Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) –
Below are extensive extracts from the homily the Holy Father prepared
for his planned visit to the Roman “Agostino Gemelli” Hospital,
which he did not attend due to a mild indisposition. The homily was
read on behalf of the Pontiff by Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of
Milan, during the Mass celebrated at the hospital yesterday.
“God is bound to us, He chose us, and
this bond is for ever, not because we are faithful but because the
Lord is faithful and tolerates our infidelity, our slowness, our
lapses. God is not afraid of bonding with us. … He loves these
bonds, he creates bonds; bonds which free, rather than constrain”.
“Nowadays, in particular, fidelity is
a value under threat, as we are induced always to seek change,
presumed novelty, negotiating the roots of our existence, of our
faith. Without fidelity to its roots, however, a society does not
move ahead; it may make great technical progress, but not the full
progress of all man and all humankind. God's faithful love towards
His people was made manifest and fully realised in Jesus Christ …
[who] remains faithful and never betrays; even when we err, He always
awaits us to forgive us: He is the face of the merciful Father”.
“This love, this faithfulness to the
Lord demonstrates the humility of His heart. … We are able to
experience and savour the tenderness of this love in every phase of
life: in times of joy and of sadness, in times of health and of
infirmity and sickness. God's faithfulness teaches us to welcome life
as a manifestation of His love and enables us to bear witness to this
love to our brethren in humble and meek service. This is what the
doctors and paramedical staff in this hospital, which belongs to the
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, are especially called upon
to do. Here, each one of you brings to the sick a little of the love
from Christ's Heart, and you do so with competence and
professionalism. This means staying faithful to the fundamental
values that Fr. Gemelli placed at the base of this university for
Italian Catholics, to unite scientific research enlightened by faith
to the preparation of qualified Christian professionals”.
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