2019/01/24 - Homily - Post-pilgrimage mas

Imprimer

INTRODUCTION


Today we are celebrating the feast of St Francis of Sales. He was a bishop of Annecy-Geneva in the midst of a harsh period in France during the war between Catholics and Protestants. He was the first one trying to use the weapon of love instead of the sword. He reintroduced it into the Church political behavior


HOMILY 


Until tomorrow we are still in the week of the prayer for the unity of all Christian churches. Thus we are invited to take part in the prayers because the split between the churches and their misconduct towards each other is not acceptable in the Christian meaning of our faith. Christ prayed his father to bring unity between his disciples in the way Christ son of God is united to his Father. The disunity remains the biggest scandal for the Christian faith. This scandal could be only compared with the sexual abuse scandals shaking the entire Christian reality. Nearly over one hundred years, each year such week of prayer is proposed in order to make every one realize that unity is everyone’s duty.  


We have to face such duty on three levels. Between the separates churches, of course, but  inside our community parishes and inside us as well. This singular topic is the base to both others. But as we know by our own experience, we a not yet totally unified, as much as God expected it within his eternal presence into the heavens. Thus in this earthly life we can only try to be unified by grace granted by the Holy Spirit. The week of prayer for the unity between churches and inside the community, shows us how much we have to expect from God. Indeed, He enables us through his power to be a little bit more conscious of what is going on. 


Today's readings we heard about Jesus going by the sea and having a rest. We were going by the sea following the footsteps of the first missionaries trying to unify the local people with God. We were there on the feast of the immaculate conception of our Lady. In the first reading, we heard about the priest of old testament who was definitely replaced by Christ. It was only possible because of his immaculate heart, the only one able to unify us with his heavenly father opening to us the gate of the heavens. 


We were on the beach by a very strong wind but sheltered into the fragile tents flapping and waving by the whole night. Even the water rose between the village and the beach making sheared the passage through an unstable beach. In our live we have to face so many times the situations related to that. The FAITH help us to understand our own fragile life and the help of God is really a power for us to face so many problems because United through himself we can seek unity between us.  Amen