ORDINARY PUBLIC CONSISTORY FOR
THE CREATION OF NEW CARDINALS
PAPAL MASS
HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS
Basilica Vatican Basilica
Saturday, 22 February 2014
“Jesus was walking
ahead of them…” (Mk 10:32).
At this moment too,
Jesus is walking ahead of us. He is
always before us. He goes ahead of us
and leads the way… This is the source
of our confidence and our joy: to be his disciples, to remain with him, to walk
behind him, to follow him…
When with the
Cardinals we concelebrated the first Mass in the Sistine Chapel, the first word
which the Lord proposed to us was “to walk”, to journey with him: to journey,
and then to build and to profess.
Today this same
word is repeated, but now as an action, an action of Jesus which is ongoing:
“Jesus was walking…”. This is something
striking about the Gospels: Jesus is often walking and he teaches his disciples
along the way. This is important. Jesus did not come to teach a philosophy, an
ideology… but rather “a way”, a journey to be undertaken with him, and we learn
the way as we go, by walking. Yes, dear
brothers, this is our joy: to walk with Jesus.
And this is not
easy, or comfortable, because the way that Jesus chooses is the way of the
Cross. As they journey together, he
speaks to his disciples about what will happen in Jerusalem: he foretells his
passion, death and resurrection. And
they are “shocked” and “full of fear”.
They were shocked, certainly, because for them going up to Jerusalem
meant sharing in the triumph of the Messiah, in his victory – we see this in
the request made by James and John. But
they were also full of fear for what was about to happen to Jesus, and for what
they themselves might have to endure.
Unlike the
disciples in those days, we know that Jesus has won, and that we need not fear
the Cross; indeed, the Cross is our hope.
And yet, we are all too human, sinners, tempted to think as men do, not
as God does.
And once we follow
the thinking of the world, what happens?
The Gospel tells us: “When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant
at James and John” (Mk 10:41). They
were indignant. Whenever a worldly
mentality predominates, the result is rivalry, jealousy, factions…
And so the word
which Jesus speaks to us today is most salutary. It purifies us inwardly, it enlightens our consciences and helps
us to unite ourselves fully with Jesus, and to do so together, at this time
when the College of Cardinals is enlarged by the entrance of new members.
“And Jesus called
them to himself…” (Mk 10:42). Here is
the other action of Jesus. Along the
way, he is aware that he needs to speak to the Twelve; he stops and calls them
to himself. Brothers, let us allow
Jesus to call us to himself! Let us be
“con-voked” by him. And let us listen
to him, with the joy that comes from receiving his word together, from letting
ourselves be taught by that word and by the Holy Spirit, and to become ever
more of one heart and soul, gathered around him.
And as we are thus
“con-voked”, “called to himself” by our one Teacher, I will tell you what the
Church needs: she needs you, your cooperation, and even more your communion,
with me and among yourselves. The
Church needs your courage, to proclaim the Gospel at all times, both in season
and out of season, and to bear witness to the truth. The Church needs your prayer for the progress of Christ’s flock,
that prayer – let us not forget this! – which, along with the proclamation of
the Word, is the primary task of the Bishop.
The Church needs your compassion, especially at this time of pain and
suffering for so many countries throughout the world. Let us together express our spiritual closeness to the ecclesial
communities and to all Christians suffering from discrimination and
persecution. We must fight every form
of discrimination! The Church needs our
prayer for them, that they may be firm in faith and capable of responding to
evil with good. And this prayer of ours
extends to every man and women suffering injustice on account of their
religious convictions.
The Church needs us
also to be peacemakers, building peace by our words, our hopes and our
prayers. Building peace! Being peacemakers! Let us therefore invoke peace and reconciliation for those
peoples presently experiencing violence, exclusion and war.
Thank you, dear Brothers! Thank
you! Let us walk together behind the
Lord, and let us always be called together by him, in the midst of his faithful
people, the holy People of God, holy Mother the Church. Thank you!
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