‘To go and to see’
Pope Francis’ homily
It was the year 431 A.D. when the Council of Fathers proclaimed Mary, the Mother of the Lord Jesus as the Mother of the Church, such that her humanity is our humanity – Sister Bernadette.
This is Pope Francis’ homily, excerpted in part here. I attended the livestreamed mass in the Vatican in Rome on January 1, 2023.
By incarnation, he united with us humans and loved us with as human heart. That is what God did, being born of Mary. God does not love in words, but in deeds, from within the human flesh.
In Mary, the Word became flesh, a heart that beats for each of us. Many tomes have been written and accompanied the rhythm of our days. For me, it was #iylagranola making, walking and supporting a neighborhood coffee shop.
During the day, draws God into our lives, in all languages. [Over 300 spoken in Los Angeles alone]. The Mother of God hears us and responds to our petitions. In a word, Mary gives us hope, just like this earth needs rain. [So, it did in LA].The key to hope is Mary. In how we pray Holy Mother of God, pray for us sinners – a prayer sounded all over the world several times a day in different languages.
May the Lord lift up His countenance in you and peace be yours. God wants to enter our hearts and our world, guided by the shepherds, perhaps poor and uncouth, the first to recognize God in us. They went and they saw – to go and to see.
To go – the gospel says they went with haste. They could have waited till dawn, or sunrise, but went with haste. First important things, no delay, work with haste. If we are to invite God – recognize the moment, take the risk! Where do I want to go? Who is it that I can help? They are waiting for your help. The shepherds are summoning us to get involved, to dirty our hands, the humility of service, the acts of courage in caring for others.
To see. What is important they saw him. They saw the Child – to adore, to welcome, to contemplate and to see.
Let us dedicate and see what matters – God, our brothers and our sisters, our neighbors. Are we attracted in awe to others or to the keyboard in false tranquility? To take time to listen to our elders, discover our roots – capable to see folks next door, visit our neighbors?
Let’s learn to see and understand with our hearts to see others – to conquer the tiredness, the false peace of seduction to materialism, let us invoke her, the Madonna – the Holy Mother of God!
Reflections: it sounded beautiful to hear the prayers of the faithful in French, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russian, and African languages.
To go and to see, to hear another is what I strive to be, and more consistently for my #princess2015la to fill up her love tank.
To be fully present for family, friends and neighbors. Happy New Year 2023 – may we love more and act righteously!
Why righteous – to engage our hearts and brains and Spirit to connect more, without offending another. To be conscious of every word uttered and act in haste to go and to see!
Happy righteous and prosperous New Year 2023!