Vatican City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – The
second event of the Holy Father's visit to Molise was the celebration
of Mass in the Romagnoli stadium in Campobasso.
“Divine wisdom frees us from evil and
oppression as much as it places us at the service of the Lord”,
said the Pope in his homily. “Indeed, the Lord is not neutral, but
rather with His wisdom, takes the side of those who are fragile,
discriminated against and oppressed who trustfully abandon themselves
to Him. The Church is a population that serves God, and lives in the
freedom that He has given”, he continued. “Service to God is
carried out in various ways, in particular in prayer, in worship, in
proclaiming the Gospel and in the witness of charity. And the icon of
the Church is always the Virgin Mary … who shows that the favoured
path to serving the Lord lies in serving our brethren in need”.
Following the school of this Mother,
“the Church must learn every day to be the 'servant of the Lord',
and to be ready to go out towards those situations of greatest need.
However, we are all called to the service of charity in our everyday
lives. … The witness of charity is the principal route of
evangelisation. In this, the Church has always been 'on the front
line', sharing in the difficulties and the fragility of the people. …
In this way the Christian community seeks to infuse in society that
'supplement of the soul' that allows us to look beyond and to hope”.
The Pope urged all members of the
diocese to “persevere on this road, serving God in your service to
your brethren and spreading the culture of solidarity everywhere.
There is a great need for these efforts, in response to situations of
material and spiritual precariousness, especially linked to
unemployment”. The Pope described this latter problem as “a
challenge that makes a special plea to the responsibility of
institutions, of the worlds of business and finance. It is necessary
to place the dignity of the human person at the centre of every
perspective and all action. Other interests, while they may be
legitimate, are secondary”.
“Therefore, the Church is the
population that serves the Lord”, he emphasised, “and this is why
she experiences liberation and lives in this freedom He gives her. …
Freedom, above all, from sin, from selfishness in all its forms. …
When we serve others, the Lord frees us from ambition and rivalry,
that undermine the unity of communion. He frees us from distrust,
sadness, fear, inner emptiness, isolation, regret, and complaint. …
Christ frees us from existential mediocrity. … Therefore, as the
Lord's disciples, while always remaining weak and sinners – we all
are! – we are called upon to live with joy and courage our faith,
our communion with God and our brethren, and the worship of God, and
to face the difficulties and trials of life with strength”.
He concluded, “may the Holy Virgin,
who you venerate as Our Lady of Liberty in Molise, offer you the joy
of serving the Lord and of walking in the freedom He has given us.
May Mary help you to be a maternal Church, welcoming and caring
towards others. … May she be a sign of consolation and sure hope”.
After the Mass, the Pope transferred by
car to the Cathedral for the adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament,
and to pray before the tombs of the bishops Alberto Romita and
Secondo Bologna; the latter died during the bombing of the city in
1943. He then greeted a group of sick people and shortly before 1
p.m. he arrived at the House of Angels where he lunched with the poor
assisted by Caritas and inaugurated the new charitable structure of
the diocese.
At 2.15 p.m., after lunch, he
transferred to the heliport of the University of Molise to continue
his visit at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows at Castelpetroso.
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