Shortly after 4:00pm local time this afternoon, the Holy Father, Pope Francis arrived at the Don Luigi Di Liegro Caritas Hostel located near the Termini station in Rome, where he opened the Holy Door of Charity for the Jubilee of Mercy.
Following the ritual of opening the Holy Door, the Pope entered into the place called Saint John Paul II's Table, where he found 200 guests representing all the welcome centres operated by the diocesan Caritas office, along with some volunteers and workers. There, he presided over the Eucharist following the rite provided for the Jubilee of Mercy. Hundreds of other guests and workers also participated in the liturgy by video link from the courtyard outside the building.
God comes to save us, and not to find a better way to do things than to simply walk with us, to live our lives. At the moment when he chose how to live his life, He did not choose a large city belonging to a well-established empire; he did not choose a princess or a countess for his mother, an important person; he did not choose a luxurious palace. It seems that everything was arranged intentionally, almost in hiding. Mary was a little girl, about 16 or 17 years old, no more than that, living in a village that was lost on the outskirts of the Roman empire; and no one knew that village, surely. Joseph was a young man who loved her and wanted to marry her, a carpenter who earned his daily bread. Everything was simple, everything was hidden. Even their reputations ... because they were engaged, and in such a small village, you know the characteristics of every inhabitant, the day-to-day happenings - and Joseph discovered that she was pregnant, but he was a just man. Everything had to be kept a secret, because of the possible slander and gossip. And the angel explained the mystery to Joseph: the son that your financée is carrying within her is the work of God, the work of the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did what he had been commanded to do by the angel of the Lord: he went to her and took her hand in marriage (cf Mt 1:18-25). He did all this in hiding, with great humility. The great cities of the world knew nothing. This is how God is among us. If you want to find God, look for him in humility, look for him in poverty, look in the places where He hides: in those who are in need, in those who are the most needy, in the sick, in those who are hungry, in those who are imprisoned.
When Jesus speaks about life, he tells us what our judgement will be like. He will not say to us: You, come with me because you have given many good offerings to the Church, you are one of the Church's benefactors, come into Heaven. No. Entry into heaven is not something we can pay for with money. He will not say: You are very important, you studied so much and received so many honours, come into Heaven. No. Honours don't open Heaven's door. How does Jesus say that we should open Heaven's door? I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was homeless and you welcomed me; I was sick or in prison and you came to visit me (cf Mt 25:35-36). Jesus is found in humility.
The love of Jesus is great. This is why today, as we open the Holy Door, I ask the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of all Romans so that they can see the path to salvation! It's not the path of luxury, not the way of great riches, not the path of power; it is the way of humility. The poor, the sick, the imprisoned - Jesus says more - the greatest of sinners, should they repent, will recede us into Heaven. They have the key. Those who do charitable work are those who allow themselves to be embraced by the mercy of God.
Today we open this Door and ask two things. First, that the Lord may open the door of our hearts to everyone. We all need this, we are all sinners, we all need to hear the Word of God and we need the Word of God to become a reality. Second, that the Lord may help us to understand that the path of presumption, the path of wealth, the path of vanity, the path of pride, are not paths to salvation. May the Lord help us to understand that his Fatherly embrace, his mercy, his forgiveness can be found when we draw close to those who suffer, those who are discarded by society: that's where Jesus is. This Door, which is the Door of Charity, the Door where many are helped, many of those who are ignored; it helps us to understand that every one of us, every Roman, all Romans sometimes feel rejected, feel the need for help from God. Today, we pray for Rome, for all the inhabitants of Rome, for all of them, beginning with me, that the Lord may give us the grace to feel rejected; because we ourselves have no merit: only he gives us mercy and grace. In order to draw close to this grace, we must draw close to those who are rejected, to the poor, to those who are most in need, because according to this approach, we will all be judged. Opening this door today, may the Lord give his grace to all of Rome, to every inhabitant of Rome, so that they may continue to live in the embrace of mercy, where the Father holds his wounded son, but the wound is the Father: God is wounded by love, and for this reason he is able to save us all. May the Lord grant us this grace.
Following the conclusion of the Mass, the Holy Father said:
Christmas will soon be here, the Lord is near. When the Lord was born, he was there, in that manger, no one recognized that he was God. During this Christmastime, I hope that the Lord will be born in the heart of everyone of us, hidden ... so that no one will recognize him, but so that he will be present. This is my wish, the happiness of being close to the Lord.
You pray for me and I will pray for you. Thank you.
Following the ritual of opening the Holy Door, the Pope entered into the place called Saint John Paul II's Table, where he found 200 guests representing all the welcome centres operated by the diocesan Caritas office, along with some volunteers and workers. There, he presided over the Eucharist following the rite provided for the Jubilee of Mercy. Hundreds of other guests and workers also participated in the liturgy by video link from the courtyard outside the building.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Mass celebrated at the Don Luigi Di Liegro Hostel
God comes to save us, and not to find a better way to do things than to simply walk with us, to live our lives. At the moment when he chose how to live his life, He did not choose a large city belonging to a well-established empire; he did not choose a princess or a countess for his mother, an important person; he did not choose a luxurious palace. It seems that everything was arranged intentionally, almost in hiding. Mary was a little girl, about 16 or 17 years old, no more than that, living in a village that was lost on the outskirts of the Roman empire; and no one knew that village, surely. Joseph was a young man who loved her and wanted to marry her, a carpenter who earned his daily bread. Everything was simple, everything was hidden. Even their reputations ... because they were engaged, and in such a small village, you know the characteristics of every inhabitant, the day-to-day happenings - and Joseph discovered that she was pregnant, but he was a just man. Everything had to be kept a secret, because of the possible slander and gossip. And the angel explained the mystery to Joseph: the son that your financée is carrying within her is the work of God, the work of the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did what he had been commanded to do by the angel of the Lord: he went to her and took her hand in marriage (cf Mt 1:18-25). He did all this in hiding, with great humility. The great cities of the world knew nothing. This is how God is among us. If you want to find God, look for him in humility, look for him in poverty, look in the places where He hides: in those who are in need, in those who are the most needy, in the sick, in those who are hungry, in those who are imprisoned.
When Jesus speaks about life, he tells us what our judgement will be like. He will not say to us: You, come with me because you have given many good offerings to the Church, you are one of the Church's benefactors, come into Heaven. No. Entry into heaven is not something we can pay for with money. He will not say: You are very important, you studied so much and received so many honours, come into Heaven. No. Honours don't open Heaven's door. How does Jesus say that we should open Heaven's door? I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was homeless and you welcomed me; I was sick or in prison and you came to visit me (cf Mt 25:35-36). Jesus is found in humility.
The love of Jesus is great. This is why today, as we open the Holy Door, I ask the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of all Romans so that they can see the path to salvation! It's not the path of luxury, not the way of great riches, not the path of power; it is the way of humility. The poor, the sick, the imprisoned - Jesus says more - the greatest of sinners, should they repent, will recede us into Heaven. They have the key. Those who do charitable work are those who allow themselves to be embraced by the mercy of God.
Today we open this Door and ask two things. First, that the Lord may open the door of our hearts to everyone. We all need this, we are all sinners, we all need to hear the Word of God and we need the Word of God to become a reality. Second, that the Lord may help us to understand that the path of presumption, the path of wealth, the path of vanity, the path of pride, are not paths to salvation. May the Lord help us to understand that his Fatherly embrace, his mercy, his forgiveness can be found when we draw close to those who suffer, those who are discarded by society: that's where Jesus is. This Door, which is the Door of Charity, the Door where many are helped, many of those who are ignored; it helps us to understand that every one of us, every Roman, all Romans sometimes feel rejected, feel the need for help from God. Today, we pray for Rome, for all the inhabitants of Rome, for all of them, beginning with me, that the Lord may give us the grace to feel rejected; because we ourselves have no merit: only he gives us mercy and grace. In order to draw close to this grace, we must draw close to those who are rejected, to the poor, to those who are most in need, because according to this approach, we will all be judged. Opening this door today, may the Lord give his grace to all of Rome, to every inhabitant of Rome, so that they may continue to live in the embrace of mercy, where the Father holds his wounded son, but the wound is the Father: God is wounded by love, and for this reason he is able to save us all. May the Lord grant us this grace.
Following the conclusion of the Mass, the Holy Father said:
Christmas will soon be here, the Lord is near. When the Lord was born, he was there, in that manger, no one recognized that he was God. During this Christmastime, I hope that the Lord will be born in the heart of everyone of us, hidden ... so that no one will recognize him, but so that he will be present. This is my wish, the happiness of being close to the Lord.
You pray for me and I will pray for you. Thank you.
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