Pope at Mass prays for
politicians
At Mass on Monday at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis
prayed for all the men and women who have a vocation to political life and, in
his homily, reflects on being born again of the Spirit.
By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ
After celebrating the Mass yesterday, Divine Mercy Sunday,
in the Church of the Holy Spirit in the Saxon District, Pope Francis resumed
Masses at the Casa Santa Marta on Monday.
Introducing the Mass, Pope Francis said: “Let us pray today
for the men and women who have a political vocation. Politics is a high form of
charity.” He went on to pray that political parties might “seek together the
good of the country and not the good of their own parties” during the current
Covid-19 crisis.
Nicodemus and Jesus
Beginning his homily, Pope Francis reflected on Nicodemus, a
leader of the Jews and a righteous Pharisee. He would go to Jesus by night
because he knew that those who associated with Jesus were not looked on well.
Nicodemus felt restless because he knew that Jesus’s actions had been foretold
by the prophets. Coming up to Jesus, he confesses: “Rabbi, we know that you are
a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are
doing unless God is with him.” Pope Francis notes that Nicodemus’ confession
stops before the “therefore,” the “what next”. This hinders him from
understanding fully and from making the leap he needs to make.
A new kind of birth
Responding to Nicodemus, Jesus said: “Unless one is born
from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus understands this
statement literarily. So he asks how one can be born again as an adult. Jesus
explained that to be born from above is to be born of the Spirit.
The Spirit
“The Spirit is unpredictable,” said Pope Francis. Jesus’s
own definition of the Spirit describe it as “the wind blows where it wants and
you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so is everyone born of the Spirit.” A person who is docile to the Spirit is one
who lets himself or herself “be carried from one place to another by the Holy
Spirit.” It is in this way that a person attains freedom in the Spirit.
The sign of a good Christian
“Being a good Christian is not only fulfilling the
commandments,” explains Pope Francis. “If you stop there, you are not a good
Christian.” To be a good Christian is “to let the Spirit enter into you and
take you where He wants you.” Like Nicodemus, we may be tempted to stop before
the “therefore”, the “what next” because we do not know what step to take, or
we do not trust God enough to let His Spirit enter into us. However, to be
truly born again, we must be willing to allow ourselves to be guided in the
“freedom of the Spirit” even though we do not know where we will end up.
Courage and freedom in the Spirit from prayer
Pope Francis explained that in the face of difficulties and
closed doors, the disciples went to the Lord in prayer and they were filled
with the Spirit. Thus, “prayer is what opens the door to the Spirit and gives
us freedom.”
Pope Francis noted that in the First Reading, the Christian
community was a little bit afraid when Peter and John returned to the community
after being interrogated by the priests. They turned to God in prayer and
effectively had a “second Pentecost” – the place where they were gathered
trembled, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They became emboldened and
preached the Word of God courageously.
“This is being born of the Spirit…not stopping at the
‘therefore;’ at the ‘therefore’ of the things I have always done, at the
‘therefore’ beyond the commandments, at the ‘therefore’ beyond religious
habits,” Pope Francis said.
Concluding his homily, the Pope prayed that through prayer,
we might receive the gift of courage from the Holy Spirit, even though we may
not know where it will lead us.
“May the Lord help us to always be open to the Spirit, so
that it will be He who brings us ahead in our life of service to the Lord.”
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