Don’t be afraid of Jesus’ light, which brings light to our daily darkness…

Today, May 6th, Pope Francis gave this encouragement to those watching his private daily Mass at his residence Casa Santa Marta, reported Vatican News.

At the start of the Mass, Pope Francis prayed for all victims of Coronavirus, and for the media, working very hard at this time.

“We pray for the men and women who work in the media. In this time of pandemic they risk a lot and work a lot. May the Lord help them to always transmit the truth,” he said.

In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on today’s Gospel reading according to St. John (Jn 12:44-50) in which Jesus says: “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.”

Reminding that Jesus is light of the world, Francis explained that Christ’s mission was to come to enlighten, this world that lives in darkness.

He also, the Pope reminded, called his Apostles to continue passing His light.

But the drama of Jesus’s light, stressed the Pope, “is that it was rejected; His people did not welcome him. They loved darkness more than light; they were slaves to darkness.”

Light, Francis observed, makes us see things as they are, and see the truth.

Saint Paul, the Pope remembered, had this experience of the passage from darkness to light, “a passage to which we are also called.”

“Our sin often blinds us and we cannot tolerate the light, because our eyes are sick,” he lamented.

Vices, pride and the worldly spirit, blind us, the Pontiff said.

“It is not easy to live in the light,” he said, “because it makes us see the ugly things inside that we do not want to see: our sins.”

But when we open ourselves up, vulnerably, Francis suggested, sharing these unpleasant aspects of ourselves, “we do not hit a wall,” “but find an exit,” he said.

Jesus, the Pope highlighted, came into the world not to condemn but to save, and “we must let ourselves be enlightened in our daily darkness.”

Have courage, the Pope emphasized, “let yourself be enlightened, let yourself be seen for what you have inside, because it is Jesus who leads you forward; who saves you.

“The Lord,” he underscored, “saves us from the darkness that we have inside, from the darkness of daily life, of social life, of political life, of national and international life.”

Conversion, he highlighted, “is passing from darkness to light.”

Pope Francis concluded, saying:“The Lord saves us, but He asks us to see the darkness first… The Lord is good, He is gentle, He is near to us. He came to save us. Let’s not be afraid of the light of Jesus.”

The Pope ended the celebration with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, inviting the faithful to make a Spiritual Communion.

The Masses in Francis’ chapel normally welcome a small group of faithful, but due to recent measures’ taken by the Vatican, are now being kept private, without their participation. The Holy Week and Easter celebrations in the Vatican were also done without the presence of faithful, but were able to be watched via streaming.

It was announced at the start of the lockdowns in Italy that the Pope would have these Masses, in this period, be available to all the world’s faithful, via streaming on Vatican Media, on weekdays, at 7 am Rome time, along with his weekly Angelus and General Audiences.

On May 4th, the country entered its so-called ‘Phase 2’, where it will slowly relaxing some of the lockdown restrictions.

In Italy where nearly 30,000 people have died from COVID19, public Masses are still prohibited. To date, in the Vatican, there have been eleven cases of coronavirus in the Vatican, confirmed a recent statement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.

The Vatican Museums are closed, along with the Vatican’s other similar museums. There have also been various guidelines implemented throughout the Vatican, to prevent the spread of the virus.

For anyone interested, the Pope’s Masses at Santa Marta can be watched live and can be watched afterward on Vatican YouTube. Below is a link to today’s Mass. Also, a ZENIT English translation of the Pope’s full homily will be made available below later today.

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FULL HOMILY  [translated by ZENIT’s Virginia Forrester] — to be posted shortly

 

The post Pope’s Morning Homily: Don’t Be Afraid of Jesus’ Light Which Brings Brightness to Our Daily Darkness appeared first on ZENIT – English.