Pope: Christians serve with joy and not with a grimace
(Vatican Radio) Pope
Francis on Tuesday urged Christians to serve other people, without delay or
hesitation, saying if we learnt how to reach out in this way, the world would
be a very different place. His remarks came during his homily at the morning
Mass in the Santa Marta residence where he used the example of the Blessed
Virgin Mary for his reflections on the concept of a Christian at the service of
others.
May 31st was the final day of
the month dedicated to Mary and the Pope used the day’s readings to illustrate
Mary’s courage, her helping hand and concern for others and above all her joy,
a joy, he said, that fills our hearts and gives meaning and a new direction to
our lives. Referring to Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, Pope Francis
said this is a liturgy full of joy that arrives like “a breath of fresh air” to
fill our lives.
Joy and a grimace
“Christians with a grimace or
disgruntled expression on their faces, sad Christians, are a very ugly thing.
It’s really ugly, ugly, ugly. However, they are not fully Christian. They
think they are (Christians) but they are not fully so. This is the Christian message.
And in this atmosphere of joy that today’s liturgy gives us like a gift, I
would like to underline just two things: first, an attitude; second, a fact.
The attitude is one of service or helping others.”
The Pope pointed out how the
gospel describes Mary as setting off immediately and without hesitation to
visit her cousin, despite being pregnant and despite the risk of meeting
robbers along the route. This young girl of 16 or 17, he said, was courageous
by getting up straightaway and setting out on her journey.
The Church’s courageous
women
“The courage of women. The
courageous women who are present in the Church: they are like Mary. These women
who bring up their families, these women who are responsible for rearing their
children, who have to face so many hardships, so much pain, women who look
after the sick…. Courageous: they get up and help other people.
Serving others is a Christian sign. Whoever doesn’t live to serve other people,
doesn’t serve to live. Serving others and being full of joy is the
attitude that I would like to underline today. There is joy and also service
towards others.”
The second attitude whose
importance was stressed by the Pope is reaching out and meeting other people.
Referring once again to Mary’s meeting with her cousin, he noted that the two
kinswomen greeted each other with joy and their encounter was very festive. In
conclusion, Pope Francis said if we could learn these two things: to serve
others and reach out to them, how much our world would change:
“Reaching out to others is
another Christian sign. Persons who describe themselves as Christian and
who are unable to reach out to others, to go and meet them are not totally
Christian. Being of service and reaching out to others both require going out
from themselves: going out to serve and meet others, to embrace another
person. Through Mary’s service towards others, through that encounter,
our Lord’s promise is renewed and makes it happen now, just as it did then. And
it is really our Lord – as we heard during the first Reading: ‘The Lord, your
God, is in your midst’ – the Lord is about helping other people, the Lord is
about meeting other people.”
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