I am very happy to begin my pastoral visit on the feast of the Holy Apostles Philip and James. This makes us reflect more clearly the meaning of the pastoral visit: the Bishop is in fact the successor of the Apostles and his presence in the parish is a sign of communion between the parish of Saint Mary and the entire Apostolic Tradition.
In fact, the bishop has the task of confirming the faithful in the Christian faith, which is the Apostolic faith, rooted in the encounter of the first disciples with Jesus.
Furthermore, the bishop is a sign of the Apostolic Tradition of the Church. His presence here today indicates that the Christian life in the Parish of Dubai is linked to the encounter that James and Philip and the other Apostles had with Jesus. We meet here this evening because the Apostles met and followed Jesus. The true Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles.
Being an Apostolic Church means that there is a profound unity between the first Christian community that lived in Jerusalem two thousand years ago and us here, today in this part of the world. We are part of the great and beautiful history of the Church which transmits the encounter with Jesus and the joy of the Gospel to all generations.
In the same way the Bishop is a sign of unity among all the faithful. He is the sign of unity throughout the Apostolic Vicariate and with all the churches around the world. In fact, each Bishop from every churches around the world are in communion with each other and with the Holy Father Pope Francis, successor of the Apostle Peter. Whether we are in Brazil, or in Africa, or in Europe, or in Oceania, or in Asia, or here in Dubai, we all form the One Church. It is no coincidence that when we profess our faith, we say that we believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
We are not a group of people who pray, or act just because we are inspired by Jesus. We belong to the Church of Christ; we are members of his body. Through baptism, Christ chose and elected us to be the witnesses of his resurrection and his love for all humanity. Therefore, we must be aware of our baptism every day because it made us children of God and united all of us in Christ. Even though we are very different in origin, with different languages, traditions, and rites, we form a single body and only united in Christ can we be witnesses of the Gospel.
The word of God that we have heard shows us some characteristics of the Apostles Philip and James. In the Gospel, Philip asks to show us the Father. But Jesus calls him back to a great mystery: whoever sees Jesus sees the Father because they are one in love. Jesus reflects the face of the heavenly Father.
In the same way we too are called to enter into the life of God and to reflect Jesus to others. As the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, so we too are called to be in Christ and Christ in us.
Faith makes us participate in the divine life. And whoever believes, says Jesus, will do great things. Jesus even tells us that we will do greater things because he goes to the Father and gives us the Holy Spirit without measure.
Brothers and sisters, I invite you to renew your faith in Christ, let us entrust ourselves completely to him and the Holy Spirit will act in us, transforming our lives internally and making us witnesses.
Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians tells us that the encounter with Christ also happens again after the resurrection and the Apostle James is one of these chosen witnesses.
Dear ones, we too are called to participate in the Apostolic experience in which the disciples swathe resurrected Jesus, victorious over evil and death. We too are called to live a resurrected life. We are no longer slaves but children who experience freedom from sin and the fear of death. And the most powerful sign of Christ's victory is unity among all the faithful. When we gather in the name of Christ, he is among us, alive.
Let us therefore live this pastoral visit intensely, in the footsteps of the Apostles, as an opportunity to rediscover our faith and renew our decision to follow Jesus and witness to everyone the joy of the Gospel.