蜜桃交友

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis has urged Christians to be 鈥渃ouriers of hope,鈥� 鈥済enuine witnesses of Jesus in the world鈥�.

The Pope鈥檚 exhortation to leave the Lord鈥檚 table after the Eucharist and to be active in bringing His message of peace and mercy into the world, came during the homily at Holy Mass in the southern Italian town of Molfetta where he travelled to pay tribute to Fr. Tonino Bello who was known as 鈥渢he pastor of mercy鈥� and the bishop of 鈥渢he last ones.

Addressing the crowds gathered for Mass in the port area of the coastal town, Pope Francis commented on the liturgical readings of the day which focus on two central elements for Christian life: Bread and the Word.

The Bread of Life and of Peace

Pointing out that bread is the essential food for living and Jesus in the Gospel offers himself to us as the Bread of Life, the Pope said the Eucharist is not just a beautiful rite, but a communion of love that calls on each Christian to be nourished by the Lord in order to then give him or herself to others.

鈥淎s Don Tonino Bello recalled, works of charity are not enough, if the charity of works is lacking, if the love in which the works are conceived is lacking, if the starting point which is the Eucharist is lacking, every pastoral commitment is only a merry-go-round鈥� he said.

Living for others is the trademark of a Christian

And remarking on the fact that living for others is the 鈥渢rademark鈥� of a Christian, the Pope said 鈥淥ne could post a warning outside every church: 鈥楢fter Mass one no longer lives for oneself, but for others鈥�.

Don Tonino lived like this, he said, amongst his people he was a Bishop-Servant, a Pastor whom, before the Tabernacle, 鈥渓earned to be eaten by the people鈥�.

鈥淗e dreamed of a Church that is hungry for Jesus and intolerant to worldliness, a Church that sees the body of Christ in the uncomfortable tabernacles of misery, suffering and loneliness鈥�.

And reiterating that the 鈥淓ucharist cannot stand sedentariness鈥� Francis invited the faithful to ask themselves whether they 鈥榣ike to be served at table by the Lord, or do they get up and serve like the Lord?鈥� 鈥楧o they give back in life what they receive at Mass?鈥�

鈥淎nd as Church we could ask ourselves: after so many Communions, have we become people of communion?鈥� he said.

The Bread of Life, the Pope continued is also the Bread of Peace, and as Don Tonino maintained, peace comes with conviviality, in 鈥渆ating bread together with others鈥�, because conflict and war, he said, are rooted in not knowing the other.

鈥淲e, who share this Bread of unity and peace, are called to love every face, to heal every tear; to be, always and everywhere, builders of peace鈥� he said.

The Word that saves

Turning to the theme of the 鈥淲ord鈥�, the Pope said there is nothing to be gained by just 鈥渄iscussing the words of Jesus.鈥�

The Word of Jesus, he continued, 鈥渋s to walk in life, not to sit down and talk about what goes and what does not go鈥�.

Don Tonino, he said, urged his people to move from words to deeds, encouraging and supporting those who did not have the courage to change.

Reflecting on the first Reading in which the risen Jesus addresses Saul and asks him to put his life at stake saying 鈥淕et up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do鈥�, the Pope said the first thing to avoid is to 鈥榥ot get up鈥�, to submit oneself to life, to be gripped by fear鈥�. Don Tonino, he said, used to say 鈥淪tand up!鈥� Because one must stand before the Risen One: 鈥渙ne must stand up and look up because an apostle of Jesus cannot just get by in life with small satisfactions鈥�.

The Lord, the Pope said, asks each of us to go forth, to have the courage to leave our comfort zones and to take risks.

'Couriers of hope'

鈥淎 Christian life must be invested for Jesus and spent for others鈥� he said.

As Don Tonino used to say, he continued, 鈥淲hatever situation we find ourselves in, we are called to be bearers of Easter hope, servants 鈥� not employees - of the world鈥�.

It is nice to be "couriers of hope", simple and joyful distributors of the Easter alleluia鈥� he said.

Finally Pope Francis invited those present to be humble, because humility does not mean being shy or resigned, but docile to God, and empty of oneself.

And once we are stripped of presumption and pride he said, the Word of God frees us, it allows us to move forward, 鈥渉umble and courageous at the same time鈥�, it does not make us protagonists or champions of our own skills, but genuine witnesses of Jesus in the world.