Pope
Francis: homily for Christ the King canonization Mass
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered the homily at the Mass
celebrated in St Peter's Square on Christ the King Sunday, during the course of
which he canonized six new saints: Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a priest whose
leadership saved the Church in Kerala from a schism and who was the founder of
the Congregation of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate; Mother Eufrasia
Eluvathingal of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Mother of Carmel; Amato
Ronconi, Third Order Franciscan and the founder of the hospital known as
the “Blessed Amato Ronconi Nursing Home”; Giovanni Antonio Farina, the bishop
of Vicenza and the founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy,
Daughters of the Sacred Heart. Nicola da Longobardi, a professed oblate of the
Order of Minims; Ludovico da Casoria, a Franciscan priest who founded the
Congregation of the Elizabethan Franciscan Sisters. Below, please find the full
text of the official English translation of the Holy Father's prepared homily.
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Homily of His Holiness Pope
Francis
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, King of the Universe
(23 November 2014)
Today’s liturgy
invites us to fix our gaze on Christ, the King of the Universe. The
beautiful prayer of the Preface reminds us that his kingdom is “a kingdom of
truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and
peace”. The readings we have listened to show us how Jesus established
his kingdom; how he brings it about in history; and what he now asks of us.
First, how Jesus brought about his
kingdom:
he did so through his closeness and tenderness towards us. He is the
Shepherd, of whom the Prophet Ezekiel spoke in the First Reading (cf. 34:11-12,
15-17). These verses are interwoven with verbs which show the care and
love that the Shepherd has for his flock: to search, to look over, to gather
the dispersed, to lead into pasture, to bring to rest, to seek the lost sheep,
to lead back the confused, to bandage the wounded, to heal the sick, to take care
of, to pasture. All of these are fulfilled in Jesus Christ: he is
truly the “great Shepherd of the sheep and the protector of our souls” (cf. Heb 13:20; 1 Pt 2:25).
Those of us who are
called to be pastors in the Church cannot stray from this example, if we do not
want to become hirelings. In this regard the People of God have an
unerring sense for recognizing good shepherds and in distinguishing them from
hirelings.
After his victory,
that is after his Resurrection, how has Jesus advanced his kingdom? The
Apostle Paul, in the First Letter to the Corinthians, says: “for he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (15:25). The Father,
little by little, subjects all to the Son and, at the same time, the Son
subjects all to the Father. Jesus is not a King according to earthly
ways: for him, to reign is not to command, but to obey the Father, to give
himself over to the Father, so that his plan of love and salvation may be
brought to fulfilment. In this way there is full reciprocity between the
Father and the Son. The period of Christ’s reign is the long period of
subjecting everything to the Son and consigning everything to the Father.
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:26). And in the end, when all things will be under the
sovereignty of Jesus, and everything, including Jesus himself, will be
subjected to the Father, God will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28).
The Gospel teaches what Jesus’ kingdom requires of
us:
it reminds us that closeness and tenderness are the rule of life for us also,
and that on this basis we will be judged. This is the great parable of
the final judgement in Matthew 25. The King says: “Come, O blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I
was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick
and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (25:34-36). The
righteous will ask him: when did we do all this? And he will answer them:
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me” (Mt25:40).
The starting point of
salvation is not the confession of the sovereignty of Christ, but rather the
imitation of Jesus’ works of mercy through which he brought about his
kingdom. The one who accomplishes these works shows that he has welcomed
Christ’s sovereignty, because he has opened his heart to God’s charity.
In the twilight of life we will be judged on our love for, closeness to and
tenderness towards our brothers and sisters. Upon this will depend our
entry into, or exclusion from, the kingdom of God: our belonging to the one
side or the other. Through his victory, Jesus has opened to us his
kingdom. But it is for us to enter into it, beginning with our life now,
by being close in concrete ways to our brothers and sisters who ask for bread,
clothing, acceptance, solidarity. If we truly love them, we will be
willing to share with them what is most precious to us, Jesus himself and his
Gospel.
Today the Church
places before us the example of these new saints. Each in his or her own
way served the kingdom of God, of which they became heirs, precisely through
works of generous devotion to God and their brothers and sisters. They
responded with extraordinary creativity to the commandment of love of God and
neighbour. They dedicated themselves, without holding back, to serving
the least and assisting the destitute, sick, elderly and pilgrims. Their
preference for the smallest and poorest was the reflection and measure of their
unconditional love of God. In fact, they sought and discovered love in a
strong and personal relationship with God, from whence springs forth true love
for one’s neighbour. In the hour of judgement, therefore, they heard that
tender invitation: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34).
Through the rite of
canonization, we have confessed once again the mystery of God’s kingdom and we
have honoured Christ the King, the Shepherd full of love for his sheep.
May our new saints, through their witness and intercession, increase within us
the joy of walking in the way of the Gospel and our resolve to embrace the
Gospel as the compass of our lives. Let us follow in their footsteps,
imitating their faith and love, so that our hope too may be clothed in
immortality. May we not allow ourselves to be distracted by other earthly
and fleeting interests. And may Mary, our Mother and Queen of all Saints,
guide us on the way to the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
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