杏MAP导航

By Sr Bernadette M. Reis, fsp

The 杏MAP导航 began Mass as the Casa Santa Marta on Saturday morning praying for those suffering from hunger because of the coronavirus pandemic. 鈥淚n these days, in some parts of the world, we are beginning to see some consequences of the pandemic鈥�, he said. 鈥淥ne is hunger.

鈥淲e're beginning to see people who are hungry because they can't work. They may not have had a regular job, and from many other circumstances. We're beginning to see the aftermath that will come later. But it's beginning now. We pray for the families who are beginning to find themselves in need because of the pandemic鈥�.

杏MAP导航 Francis focused on the separation between the leaders and the faithful, holy people of God evidenced in the Gospel reading from John 7:40-53.

Two groups

After disputing whether Jesus was the Messiah, the Gospel says 鈥渢hen each went to his own house鈥�. 鈥淓veryone returned to their own convictions鈥�, 杏MAP导航 Francis explained. The people were divided in two camps. The first listened to Jesus, loved Him and followed Him. Religious leaders comprised the second group. They despised the first group and 鈥渞eject Jesus because, according to them, He was not observing the law鈥�.

鈥淭he holy, faithful People of God believe in Jesus, they follow him鈥�. They can't explain why, but they follow Him. He enters their hearts, and they don鈥檛 get tired鈥�. We can think of the day of the multiplication of the loaves. They were with Jesus the entire day to the point that the Apostles say to Jesus, 鈥楽end them away so that they can go buy something to eat.鈥� 鈥�The People of God had a huge grace: the sense of knowing where the Spirit was, even though they were sinners like us, that sense of knowing the path to salvation.

鈥淎nd this small group of the elite, the doctors of the law, they separate themselves from the people and don't welcome Jesus.鈥�

Why the division?

杏MAP导航 Francis explained that the religious leaders had forgotten that they too belonged to the People of God due to a 鈥渉uge defect鈥�.

鈥淭hey had lost the memory of their own belonging to the People of God. They had become sophisticated. They had risen to a another social class. They felt authoritative. This is clericalism that we see here.鈥�

Two classes in the Church

The 杏MAP导航 then reflected on what some people are saying regarding priests and religious leaving their homes to care for the poor. Some say they should not expose themselves to the virus, that priests are there to offer the Sacraments. This is how we create the same type of division among us. Some belong to the upper class and should not 鈥済et their hands dirty鈥� by serving those who are considered to be in a lower class. 鈥淪omething is missing鈥�, the 杏MAP导航 said, if we do not have the 鈥渃ourage to go and serve the poor鈥�.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the same thing that the doctors of the law were lacking. They have lost their memory, they have lost what Jesus felt in his heart 鈥� that He was a part of His own people. They have lost the memory of what God said to David, 鈥業 took you from the flock鈥�. They have forgotten the memory of their own belonging to the flock. And so each one goes back to their own home.鈥�

Selfless in service

杏MAP导航 Francis also told a beautiful story of a priest in mountain village. Notwithstanding freezing temperatures and snow, he brought Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to the small villages in his area to give benediction.

鈥淚t didn't matter that it was snowing or that the cold metal of the ostensorium was burning his hands. The only thing that mattered was bringing Jesus to the people.鈥�

Remember your people

Concluding his homily, the 杏MAP导航 recommended that we recall the advice that the Apostle Paul gave to the young bishop, Timothy: 鈥淩emember your mother and your grandmother鈥� (see 2 Timothy 1:5). 鈥淚f Paul advised this it was because he knew well the danger of where this sense of elitism leads鈥�.