismiss rumors, judgments and poisons. With patience he listens to problems and accompanies a person at every step of the journey, bestowing divine forgiveness with generous compassion. He does not scold those who leave the road or lose their way, but he is always ready to help them re-enter and to recompose them when they face strife. He is a man who knows how to include.
Rejoice. God is full of joy (Lk 15:5): his joy is born out of forgiveness, from the life that emerges, from the son who once again breathes the air in the house. The joy of Jesus, the Good Shepherd is not a self-directed joy, but a joy for others and with others, the true joy of love. This is also the joy of the priesthood. He himself is transformed by the mercy that he gives freely. In prayer, he discovers God's consolation and experiences the fact that nothing is stronger than His love. This is the reason why he is peaceful within, and he is happy to be a channel of mercy, to bring men and women closer to the Heart of God. For him, it is not normal to be sad; this is only a passing thing. Difficulty is strange to him, because he is a pastor according to the humble Heart of God.
Dear priests, in the Eucharistic celebration, we re-discover daily our identity as pastors. Every time we preside at the Mass, we can truly make his words our own: This is my body, offered in sacrifice for you. This is the meaning of our lives, these are the words with which, in a certain sense, we can renew the promises of our Ordination every day. Thank you for your yes, and for the many hidden yeses that you utter every day, that only God knows about. Thank you for your yes to giving your life united with Jesus: this is the purest source of our joy.
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