“We are evangelists to the extent that we keep in our hearts astonishment and gratitude for having been evangelized, and even because we are evangelized, because in reality it is a gift that is always present and requires constant renewal in memory and in faith.” This is what His Holiness Pope Francis said in his sermon, presiding over an appointed Ordinary General Consistory. During which 21 new cardinals were added
This Saturday morning, in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Francis presided over an ordinary General Consistory during which he appointed 21 new cardinals, including the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Bishop Claudio Guguerotti, Dean of the Department of the Eastern Churches. For the occasion, the Holy Father delivered a sermon in which he said: “As I think about this celebration, in particular Among you, dear brothers, who will become cardinals, this text from the Acts of the Apostles comes to mind. It is a basic text: the account of Pentecost, the baptism of the church… But in reality my thought was drawn to a detail: to that expression in the mouth of the Jews who were then residing in Jerusalem. And they used to say: We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites… and others. This long list of peoples made me think of the cardinals, who, by God’s grace, come from all over the world, from different nations. That is why I chose this Bible passage. Then, contemplating it, I became aware of a kind of “surprise” that was hidden in this connection of ideas, a surprise in which I seemed, with joy, to see, so to speak, the humor of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis continued to say: What is this “surprise”? It consists in the fact that we shepherds, when we usually read the Pentecost narrative, see ourselves in the apostles. It is natural for this to be the case. As for those “Parthians, Medes, Elamites” and others, whom I have associated in my mind with the cardinals, they do not belong to the group of disciples, and they are outside the upper room, and part of that “crowd” that “gathered.” When they heard a sound like a stormy wind. The apostles were “all Galileans,” while those gathered were “from every nation under heaven,” just like the bishops and cardinals of our time.
The Holy Father added, “This kind of role-reversal makes us think, and if we look carefully, it reveals an interesting perspective, which I would like to share with you.” It is about applying to ourselves – and I will also put myself first – the experience of those Jews who, with a gift from God, found themselves forerunners of the Pentecost event, that is, the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit that allowed the birth of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I will summarize this perspective as follows: to discover once again with a gift of amazement that we have received the Gospel “in our own languages,” as these people say. To rethink with gratitude the gift of having been evangelized and taken from peoples who, each in its own time, accepted the good news and the proclamation of the mystery of salvation, and by accepting it were baptized in the Holy Spirit and became part of the Church. The Mother Church, which speaks all languages, is one and Catholic.
The Supreme Pontiff continued to say that this word from the Book of Acts of the Apostles makes us think that before we are “apostles,” before we are priests, bishops, and cardinals, we are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. This should awaken in us amazement and gratitude that we have received the grace of the Gospel in our indigenous peoples. I think this is very important and we should not forget it. Because there, in the history of our people, I would say in the “body” of our people, the Holy Spirit performed the miracle of transmitting the mystery of Jesus Christ who died and rose again. It has come to us “in our own languages”, on the lips and in the actions of our grandfathers and fathers, catechists, priests, monks… Each of us can remember concrete voices and faces. Faith is transmitted “in spoken language” through mothers and grandmothers. In fact, we are evangelists to the extent that we keep in our hearts amazement and gratitude for having been evangelized, or even because we are evangelized, because in reality it is a gift that is always immediate and requires constant renewal in memory and in faith.
The Holy Father added: Dear brothers and sisters, dear cardinals, the day of Pentecost, like the baptism of each of us, is not a fact of the past, but rather a creative act that God constantly renews. The Church – and each of its members – lives from this ever-present mystery. She does not live “from a pension”, nor from an antique heritage, no matter how precious and noble it may be. The Church, and every baptized person, lives from the presence of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the action that we will perform here now takes on meaning if we live it from this perspective of faith. Today, in the light of the Word of God, we can understand this truth: You, new cardinals, have come from different parts of the world, and the same spirit that enriched the evangelization of your people now renews in you your vocation and your mission in the Church and for the Church.
From this reflection, drawn from a fertile “surprise”, I would simply like to draw a conclusion for you, fellow cardinals, and for your Council, the Pope continued. I would like to express this with the image of an orchestra: the College of Cardinals is called to resemble a symphony orchestra, which represents the symphony and synod of the Church. I also say “synodal”, not only because we are on the eve of the first assembly of the Synod dealing with this particular topic, but because it seems to me that the metaphor of the orchestra can well illuminate the synodal character of the Church. A symphony lives from the judicious composition of the sounds of different instruments: each one makes its contribution, sometimes alone, sometimes in union with another instrument, sometimes with the whole ensemble. Diversity is necessary and indispensable. But every voice must contribute to the common scheme. For this reason, mutual listening is essential: every musician must listen to others. If a musician listens only to himself, no matter how wonderfully he plays, he will be of no use to the symphony; The same thing would happen if one section of the orchestra did not listen to the others, and played as if it were alone, as if it were the whole. The orchestra director is at the service of the kind of miracle that occurs every time a symphony is played. He has to listen more than anyone else, and at the same time his task is to help each individual and the entire orchestra to develop to the maximum creative fidelity, fidelity to the piece being performed, in a creative style, capable of giving life to the score and making it resonate here and now. In a unique way.
Pope Francis concluded his homily by saying, Dear brothers and sisters, it will help us to find our reflection in the image of the orchestra, so that we can better learn how to be a symphonic and synodal Church. I suggest this especially to you, members of the College of Cardinals, in the consoling confidence that we have the Holy Spirit as a teacher: an inner teacher for each one and a teacher of the walk together. It creates diversity and unity, which is harmony itself. We entrust ourselves to his sweet and powerful guidance, and to the loving protection of the Virgin Mary.
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2023-09-30 09:43:05
