At 8:00am this morning, in the Pauline Chapel at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis presided at the concelebration of a Mass marking the ninetieth birthday of His Eminence, Cardinal Angelo Sodano who is currently the Dean of the College of Cardinals.
Every day we give thanks to the Lord for all that he has done in our lives; but when we are celebrating important moments - 25th, 50th anniversaries and even decades - we give thanks to God even more fervently. And on this occasion, we remember especially the journey that has been travelled, and this memory leads us to offer a gift. Memory which is one dimension of life. It is a pity to lose the memory of all that God has done for us: Remember Israel, remember ... this deuteronomic dimension of life.
Cardinal Sodano remembers these years, and every time that we remember, we find ourselves standing before a new grace. Memory also of our smallness, of our failures, even of our sins. Saint Paul prided himself on this, for only to God belongs the glory, we are weak, all of us. And this memory gives us strength to carry on toward another decade. It is a grace of memory, and all that the Cardinal has done to prepare himself for this day is offered to us as a gift: the gift of a witness of life that is good for all of us.
Every life is different. Every one of us has our own experience and the Lord leads us along a different road, but there is always the Lord who holds us by the hand, He does. This is a gift that we have received, and we give the gift of our witness of life lived. The Lord knows the truth of our witness, what is hidden and has done good even if it never appeared. We see in the Cardinal the witness of a man who has done much for the Church, in various situations, with joy and with tears. But the witness that seems to me to be the greatest strength today, that is shared with us, is the blessing of a man who is ecclesiastically disciplined, and this is a grace for which we thank him, thank you, Your Eminence.
May this witness of the ecclesiastical dimension, of ecclesiastical discipline, help us to continue our lives. Thank you very much, Your Eminence.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
celebrating Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Every day we give thanks to the Lord for all that he has done in our lives; but when we are celebrating important moments - 25th, 50th anniversaries and even decades - we give thanks to God even more fervently. And on this occasion, we remember especially the journey that has been travelled, and this memory leads us to offer a gift. Memory which is one dimension of life. It is a pity to lose the memory of all that God has done for us: Remember Israel, remember ... this deuteronomic dimension of life.
Cardinal Sodano remembers these years, and every time that we remember, we find ourselves standing before a new grace. Memory also of our smallness, of our failures, even of our sins. Saint Paul prided himself on this, for only to God belongs the glory, we are weak, all of us. And this memory gives us strength to carry on toward another decade. It is a grace of memory, and all that the Cardinal has done to prepare himself for this day is offered to us as a gift: the gift of a witness of life that is good for all of us.
Every life is different. Every one of us has our own experience and the Lord leads us along a different road, but there is always the Lord who holds us by the hand, He does. This is a gift that we have received, and we give the gift of our witness of life lived. The Lord knows the truth of our witness, what is hidden and has done good even if it never appeared. We see in the Cardinal the witness of a man who has done much for the Church, in various situations, with joy and with tears. But the witness that seems to me to be the greatest strength today, that is shared with us, is the blessing of a man who is ecclesiastically disciplined, and this is a grace for which we thank him, thank you, Your Eminence.
May this witness of the ecclesiastical dimension, of ecclesiastical discipline, help us to continue our lives. Thank you very much, Your Eminence.
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