At 7:00am local time this morning (2:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Mass inside the chapel at the Casa Santa Marta.
In recent days, we have received news that many people are beginning to get worried in a general way about others, many people are thinking about their families who do not have enough to live, about the elderly who are alone, about the sick in hospitals and they are praying and searching for ways to get some help ... This is a good sign. Let us thank the Lord for arousing these sentiments in the hearts of his faithful.
The first reading is almost an anticipated chronicle of what will happen to Jesus. It is an anticipated chronicle, it is a prophecy. It seems like a historical description of what happened next. What do the wicked say? Let us beset the just one because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions against the Law and charges us with violations of our training ... to us he is the censure of our thoughts ... if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes (Wis 2:12). Let us think for a moment about what was said to Jesus on the cross: If you are the Son of God, come down; he will come to save you (cf Mt 27:40). And then, the plan of action: let us put him to the test with violence and torment, to know his meekness and to test his spirit of endurance, and let us condemn him to a shameful death because according to his words, God will take care of him (cf Wis 2:19). This is a prophecy, about what happened. And the Jews tried to kill him, the gospel says. Then, they also tried to arrest him - the gospel tells us this - but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come (Jn 7:30).
This prophecy is too detailed; these evil people's plan of action is precisely made up of details upon details; they do not spare anything, let's test him with violence and torment, and let's test his spirit of endurance ... let's set snares, let's put a trap on him to see if he falls ... This is nothing but mere hatred, there is no bad action plan - certainly - of one party against another: this is another thing. This is called fury: when the devil who is behind all this - always, he is behind every fury - tries to destroy, he does not spare any means. Let us think of the beginning of the Book of Job, which is prophetic about this: God is satisfied with Job's way of life, and the devil says to him: Yes, because he has everything, he has no proof! Test him! (cf Job 1:1-12; 2,4-6). At first the devil takes away his goods, then he takes away his health and Job never, ever turns away from God. But the devil, what does he do? ... fury. Always. Behind every fury there is the devil, to destroy the work of God. Behind a discussion or an enmity, it may be that it is the devil but from afar, with normal temptations. But when there is fury, we should not doubt: there is the presence of the devil. And the fury is subtle, subtle. Let us think about how the devil has raged not only against Jesus, but also in the persecutions of Christians as he sought the most sophisticated means to bring them to apostasy, to move away from God. This is, as we say in everyday speech, this is diabolical: yes; diabolical intelligence.
Some bishops from one of the countries that suffered the dictatorship of an atheist regime told me about details like this as part of their persecution: on Monday after Easter the teachers had to ask the children: What did you eat yesterday? ... and children told them what was at lunch. And some said, eggs, and those who said eggs were then persecuted to see if they were Christians because they ate eggs on Easter Sunday in that country. Up to this point, to see - that's espionage - to see where there is a Christian in order to kill him. This is fury in persecution and this is the devil.
And what do you do, in the moment of fury? Only two things can be done: discussing things with these people is not possible because they have their own ideas, fixed ideas, ideas that the devil has sown in their hearts. We have heard what their plan of action is. What can be done? What Jesus did: keep silent. It is striking when we read in the Gospel that in front of all these accusations, Jesus kept silent about all these things. Faced with the spirit of fury, only silence, never justification. Never. Jesus spoke, he explained. When he understood that there were no possible words, silence. And in silence Jesus lived his Passion. It is the silence of the just in the face of fury. And this is also valid for - let's call them this - the small daily feats, when someone among us feels that there is idle chatter being spoken against him, and they say things and then nothing comes out ... shut up. Silence. To suffer and tolerate the fury of chatter. Gossip is also a fury, a social fury: in society, in the neighbourhood, in the workplace, but always against him. It is an obstinacy not as strong as this, but it is an obstinacy, to destroy another person because it is seen that the other person is disturbing, harassing.
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to fight against the evil spirit, to speak when we should speak, but when we are faced with the spirit of fury, to have the courage to be silent and to allow others to do the talking. The same is true when we are faced with the small daily furies that come about as a result of gossip: let them speak. Let us remain in silence, before God.
After the completion of the Mass, the Holy Father spent some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. His Holiness offered the following prayer, leading all those who were united with him in prayer via various media:
Let those who cannot receive communion now make a spiritual communion.
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I desire you in my soul. Since I cannot receive You sacramentally now, at least spiritually come to my heart. As you have already come, I embrace you and I join myself to you. Do not let me ever be separated from you.
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the celebration of the Mass
In recent days, we have received news that many people are beginning to get worried in a general way about others, many people are thinking about their families who do not have enough to live, about the elderly who are alone, about the sick in hospitals and they are praying and searching for ways to get some help ... This is a good sign. Let us thank the Lord for arousing these sentiments in the hearts of his faithful.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
during the Mass celebrated on 27 March 2020
The first reading is almost an anticipated chronicle of what will happen to Jesus. It is an anticipated chronicle, it is a prophecy. It seems like a historical description of what happened next. What do the wicked say? Let us beset the just one because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions against the Law and charges us with violations of our training ... to us he is the censure of our thoughts ... if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes (Wis 2:12). Let us think for a moment about what was said to Jesus on the cross: If you are the Son of God, come down; he will come to save you (cf Mt 27:40). And then, the plan of action: let us put him to the test with violence and torment, to know his meekness and to test his spirit of endurance, and let us condemn him to a shameful death because according to his words, God will take care of him (cf Wis 2:19). This is a prophecy, about what happened. And the Jews tried to kill him, the gospel says. Then, they also tried to arrest him - the gospel tells us this - but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come (Jn 7:30).
This prophecy is too detailed; these evil people's plan of action is precisely made up of details upon details; they do not spare anything, let's test him with violence and torment, and let's test his spirit of endurance ... let's set snares, let's put a trap on him to see if he falls ... This is nothing but mere hatred, there is no bad action plan - certainly - of one party against another: this is another thing. This is called fury: when the devil who is behind all this - always, he is behind every fury - tries to destroy, he does not spare any means. Let us think of the beginning of the Book of Job, which is prophetic about this: God is satisfied with Job's way of life, and the devil says to him: Yes, because he has everything, he has no proof! Test him! (cf Job 1:1-12; 2,4-6). At first the devil takes away his goods, then he takes away his health and Job never, ever turns away from God. But the devil, what does he do? ... fury. Always. Behind every fury there is the devil, to destroy the work of God. Behind a discussion or an enmity, it may be that it is the devil but from afar, with normal temptations. But when there is fury, we should not doubt: there is the presence of the devil. And the fury is subtle, subtle. Let us think about how the devil has raged not only against Jesus, but also in the persecutions of Christians as he sought the most sophisticated means to bring them to apostasy, to move away from God. This is, as we say in everyday speech, this is diabolical: yes; diabolical intelligence.
Some bishops from one of the countries that suffered the dictatorship of an atheist regime told me about details like this as part of their persecution: on Monday after Easter the teachers had to ask the children: What did you eat yesterday? ... and children told them what was at lunch. And some said, eggs, and those who said eggs were then persecuted to see if they were Christians because they ate eggs on Easter Sunday in that country. Up to this point, to see - that's espionage - to see where there is a Christian in order to kill him. This is fury in persecution and this is the devil.
And what do you do, in the moment of fury? Only two things can be done: discussing things with these people is not possible because they have their own ideas, fixed ideas, ideas that the devil has sown in their hearts. We have heard what their plan of action is. What can be done? What Jesus did: keep silent. It is striking when we read in the Gospel that in front of all these accusations, Jesus kept silent about all these things. Faced with the spirit of fury, only silence, never justification. Never. Jesus spoke, he explained. When he understood that there were no possible words, silence. And in silence Jesus lived his Passion. It is the silence of the just in the face of fury. And this is also valid for - let's call them this - the small daily feats, when someone among us feels that there is idle chatter being spoken against him, and they say things and then nothing comes out ... shut up. Silence. To suffer and tolerate the fury of chatter. Gossip is also a fury, a social fury: in society, in the neighbourhood, in the workplace, but always against him. It is an obstinacy not as strong as this, but it is an obstinacy, to destroy another person because it is seen that the other person is disturbing, harassing.
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to fight against the evil spirit, to speak when we should speak, but when we are faced with the spirit of fury, to have the courage to be silent and to allow others to do the talking. The same is true when we are faced with the small daily furies that come about as a result of gossip: let them speak. Let us remain in silence, before God.
After the completion of the Mass, the Holy Father spent some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. His Holiness offered the following prayer, leading all those who were united with him in prayer via various media:
Prayer to make a spiritual communion
Let those who cannot receive communion now make a spiritual communion.
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I desire you in my soul. Since I cannot receive You sacramentally now, at least spiritually come to my heart. As you have already come, I embrace you and I join myself to you. Do not let me ever be separated from you.
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