Pope prays for the homeless and
those who suffer out of sight
 |
| Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Casa Santa Marta |
During morning Mass on Thursday, Pope Francis turned his
thoughts to those who are living this time of sorrow and fear, hidden in the
cracks of society. (playback included)
By Vatican News
In his opening words at Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope
Francis said “these days of sorrow and sadness highlight so many hidden
problems.”
He mentioned a photograph featured in the daily papers,
which he said, touches the heart: “So many homeless people in a city, huddling
in a parking lot... there are so many homeless people today.”
And he invited the faithful to ask St. Teresa of Calcutta to
awaken in us a sense of closeness to those who live, hidden, in the cracks of
society, like the homeless whose plight is particularly evident in this moment
of crisis.
We have been chosen by God
In his homily, the Pope explained that Christians must be
conscious of having been chosen by God, joyful as they tread the path of
salvation, and faithful to the Covenant.
Commenting on the readings of the Day, from the Book of Genesis
and from the Gospel according to John, the Pope noted they both focus on the
figure of Abraham, on the Covenant with God and on how Jesus comes to “remake”
creation by forgiving our sins.
“The Lord has made us a promise and now He asks us to enter
into a Covenant, a Covenant of faithfulness,” he said.
We are Christians, Pope Francis explained, "because we
are elected, chosen by God, and we have received a promise of fruitfulness, to
which we must respond with fidelity to the Covenant.”
A baptismal certificate doesn’t make a Christian
“A Christian isn't someone who can just show their baptismal
certificate. A certificate of baptism is just a piece of paper. You are a
Christian if you say ‘yes’ to the election of the Lord, if you follow the
promise that the Lord has made to you and if you live the Covenant with God.
This is the Christian life,” he said.
The Pope explained that our sins are against three
dimensions: not accepting the election by worshipping idols, not hoping for the
promise, and forgetting the Covenant.
The Lord, he reminded the faithful, always remembers His
Covenant, and never forgets His people.
“He only forgets in one case, when He forgives sins. After
forgiving He loses his memory, He doesn't remember those sins. In other cases,
God doesn't forget. His faithfulness is memory. His faithfulness to His people.
His faithfulness to Abraham is the memory of the promise He made,” said the
Pope.
Elaborating on the fact that each one of us is a chosen one,
and that in this election there is the promise of hope and the sign of
fruitfulness, the Pope recalled that when the Lord told Abraham He had chosen
him to be “the father of a multitude of nations,” He also told him to be
fruitful in faith “which will flourish in good works,” and to “observe the
Covenant with me".
Pope Francis concluded saying “This is the revelation that
the Word of God gives us today about our Christian existence. Let it be like
that of our father: conscious of being chosen, joyful in going towards a
promise and faithful in making the Covenant.”
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét