His Holiness Pope Francis: In deserts of poverty, volunteers offer signs of hope
This text is shared from the website of Vatican News.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, delegated by His Holiness Pope Francis, presides over the Mass for the Jubilee of the World of Volunteering. He reads the Pope's homily for the occasion in which he praises those who volunteer for their "generosity and commitment" that offers "hope to our entire society."
By Tiziana Campisi
His Holiness Pope Francis: In deserts of poverty, volunteers offer signs of hope (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)
The fluorescent uniforms of thousands of volunteers in Rome for the Jubilee of the World of Volunteering stood out in Saint Peter's Square during the Sunday Mass presided over by Cardinal Michael Czerny. Thirty thousand people participate in the Mass on the first Sunday of Lent, and their colorful jackets created a chromatic spectacle, along with the purple liturgical vestments worn for the season of Lent.
Over a hundred concelebrants – including Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests – came for the liturgy presided over by Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Pope Francis delegated Cardinal Czerny to preside since he has been in hospital since 14 February. But the Pope’s spiritual presence among them in the celebration was symbolized in the papal banner with the papal crest displayed on the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica.
Thanks to the volunteers
In the homily prepared by His Holiness Pope Francis, and read by Cardinal Czerny, the Pope focused on the beginning of the Lenten journey, but with special words for the volunteers from around the world visiting Rome on pilgrimage. The Pope recalled their service and commitment alongside so many people, “all those small gestures” that “in the deserts of poverty and loneliness” help “a new humanity blossom in the garden that is God’s dream, always and everywhere, for all of us.”
“I thank you heartily, dear friends, because, following the example of Jesus, you serve your neighbours unstintingly. On the streets and in homes, in the company of the sick, the suffering and the imprisoned, with the young and the elderly, your generosity and commitment offer hope to our entire society.”
Jesus shows the way through the desert
Commenting on the Sunday Gospel, the Pope recalled the temptations Jesus faced in the desert, where He is “led by the Spirit.” And our Lenten journey begins here, “by following the Lord there and sharing in that experience, which he transformed for our benefit.” Because in that “place of silence,” which becomes “a place of listening,” the ability to listen is “put to the test,” and then we must choose “between two completely different voices.” In the desert, Jesus experiences hunger and is tempted by the devil's words, but He rejects them.
“We too are tempted, yet are not alone. Jesus is with us, to guide us through the desert. The Son of God made man does not simply give us an example of how to combat evil. He gives us something much greater: the strength to resist its attacks and to persevere on our journey.”
Three characteristics of temptation
In his homily, Pope Francis explains the three aspects of Jesus’ temptation and of our own: “its beginning, the way it takes place and its result,” and invites everyone to compare these two experiences to find support in one’s own “journey of conversion.” He then explains, regarding the beginning of the temptation, “the Lord does not go into the desert to show the strength of his will, but out of filial openness to the Spirit of the Father, whose guidance he readily and freely accepts.” On the other hand, our temptation “is not intentional: evil is prior to our freedom, attacking it from within, like an inner shadow and a constant threat.”
“Whenever we ask God not to lead us into temptation, we need to remember that he has already answered that prayer through Jesus, his incarnate Word, who remains with us always. The Lord is close to us and cares for us, especially in times of trial and uncertainty, when the tempter makes his voice heard.”
The latter is “the father of lies, perverse and perversive,” the Pope clarifies, “for he knows God’s word without understanding it. Quite the opposite: just as he had done since the days of Adam in the Garden of Eden, so he does now in the case of Jesus, the new Adam, in the desert.”
Christ unites God and humanity
As for the way Christ is tempted, the Pope explained that it is “through His relationship with God, His Father.” He went on to say how “the devil is the one who separates and divides, whereas Jesus is the one who unites God and man, the mediator.” And if “in his perversion, the devil wants to destroy that bond,” Jesus makes it “a relationship that embraces everyone, without excluding anyone” and “a gift that he shares with the world for our salvation”…
This report was originally published on the website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.