Pope: for Benedict XVI, faith was ‘not an idea to be understood’, but ‘a person to be encountered’: Christ
Francis celebrated Mass in St Peter's Basilica, in remembrance of the late pope emeritus, and all the cardinals and bishops who died over the past year. Speaking about Benedict XVI, he said his predecessor described himself as a "humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord" in order “to serve, not to be served." For Francis, "compassion and humility" are key words. Orphans, widows and strangers are the “most alone and forsaken", and therefore the "dearest" to the Lord.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis celebrated Mass this morning in St Peter's Basilica in suffrage of Benedict XVI as well as all the cardinals and bishops who died during the year.
In his homily, the current pope spoke about his predecessor, who passed away on 31 December. In his first encyclical Deus Caritas Est, the late pontiff emeritus wrote that "the programme of Jesus is ‘a heart that sees’. How many times did he keep reminding us that faith is not primarily an idea to be understood or a moral precept to be followed, but a person to be encountered. That person is Jesus Christ, whose heart beats with love for us, whose eyes look with pity upon our suffering.”
Francis then cited Benedict XVI’s “very first words,” who described himself as “a humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. Indeed, Christians, especially the Pope, the Cardinals and the Bishops, are called to be humble labourers”. That means “to serve, not to be served and to put the fruits of the Lord’s vineyard before their advantage. What a fine thing it is to renounce ourselves for the Church of Jesus!”
In addition to the pope emeritus, the Mass of suffrage was an opportunity to pay tribute to cardinals and bishops who died during the year. Among those remembered for Asia we have Card Telesphore Placidus Toppo, archbishop emeritus of Ranchi (India), and for Asia-Pacific, Card George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy who was the victim of slanderous accusations and imprisoned, only to be later cleared of all charges.
Chinese prelates who passed away include Archbishop Joseph Gao Hong-Xiao of Kaifeng, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Ti-Kang of Taipei (Taiwan), Bishop Joseph Huo Cheng of Fenyang, and Archbishop Peter Lin Jia-Shan of Fuzhou. Also from Asia are Bishop Emeritus Rabban al-Qas of Duhok (Iraq) and Archbishop Emeritus Ignatius Paul Pinto of Bangalore (India).
In his homily, Francis focused on two key words, compassion and humility, which he associates with three figures, defining them as the “most alone and forsaken” – the widow, the orphan and the stranger – who are, at the same time, “the people closest and dearest to the Lord.”
The Gospel notes that when Jesus met a funeral procession travelling in the opposite direction to bury the only son of a widowed mother, upon seeing her, he “had compassion on her.” Our God, the pope notes, “shines forth in contact with our sorrow and grief, for his is a heart full of compassion.”
“The raising of that young man, the gift of life that overcomes death, has its source precisely there, in the compassion of the Lord, who is moved by death, the greatest cause of our suffering.”
Compassion, for Jesus, is something “concrete” because he “came forward and touched the bier,” said the pontiff. At the time, this was seen as useless, “unclean”, but Jesus “cares nothing about that; his compassion makes him reach out to all those who suffer.”
Looking at the figures of the widow, the orphan and the stranger, Francis noted how all of us “discover another important point, which I would condense into today’s second word: humility.”
“For the orphan and the widow are the humble, par excellence: those who, placing all their hope in the Lord and not in themselves, have made God the centre of their lives. They no longer rely on their own strength, but on him and his unfailing care.”
In the Mass for the late cardinals and bishops, the pontiff stressed the value of humility, of the need for God, of trust in him that is evident among the "humble."
It is "the poor in spirit," he said, who reveal how "littleness" is "so pleasing" to the Lord and is "the path that leads to Heaven. God seeks the humble, those who hope in him and not in themselves and their own plans.
“Dear brothers and sisters, this is Christian humility, which is not simply one virtue among others, but the basic disposition of life: believing ourselves to be in need of God, making room for him and putting all our trust in him.”
At the end of the homily, Francis mentioned the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi who, addressing God, said: "You are humility"; for this reason, he invites us to ask for “a compassionate gaze and a humble heart."
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29/10/2017 14:04
