Pope at Mass prays for funeral
service workers during pandemic
At the start of the Mass, Saturday morning, Pope Francis
urges for prayers for those who work in funeral services. In his homily, he
explains that the preaching of the faith is essentially witnessing to the
Gospel.
By Robin Gomes
At the start of the Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Saturday
morning, Pope Francis urged for prayers for those working in funeral
services.
“What they do is something very painful and sad. They
are touched closely by the pain of this pandemic,” he said.
Celebrating the liturgical feast of St. Mark, the Pope in
his homily reflected on the Saint’s Gospel, where Jesus, before going away to
the Father, sends forth His disciples saying, “Go into the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Going out of self
Stressing the missionary nature of faith, he said, “Faith is
either missionary or it is no faith at all.” It is not something
only for oneself. One grows with faith which leads one to go out of
oneself to others, which is what “sending forth” means, the Pope said.
“Faith must be transmitted, it must be offered, above all through witness,” he
stressed.
The Holy Father recalled a priest working in a European city
complaining of much agnosticism and lack of faith among Christians. The Pope
said this is because of the lack of the missionary spirit. Faith is
something that we offer, above all, through witness.
Faith is transmitted
The designation of a Christian or a Catholic on the identity
card is a mere data, something cultural. “This is not faith,” the Pope
said. “Faith necessarily takes you out, it leads you to give it to others,
because faith must be essentially transmitted. It does not remain quiet.”
Being a missionary does not consist in just going to distant
lands. It means that if you have faith, you necessarily have to get out
of yourself and show your faith socially. This does not mean
proselytizing, as if recruiting people for a soccer team or a charity.
Convincing witness
The transmission of faith is to reveal God through witness
and service so that the Holy Spirit can act in people. Service is a way
of life, the Pope said. If I say that I am a Christian and live like a
pagan, no one will be convinced. Instead, if I am a Christian and live as
a Christian, people are attracted, and this is witness.
A university student in Poland had asked the Pope what he
could do to convince many of his atheist friends. The Pope said, “The last
thing you need to do is say something.” “Start living, and, seeing your
testimony, they will ask you: 'Why do you live like this?'." Faith,
the Holy Father explained, must be transmitted, not to convince but to offer as
a treasure.
Humility
This, the Pope said, is done with humility as St. Peter
urges in the first reading: “Clothe yourselves all with humility towards each
other” (1 Peter 5:5).
He said there are many instances of men or women in the
Church, in history, in movements and groups, who preached like proselytizers
and ended up in corruption.
The Pope concluded saying that the Lord assures us that if
we go out of ourselves to witness to Him, we will be fruitful and work
wonders. In the transmission of ideologies, he pointed out, there will be
teachers but in the transmission of faith, the Lord will be with us and
accompanies us until the end of the world.
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