Pope Francis in Cairo: full text of homily at Sat AM
Mass
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis was the principal celebrant and
homilist at Mass for Egyptian Catholics in the “Air Defense Stadium” in Cairo
on Saturday. Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father’s prepared
remarks, in their official English translation.
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Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Holy Mass, Cairo
29 April 2017
Holy Mass, Cairo
29 April 2017
As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with
you!
Today’s Gospel of the third Sunday of Easter speaks to us of
the journey to Emmaus of the two disciples who set out from Jerusalem. It
can be summed up in three words: death, resurrection and life.
Death. The two disciples are returning, full of
despair and disappointment, to life as usual. The Master is dead and thus
it is pointless to hope. They feel disappointment and despair.
Theirs is a journey of return, as they leave behind the painful experience of
Jesus’ crucifixion. The crisis of the cross, indeed the “scandal” and
“foolishness” of the cross (cf. 1 Cor 1:18, 2:2), seems to
have buried any hope they had. The one on whom they had built their lives
is dead; in his defeat, he brought all their aspirations with him to the tomb.
They could not believe that their Master and Saviour, who
had raised others from the dead and healed the sick, would end up hanging on
the cross of shame. They could not understand why Almighty God had not
saved him from such a disgraceful death. The cross of Christ was the
cross of their own ideas about God; the death of Christ was the death of what
they thought God to be. But in fact, it was they who were dead, buried in
the tomb of their limited understanding.
How often do we paralyze ourselves by refusing to transcend
our own ideas of God, a god created in the image and likeness of man! How
often do we despair by refusing to believe that God’s omnipotence is not one of
power and authority, but rather of love, forgiveness and life!
The disciples recognized Jesus in the “breaking of the
bread”, in the Eucharist. Unless we tear apart the veil clouding our
vision and shatter the hardness of our hearts and our prejudices, we will never
be able to recognize the face of God.
Resurrection. In the gloom of their darkest
night, at the moment of their greatest despair, Jesus approaches the two
disciples and walks at their side, to make them see that he is “the Way, and
the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6). Jesus turns their despair
into life, for when human hope vanishes, divine hope begins to shine in its
place. “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Lk 18:27;
cf. 1:37). When we reach the depths of failure and helplessness, when we
rid ourselves of the illusion that we are the best, sufficient unto ourselves
and the centre of our world, then God reaches out to us to turn our night into
dawn, our affliction into joy, our death into resurrection. He turns our
steps back to Jerusalem, back to life and to the victory of the Cross (cf. Heb 11:34).
After meeting the Risen Lord, the two disciples returned
filled with joy, confidence and enthusiasm, ready to bear witness. The
Risen One made them rise from the tomb of their unbelief and their
sorrow. Encountering the Lord, crucified and risen, they discovered the
meaning and fulfilment of the whole of Scripture, the Law and the
Prophets. They discovered the meaning of the apparent defeat of the
cross.
Those who do not pass from the experience of the cross to
the truth of the resurrection condemn themselves to despair! For we
cannot encounter God without first crucifying our narrow notions of a god who
reflects only our own understanding of omnipotence and power.
Life. The encounter with the Risen Jesus
transformed the lives of those two disciples because meeting the Risen One
transforms every life, and makes fruitful what is barren (cf. BENEDICT XVI, General
Audience, 11 April 2007). Faith in the resurrection is not a product
of the Church, but the Church herself is born of faith in the
resurrection. As Saint Paul says: “If Christ has not been raised, then
our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).
The Risen Lord vanished from the sight of the disciples in
order to teach us that we cannot hold on to Jesus as he appeared in history:
“Blessed are those who believe and yet have not seen” (Jn 21:29;
cf. 20:17). The Church needs to know and believe that Jesus lives within
her and gives her life in the Eucharist, the scriptures and the
sacraments. The disciples on the way to Emmaus realized this, and
returned to Jerusalem in order to share their experience with the others: “We
have seen the Risen One… Yes, he is truly risen!” (cf. Lk 24:32).
The experience of the disciples on the way to Emmaus teaches
us that it is of no use to fill our places of worship if our hearts are empty
of the fear of God and of his presence. It is of no use to pray if our
prayer to God does not turn into love for our brothers and sisters. All
our religiosity means nothing unless it is inspired by deep faith and
charity. It is of no use to be concerned about our image, since God looks
at the soul and the heart (cf. 1 Sam 16:7) and he detests
hypocrisy (cf. Lk 11:37-54; Acts 5:3, 4)[1].
For God, it is better not to believe than to be a false believer, a hypocrite!
True faith is one that makes us more charitable, more
merciful, more honest and more humane. It moves our hearts to love
everyone without counting the cost, without distinction and without
preference. It makes us see the other not as an enemy to be overcome, but
a brother or sister to be loved, served and helped. It spurs us on to
spread, defend and live out the culture of encounter, dialogue, respect and
fraternity. It gives us the courage to forgive those who have wronged us,
to extend a hand to the fallen, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to
visit the imprisoned, to help orphans, to give drink to those who thirst, and
to come to the aid of the elderly and those in need (cf. Mt 25).
True faith leads us to protect the rights of others with the same zeal and
enthusiasm with which we defend our own. Indeed, the more we grow in
faith and knowledge, the more we grow in humility and in the awareness of our
littleness.
Dear brothers and sisters,
God is pleased only by a faith that is proclaimed by our
lives, for the only fanaticism believers can have is that of charity! Any
other fanaticism does not come from God and is not pleasing to him!
So now, like the disciples of Emmaus, filled with joy,
courage and faith, return to your own Jerusalem, that is, to your daily lives,
your families, your work and your beloved country. Do not be afraid to
open your hearts to the light of the Risen Lord, and let him transform your
uncertainty into a positive force for yourselves and for others. Do not be
afraid to love everyone, friends and enemies alike, because the strength and
treasure of the believer lies in a life of love!
May Our Lady and the Holy Family, who dwelt in this
venerable land of yours, enlighten our hearts and bless you and this beloved
country of Egypt, which at the dawn of Christianity welcomed the preaching of
Saint Mark, and throughout its history has brought forth so many martyrs and a
great multitude of holy men and women.
Al Masih qam! Bi-l-haqiqa qam!
Christ is risen! He is truly risen!
[1] Saint Ephraim
exclaims: “Just tear off the mask that covers the hypocrite and you will see
only corruption” (Sermon). “Woe to them that are of a double heart”, says
Ecclesiasticus (2:14, Vulg).
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