Pope at Mass: To be faithful is
to praise God’s fidelity
 |
| Pope Francis delivers the homily during the Mass at Casa Santa Marta |
At the daily Mass in the chapel at Casa Santa Marta, Pope
Francis prays for the elderly, and especially those who are in isolation on
account of the Covid-19 pandemic. In his homily, Pope Francis reflects on God’s
fidelity and our response.
By Christopher Wells
Pope Francis’s intention for Wednesday’s Mass was for the
elderly, especially those who are isolated or in nursing homes. Many of them,
he said, are afraid of dying alone. But “they are our roots, our story, our
history”. He invited us to pray for them, “that the Lord might be close to them
in this moment”.
Our response to God’s fidelity
Pope Francis recalled his reflection the day before on St
Mary Magdalene as the “icon of fidelity” in the Gospel. Pope Francis on
Wednesday asked what it means for us to be faithful to God. Our fidelity to
God, he said, “is nothing more than a response to God’s fidelity”.
God is “faithful to His word… faithful to His promise”. He
“walks with his people, carrying out His promise close to his people”. We constantly
experience God as Saviour, the Pope said, because “He is faithful to His
promise”.
A more wonderful re-creation
In the first Reading, a man crippled from birth was healed
in the name of Jesus. Pope Francis said this is an example of God’s fidelity,
“who is capable of redoing things, of re-creating… this is His faithfulness to
us: a re-creation that is more wonderful than creation”.
Like a good shepherd, God never tires of seeking the sheep
that is lost, the Pope said. He does so “out of love, out of fidelity”; and not
for pay, but freely, gratuitously. God is like a father who never grows tired
of waiting for his son to return home – and who throws a party when he does.
“God’s faithfulness is a feast, a free feast, a feast for all of us”.
God’s fidelity comes before our own
It is that divine faithfulness that led our “generous God”
to seek after Peter, who had denied Jesus during His Passion. Pope Francis
explained that although we do not know what the Lord said to Peter when He
appeared to him for the first time after the Resurrection, “We know that it was
God’s faithfulness that sought Peter out”.
As with Peter, God’s faithfulness always precedes our own,
“and our faithfulness is always a response to that faithfulness that precedes
us”.
For us, Pope Francis said in conclusion, “to be faithful is
to praise this fidelity, to be faithful to [God’s] fidelity. It is a response
to this fidelity”.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét