Pope Francis said it in First Vespers of the feast of the Mother of God “in memory of Benedict XVI, such a noble and humble man”. Only God knows the value and power of the Pope Emeritus’ intercession and of the sacrifice he made for the good of the Church. With these words Pope Francis recalled Benedict XVI, who was called by the Lord that morning, and began his liturgical homily on the theme of “humility”.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis led the faithful in the recitation of first vespers of the feast of the Mother of God at 5.00 pm on December 31 in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and sang “The Main Song”. That day, around 9, the Lord called Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who in his homily expressed his gratitude to God for having given Benedict XVI “for the Church and for the world”. he has achieved, “above all for his faith and his testimony of prayer, especially in his retired life in recent years”. Pope Francis used “humility” as the theme of his homily, emphasizing that it is not only a Christian virtue, but also a civil virtue that can make the world a more loving place.
The readings of today’s liturgy are taken from the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Galatians: “When the time was fulfilled, God sent his Son, who was born of a woman, born under the law, to bring him under the law, redeemed, that we might adopt sonship” (4:4-5).
The Pope began by recalling that the Son of God was “born of a woman”: God chose to enter the world in this way, and this way was “as important as the fact that he came into the world”. God became man, he didn’t dive, but he was “born of woman” with his prior consent. All of this shows that God respects our freedom and our gratuitousness.
“The way he came to save us is also the way he invites us to follow his path to continue cultivating a new, free, reconciled humanity with him. The keywords are: humanity reconciled. The style, the way, from which good and dignified human qualities of harmonious coexistence derive, one of which is humility: it is a lifestyle that promotes brotherhood and friendship among people”.
It is on the theme of humility that Pope Francis thought of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who “left us” that morning. “We remember with great affection such a noble and humble man. We express our gratitude: to God for sending him to the Church and to the world; to him for all the good he has done, especially for his faith and prayerful testimony of him, especially in his last years of retirement. Only God knows the value and power of his intercession and of the sacrifice he makes for the good of the Church.”
Humility is also a civic virtue. Pope Francis has called it “an important element of a culture of dialogue”. Dialogue is a necessary attitude “to live in harmony, to treat one another as brothers”.
“Coherent and courageous dialogue does not make the news like contradictions and conflicts, but helps the world to live better with attention. Although humility is part of the dialogue, it is not just a matter of “courtesy”, that is, it is not a matter of “having” No, it is not this humility we are talking about. Rather, humility is a virtue that needs to be revived, that must be practiced every day, to go against the tide and increase the humanity of our society.”
The Pope explained “humility” in terms of the “effect of the Holy Spirit” described by Saint Paul in his Epistle (see Gala 5:22): it is an attitude of benevolence, of support and comfort, of attention in dealing with others “Do not hurt” others, but help others to “lighten the burden” and give relief.
“Humility is the antidote to certain symptoms of our society: it is the antidote to cruelty, which unfortunately penetrates the heart like poison and poisons relationships; humility is the antidote to anxiety and distraction, the Anxiety Disturbance and distraction make us self-absorbed and closed off from others.These “illnesses” of our daily life make us irritable and unable to say “please” or “sorry” or even “thank you.”
However, there are many humble people in this world. They know how to let go of their worries and care for others. To this end, the Pope launched an appeal: “Dear brothers and sisters, I believe that the restoration of humility, a human and civil virtue, can do a lot to improve the life of families, communities and cities. 2011, I would like to bless all of our residents with the virtue of humility. Experience has taught us that, when humility becomes a lifestyle, it creates a healthy coexistence, humanizes social relationships, defuses irritability and indifference”.
At the end of the homily, the Pope returned to the “divine motherhood” of the Blessed Virgin Mary, saying: “Let us stop, contemplate and meditate, because herein lies the essence of the mystery of salvation”. the Blessed Virgin Mary, “There is a way to increase the humanity of the world.”
During vespers that day, all the participants implored the Lord to “give all his peace” and asked God to welcome Benedict XVI into the Kingdom of Heaven. After Vespers, Pope Francis left St. Peter’s Basilica in a wheelchair, and went to St. Peter’s Square in front of the Christmas crib for a moment of silence, contemplating the smiling baby Jesus. Many faithful were already waiting for the Pope in the square. The night is low and the square is dark, but the lights of the nativity scene and the Christmas tree shine brightly.
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