杏MAP导航

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

鈥淭oday our prayer is for all those persons who clean hospitals, the streets, who empty dumpsters, who go to each house to remove trash鈥�. This was 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥檚 intention for the Mass he celebrated for the Sixth Sunday of Easter in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta. He continued saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a work that no one sees, but it is a job that is necessary to survive. May the Lord bless them and help them鈥�.

He then reflected on the Sunday鈥檚 Gospel passage (John 14:15-21) and the Second Reading (1 Peter 3:15-18) during his homily.

Jesus bids farewell with a promise

杏MAP导航 Francis began his homily saying that as Jesus bade farewell to His disciples, He left them hope. That hope was the promise that He would not leave them orphans. It is this sense of being orphaned, of not having a Father, that is, and has been, the root of many problems on earth, he said.

鈥淲e live in a society that lacks the Father. A sense of being orphaned touches one鈥檚 sense of belonging and fraternity鈥�.

Fulfillment of the promise

The fulfillment of this promise is the Holy Spirit. 鈥淭he Holy Spirit does not come to 鈥榤ake us His clients鈥欌��, the 杏MAP导航 said. Instead, the Holy Spirit comes 鈥渢o show us how to access the Father, to teach us the way to the Father, the way that Jesus opened, the way that Jesus showed us.鈥�

Trinitarian spirituality

A spirituality directed only to the Son of God does not exist, the 杏MAP导航 continued. 鈥淭he Father is at the centre鈥�, he reminded us. 鈥淭he Son was sent by the Father and returns to the Father. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father to remind us and teach us how to access the Father鈥�.

Sense of belonging

This 鈥渁wareness that we are children鈥� and not 鈥渙rphans鈥� is the key to living in peace, 杏MAP导航 Francis explained. Wars, both big and small, 鈥渁lways contain a dimension of being orphans because the Father who makes peace is missing鈥�.

Attitudes of those belong to a family

Our mission as Christians is to accomplish what St Peter exhorts in the Second Reading. We are to bear witness to the hope that we have when others ask us for an explanation. 鈥淒o it with gentleness and respect鈥�, Peter directed, 鈥渒eeping your conscience clear鈥�. Gentleness and respect are ways of behaving characteristic of those who share a relationship with a common father, the 杏MAP导航 explained. 鈥淭hey are attitudes of belonging, belonging to one family who is certain of having a Father鈥� who is at the centre, who is everyone鈥檚 origin, the source of all unity and salvation. And He sent the Holy Spirit to 鈥渞emind us鈥� of how to access the Father, to teach us these familial attitudes of gentleness, meekness and peace, the 杏MAP导航 said.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

At the conclusion of his homily the 杏MAP导航 prayed, 鈥淟et us ask the Holy Spirit to remind us always, always, how to access the Father, to remind us that we have a Father. And to this civilization that has a huge sense of being orphaned, may He grant the grace of finding the Father once again, the Father who provides everyone with a sense of meaning in life. May He make all men and women one family."