蜜桃交友

By Pope

Saint Luke鈥檚 Gospel this Sunday describes how 鈥済reat multitudes accompanied Jesus鈥�. As if to illustrate that Gospel, a great multitude of nearly one million people gathered in Antananarivo on Sunday morning to attend the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

Catholics make up 35% of Madagascar鈥檚 population of 26 million people.

Following Jesus is not easy

The Pope began his homily by acknowledging how 鈥測ou too have come in great numbers to receive Jesus鈥� message and follow in His footsteps. But you also know that following Jesus is not easy鈥�. Today鈥檚 Gospel, he added, 鈥渞eminds us of how demanding that commitment can be鈥�.

Jesus鈥� first demand

鈥淛esus鈥� first demand has to do with family relationships鈥�, said the Pope. When 鈥渇amily鈥� becomes the decisive criterion for what we consider right and good鈥�, he continued, 鈥渨e end up justifying and even 鈥榗onsecrating鈥� practices that lead to the culture of privilege and exclusion: favouritism, patronage and, as a consequence, corruption鈥�.  

Jesus says clearly that 鈥渁nyone incapable of seeing others as brothers or sisters, of showing sensitivity to their lives and situations regardless of their family, cultural or social background 鈥榗annot be my disciple鈥欌��. 

Jesus鈥� second demand  

Pope Francis went on to explain Jesus鈥� second demand. He tells us not to identify the Kingdom of Heaven 鈥渨ith our personal agenda, or our attachment to an ideology that would abuse the name of God or of religion to justify acts of violence, segregation and even murder, exile, terrorism and marginalization鈥�. 

This demand encourages us 鈥渘ot to dilute and narrow the Gospel message, but instead to build history in fraternity and solidarity鈥�, continued Pope Francis, 鈥渋n complete respect for the earth and its gifts, as opposed to any form of exploitation鈥�.

Jesus鈥� third demand

Jesus鈥� third demand, said the Pope, 鈥渋s that we rediscover how to be grateful and to realize that, much more than a personal triumph, our life and our talents are the fruit of a gift. This gift is created by God through the silent interplay of so many people whose names we will only know in the Kingdom of Heaven鈥�.

With these three demands, said Pope Francis, the Lord wants to free His disciples 鈥渇rom the grave obstacle that, in the end, is one of the worst forms of enslavement: living only for oneself鈥�.

Making room for God   

With these demands, continued the Pope, the Lord asks us 鈥渢o adjust our priorities鈥� and 鈥渢o make room for God to be the centre and axis of our life鈥�. It is not part of God鈥檚 plan for men and women, young people and children to suffer, he said. This is why Jesus urgently calls us 鈥渢o die to our self-centredness, our individualism and our pride鈥�.

鈥淲e Christians cannot stand with arms folded in indifference, or with arms outstretched in helplessness鈥�, he added. 鈥淎s believers, we must stretch out our hands, as Jesus does with us鈥�.

Making God鈥檚 plans our own

鈥淭he demands that Jesus sets before us cease to be burdensome as soon as we begin to taste the joy of the new life that He Himself sets before us鈥�, said the Pope, because 鈥淛esus is the first to seek us at the crossroads, even when we are lost like the sheep or the prodigal son鈥�.

Pope Francis concluded his homily at the Mass in Antananarivo with a prayer that 鈥渢his humble realism may inspire us to take on great challenges and give you the desire to make your beautiful country a place where the Gospel becomes life. Let us commit ourselves鈥�, he said, 鈥渁nd let us make the Lord鈥檚 plans our own鈥�.