Pope:
the Resurrection is the foundation of our faith
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday, November 3, celebrated
Mass in remembrance of all the Cardinals and Bishops who died during the past
year.
During the Mass, which
was held in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope reminded us that thanks to the
Resurrection of Jesus our faith is full of the joy of truth and eternal life.
Reflecting on the reading from the second Book of Maccabees in
which the ruler of Jerusalem collects “two thousand silver drachmas for
sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously
concerning the resurrection” (2 Mac 12, 43-46), – the Pope said – that
thanks to God’s Word this celebration is enlightened by our faith in the
Resurrection.
The whole of Divine Revelation – he said – is the fruit of
dialogue between God and his people, and faith too is bound to this dialogue
that accompanies the people of God in history.
It is no wonder – Pope Francis said – that such a great, important
and superhuman mystery as the Resurrection required such a long journey in
time, up until the coming of Jesus Christ.
Jesus can say: “I am the Resurrection and the life” (John 11, 25)
because in Him this mystery not only is fully revealed, through Him, for the
first time, it becomes reality.
And recalling the Gospel of Mark that tells of the death of Jesus
and of the empty tomb, the Pope pointed out that this episode represents the
culmination of that journey in time: the event of the Resurrection that
responds to the quest of God’s people, to the quest of every man and of the
whole of humanity.
Each of us – Pope Francis said – is invited to be part of this
event. We are called to stand before the Cross of Jesus, like Mary, like the
women, like the centurion listening to his cry, to his last breath and finally
to the silence; that silence that persists throughout Holy Saturday. And then
we are called to go to the tomb to see that the large stone has been rolled
back and to listen to the news: “He has been raised, he is not here” (Mark 16,
6). That is where the answer is, that is where the foundation is, the rock. Not
in “wise and persuasive words” – the Pope said - but in the living Word
of the Cross and in the Resurrection of Christ.
This is what the Apostle Paul preaches – the Pope continued – the
Resurrection of the crucified Jesus Christ. If He has not risen, our faith is
empty and inconsistent. But seeing that He has risen, that He is the
Resurrection, then our faith is full of truth and eternal life.
So – Pope Francis concluded – renewing tradition today we offer
the Sacrifice of the Eucharist in suffrage of our brother Cardinals and Bishops
who have died during the past twelve months. And our prayer is enriched by the
sentiments, the memories, and the gratitude for the testimonies of people we
have known, and with whom we have shared service within the Church. Many of
their faces – he said – are before our eyes, and all of them are lovingly and
mercifully looked upon by our heavenly Father.
And invoking the intercession of our celestial Mother for these
beloved sons of Hers, Pope Francis prayed that they may relish the joy of the
New Jerusalem together with all the faithful that have served on earth.
(Linda Bordoni)
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