POPE FRANCIS INAUGURAL MASS: HOMILY

LIKE ST. JOSEPH

“How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? 

• By being constantly attentive to God, 
• open to the signs of God’s presence and 
• receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. 

This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!

PROTECTING ALL CREATION

The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; 

• it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. 
• It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. 
• It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. 
• It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. 
• It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. 
• It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. 

In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.

LET US BE PROTECTORS

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: 

• let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. 
• Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! 
• Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! 
• Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
• Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. 

In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!

CALLED TO SERVE

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!”

POPE FRANCIS

CHRIST IS THE HEART OF THE CHURCH

In his meeting with Media Representatives, Pope Francis spoke about the Church and Christ:

"Christ is the Church’s Pastor, but his presence in history passes through the freedom of human beings; from their midst one is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Yet Christ remains the centre, not the Successor of Peter: Christ, Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of the Church. Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist or have reason to exist. As Benedict XVI frequently reminded us, Christ is present in Church and guides her. In everything that has occurred, the principal agent has been, in the final analysis, the Holy Spirit. He prompted the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church; he guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election."

The pope wearing common shoes

THE REASON FOR A NAME

Explaining his name, he said:

"Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: “Don't forget the poor!” And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor! Afterwards, people were joking with me. “But you should call yourself Hadrian, because Hadrian VI was the reformer, we need a reform…” And someone else said to me: “No, no: your name should be Clement”. “But why?” “Clement XV: thus you pay back Clement XIV who suppressed the Society of Jesus!” These were jokes. I love all of you very much, I thank you for everything you have done. I pray that your work will always be serene and fruitful, and that you will come to know ever better the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the rich reality of the Church’s life."

VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN

V SUNDAY OF LENT: Jn 8:1-11

Reading John, we discover that the women occupy a very important place in his gospel, a fact that certainly reflects the life of his community. We have:

• His mother, at the beginning of his ministry (Jn 2:3)
• The Samaritan woman, to whom he revealed that he is the Messiah (Jn 4)
• The woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11)
• Martha, who made the same profession of faith that Peter did (Jn 11:27)
• Mary, who anointed Jesus (Jn 12:3)
• The women near his cross (Jn 19:25)
• His mother again, near his cross (Jn 19:26)
• Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the resurrection (Jn 20:1,11-18)

This Sunday’s gospel is about the woman caught in adultery.

In many cultures, adultery was considered a big crime, punished by stoning, and this is still the rule in the muslim countries, where sharia law is enforced. It is not unusual to hear the news that a woman was sentenced to stoning in countries like Nigeria, Pakistan...

The Jewish law established such punishment for adultery, with both man and woman suffering the same fate. "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death." (Lev 20:10)

However, it is surprising that, in the passage of the woman caught in adultery, only the woman was arrested, in spite of being found in the act. What happened to the man? Did he manage to escape? Or was he allowed to escape? Why was the woman given a case to answer, while the man's offence was ignored? They were discriminating and committing an injustice by punishing one and allowing the other to go free for an offence that they committed together. Such discriminations were and are still common, even when the law provides for equal treatment.

In modern society, women have made great gains in seeing their dignity recognised and they play an increasingly important role in society. In spite of that, countless number of women still suffer violence and discrimination. Going by what we see in so many places and cultures, the women are less human than men. Many look at women as objects created to satisfy men’s sexual appetite. That’s why, the battle is far from being won, and the struggle must go on, so that men may recognise God’s image in the faces and lives of women.

There is plenty of sexual harassment in working places, in the streets and in places of entertainment. In other places, rape is prevalent; and then there is the hidden sexual slavery, where women are forced into prostitution by criminal gangs or by harsh economic conditions. The social media speak very little about all that. It is not sensational; it is everyday life.

It is important to look attentively at Jesus’ attitude towards the accusers and towards the defenceless woman being accused. They were ready to kill the woman, in order to get at Jesus. They sounded like righteous people, strict followers of the law, who could not tolerate the slightest failure in others. They throw stones, forgetting that they have roofs of glass as well. The more they accuse, condemn and punish, the more they appear to be righteous. Underneath, in their hearts, they are worse that the ones they accuse. The noise of their outspokenness hides their own lack of courage and truthfulness in difficult moments. Jesus unmasked them and brought their hypocrisy into the open. All of them were guilt; all of them were sinners. Confronted with themselves, they left in shame.

About the woman, Jesus did not approve of what she did. One cannot approve what is wrong. But he showed compassion. He was not harsh with her, and he did not punish her. Instead, he showed her respect and love.

FRANCIS I, THE NEW POPE

The excitement of a new Pope. 

White smoke came out of the chimney. 

The bells rang, and St. Peter's square is packed with people.

The band in full regalia marches to the front of the basilica.

Waiting for the announcement...

During these days, we have heard it time and again. 

It has become the slogan in the mouths of the commentators: 

the Church is in crisis. 

Indeed! The Church has been in crisis for two thousand years. 

The boat of the Church has always moved through rough waters. 

But the Lord is in the boat.

We may think that he is sleeping, but he is in control.

Finally, the surprise comes.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, from Buenos Aires is the new Pope.

The predictions were wrong.

The name is also unexpected: Francis.

Yes, Francis is his name.

The first with such a name.

Francis - the poor of Assisi,

who transformed the Church with his simplicity, his poverty and his faithfulness to Christ.

Francis Xavier - the apostle, the evangelizer, 

who consumed his life proclaiming the Gospel.

He is the 265th successor of St. Peter.

He asked people to pray for him.

May the Holy Spirit guide him,

so that he gives true witness to Jesus Christ,

proclaims the Good News

and guides the Church in unity and peace.

GOD NEVER IMPOSES HIMSELF ON US

The prodigal son by Rembrandt

IV SUNDAY OF LENT: Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

The most beautiful parable is the so called parable of the prodigal son, which is in fact the parable of a father with two sons.

Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees and Scribes who “were grumbling and saying, This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Lk 15:2). The parable, besides being a justification of Jesus’ attitude, it is a denunciation of the Pharisees attitude of rejection, motivated by their self-righteousness, their pride and their contempt and disdain for the common people who were no more than sinners. 

In the parable, Jesus expresses so deeply and so sensibly God's love and mercy, that it does not need to be justified. His love is complete and total, given graciously and freely. He does not impose it on his own children. And, following the parable, it seems that he does not even demand it from us. It is pure love, without strings attached, just waiting to be recognised and accepted. 

In the parable, both sons were unable to recognise the father’s love. In fact, they rejected it. Both of them thought only of themselves. In their hearts, there was no place for anybody else. Their reasons and their attitudes towards life and towards the father were very different, but in the end they had this in common: their egotism and selfishness. 

The elder son was well behaved and hard working.  He was obedient to the point of subservience. However,  he had his own secrets and his own plans for his future life.  He was a lonely man, without friends. He had not  time for that. He would accuse his father of mismanagement  and discrimination against him, and of treating him like a slave, not allowing him to have even a little time with his friends.  It was not true. “Everything is yours!” the father told him. He was stingy, and he was thinking only of how much he could accumulate for the future. It is not surprise that in the end he rejected both his brother and his father. 

The elder son is the picture of the Pharisees, so called because they isolated themselves and separated themselves from the big crowd which they considered a bunch of sinners.

In a way, it is better to be like the young son. He wanted to have his own life, away from the father. He had the audacity to ask for what did not belong to him. He wanted his part of the inheritance, as if his father was dead already. He was tired of seeing the inquisitive eyes of the father and of being told what to do. He was a grown up, and time had come to be independent and to make his own rules. So he went, living behind a father in tears. There was no time to look back... he would never come back - so he though in his heart.

The young son had to learn the hard way, by a painful experience, that his eagerness to find joy and discover his own path to happiness only would lead to suffering. Alone, all by himself, he made a mess of his life, totally devoid of meaning, putting him on the way to self-destruction. Luckily he kept the ability to remember, to think and to question himself. He allowed himself to be touched by the pain and the suffering that he was experiencing, and he could see the non-sense of his futile attempt. He was ready to go back, because he remember his father’s kindness and compassion for the workers. He would be happy to become a simple worker that can find food on the table and a roof over the head.

As he approached home, a big surprise waited for him. His father’s love was beyond any expectation and any possible human measure. That is God’s love: a love that liberates and gives us dignity. He does not want slaves in his house. We are his children.

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, Abba! Father! 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Ro 8:15-16)

I HAVE SEEN THE SUFFERING OF MY PEOPLE

III SUNDAY OF LENT: Ex 3:1-8,13-15

Last week, we learned with Abraham, the man of faith and the father of all who live by faith. This week, we learn with Moses, the man with a mission. 

Moses seen from different angles

In fact, Moses can be seem from many different angles: 

•   the child who escaped the infanticide; 
• the Egyptian prince, brought up in the Pharaoh's court; 
• the outlaw escaping justice and taking refuge in the desert; 
•   the survivor who found a welcoming home in Midian; 
• the shepherd and the family man who lived like a Midianite and learned the secrets of the desert;
• the man who had a deep experience of God that transformed his life;
• the man with a mission, sent back to the land that saw him growing up, in order to bring the people of Israel out of slavery;
• and then as the liberator of his people, he became the leader, the counsellor, the judge, the law giver, the priest, the servant of the people and the close friend of God.

God prepared Moses well for the task that he would entrust to him. He did not allow him to be killed, and then he spent the first part of his life learning the skills needed to be a ruler of the people. Once that was done, by ways that only God knows and understands, his life changed radically and he was forced to learn in the school of the desert with people who experienced in their daily lives their dependence of God, to whom they entrusted themselves. This second learning was essential for his future task of taking the people through the desert. Once finished, he was ready to be entrusted with a mission.

Moses call

In this Sunday’s first reading, we hear about Moses’ call. Like everywhere else in the Bible, God takes the initiative, attracting Moses attention and calling him by name. God always calls us by name. And the answer promptly came back: “Here I am”. The readiness to answer God’s call is essential in any relationship with God, even if it demands precautions and brings feelings of inadequacy. Moses was told to take off his shoes, and he covered his face in fear.

God demands our cooperation

God saw the suffering of his people and he could not look away. He felt compassion for them, and decided to liberate them from their oppression. However, after the creation, God never works alone. The plan of salvation belongs to him, but we are called to cooperate with him, and he chooses the ones he wants to choose to carry out his plan. Moses put his objections, but in the end he accepted and became a faithful servant of God and of the people.

I've seen the suffering of my people - sung in Bemba by Yangeni Singers, Lubengele Parish, Chililabombwe.

A PILGRIM IN THE LAST LEG OF HIS JOURNEY

THE FAREWELL OF BENEDICT XVI

In his last words, pronounced at Castel Gandolfo, Benedict XV thanked people for their kindness, friendship and affection. Then, he stated a very simple fact: “I am no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church”. He is no more in charge, not because he  run away, abandoning the ship, but because of his old age, not feeling anymore the physical strength to carry on and to give the best that the Church needs and deserves. The ministry of Peter of being shepherd of the whole flock is a very demanding job, for which the one exercising it should be in the best of his abilities.

Wome may not feel happy with all the decisions that he took during his Pontificate. Anyway, it is impossible to please everybody, and it is impossible to be perfect. There are many commentators and critics who speak as if the Pope, and other leaders of the Church, should be faultless like angels or God himself, but the fact is that they are human beings like everybody else, struggling to be faithful to Christ who is the Supreme Shepherd.

Remembering that, we should give thanks to God for his stewardship. He witnessed to the love of God in Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Gospel always with clarity and passion. He was a teacher of the faith, with a great passion for Jesus Christ. In spite of being a professor, he was able to pass the message in simple and touching language. And his final gesture will remain as an example for others to follow. When someone becomes incapacitated to fully serve the Church, because of age or sickness, it is better to step down, with full trust in the Lord, who is the captain of the ship, and who will never allow his Church to capsize. 

Now “I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this earth.” And he is going to do what all pilgrims can do: “But I would still, thank you, I would still—with my heart, with my love, with my prayers, with my reflection, and with all my inner strength—like to work for the common good and the good of the Church and of humanity.”

As we give thanks for the gift of Benedict XVI, let us pray earnestly for the Cardinals that are going to elect the new Pope. May the Holy Spirit come upon them with his power and guidance.