HOMILY OF HOLY FATHER FRANCIS - "Arena" sports camp, Salina Quarter

The Vatican ^ | 7-8-2013 | The Pope

[ClaytonP]

Immigrants dying at sea, in boats which were vehicles of hope and became vehicles of death. That is how the headlines put it. When I first heard of this tragedy a few weeks ago, and realized that it happens all too frequently, it has constantly come back to me like a painful thorn in my heart. So I felt that I had to come here today, to pray and to offer a sign of my closeness, but also to challenge our consciences lest this tragedy be repeated. Please, let it not be repeated! First, however, I want to say a word of heartfelt gratitude and encouragement to you, the people of Lampedusa and Linosa, and to the various associations, volunteers and security personnel who continue to attend to the needs of people journeying towards a better future. You are so few, and yet you offer an example of solidarity! Thank you! I also thank Archbishop Francesco Montenegro for all his help, his efforts and his close pastoral care. I offer a cordial greeting to Mayor Giusi Nicolini: thank you so much for what you have done and are doing. I also think with affection of those Muslim immigrants who this evening begin the fast of Ramadan, which I trust will bear abundant spiritual fruit. The Church is at your side as you seek a more dignified life for yourselves and your families. To all of you: o’scià!

This morning, in the light of God’s word which has just been proclaimed, I wish to offer some thoughts meant to challenge people’s consciences and lead them to reflection and a concrete change of heart.

"Adam, where are you?" This is the first question which God asks man after his sin. "Adam, where are you?" Adam lost his bearings, his place in creation, because he thought he could be powerful, able to control everything, to be God. Harmony was lost; man erred and this error occurs over and over again also in relationships with others. "The other" is no longer a brother or sister to be loved, but simply someone who disturbs my life and my comfort. God asks a second question: "Cain, where is your brother?" The illusion of being powerful, of being as great as God, even of being God himself, leads to a whole series of errors, a chain of death, even to the spilling of a brother’s blood!

God’s two questions echo even today, as forcefully as ever! How many of us, myself included, have lost our bearings; we are no longer attentive to the world in which we live; we don’t care; we don’t protect what God created for everyone, and we end up unable even to care for one another! And when humanity as a whole loses its bearings, it results in tragedies like the one we have witnessed.

"Where is your brother?" His blood cries out to me, says the Lord. This is not a question directed to others; it is a question directed to me, to you, to each of us. These brothers and sisters of ours were trying to escape difficult situations to find some serenity and peace; they were looking for a better place for themselves and their families, but instead they found death. How often do such people fail to find understanding, fail to find acceptance, fail to find solidarity. And their cry rises up to God! Once again I thank you, the people of Lampedusa, for your solidarity. I recently listened to one of these brothers of ours. Before arriving here, he and the others were at the mercy of traffickers, people who exploit the poverty of others, people who live off the misery of others. How much these people have suffered! Some of them never made it here.

"Where is your brother?" Who is responsible for this blood? In Spanish literature we have a comedy of Lope de Vega which tells how the people of the town of Fuente Ovejuna kill their governor because he is a tyrant. They do it in such a way that no one knows who the actual killer is. So when the royal judge asks: "Who killed the governor?", they all reply: "Fuente Ovejuna, sir". Everybody and nobody! Today too, the question has to be asked: Who is responsible for the blood of these brothers and sisters of ours? Nobody! That is our answer: It isn’t me; I don’t have anything to do with it; it must be someone else, but certainly not me. Yet God is asking each of us: "Where is the blood of your brother which cries out to me?" Today no one in our world feels responsible; we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters. We have fallen into the hypocrisy of the priest and the levite whom Jesus described in the parable of the Good Samaritan: we see our brother half dead on the side of the road, and perhaps we say to ourselves: "poor soul…!", and then go on our way. It’s not our responsibility, and with that we feel reassured, assuaged. The culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people, makes us live in soap bubbles which, however lovely, are insubstantial; they offer a fleeting and empty illusion which results in indifference to others; indeed, it even leads to the globalization of indifference. In this globalized world, we have fallen into globalized indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn’t affect me; it doesn’t concern me; it’s none of my business!

Here we can think of Manzoni’s character – "the Unnamed". The globalization of indifference makes us all "unnamed", responsible, yet nameless and faceless.

"Adam, where are you?" "Where is your brother?" These are the two questions which God asks at the dawn of human history, and which he also asks each man and woman in our own day, which he also asks us. But I would like us to ask a third question: "Has any one of us wept because of this situation and others like it?" Has any one of us grieved for the death of these brothers and sisters? Has any one of us wept for these persons who were on the boat? For the young mothers carrying their babies? For these men who were looking for a means of supporting their families? We are a society which has forgotten how to weep, how to experience compassion – "suffering with" others: the globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep! In the Gospel we have heard the crying, the wailing, the great lamentation: "Rachel weeps for her children… because they are no more". Herod sowed death to protect his own comfort, his own soap bubble. And so it continues… Let us ask the Lord to remove the part of Herod that lurks in our hearts; let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty of our world, of our own hearts, and of all those who in anonymity make social and economic decisions which open the door to tragic situations like this. "Has any one wept?" Today has anyone wept in our world?

Lord, in this liturgy, a penitential liturgy, we beg forgiveness for our indifference to so many of our brothers and sisters. Father, we ask your pardon for those who are complacent and closed amid comforts which have deadened their hearts; we beg your forgiveness for those who by their decisions on the global level have created situations that lead to these tragedies. Forgive us, Lord!

Today too, Lord, we hear you asking: "Adam, where are you?" "Where is the blood of your brother?"

[markomalley]

What is this? It is now acceptable to change the titles of posted threads? Or is it only acceptable to do it when it gives you a chance to slam the Catholic Church?

The actual title of the article is: Celebration of Holy Mass at the "Arena" sports camp (8 July 2013)

RM: Can you please change the thread title to the above, actual title of the article?

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

The thread is about a statement within the article, and so is not a thread about “Celebration of Holy Mass at the “Arena” Sports camp.” That would be quite misleading for what the OP intended.

[markomalley]

The thread is about a statement within the article, and so is not a thread about “Celebration of Holy Mass at the “Arena” Sports camp.” That would be quite misleading for what the OP intended.

I really couldn't care less.

The OP published an article on the site. You don't change article titles. (if he wants to add a comment, he could easily add [wished muzzies 'Happy Ramadan'] afterwards)

Posting guidelines:

Do include the original title - When you post an article, be sure to include the original title where appropriate. This helps users find the article and lessens the chance of a double post.

(Where it's appropriate is if a title exists. Where it's not appropriate is where a title doesn't exist)

BTW, welcome to Free Republic. Learn the rules. The rules are your friends.

[ClaytonP]

It wasn't a news article.

It was a post with a completely non-descriptive "HOMILY OF HOLY FATHER FRANCIS"

It didn't really have a title

It would be like me posting a thread from a blog with the title "The blog of Joe XXXX"

I had to create my own title to draw interest into the discussion.

[markomalley]

It was a post with a completely non-descriptive "HOMILY OF HOLY FATHER FRANCIS"

It had a title. I wrote the title above. Here is a screenshot of the title:

Or this:

You, for the apparent purpose of inciting verbal violence, highlighted one lousy sentence out of the entire thing. One sentence that had nothing to do with the context of the message that was given. One sentence that was obviously, when considered in context, was simply a polite greeting given to people who were there.

Shoot, if you didn't think it had a title, it would have made an editorial title talking about what the purpose of the message was. Pope believes in coddling illegal aliens, or Pope criticizes culture of indifference, or whatever.

Why take one sentence out of context? There can only be one reason.

Again, as I said above, Welcome to Free Republic.

Learn the rules. The rules are your friends.

[count-your-change]

I tried Top Ramadan once....Wayyyy too salty and the noodles kept fighting to come back up...whew! I recommend the ketchup and crackers route, costs a bit more but the quality is there.

[ClaytonP]

As you posted the title was "Homily of Holy Father Francis"

That is meaningless, as he must have given 1000s of Homilies over his career.

The "Arena" sports camp is a location, and is not part of any title.

"Celebration of Holy Mass at the 'Arena'" refers to a video, and not the text homily

[Biggirl]

The only time you can make a change is when it is one of the British news sites which is big on long titles you have to shorten the titles. But, you must post in the first posting the full title.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

No Muslim has ever gone to heaven and ever will, as salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.

How does the second clause relate to the first?

If a Mohammedan has never been exposed to Jesus, either through evangelization or reading, yet lives a good life, and pursues truth, to the best of his ability, would a just God condemn him to hell for eternity?

Yes, anyone who is saved is saved through Christ's redemptive death on the Cross, but it doesn't logically follow that only those with an explicit faith in Christ will be saved.

[Biggirl]

See that is the problem with some of the posters who are Christian. They forget that there are Chrsitians who live in countries in which the Christian faith is under attack. Pope Francis knows this. Plus Pope is reminding us Christians we must not only witness with words, but with our whole lives.

[iontheball]

There are millions of Christians in Muslim lands. If he said it the way you would maybe like him to say it Thousands to Millions would be slaughtered.
__________________________________________________
You speak reality, but the reality must also be viewed as submission to the dictates of Islam. Submitting to Islam's dictates is worshiping Allah.

[markomalley]

” The only time you can make a change is when it is one of the British news sites which is big on long titles you have to shorten the titles. But, you must post in the first posting the full title.”

Especially the Daily Mail.

But even then, you are supposed to just truncate the title, not change it out of hand.

[markomalley]

Thanks

[Biggirl]

That is wrong if you do make changes to the original title. When I post such long title articles from the Daily Mail, then I have to refer to it.

[Salvation]

**Unless you would like to declare your real name?**

Or by what name this retread was here with before.

[Salvation]

BTTT!

[Alex Murphy]

I don’t post a lot. But I’ve been a lurker since ‘97 when I was 18 and have followed the Religion forum for years.

I missed your entrance in 2011 - welcome on board!

[piusv]

Oh for the love of God, who cares what someone’s screen name is?

As for the Pope’s comments, I refuse to rationalize or defend them.

[piusv]

But the Pope did not say “I hope”; he said “I trust that it will”. Two very different things.

[piusv]

I just have to say there are some funny posts in this thread....LOL.