杏MAP导航 at Mass in Kazakhstan: 'Our salvation is to behold Jesus crucified'
By Christopher Wells
Although representing less than 1% of the country's population, members of Kazakhstan鈥檚 small Catholic community turned out by the thousands to participate in the Holy Mass presided over by 杏MAP导航 Francis in Nur-Sultan鈥檚 EXPO Centre on Wednesday.
Although 鈥渢he Cross is a gibbet of death,鈥� , 鈥渢oday we celebrate [the Feast of] the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ, for on its wood Jesus took upon Himself all our sin and the evil of the world, and vanquished them by His love.鈥�
Serpents that bite and a serpent that saves
The 杏MAP导航 reflected on the contrasting images of 鈥渢he serpents that bite鈥� and 鈥渁 serpent that saves,鈥� taken from the reading from the Book of Numbers. As they travelled through the desert to the Holy Land, the Israelites lost their trust in God and in His promises and were bitten by deadly serpents.
"The first part of the narrative," 杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥渁sks us to examine closely those moments in our own personal and community lives when our trust in the Lord and in one another has failed.鈥� It also calls to mind 鈥渙ther kinds of painful 鈥榖ites鈥欌�� Kazakhstan has suffered, including violence, atheistic persecution, and attacks on personal freedom and human dignity.
The 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥淧eace is never achieved once for all,鈥� and insisted that 鈥渃ommitment is demanded on the part of all if Kazakhstan is to keep growing in 鈥榝raternity, dialogue, and understanding鈥�.鈥�
Keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus
This, the 杏MAP导航 said, is the second image from the day鈥檚 reading: 鈥渢he serpent that saves.鈥� God, he continued, 鈥渄oes not destroy the vile and worthless things that men and women choose to pursue.鈥� Instead, Jesus comes among us, lifted up on the Cross like the bronze serpent Moses raised in the desert.
鈥淐onfronting our misery, God gives us a new horizon,鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis said. 鈥淚f we keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, the sting of evil can no longer prevail over us, for on the Cross He took upon Himself the venom of sin and death, and crushed their destructive power.鈥�
The Holy Father said 鈥渢he path to our salvation, our rebirth, and our resurrection鈥� is 鈥渢o behold the crucified Christ.鈥�
From the Cross, he continued, Christians learn 鈥渓ove, not hatred; compassion, not indifference; forgiveness, not vengeance.鈥� Christ on the Cross shows us, too, 鈥渢he embrace of the tender love of God鈥� and 鈥渢he fraternal love that we are called to have for one another and for everyone.鈥�
Concluding his homily, 杏MAP导航 Francis insisted that Christians must be 鈥渞eborn from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus.鈥� And he prayed that 鈥渨e might be freed from the poison of death鈥� and 鈥渢hat by God鈥檚 grace we can become ever more fully Christian: joyful witnesses of new life, love, and peace.鈥�
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