In his homily for the beatification of Pope Luciani, the Holy Father recalled that following Jesus is like taking on one’s own burdens and those of others, making life a gift, spending it imitating the generous and merciful love of God. Just like the new blessed who, with his smile, managed to transmit the goodness of the Lord. Vatican News Pope Francis, presiding this morning at the beatification mass of Pope John Paul I, affirmed that the new blessed lived with the joy of the Gospel, without concessions, loving to the extreme and following the example of Jesus, he was a gentle shepherd and humble. On a gray day, under heavy rain, Saint Peter’s Square was the scene of the celebration to raise Albino Luciani to the altars, a Pope who with his smile – as the Pontiff said – managed to convey the goodness of the Lord. The intense rain on Saint Peter’s Square did not discourage the religious and faithful who came to pay homage to the smiling Pope. Following Jesus is carrying his cross Inspired by the words of today’s Gospel, the Holy Father in his homily spoke about what it means to follow Jesus, to be his disciples, especially in the face of the warnings that he himself makes to the crowd that fascinated and amazed followed him: “he who does not love him more than his loved ones, he who does not carry his cross, he who does not renounce everything he possesses cannot be his disciple”. A demanding and unattractive status, Francis said, very different from what a shrewd leader would have done seeing his words and his charisma draw crowds and increase his popularity. “It also happens today, especially in moments of personal and social crisis, when we are more exposed to feelings of anger or we are afraid of something that threatens our future, we become more vulnerable; and, thus, letting ourselves be carried away by our emotions, we place ourselves in the hands of someone who knows how to deal with this situation with skill and cunning, taking advantage of society’s fears and promising to be the ‘savior’ who will solve problems, while in reality what he wants is that their acceptance and their power increase.” The portrait of Blessed John Paul I adorns the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica God’s style does not instrumentalize The Pontiff explained that Jesus does not act in this way, because God’s style “does not instrumentalize our needs, never uses our weaknesses to aggrandize himself”, he does not seduce with deception, he does not want to “distribute cheap joys nor is he interested in human tides”, he does not seek acceptance or idolatry, he does not want people to follow him “with easy euphoria and enthusiasms” without being able discern the motivations and consequences of what it means to follow Jesus. “In fact, he can go after the Lord for various reasons, and some, we must admit, are mundane. Behind a perfect religious appearance one can hide the mere satisfaction of one’s own needs, the search for personal prestige, the desire to have a position, to have things under control, the desire to occupy space and obtain privileges, and the aspiration to receive awards, among other things. And this also happens today”. Following the Lord is not life insurance Francis reiterated that this is not the “style of Jesus” and cannot be the style of the disciple and the Church. Following the Lord, the Pope added, “does not mean entering a court or participating in a triumphal procession, nor does it mean receiving life insurance”, but rather carrying the cross, “taking up one’s own burdens and those of others, like Him, doing of life a gift, to spend it imitating generous and merciful love”, is to look at Him more than at ourselves. “Looking at the Crucified, we are called to live up to that love: to purify ourselves of our distorted ideas about God and of our closedness, to love Him and others, in the Church and in society, even those who do not think as us, and even our enemies.” Francis exhorted not to fall into the temptation of living halfway, but to live the Gospel to the extreme and without concessions. Do not live halfway The Holy Father pointed out that it is necessary to love “even if it costs the cross of sacrifice, silence, misunderstanding and loneliness, even if we are hindered and persecuted.” Bow down before the cross and let its thorns prick you, as John Paul I said. An extreme love, Francis added, “with all its thorns”, without expecting a quiet life or a “faith in rose water”, but taking risks and not you leave things half done. “If, for fear of losing ourselves, we renounce giving ourselves, we leave things incomplete: relationships, work, responsibilities entrusted to us, dreams, and also faith. And then we end up living by half, how many people live by half, we too, many times, are tempted to live by half; without ever taking the decisive step, without taking off, without betting everything for the good, without truly committing ourselves for others. Jesus asks us this: live the Gospel and you will live life, not halfway but to the end. No concessions.” Pope Luciani and his goodness The Pope not only confirmed that the new Blessed lived with this dedication, “with the joy of the Gospel, without concessions, loving to the extreme”, but also “incarnated the poverty of the disciple, which does not only imply letting go of material goods, but above all to overcome the temptation to put one’s ‘I’ in the center and seek one’s own glory, but rather “following the example of Jesus, he was a peaceful and humble shepherd. Francis concluded his homily for the beatification of John Paul I with these words: “With his smile, Pope Luciani managed to convey the goodness of the Lord. A Church with a cheerful, serene and smiling face is beautiful, a Church that never closes its doors, that does not harden hearts, that does not complain or harbor resentments, that is not angry or impatient, that does not present itself harshly nor does he suffer from nostalgia for the past, falling into “indietreismo”. Let us pray to this father and brother of ours, let us ask him to obtain for us ‘the smile of the soul’, that transparent, which does not deceive, the smile of the soul. Let us ask, with his words, what he himself used to ask: «Lord, take me as I am, with my defects, with my faults, but do me as you wish me» ”. Peace in Ukraine and the world
The beatification of John Paul I concluded with an open, clear and sunny sky. Words of thanks from the Pope were the focus of the brief address before the Angelus: to cardinals, bishops and priests and faithful from different countries; to the official Delegations gathered to pay homage to the new Blessed; the President of the Italian Republic and the Prime Minister of the Principality of Monaco; and especially to the faithful of Venice, Belluno and Vittorio Veneto, places linked to the human, priestly and episcopal experience of Blessed Albino Luciani. The Holy Father invited us to turn to the Virgin Mary “so that she may obtain the gift of peace throughout the world, especially in the martyred Ukraine” and so that she “helps us follow the example and holiness of life of John Paul I” .