It is a great joy for me to meet you after a year and together celebrate the Eucharist. This my second pastoral visit to your parish. The most important thing we can do in these days is precisely to celebrate the Holy Mass. In fact, in the Eucharist we find the real presence of Jesus, the source and summit of our life and the mission of the Church. He never abandons us; he is faithful to his love for us.
The purpose of pastoral visit is very simple. First of all, it is important for the bishop to meet the faithful, see your faces, listen to your voices and pray together, celebrating the Eucharist. In fact, there is no bishop without the people of God. There is no pastor without his flock. It is also important that the faithful to meet the bishop and spend time with him at least once a year.
Furthermore, the bishop as the successor of the Apostles, has the task of confirming you in the Apostolic faith. Seeing you gathered here, seeing your strong desire to pray, observing your desire to communicate the faith to the new generations through catechism, I can say that your faith is great. You love Jesus and Jesus loves you with an infinite love.
Furthermore, the bishop has the task of keeping you in the unity of the one faith. We are all baptized, we are all children of God, we are nourished by the Eucharist, we are animated by the same spirit, we form one body. We are very different from each other because we come from different nations, we have different languages and cultures but thanks to the one faith of the Apostles we form the One Church. And only if we are united can we give an authentic testimony of the Gospel in our society.
The word of God that we have heard helps us understand the origin of our unity in Christ. The Gospel tells us of an episode in which Jesus is immersed in the crowd, preaches the good news of the Gospel to everyone, and heals the sick, frees the possessed. Jesus together with his disciples is so dedicated to his mission that he forgets to eat. His life is totally occupied by the mission. Suddenly, Jesus' mother and his family appear on the scene who are worried about him, being totally captivated by the mission that the heavenly Father has given him for the salvation of the world. Jesus' response makes us reflect a lot on the meaning of relationships in the Church.
‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.'
Here Jesus talks to us about a new familiarity between people that does not depend on natural family relationships but on the relationship we have with God. It is not the blood relationship that characterizes us as a Church, but the relationship that is born from faith. The true brothers and sisters are not only those of the blood but those who are born from welcoming the will of God. Therefore, we too are called to be mothers, sisters and brothers of Jesus if we welcome the Gospel and try every day to do the will of the Heavenly Father. In fact, Jesus in his life did nothing other than fulfilling the Father's will for our salvation.
Certainly, even family relationships can be profoundly renewed by grace and therefore even the blood relations can be transfigured by the encounter with Christ. Let's think about Mary. Jesus is born from Mary; he takes his body and blood from her. But at the same time Mary is the one who perfectly does the will of the heavenly Father. For this reason, Mary is the Mother of Jesus not only according to the flesh but also according to faith.
Dear faithful, our Church is made up of very different people. We come from different nations. We have different cultures and languages. If we look at ourselves from a natural point of view, we would all be somewhat strangers to each other, but instead we are united by faith in Christ, we are united by the same baptism, we are nourished by the same Eucharist, we are united by the desire to follow Jesus and to accomplish the will of God. For this reason, we form one body and are one Church. In the Church a new brotherhood is born according to faith and not according to the flesh.
The word of God today also speaks to us about sin. The first reading narrates the consequences of original sin. Previously Adam and Eve were united in love, and now they accuse each other of the sin committed. Sin divides but love and forgiveness always unites. In the Gospel, Jesus then talks about the sin against the Holy Spirit which is not forgiven forever. What is this sin? Rejecting the Spirit means rejecting the grace of God. The Holy Spirit is the one who transforms our life intimately, making us carry out the will of God. The Holy Spirit is the harmony that unites those who are different. Let us never close ourselves to the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit keeps us all united, united with Jesus and united with each other. We thank the Lord who has made us all brothers and sisters in Christ, having only One Father.
Dear ones, I entrust you to Mary, our Lady of Arabia. May the Mother of God always keep us united with Jesus and united with each other. May Saint Arethas and fellow martyrs support you in your evangelical testimony.