Pope Francis celebrated his first Mass as Pope this afternoon - the Missa pro Ecclesiae - with all the cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel.
Below is Vatican Radio’s translation of the full text of his homily (corrected from earlier version):
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"In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.
Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This is the first thing God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.” Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise.
Building: to build the Church. There is talk of stones: stones have consistency, but [the stones spoken of are] living stones, stones anointed by the Holy Spirit. Build up the Church, the Bride of Christ, the cornerstone of which is the same Lord. With [every] movement in our lives, let us build!
Third, professing: we can walk as much we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, nothing will avail. We will become a compassionate NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of Christ. When one does not walk, one stalls. When one does not built on solid rocks, what happens? What happens is what happens to children on the beach when they make sandcastles: everything collapses, it is without consistency. When one does not profess Jesus Christ - I recall the phrase of Leon Bloy – “Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil.” When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil.
Walking, building-constructing, professing: the thing, however, is not so easy, because in walking, in building, in professing, there are sometimes shake-ups - there are movements that are not part of the path: there are movements that pull us back.
This Gospel continues with a special situation. The same Peter who confessed Jesus Christ, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. This has nothing to do with it.” He says, “I’ll follow you on other ways, that do not include the Cross.” When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord.
I would like that all of us, after these days of grace, might have the courage - the courage - to walk in the presence of the Lord, with the Cross of the Lord: to build the Church on the Blood of the Lord, which is shed on the Cross, and to profess the one glory, Christ Crucified. In this way, the Church will go forward.
My hope for all of us is that the Holy Spirit, that the prayer of Our Lady, our Mother, might grant us this grace: to walk, to build, to profess Jesus Christ Crucified. So be it."
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Also today, the Vatican released the following statement issued by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, on the Election of Pope Francis:
"In the name of the Society of Jesus, I give thanks to God for the election of our new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., which opens for the Church a path full of hope.
All of us Jesuits accompany with our prayers our brother and we thank him for his generosity in accepting the responsibility of guiding the Church at this crucial time. The name of “Francis” by which we shall now know him evokes for us the Holy Father’s evangelical spirit of closeness to the poor, his identification with simple people, and his commitment to the renewal of the Church. From the very first moment in which he appeared before the people of God, he gave visible witness to his simplicity, his humility, his pastoral experience and his spiritual depth.
“The distinguishing mark of our Society is that it is . . . a companionship . . . bound to the Roman Pontiff by a special bond of love and service.” (Complementary Norms, No. 2, § 2) Thus, we share the joy of the whole Church, and at the same time, wish to express our renewed availability to be sent into the vineyard of the Lord, according to the spirit of our special vow of obedience, which unites us in a special way to the Holy Father (General Congregation 35, Decree 1, No. 17)."Rome, 14 March 2013
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Scientfic breakthrough: Do you all know King Jesus to had been the first vegan man to ever walk on this planet earth, why and how? To learn about this please read: The Lord Christ Jesus Was A Vegan and The Christian Vegan Revised Psalms, both books by Saba. This way of life is a must put to practice for all humans and then for animals as well. In other words all churchs must be Christian vegans. Thanks.
“Pope on the Bus!” God bless you, Pope Francis!
It seems to me like Pope Francis is saying something like Works based on Faith ie Faith AND Works.
Some Catholics on the left will emphasize works without faith, some Catholics on the right will emphasize faith without works.
Leo, what Pope Francis is saying comes at a very crucial time, and I think it goes a little further than your spot-on assessment about Faith AND Works. Charity without Christ Crucified is simply dead in the water, and is a stark reminder of Christ’s words: “without Me, you can do nothing.” We cannot have works without faith, because it is faith that enlightens our reason, thereby giving us the fullness of the truth about the human person. Without that, whatever we claim to do for others for their good and in the name of Christ will always fall short: dare any of us presume to share the love of Christ, who is Himself love, without knowing Who He is? It would reduce charity merely to the material—and materialist—realm. Likewise, faith without good works is also dead in the water: good works are an instrument of sharing what the Lord gives us, namely the gifts of faith, hope, and charity. To emphasize faith without works is to essentially hoard Christ to ourselves; it would come down to us not wanting to share. Along with our material goods, we share with the poor the spiritual goods that nurture us. We can’t divorce the corporal works of mercy from the spiritual works of mercy, since the poor, like us all, are matter and spirit, and not just matter or spirit.
Chrisian vegans, really! This comment seems inappropriate to the article.
The vegan thing is just some spammer selling books. Moderator? A little despamification, here?
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