Pope exhorts parishioners to
'listen to the voice of Jesus in everyday life'
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| Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Rome parish of San Gelasio. (Vatican Media) |
On Sunday afternoon Pope Francis travelled to a suburb in
the outskirts of Rome to celebrate Mass in the Parish of San Gelasio.
By John Waters
On Sunday 25th February, Pope
Francis said Mass in the Parish church of San Gelasio,
at Ponte Mammalo inRome. The Mass began 30 minutes earlier than
scheduled. Among the congregation were many ex-prisoners, being held in a state
of semi-freedom, as well as family to whom the Pope had donated a
pre-fabricated house, after their own has been destroyed by a fire.
After the Mass, the Pope greeted the crowds who had gathered
outside in the bitterly cold weather, joking that, after see how they willingly
waited for him in the cold, he felt inspired to build a parish at the North
Pole.
The Pope’s homily focused on the Transfiguration of
Jesus, as told in the Gospel of the day. Pope Francis explained to the
congregation how it important to always listen to the voice of Jesus in
everyday life, and then to do what Jesus says.
Below is the full text of the Holy Father’s Homily.
Jesus shows himself to the Apostles as he is in Heaven.
Glorious, luminous, triumphant, victor. And this is done to prepare them for
the scandal of the cross, because they could not understand that Jesus would
die like a criminal, they could not understand this. They though that Jesus was
a liberator, but like earthly liberators, who win battles, who are always
triumphant. And the path of Jesus is another, Jesus triumphs through
humiliation, the humiliation of the cross. But, as this would be a scandal for
them, Jesus lets them see what will come next, what is after cross, what awaits
us, all of us. This glory and this heaven. And this is very beautiful, very
beautiful because Jesus, and this feels good, always prepares us for the test.
In one way or another but this is the message. It always prepares us. It gives
us the strength to go on in moments of trial and to win with its strength.
Jesus does not leave us alone in the trials of life, he always prepares us, he
helps us as he prepares these (the disciples) with the vision of his glory. And
so they remembered this moment, to bear the weight of the humiliation. And this
is the first thing that the church teaches, that Jesus always prepares us and
rehearses with us. He does not leave us alone, never.
The second thing we can take from the word of God “This is
my beloved son. Listen to him.” This is the message which the Father gives to
the Apostles, the message of Jesus prepares them to see his glory, the message
of the Father is “Listen to him.” There is no moment in life which cannot be
fully lived by listening to Jesus. In beautiful moments, stop and listen to
Jesus, in bad moments, stop and listen to Jesus. This is the way, he will tell
us what we need to do, always.
So let us go forwards in this Lent, with these two things.
In trials, remember the glory of Jesus, which is what awaits us, that Jesus is
always present with that glory which gives us strength. And through all of
life, listen to Jesus, to what Jesus tells us, in the Gospel, in the liturgy or
in the heart, he always speaks to us.
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