Pope celebrates Mass on Apostolic Visit to Myanmar:
Full text
 |
| Two nuns walk in Kyaikkasan Ground where Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on Wednesday morning.- AP |
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Wednesday
morning on Kyaikkasan Ground in Yangon during his Apostolic Journey to Myanmar.
Please find below the Pope's prepared homily:
Yangon, Kyaikkasan Ground
Wednesday 29 November 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before coming to this country, I very much looked forward to
this moment. Many of you have come from far and remote mountainous areas,
some even on foot. I have come as a fellow pilgrim to listen and to learn
from you, as well as to offer you some words of hope and consolation.
Today’s first reading, from the Book of Daniel, helps us to
see how limited is the wisdom of King Belshazzar and his seers. They knew
how to praise “gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Dn 5:4),
but they did not have the wisdom to praise God in whose hand is our life and
breath. Daniel, on the other hand, had the wisdom of the Lord and was
able to interpret his great mysteries.
The ultimate interpreter of God’s mysteries is Jesus.
He is the wisdom of God in person (cf. 1 Cor 1:24). Jesus did not teach
us his wisdom by long speeches or by grand demonstrations of political or
earthly power but by giving his life on the cross. Sometimes we can fall
into the trap of believing in our own wisdom, but the truth is we can easily
lose our sense of direction. At those times we need to remember that we
have a sure compass before us, in the crucified Lord. In the cross, we
find the wisdom that can guide our life with the light that comes from
God.
From the cross also comes healing. There, Jesus
offered his wounds to the Father for us, the wounds by which we are healed (cf.
1 Pet 2:24). May we always have the wisdom to find in the wounds of
Christ the source of all healing! I know that many in Myanmar bear the
wounds of violence, wounds both visible and invisible. The temptation is
to respond to these injuries with a worldly wisdom that, like that of the king
in the first reading, is deeply flawed. We think that healing can come
from anger and revenge. Yet the way of revenge is not the way of Jesus.
Jesus’ way is radically different. When hatred and
rejection led him to his passion and death, he responded with forgiveness and
compassion. In today’s Gospel, the Lord tells us that, like him, we too
may encounter rejection and obstacles, yet he will give us a wisdom that cannot
be resisted (cf. Lk 21:15). He is speaking of the Holy Spirit, through
whom the love of God has been poured into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5). By
the gift of his Spirit, Jesus enables us each to be signs of his wisdom, which
triumphs over the wisdom of this world, and his mercy, which soothes even the
most painful of injuries.
On the eve of his passion, Jesus gave himself to his
apostles under the signs of bread and wine. In the gift of the Eucharist,
we not only recognize, with the eyes of faith, the gift of his body and blood;
we also learn how to rest in his wounds, and there to be cleansed of all our
sins and foolish ways. By taking refuge in Christ’s wounds, dear brothers
and sisters, may you know the healing balm of the Father’s mercy and find the
strength to bring it to others, to anoint every hurt and every painful
memory. In this way, you will be faithful witnesses of the reconciliation
and peace that God wants to reign in every human heart and in every
community.
I know that the Church in Myanmar is already doing much to
bring the healing balm of God’s mercy to others, especially those most in
need. There are clear signs that even with very limited means, many
communities are proclaiming the Gospel to other tribal minorities, never
forcing or coercing but always inviting and welcoming. Amid much poverty
and difficulty, many of you offer practical assistance and solidarity to the
poor and suffering. Through the daily ministrations of its bishops,
priests, religious and catechists, and particularly through the praiseworthy
work of Catholic Karuna Myanmar and the generous assistance provided by the
Pontifical Mission Societies, the Church in this country is helping great
numbers of men, women and children, regardless of religion or ethnic
background. I can see that the Church here is alive, that Christ is alive
and here with you and with your brothers and sisters of other Christian
communities. I encourage you to keep sharing with others the priceless
wisdom that you have received, the love of God welling up in the heart of
Jesus.
Jesus wants to give this wisdom in abundance. He will
surely crown your efforts to sow seeds of healing and reconciliation in your
families, communities and the wider society of this nation. Does he not
tell us that his wisdom is irresistible (cf. Lk 21:15)? His message of
forgiveness and mercy uses a logic that not all will want to understand, and
which will encounter obstacles. Yet his love, revealed on the cross is
ultimately unstoppable. It is like a spiritual GPS that unfailingly
guides us towards the inner life of God and the heart of our neighbour.
Our Blessed Mother Mary followed her Son even to the dark
mountain of Calvary and she accompanies us at every step of our earthly
journey. May she obtain for us the grace always be to messengers of true
wisdom, heartfelt mercy to those in need, and the joy that comes from resting
in the wounds of Jesus, who loved us to the end.
May God bless all of you! May God bless the Church in
Myanmar! May he bless this land with his peace! God bless Myanmar!
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét