At 9:30am local time this morning, in the Grotto of Lourdes located in the Vatican Gardens, the Holy Father, Pope Francis presided at the celebration of the Eucharist with members of the Corps of Vatican Guards, marking the feast of their patron Saint Michael the Archangel, which is observed on September 29.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah encourages us to seek the Lord, to be converted: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is still near. Let the wicked person abandon his way and the unrighteous person his thoughts (Is 55:6-7). This is conversion. The prophet tells us that this is the way: seek the Lord. Change your life, be converted ... This is true. But Jesus changes the logic and goes further, with a logic that no one can understand: the logic of God's love. It's true, we should seek the Lord and do everything we can to find him; but the most important thing is that it is He who is seeking us. He is looking for us. More important than seeking the Lord is our call to welcome him and to allow him to find me.
This gospel passage, this parable, helps us to understand this truth: God goes out to find us. Five times in this passage, we hear that the land owner goes out: God goes out - the owner of the house goes out to hire some day labourers to go out into his vineyard. The day is the life of a person, and God goes out in the morning, in mid-morning, at mid-day, in mid-afternoon and again at the end of the day - five times. He never grows tired of going out. Our God never grows tired of going out, looking for us, in order to help us see that he loves us. But Father, I am a sinner ... How many times have we here in the square felt like these workers (in the parable) who are there all day long, in the square, in the world, in our sin, just being ... Come! - But it's late ... - Come! It is never too late for God. Never, never! This is his logic of conversion. He goes out of Himself in order to seek us out. He goes out of himself so much that he sent his Son to look for us. Our God always has his eyes fixed on us. Let us think about the father and the prodigal son: the gospel says that he saw him coming from afar (cf Lk 15:20). Why does he see him? Because every day, perhaps even many times a day, he would climb onto the terrace to look out in hope that his son may be arriving, hoping that his son was returning. This is the heart of our God: he is always waiting for us. And when someone says: I have found God, they are wrong. He has found you since the very beginning, he has brought you with him. And He has taken the first step. He is never too tired to go out, to go out ... He respects each person's dignity but he is there, waiting for us to open the door just a little bit.
This the greatness of the Lord: he is humble. Our God is humble. He makes himself humble by waiting for us. He is always there, waiting.
We are all sinners and we all need to meet the Lord; we all need a meeting that will give us strength to go on, to be better, always. But we are attentive because he is passing by, he is coming and it would be sad if he were to pass by before we had a chance to notice him or to welcome him. Today, let us ask for the grace: Lord, help me to be sure that you are waiting. Yes, waiting for me, with my sins, with my defects, with my problems. We all have problems, all of us. But He is there, always. The worst of the sins I think is not being able to believe that He is always there waiting for us, not having trust in his love: not trusting in the love of God.
On this day, filled with joy for all of you, may the Lord grant you this grace. Me too, all of us. The grace to always be sure that he is always at the door, waiting for me to open it just a little bit so he can enter. Don't be afraid: when the prodigal son met his father, his father came down from the terrace and went out to meet his son. The elderly man went out in a hurry, the gospel tells us, and when his son started to speak: Father, I have sinned ..., the father didn't even let him finish; he embraced him, he kissed him (cf Lk 15:20-21). This is what awaits us if we open the door just a little bit: the Father's embrace.
Homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the Mass celebrated with members of the
Corps of Vatican Guards
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah encourages us to seek the Lord, to be converted: Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is still near. Let the wicked person abandon his way and the unrighteous person his thoughts (Is 55:6-7). This is conversion. The prophet tells us that this is the way: seek the Lord. Change your life, be converted ... This is true. But Jesus changes the logic and goes further, with a logic that no one can understand: the logic of God's love. It's true, we should seek the Lord and do everything we can to find him; but the most important thing is that it is He who is seeking us. He is looking for us. More important than seeking the Lord is our call to welcome him and to allow him to find me.
This gospel passage, this parable, helps us to understand this truth: God goes out to find us. Five times in this passage, we hear that the land owner goes out: God goes out - the owner of the house goes out to hire some day labourers to go out into his vineyard. The day is the life of a person, and God goes out in the morning, in mid-morning, at mid-day, in mid-afternoon and again at the end of the day - five times. He never grows tired of going out. Our God never grows tired of going out, looking for us, in order to help us see that he loves us. But Father, I am a sinner ... How many times have we here in the square felt like these workers (in the parable) who are there all day long, in the square, in the world, in our sin, just being ... Come! - But it's late ... - Come! It is never too late for God. Never, never! This is his logic of conversion. He goes out of Himself in order to seek us out. He goes out of himself so much that he sent his Son to look for us. Our God always has his eyes fixed on us. Let us think about the father and the prodigal son: the gospel says that he saw him coming from afar (cf Lk 15:20). Why does he see him? Because every day, perhaps even many times a day, he would climb onto the terrace to look out in hope that his son may be arriving, hoping that his son was returning. This is the heart of our God: he is always waiting for us. And when someone says: I have found God, they are wrong. He has found you since the very beginning, he has brought you with him. And He has taken the first step. He is never too tired to go out, to go out ... He respects each person's dignity but he is there, waiting for us to open the door just a little bit.
This the greatness of the Lord: he is humble. Our God is humble. He makes himself humble by waiting for us. He is always there, waiting.
We are all sinners and we all need to meet the Lord; we all need a meeting that will give us strength to go on, to be better, always. But we are attentive because he is passing by, he is coming and it would be sad if he were to pass by before we had a chance to notice him or to welcome him. Today, let us ask for the grace: Lord, help me to be sure that you are waiting. Yes, waiting for me, with my sins, with my defects, with my problems. We all have problems, all of us. But He is there, always. The worst of the sins I think is not being able to believe that He is always there waiting for us, not having trust in his love: not trusting in the love of God.
On this day, filled with joy for all of you, may the Lord grant you this grace. Me too, all of us. The grace to always be sure that he is always at the door, waiting for me to open it just a little bit so he can enter. Don't be afraid: when the prodigal son met his father, his father came down from the terrace and went out to meet his son. The elderly man went out in a hurry, the gospel tells us, and when his son started to speak: Father, I have sinned ..., the father didn't even let him finish; he embraced him, he kissed him (cf Lk 15:20-21). This is what awaits us if we open the door just a little bit: the Father's embrace.
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