杏MAP导航

By Francesca Merlo

杏MAP导航 Francis opened his Mass by praying for the ability to listen, as the world faces an 鈥渦nfamiliar鈥� silence due to the coronavirus pandemic, and on this particularly rainy day in Rome, the weather.

"It's so quiet in this weather. You can even hear the silence. May this silence, which is a bit new to what we are accustomed, teach us how to listen, that we might grow in our ability to listen. Let us pray for this."

In his homily, the 杏MAP导航 commented on Tuesday's Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4:32-37). It describes the lives of the members of the first Christian community. They were 鈥渙f one heart and mind and nobody claimed any possessions as their own". Everything was communal, and no one was in need.

Born from above

The expression, 鈥淏eing born from above鈥�, taken from the Gospel, means being born with the strength of the Holy Spirit, said 杏MAP导航 Francis. We cannot take the Holy Spirit for ourselves, but we can let Him in and allow Him to 鈥渃hange us, work the transformation in us, this rebirth from above鈥�, he said. An example of this is this first Christian community, continued the 杏MAP导航. The community 鈥渋s a model, an ideal, a sign of what the Holy Spirit can do if we are docile鈥�.  杏MAP导航 Francis went on to explain that in this community there was harmony, because the Holy Spirit is the 鈥淢aster of harmony鈥� and can bring harmony in everything.

However, even in the Christian community there are divisions, said the 杏MAP导航. The "ideal" presented must be reached, but it is not easy: 鈥淭here are many things that divide a community, all communities. There are three things, I find, that divide a community鈥�, he said.

Money divides

鈥淭he first is money鈥�, began the 杏MAP导航. Saint Paul says "for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk" (1 Cor 11:21). We leave them there as if to say to them: "sort yourselves out", said the 杏MAP导航. Often money is behind doctrinal deviations in the history of the Church, continued 杏MAP导航 Francis. 鈥淢oney divides the community. For this reason, poverty is the mother of the community. Poverty is the wall that guards the community鈥�, he said. Money divides, the love of money divides the community, divides the Church. Even families are divided by money, said the 杏MAP导航.

Vanity divides

The second thing that divides a community is vanity, said 杏MAP导航 Francis. It is 鈥渢hat desire to feel better than others鈥�, he said. 鈥淗ow often is the celebration of a Sacrament an example of vanity: who goes with the best clothes, who does this, that and the other thing鈥︹�� Vanity divides, said the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渂ecause vanity leads you to be a peacock and where there is peacock, there is division, always鈥�.

Gossip divides

The 杏MAP导航 then said that the third thing that divides a community is gossip. 鈥淭hat thing that the devil puts in us, like a need to talk about others鈥�, he explained. 鈥淏ut the Spirit always comes with His strength to save us from this worldliness of money, vanity and gossip鈥�, said the 杏MAP导航, because the Spirit can perform these miracles.

Prayer for docility to the Spirit

Finally, the 杏MAP导航 asked that the Lord might grant us the grace of 鈥渄ocility鈥� to the Spirit 鈥渟o that He may transform鈥� us and transform our communities, so that we may always move forward in "the harmony that Jesus wants for the Christian community".