HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Basilica
Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013
Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: The suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: The anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm 133: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (v. 2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble […]. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs who are numerous in these times. […]
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: The suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: The anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm 133: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (v. 2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble […]. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs who are numerous in these times. […]
A good priest can be recognized by the way his
people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with
the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking
as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached
with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily
lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it
brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of
faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their
faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities
of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their
hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ,
has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything
they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this
problem”, “Bless me Father”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the
anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into a
prayer of supplication, the supplication of the People of God. When we have
this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us,
then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is
that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request,
even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or
downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be
anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. […]
We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its
power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering,
bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil
masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we
encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live our
priestly life going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads
us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive
and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and
the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have
nothing, nothing at all.
The priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, the people take the oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men. […]
Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.
Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.
The priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, the people take the oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men. […]
Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.
Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.
(cited from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_messa-crismale_en.html March
29, 2013)
MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
Prison for Minors "Casal del Marmo", Rome
Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013
Holy Thursday, 28 March 2013
This is moving. Jesus,
washing the feet of his disciples. Peter didn’t understood it at all, he
refused. But Jesus explained it for him. Jesus – God – did this! He himself
explains to his disciples: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me
Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord
and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you”
(Jn 13:12-15).It is the Lord’s example: he is the most important, and he washes feet, because with us what is highest must be at the service of others. This is a symbol, it is a sign, right? Washing feet means: “I am at your service”. And with us too, don’t we have to wash each other’s feet day after day? But what does this mean? That all of us must help one another. Sometimes I am angry with someone or other … but… let it go, let it go, and if he or she asks you a favour, do it.
Help one another: this is what Jesus teaches us and this what I am doing, and doing with all my heart, because it is my duty. As a priest and a bishop, I must be at your service. But it is a duty which comes from my heart: I love it. I love this and I love to do it because that is what the Lord has taught me to do. But you too, help one another: help one another always. One another. In this way, by helping one another, we will do some good.
Now we will perform this ceremony of washing feet, and let us think, let each one of us think: “Am I really willing, willing to serve, to help others?”. Let us think about this, just this. And let us think that this sign is a caress of Jesus, which Jesus gives, because this is the real reason why Jesus came: to serve, to help us.
(Cited from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130328_coena-domini_en.html March 29, 2013)
HOMILY OF POPE
FRANCIS
Vatican Basilica
Holy Saturday, 30 March 2013
Holy Saturday, 30 March 2013
[Video]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. In the Gospel of this radiant night of the Easter Vigil, we first meet the women who go the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, a traditional act of affection and love for a dear departed person, just as we would. They had followed Jesus, they had listened to his words, they had felt understood by him in their dignity and they had accompanied him to the very end, to Calvary and to the moment when he was taken down from the cross. We can imagine their feelings as they make their way to the tomb: a certain sadness, sorrow that Jesus had left them, he had died, his life had come to an end. Life would now go on as before. Yet the women continued to feel love, the love for Jesus which now led them to his tomb. But at this point, something completely new and unexpected happens, something which upsets their hearts and their plans, something which will upset their whole life: they see the stone removed from before the tomb, they draw near and they do not find the Lord’s body. It is an event which leaves them perplexed, hesitant, full of questions: “What happened?”, “What is the meaning of all this?” (cf. Lk 24:4). Doesn’t the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don’t understand, we don’t know what to do. Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God’s surprises. Dear brothers and sisters, we are afraid of God’s surprises! He always surprises us! The Lord is like that.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.
2. But let us return to the Gospel, to the women, and take one step further. They find the tomb empty, the body of Jesus is not there, something new has happened, but all this still doesn’t tell them anything certain: it raises questions; it leaves them confused, without offering an answer. And suddenly there are two men in dazzling clothes who say: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; but has risen” (Lk 24:5-6). What was a simple act, done surely out of love – going to the tomb – has now turned into an event, a truly life-changing event. Nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of those women, but also in our own lives and in the history of mankind. Jesus is not dead, he has risen, he is alive! He does not simply return to life; rather, he is life itself, because he is the Son of God, the living God (cf. Num 14:21-28; Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10). Jesus no longer belongs to the past, but lives in the present and is projected towards the future; Jesus is the everlasting “today” of God. This is how the newness of God appears to the women, the disciples and all of us: as victory over sin, evil and death, over everything that crushes life and makes it seem less human. And this is a message meant for me and for you dear sister, for you dear brother. How often does Love have to tell us: Why do you look for the living among the dead? Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness... and that is where death is. That is not the place to look for the One who is alive! Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.
3. There is one last little element that I would like to emphasize in the Gospel for this Easter Vigil. The women encounter the newness of God. Jesus has risen, he is alive! But faced with empty tomb and the two men in brilliant clothes, their first reaction is one of fear: “they were terrified and bowed their faced to the ground”, Saint Luke tells us – they didn’t even have courage to look. But when they hear the message of the Resurrection, they accept it in faith. And the two men in dazzling clothes tell them something of crucial importance: remember. “Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee… And they remembered his words” (Lk 24:6,8). This is the invitation to remember their encounter with Jesus, to remember his words, his actions, his life; and it is precisely this loving remembrance of their experience with the Master that enables the women to master their fear and to bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and all the others (cf. Lk 24:9). To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future. May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives.
On this radiant night, let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who treasured all these events in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19,51) and ask the Lord to give us a share in his Resurrection. May he open us to the newness that transforms, to the beautiful surprises of God. May he make us men and women capable of remembering all that he has done in our own lives and in the history of our world. May he help us to feel his presence as the one who is alive and at work in our midst. And may he teach us each day, dear brothers and sisters, not to look among the dead for the Living One. Amen.
Blessed Easter !!
At noon on Easter Sunday,
following the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Father gave to Rome and the
world his Apostolic Blessing and Urbi et Orbi Message (given below).
URBI ET ORBI
MESSAGE
OF POPE FRANCIS
OF POPE FRANCIS
EASTER 2013
Dear brothers
and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!
What a joy it
is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to
go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is
greatest, in hospitals, in prisons …
Most of all, I
would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this
Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the
power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!
The mercy of God always triumphs!
We too, like
the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty,
may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that
Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and
death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let
those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!
This same love
for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and
self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God
- this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has
transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return
to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God
and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.
This is what
Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin
and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life
alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once
for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from
slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age,
in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today,
do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have
no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of
all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy
can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones
(cf. Ez 37:1-14).
So this is the
invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ’s
Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus,
let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us
become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth,
protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.
And so we ask
the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love,
vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and
through him we implore peace for all the world.
Peace for the
Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle
to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume
negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in
Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its
people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort.
How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still
be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?
Peace for
Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and
stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely
threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of
persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace
in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African
Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live
in fear.
Peace in Asia,
above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed
spirit of reconciliation grow.
Peace in the
whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the
selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that
continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this
twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery
in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by
violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of
natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! May the risen Jesus bring
comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians
of creation.
Dear
brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from
all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: “Give thanks to
the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let
Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’” (Ps 117:1-2).
Dear Brothers
and Sisters, to you who have come from all over the world to this Square at the
heart of Christianity, and to you linked by modern technology, I repeat my
greeting: Happy Easter!
Bear in your
families and in your countries the message of joy, hope and peace which every
year, on this day, is powerfully renewed.
May the risen
Lord, the conqueror of sin and death, be a support to you all, especially to
the weakest and neediest. Thank you for your presence and for the witness
of your faith. A thought and a special thank-you for the beautiful
flowers, which come from the Netherlands. To all of you I affectionately
say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on
the paths of justice, love and peace.
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