Serving and giving oneself for others may make one “seem like a loser in the eyes of the world,” but in reality that person is imitating Christ’s love and service, which conquered death and gave life to the world, Pope Francis said.
“He who serves, saves,” the Pope said. “On the contrary, he who does not live to serve does not serve to live.”
Pope Francis presided over Mass today in St Peter’s Basilica in remembrance of cardinals and bishops who died in the past year.
They included American Cardinals Edward M Egan of New York, Francis E George of Chicago, William W Baum of Washington, DC, and Canadian Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal.
Also remembered at the Mass were 99 archbishops and bishops from around the world who died in the past 12 months, as well as Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.
Recalling the lives of the deceased cardinals and bishops, the Pope expressed his gratitude for their vocation of serving others and said that like them, we too, “are called to renew the choice of serving in the church.”
The Pope reflected on the Gospel reading of St John in which Jesus tells Nicodemus that “the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
By comparing himself to the raised serpent who saved the Israelites in the desert from the deadly bites of serpents, the Pope said, Christ applied that same logic to his death on the cross which “saved us from our death.”
“Now we, looking at him, believing in him, are saved by him,” he said. “We expect a divinely triumphant victory; instead, Jesus shows a very humble victory. Lifted up on the cross, he allows evil and death to assail against him while he continues to love us.”
The Pope explained that although it may be difficult to understand the mystery of Christ’s humility, the secret lies in the strength of a love “that lowers itself” and “assumes the condition of a servant.”
Jesus, he continued, “made the cross a bridge toward life” that “also allows us to conquer death with him” by choosing to love others with humility.
“It is a love that does not cry out and does not impose itself, but knows how to wait with trust and patience because, as we were reminded in the Book of Lamentations, ‘It is good to wait in silence for the Lord to save,'” he said.
In remembering the cardinals and bishops who have passed away this year, the Pope said that the faithful are called to reflect not on what serves their needs, but rather what serves the needs of others.
Christians, he said, are “not called to be officials who perform services, but beloved children who give their lives for the world.”
Having been unable to sell in churches for well over a year due to the pandemic, we are now inviting readers to support the Herald by investing in our future. We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values.
Please join us on our 130 year mission by supporting us. We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching. For more information from our chairman on contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund, click here
Make a Donation
Donors giving £500 or more will automatically become sponsor patrons of the Herald. This includes two complimentary print/digital gift subscriptions, invitations to Patron events, pilgrimages and dinners, and 6 gift subscriptions sent to priests, seminaries, Catholic schools, religious care homes and prison and university chaplaincies. Click here for more information on becoming a Patron Sponsor. Click here for more information about contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund
