In his homily at the Sunday Mass of the Word of God, read by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pope Francis invites Christians to make time for Holy Scripture and emphasizes that the Word of God is one of consolation, but also a call to conversion.
By Lydia O’Kane
The Holy Mass for the second Sunday of the Word of God was celebrated by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, in place of Pope Francis, who suffers from a painful sciatica attack.
In his homily, read by Archbishop Fisichella, Pope Francis focused on what Jesus say and To which He says it, while He proclaims the Kingdom of God.
What Jesus says
The Pope noted how Jesus begins preaching with the words, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is near. ”
He went on to say that the first message to be taken from here is that “God is near and His Kingdom has come down to earth.”
“The time of His distance ended when, in Jesus, He became man,” the Pope said.
God is near
He stressed that, “Above all else, we must believe and proclaim that God has come to us, that we have been forgiven and shown mercy.”
The word of God, said Pope Francis, continues to tell us, “Do not be afraid, I am with you. I am with you and I will always be there. “
“When He speaks to us,” said the Pope, “the Lord reminds us that He has taken us to heart, that we are precious in His sight, and that He holds us in the palm of His hand.”
“The word of God is one of consolation, but also a call to conversion,” Pope Francis said. “Repent,” says Jesus, immediately after proclaiming the approach of God.
Those who hear the Word of God, Pope Francis stressed, “are constantly reminded that life does not mean protecting us from others, but meeting them in the name of God who is near.”
No one is far from the heart of God
Turning his attention To which Speaking, the Pope noted that His first words were addressed to the Galilean fishermen, whom He described as “ordinary people.”
Pope Francis showed that Jesus began with people “not from the center, but from the periphery, and did so to tell us that no one is far from the heart of God.”
Noting the “special power” of God’s Word, the Pope emphasized how it can “touch every person directly.”
“The disciples would never forget the words they heard that day by the lake, by their boats, in the company of their family members and co-workers: words that marked their lives forever.” Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ”
“He did not appeal to them using lofty words and ideas,” Pope Francis said, but spoke to their lives and told them they would be “fishermen.”
The pope explained that Jesus spoke to them “in terms of life.”
And he went on to say that Jesus does the same with us; looking for where we are and walking next to us.
Make room for God’s Word
In conclusion, Pope Francis urged everyone “not to ignore the Word of God. It is a love letter, written to us by the One who knows us best ”.
He also urged believers to always carry it with them and to give it “a worthy place in our homes.”
In order to be able to focus on God’s word, the Pope prayed for the power to “turn off the television and open the Bible, turn off our cell phones, and open the gospel.”