POPE:
LET US BE “PROTECTORS” OF CREATION, NOT ALLOWING OMENS OF
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH TO ACCOMPANY OUR WORLD'S JOURNEY
Vatican
City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the complete text of the
homily that Pope Francis gave during the Mass inaugurating his
Petrine ministry. Beginning with the image of St. Joseph, the
“protector”, the Pope stressed that the vocation to protect
creation and humanity concerns everyone. He urged all to not be
afraid of goodness or even of tenderness.
“Dear
Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy
Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of
Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the
universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the
name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our
prayers, full of affection and gratitude.”
“I
offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the
priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful.
I thank the representatives of the other Churches and Ecclesial
Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community
and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial
greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the
official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and
the Diplomatic Corps.”
“In
the Gospel we heard that 'Joseph did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him and took Mary as his wife' (Mt 1:24). These words
already point to the mission that God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be
the 'custos', the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and
Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed
John Paul II pointed out: 'Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of
Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he
likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the
Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model'
(Redemptoris Custos, 1).”
“How
does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly, and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even
when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal
to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple
of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the
spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the
journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful
hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt
and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and
later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop
where he taught his trade to Jesus.”
“How
does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus
and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the
signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans and not
simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in
the first reading. God does not want a house built by humans, but
faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds
the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a
“protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be
guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive
to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things
realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make
truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond
to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the heart of
the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our
lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect
creation!”
“The
vocation of being a 'protector', however, is not just something
involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is
simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation,
the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and
as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of
God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It
means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every
person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are
often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our
families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as
parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in
time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in
which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the
end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us
are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!”
“Whenever
human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail
to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is
opened to destruction and our hearts are hardened. Tragically, in
every period of history there are 'Herods' who plot death, wreak
havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.”
“Please,
I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in
economic, political, and social life, and all men and women of
goodwill: let us be 'protectors' of creation, protectors of God’s
plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the
environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to
accompany our world's journey! But to be 'protectors', we also have
to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy,
and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means
keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are
the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up or
tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!”
“Here
I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness; it
calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears
as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we
see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather
a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for
compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be
afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”
“Today,
together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the
beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of
Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ
conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’
three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands:
feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic
power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must
enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant
culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete,
and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must
open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with
tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the
weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final
judgement on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked,
the sick, and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve
with love are able to protect!”
“In
the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, 'hoping
against hope, believed' (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too,
amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men
and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect
every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and
love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light
break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!
For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph,
the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God that has
opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock that is
God.”
“To
protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect
each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a
service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to
which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine
brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!”
“I
implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints
Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany
my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.”
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