In his homily prepared for New Year’s Eve, Pope Francis asks how we can thank God after such a difficult year. God, he says, always has compassion for us and we are grateful for the acts of closeness, care and solidarity we have seen throughout 2020.
By Vatican News staff reporter
Pope Francis, suffering from a sciatica attack, was absent from the celebration of Vespers and the recitation of the Saint Dear good – the solemn singing of the Church for Thanksgiving for last year – but it still provided a reflection on how we can thank for the coming year.
The Mass was presided over by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who delivered the homily prepared by Pope Francis for the occasion.
In his homily, Pope Francis wrote that gratitude “at the end of such a year” might seem “forced” or even annoying, especially when we think of families who have lost their loved ones, the sick, those who they suffered alone or lost their jobs.
“What is the point of a tragedy like this,” he asked. In the face of our questions, he replied, God does not appeal to “superior motives,” as if sacrificing individuals for a superior good. Instead, His answer is the Incarnation, sending His only Son to become man to save each one.
Like the good Samaritan, God is moved by compassion, helping those who suffer. And in this attitude, the Pope said, we can “find” the meaning of the “meaning” of this tragedy, of this pandemic, as well as of other scourges that affect humanity: that of arousing compassion in us and provoking attitudes and gestures of closeness, care, solidarity, affection. “
We see this happening all over the world and even in Rome, Pope Francis wrote, and “above all we thank God tonight: for the good things that happened in our cities during the closure and in general throughout the pandemic, which, unfortunately, is not over yet ”.
Pope Francis praised “many people who, without making a fuss, tried to make the weight of the process more bearable.” He highlighted not only the health workers, but also the priests and religious of the front line, but also “all those who strive every day in the best possible way to continue the service of their families and those who are employed in their service. towards the common good. “He chose in particular the teachers and administrators of the school, as well as the civic leaders who put the good of others, especially the most disadvantaged, before their own private interests.
“All this cannot happen without grace, without the mercy of God,” Pope Francis said. “How is it possible … that so many people, with no other reward than to do good, have found the strength to be concerned with others?” he asked. “Ultimately, even if they themselves are not aware of it, what strengthens them is the power of God, which is stronger than our selfishness.” Therefore, the Pope said: “For this reason, tonight we praise Him, because we believe and know that all the good that is accomplished every day on earth, in the end, comes from Him, it comes from God. “
The Pope concluded his prepared remarks on the future that awaits us, with the prayer: “May Your mercy always be with us, Lord, because we have hoped in You.”