At 10:45am this morning (4:45am EDT), the helicopter carrying the Holy Father, Pope Francis from Piazza Armerina landed near the Port of Palermo.
Upon his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by the Archbishop of Palermo, His Excellency, Corrado Lorefice; the President of the Sicilian region, the Honourable Nello Musumeci; the Prefect of Palermo, Doctor Antonella De Miro; ad the Mayor of Palermo, the Honourable Leoluca Orlando.
At 11:15am (5:15am EDT), at the Foro Italico, the Holy Father presided over the Eucharistic Celebration for the liturgical Memorial of Blessed Lino Puglisi.
At the conclusion of the Celebration, following the greetings offered by the Archbishop of Palermo, Pope Francis made his way to the Hope and Charity Mission (Fra' Biagio Conte) where he shared lunch with the guests who are currently staying at that place and a group of detainees and immigrants.
Today, God is speaking to us about victory and defeat. In the first reading, Saint John presents faith as the victory that overcame the world (1 Jn 5:4), while in the gospel, we hear the words of Jesus: Whoever loves his own life will lose it (Jn 12:25).
This is the defeat: he who loves his life really loses. Why? Certainly not because you have to hate life: life must be loved and defended, it is God's first gift! What leads to defeat is to love one's own life, that is, to love one's own self. Whoever lives for his own interests loses, he or she is an egotist, we say. It would seem the opposite. Those who live for themselves, those who multiply their turnover, those who succeed, those who fully satisfy their needs appear to be winning in the eyes of the world. Advertising is pounding us with this idea - the idea of seeking one's own, of selfishness - and yet Jesus does not agree with it. According to him, whoever lives for himself does not just lose something, but his whole life; while those who give of themselves find the meaning of life and win.
So there is something to choose from: love or selfishness. The egoist thinks of caring for his life and is attached to things, money, power, pleasure. Then the devil has doors open. The devil enters through the pockets, if you are attached to money. The devil makes us believe that everything is fine but in reality the heart is anesthetized with selfishness. Selfishness is a very powerful anesthesia. This choice always ends badly: in the end you remain alone, with emptiness inside. The end result of selfishness is sad: we end up empty, alone, surrounded only by those who want to inherit our money. It is like the grains in the Gospel: if they remain closed within themselves, they only remain underground. If instead they open and die, they bear fruit on the surface.
But you could tell me: to give oneself, to live for God and for others is a great effort for nothing, the world does not work like that: to get ahead you do not need grains of wheat, you need money and power. This is a great illusion: money and power do not free us; rather, they make us slaves. You see: God does not exercise power in order to solve our problems and the world's troubles. His way is always that of humble love: only love liberates us from within, gives peace and joy. This is why true power, the power according to God, is service. Jesus says so. And the strongest voice is not that of those who shout more. Prayer is the strongest voice. And the greatest success is not fame, like the peacock, no. The greatest glory, the greatest success is one's own testimony.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we are called to choose which side we want to be on: living for oneself - with a closed fist (he makes the gesture) - or giving life - the open hand (he makes the gesture). Only by giving life is evil defeated. This is a high price, but only in this way can we overcome evil. Don Pino taught us: he did not live in order to be seen, he did not live in anti-Mafia appeals, nor was he content to do nothing wrong, but he sowed goodness, so well. He appeared to be a loser according to the ruling of logic, while the logic of the portfolio seemed to win. But Father Pino was right: the logic of god-money is always a loser. Let's look inside. We can be tempted to want more: I have one thing and immediately I want another, and then another and more and more, without end. The more you have, the more you want: it's a bad addiction. It's a bad addiction. It's like a drug. Those who swell with things eventually break out. On the other hand, those who love find themselves and discover how beautiful it is to help, how beautiful it is to serve; they find joy inside and a smile outside, as was the case for Don Pino.
Twenty-five years ago, as it is today, when he died on his birthday, he crowned his victory with a smile, with that smile that made it impossible for his killer to sleep at night; he used to say: there was a kind of light in that smile. Father Pino was helpless, but his smile conveyed the strength of God: not a blinding glare, but a gentle light that digs in and clears the heart. It is the light of love, a gift of service. We need many smiling priests. We need Christians to smile, not because they take things lightly, but because they are rich only in the joy of God, because they believe in love and live to serve. It is in giving life that joy is found, because there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf Acts 20:35). So I would like to ask you: do you want to live like that too? Do you want to give your life, without waiting for others to take the first step? Do you want to do good without waiting for an exchange, without waiting for the world to become better? Dear brothers and sisters, do you want to take risks on this road, to take risks for the Lord?
Don Pino, yes he did, he knew he was in danger, but he knew above all that the real danger in life is not to risk, it is to vacillate between comfort, danger and shortcuts. God frees us from living on the downside, contenting ourselves with half-truths. Half-truths do not satisfy the heart, they do not do good. May God save us from a small life, which revolves around the little concerns. May God save us from thinking that everything is fine if it suits me well, and if others get along with me. May God save us from believing we are right if we do nothing to counter injustice. Those who do nothing to counteract injustice are not just men or women. May God save us from believing we are good only because we do not do anything wrong. It is a good thing - said a saint - not to do evil. But it is bad thing not to do good (Saint Alberto Hurtado). Lord, give us the desire to do good; to seek the truth detesting falsehood; to choose sacrifice, not laziness; love, not hate; forgiveness, not revenge.
Life is given to others, life is given to others, it can not be removed. One can not believe in God and hate his brother, take away life with hatred. The first reading recalls this: if someone says, 'I love God' and hates his brother he is a liar (1 Jn 4:20). A liar, because the faith that he claims to have lies, the faith he possesses professes God-love. God-love repudiates all violence and loves all men. Therefore the word hatred must be erased from the Christian life; therefore one can not believe in God and overwhelm our brothers and sisters. You can not believe in God and be mafia. Whoever is a mafioso does not live as a Christian, because it is blasphemy to live such a life the name of God-love. Today we need men and women of love, not men and women of honour; of service, not of overwhelming. We need to walk together, not to chase away power. If the mafia litany is: You do not know who I am, the Christian one is: I need you. If the mafia threat is: You will pay it to me, the Christian prayer is: Lord, help me to love. Therefore to the mafiosi I say: change, brothers and sisters! Stop thinking about yourself and your money. You know, you know, that the burial shroud has no pockets. You can not bring anything with you. Conve rt yourselves to the true God of Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters! I say to you, mafiosi: if you do not do this your life will be lost and it will be the worst of all defeats.
Today, the Gospel concludes with Jesus' invitation: If anyone wants to serve me, follow me (Jn 12:26). Follow me, that is, start walking. You can not follow Jesus with ideas, we must get busy. If everyone does something, a lot can be done, Don Pino used to say. How many of us put these words into practice? Today, before him, let us ask ourselves: what can I do? What can I do for others, for the Church, for society? Do not wait for the Church to do something for you, you begin. Do not wait for the company to do it, you start! Do not think of yourself, do not run away from your responsibility, choose love! Feel the life of your people in need, listen to your people. Be afraid of the deafness of not listening to your people. This is the only possible way: listening to other people, the only Christian way: to listen and serve the people, without shouting, accusing and provoking disputes.
This is what Father Pino did, he was poor among the poor of his land. In his room the chair where he used to study was broken, but the chair was not the focus of his life, because he was not sitting down to rest, instead, he lived on the road in order to love. Here is the winning mentality. Here is the victory of faith, born of the daily gift of self. Here is the victory of faith, which brings God's smile to the roads of the world. Here is the victory of faith, born of the scandal of martyrdom. No one has greater love than this: to give his life for his friends (Jn 15:13). These words of Jesus, written on the tomb of Don Puglisi, remind everyone that giving life was the secret of his victory, the secret of a beautiful life. Today, dear brothers and sisters, we too choose a beautiful life. Amen.
Upon his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by the Archbishop of Palermo, His Excellency, Corrado Lorefice; the President of the Sicilian region, the Honourable Nello Musumeci; the Prefect of Palermo, Doctor Antonella De Miro; ad the Mayor of Palermo, the Honourable Leoluca Orlando.
At 11:15am (5:15am EDT), at the Foro Italico, the Holy Father presided over the Eucharistic Celebration for the liturgical Memorial of Blessed Lino Puglisi.
At the conclusion of the Celebration, following the greetings offered by the Archbishop of Palermo, Pope Francis made his way to the Hope and Charity Mission (Fra' Biagio Conte) where he shared lunch with the guests who are currently staying at that place and a group of detainees and immigrants.
Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the Mass celebrated in Palermo
Today, God is speaking to us about victory and defeat. In the first reading, Saint John presents faith as the victory that overcame the world (1 Jn 5:4), while in the gospel, we hear the words of Jesus: Whoever loves his own life will lose it (Jn 12:25).
This is the defeat: he who loves his life really loses. Why? Certainly not because you have to hate life: life must be loved and defended, it is God's first gift! What leads to defeat is to love one's own life, that is, to love one's own self. Whoever lives for his own interests loses, he or she is an egotist, we say. It would seem the opposite. Those who live for themselves, those who multiply their turnover, those who succeed, those who fully satisfy their needs appear to be winning in the eyes of the world. Advertising is pounding us with this idea - the idea of seeking one's own, of selfishness - and yet Jesus does not agree with it. According to him, whoever lives for himself does not just lose something, but his whole life; while those who give of themselves find the meaning of life and win.
So there is something to choose from: love or selfishness. The egoist thinks of caring for his life and is attached to things, money, power, pleasure. Then the devil has doors open. The devil enters through the pockets, if you are attached to money. The devil makes us believe that everything is fine but in reality the heart is anesthetized with selfishness. Selfishness is a very powerful anesthesia. This choice always ends badly: in the end you remain alone, with emptiness inside. The end result of selfishness is sad: we end up empty, alone, surrounded only by those who want to inherit our money. It is like the grains in the Gospel: if they remain closed within themselves, they only remain underground. If instead they open and die, they bear fruit on the surface.
But you could tell me: to give oneself, to live for God and for others is a great effort for nothing, the world does not work like that: to get ahead you do not need grains of wheat, you need money and power. This is a great illusion: money and power do not free us; rather, they make us slaves. You see: God does not exercise power in order to solve our problems and the world's troubles. His way is always that of humble love: only love liberates us from within, gives peace and joy. This is why true power, the power according to God, is service. Jesus says so. And the strongest voice is not that of those who shout more. Prayer is the strongest voice. And the greatest success is not fame, like the peacock, no. The greatest glory, the greatest success is one's own testimony.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we are called to choose which side we want to be on: living for oneself - with a closed fist (he makes the gesture) - or giving life - the open hand (he makes the gesture). Only by giving life is evil defeated. This is a high price, but only in this way can we overcome evil. Don Pino taught us: he did not live in order to be seen, he did not live in anti-Mafia appeals, nor was he content to do nothing wrong, but he sowed goodness, so well. He appeared to be a loser according to the ruling of logic, while the logic of the portfolio seemed to win. But Father Pino was right: the logic of god-money is always a loser. Let's look inside. We can be tempted to want more: I have one thing and immediately I want another, and then another and more and more, without end. The more you have, the more you want: it's a bad addiction. It's a bad addiction. It's like a drug. Those who swell with things eventually break out. On the other hand, those who love find themselves and discover how beautiful it is to help, how beautiful it is to serve; they find joy inside and a smile outside, as was the case for Don Pino.
Twenty-five years ago, as it is today, when he died on his birthday, he crowned his victory with a smile, with that smile that made it impossible for his killer to sleep at night; he used to say: there was a kind of light in that smile. Father Pino was helpless, but his smile conveyed the strength of God: not a blinding glare, but a gentle light that digs in and clears the heart. It is the light of love, a gift of service. We need many smiling priests. We need Christians to smile, not because they take things lightly, but because they are rich only in the joy of God, because they believe in love and live to serve. It is in giving life that joy is found, because there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf Acts 20:35). So I would like to ask you: do you want to live like that too? Do you want to give your life, without waiting for others to take the first step? Do you want to do good without waiting for an exchange, without waiting for the world to become better? Dear brothers and sisters, do you want to take risks on this road, to take risks for the Lord?
Don Pino, yes he did, he knew he was in danger, but he knew above all that the real danger in life is not to risk, it is to vacillate between comfort, danger and shortcuts. God frees us from living on the downside, contenting ourselves with half-truths. Half-truths do not satisfy the heart, they do not do good. May God save us from a small life, which revolves around the little concerns. May God save us from thinking that everything is fine if it suits me well, and if others get along with me. May God save us from believing we are right if we do nothing to counter injustice. Those who do nothing to counteract injustice are not just men or women. May God save us from believing we are good only because we do not do anything wrong. It is a good thing - said a saint - not to do evil. But it is bad thing not to do good (Saint Alberto Hurtado). Lord, give us the desire to do good; to seek the truth detesting falsehood; to choose sacrifice, not laziness; love, not hate; forgiveness, not revenge.
Life is given to others, life is given to others, it can not be removed. One can not believe in God and hate his brother, take away life with hatred. The first reading recalls this: if someone says, 'I love God' and hates his brother he is a liar (1 Jn 4:20). A liar, because the faith that he claims to have lies, the faith he possesses professes God-love. God-love repudiates all violence and loves all men. Therefore the word hatred must be erased from the Christian life; therefore one can not believe in God and overwhelm our brothers and sisters. You can not believe in God and be mafia. Whoever is a mafioso does not live as a Christian, because it is blasphemy to live such a life the name of God-love. Today we need men and women of love, not men and women of honour; of service, not of overwhelming. We need to walk together, not to chase away power. If the mafia litany is: You do not know who I am, the Christian one is: I need you. If the mafia threat is: You will pay it to me, the Christian prayer is: Lord, help me to love. Therefore to the mafiosi I say: change, brothers and sisters! Stop thinking about yourself and your money. You know, you know, that the burial shroud has no pockets. You can not bring anything with you. Conve rt yourselves to the true God of Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters! I say to you, mafiosi: if you do not do this your life will be lost and it will be the worst of all defeats.
Today, the Gospel concludes with Jesus' invitation: If anyone wants to serve me, follow me (Jn 12:26). Follow me, that is, start walking. You can not follow Jesus with ideas, we must get busy. If everyone does something, a lot can be done, Don Pino used to say. How many of us put these words into practice? Today, before him, let us ask ourselves: what can I do? What can I do for others, for the Church, for society? Do not wait for the Church to do something for you, you begin. Do not wait for the company to do it, you start! Do not think of yourself, do not run away from your responsibility, choose love! Feel the life of your people in need, listen to your people. Be afraid of the deafness of not listening to your people. This is the only possible way: listening to other people, the only Christian way: to listen and serve the people, without shouting, accusing and provoking disputes.
This is what Father Pino did, he was poor among the poor of his land. In his room the chair where he used to study was broken, but the chair was not the focus of his life, because he was not sitting down to rest, instead, he lived on the road in order to love. Here is the winning mentality. Here is the victory of faith, born of the daily gift of self. Here is the victory of faith, which brings God's smile to the roads of the world. Here is the victory of faith, born of the scandal of martyrdom. No one has greater love than this: to give his life for his friends (Jn 15:13). These words of Jesus, written on the tomb of Don Puglisi, remind everyone that giving life was the secret of his victory, the secret of a beautiful life. Today, dear brothers and sisters, we too choose a beautiful life. Amen.
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