Vatican
City, 16 June 2013 (VIS) – At 10:30 this morning in a crowded St.
Peter's Square, Pope Francis presided at the Mass for the Day in the
Year of Faith dedicated to Evangelium Vitae. Before celebrating the
Eucharist, the Bishop of Rome was driven down the Via della
Conciliazione in the open popemobile to greet the tens of thousands
of persons who had come from all over the world to participate.
Following
are ample excerpts from the Pope's homily, which focused on three
main points: the Bible reveals the living God to us; Jesus Christ
gives life; and the Holy Spirit keeps us in that new life. Following
God's path brings life while following idols leads to death.
“The
first reading, taken from the Second Book of Samuel, speaks to us of
life and death. King David wants to hide the act of adultery which he
committed with the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in his army.
To do so, he gives the order that Uriah be placed on the front lines
and so be killed in battle. The Bible shows us the human drama in all
its reality: good and evil, passion, sin and its consequences.
Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in
our own selfishness and put ourselves in the place of God, we end up
spawning death. ... Selfishness leads to lies, as we attempt to
deceive ourselves and those around us. But God cannot be deceived.
... The King is forced to face his deeds of death ... He recognizes
what he has done and he begs forgiveness... The God of mercy, who
desires life and always forgives us, now forgives David and restores
him to life.”
“The
Scriptures everywhere tell us that God is the Living One, the One who
bestows life and points the way to fullness of life. I think of the
beginning of the Book of Genesis: God fashions man out of the dust of
the earth ... thanks to his breath, man has life. … the God who
enters into our history, sets us free from slavery and death, and
brings life to his people because he is the Living One. I also think
of the gift of the Ten Commandments: a path God points out to us
towards a life which is truly free and fulfilling. The commandments
are not a litany of prohibitions ... on the contrary, they are a
great “Yes!”: a yes to God, to Love, to life.”
“Today’s
Gospel brings us another step forward. Jesus allows a woman who was a
sinner to approach him during a meal in the house of a Pharisee,
scandalizing those present. Not only does he let the woman approach
but he even forgives her sins, saying: 'Her sins, which are many, are
forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves
little'. Jesus is the incarnation of the Living God ... Jesus
accepts, loves, uplifts, encourages, forgives, restores the ability
to walk, gives back life. Throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus by
his words and actions brings the transforming life of God. ... God,
the Living One, is merciful.”
“This
was also the experience of the Apostle Paul, as we heard in the
second reading: 'The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in
the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.' … Who brings
us this life? It is the Holy Spirit … who leads us into the divine
life as true children of God, as sons and daughters in the
only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. ... Christians are 'spiritual'. This
does not mean that we are people who live 'in the clouds', far
removed from real life ... No! The Christian is someone who thinks
and acts in everyday life according to God’s will, someone who
allows his or her life to be guided and nourished by the Holy Spirit
... And this entails realism and fruitfulness. Those who let
themselves be led by the Holy Spirit are realists, they know how to
survey and assess reality. They are also fruitful; their lives bring
new life to birth all around them.”
“God
is the Living One, the Merciful One; Jesus brings us the life of God;
the Holy Spirit gives and keeps us in our new life as true sons and
daughters of God. But all too often, as we know from experience,
people do not choose life, they do not accept the “Gospel of Life”
but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that
block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by
selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by
love, by concern for the good of others. It is the eternal dream of
wanting to build the city of man without God, without God’s life
and love – a new Tower of Babel. It is the idea that rejecting God,
the message of Christ, the Gospel of Life, will somehow lead to
freedom, to complete human fulfilment. As a result, the Living God is
replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a
flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and
death.”
“Let
us look to God as the God of Life, let us look to his law, to the
Gospel message, as the way to freedom and life. The Living God sets
us free! Let us say 'Yes' to love and not selfishness. Let us say
'Yes' to life and not death. Let us say 'Yes' to freedom and not
enslavement to the many idols of our time. In a word, let us say
'Yes' to the God who is love, life and freedom, and who never
disappoints; let us say 'Yes' to the God who is the Living One and
the Merciful One.”
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