The Pope: Let us live the tasks of each day in a spirit of service

Mariangela Jagurapa – Vatican News

Pope Francis canonized ten new saints during the Mass that was held on Sunday morning (15/05) in Saint Peter’s Square.

Among the new saints are Carmelite Tito Brandsma, Maria Rivier, and Charles de Foucauld.

“As I have loved you, love one another.” With these words, Jesus tells his disciples what it means to be a Christian. In his homily, the Pope said: “This is the commandment which Christ left us, the basic criterion for determining whether we are truly his disciples or not: the commandment of love.”

At the center is God’s unconditional free love

Next, Francis reflects on the two essential elements of this commandment: Jesus’ love for us, “as I have loved you,” and the love he asks us to live, “you also love one another.”

The first point: “I loved you.” “How did Jesus love us?” asked the Pope. The Pope replied: “To the end, to the perfect gift of himself.” According to the Pope, “It is admirable to see him uttering these words on a dark night, while in the attic he breathes an air of turmoil and turmoil: anarchy, for the Master is about to bid his disciples; anarchy, as he announces that one of them will betray him. We can imagine the grief that was in The heart of Jesus, the darkness that was growing in the hearts of the apostles, and the bitterness they felt when they saw Judas, after receiving the piece. Of the bread soaked for him by the Master, he left the room to enter the night of the betrayal. It is precisely at the time of the betrayal that Jesus affirms his love for himself. Indeed, In the darkness and storms of life, the essential thing is this: God loves us, Francis stressed.

“It was not we who loved God, but he himself loved us.” I hope this proclamation will “always be central to the profession of our faith and in its expressions,” said Francis, adding:

Let’s never forget this! At the center is not our ability or our merits, but the unconditional and free love of God that we do not deserve. In the beginning of being Christians, there were no dogmas and works, but the wonder of discovering that one is loved before any response from us.

Thus wrote the spiritual teacher of our time: “Even before any man saw us, we saw God’s loving eyes. Even before anyone heard us cry or laugh, we heard our God who gave our ears attentive. Even before anyone in this world spoke to us, the voice of eternal love was He is already speaking to us.”

Let yourself be embodied by the power of God’s love

According to the Pope, “This fact asks us to transform the idea of ​​holiness that we often have. Sometimes, insisting so much on our efforts to do good works, We have created a model of holiness that also depends on ourselves, on personal heroism, In the ability to concede, in the sacrifices made to win the prize. In this way we made holiness an unattainable goal, separating it from everyday life, instead of seeking and embracing it in everyday life, in the dust of the road, in the concrete misfortunes of life, as Saint Teresa of Avila did. “Between the kitchen pots,” she told her sisters. To be a disciple of Jesus and to walk the path of holiness is, first and foremost, to let yourself be transformed by the power of God’s love.. Let us not forget the priority of God over the self, the soul over the body, and grace over works.”

“The love we receive from the Lord is the power that changes our lives: it expands our hearts and prepares us for love. Therefore, as we move on to the second point, Jesus says ‘As I have loved you, so love one another.'” You are to one another. This “as” is not just a call to imitate Jesus’ love; It means that we can love only because he loved us, Because he gives our hearts his soul, the spirit of holiness, the love that heals and transforms us. That is why we can decide to practice gestures of love in every situation and with every brother we meet,” said the pontiff.

“What does it mean, concretely, to live this love?” asked the Pope. Francis said, “Before he left us this commandment, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet; and after he had pronounced it, he gave himself on the cross,” adding:

We ask ourselves what we do concretely for others, let us live the tasks of each day in the spirit of service, with love and without fuss, without asking for anything.

“First to serve, then to give life,” the Pope stressed. “Here it is not just about giving something to others, some of your goods, but giving yourself.”

I like to ask people who ask me for advice, “Tell me, would you give alms?” – “Yes, father, I give alms to the poor.” “And when you give alms, do you touch the person’s hand, or do you receive alms and clean yourself? And it turns red: ‘No, I don’t.'” When you give alms, do you look into the eyes of the person you are helping, or do you look the other way? “I don’t look.” Touching and looking and touching and looking at the body of Christ that suffers in our brothers and sisters. This is so important. Giving life is that holiness is not doing some heroic gesture, it is a lot of everyday love.

The path of holiness is not closed

We are called to “serve the gospel and brethren,” offering our lives “without punishment, without seeking any worldly glory, but with humility disguised as Jesus.”

The path to holiness is not closed. It’s universal, it’s a call to all of us. It begins with baptism, it is not closed. Let us also try to do this, because each of us is called to holiness, to a unique and unrepeatable holiness. Holiness is always authentic, as Blessed Carlos Acotis said: There is no such thing as holiness in photography, holiness is authentic, it is mine and you each of us. It is unique and unrepeatable. Yes, the Lord has a love plan for each one, He has a dream for your life, for my life, for the life of each of us. what do you want me to tell you? Do it with joy.