This morning, First Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father Leo XIV paid a pastoral visit to the Parish of Sacro Cuore di Gesù in Via Marsala.
Upon arrival, around 8.30, the Pope met with representatives of various parish groups in the courtyard of the parish.
At 9.00, the Holy Father presided over the celebration of Holy Mass in the parish church.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Pontiff met with the pastoral Council, young people, priests and the Salesian community in one of the parish halls.
The following is the homily delivered by the Pope after the proclamation of the Gospel:
Homily of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters,
A few days ago, with the rite of Ash Wednesday, we began the Lenten journey. Lent is an intense liturgical period, which offers us the opportunity to rediscover the wealth of our Baptism, to live as creatures fully renewed thanks to the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The first Reading and the Gospel, which we have heard, in dialogue with each other, help us to rediscover the gift of Baptism as a grace that comes towards our freedom. The account of Genesis recalls our condition as creatures, put to the test not so much by a prohibition, as is often believed, but by a possibility: the possibility of a relationship. The human being is thus free to recognize and welcome the otherness of the Creator, who recognizes and accepts the otherness of creatures. To prevent this possibility, the serpent insinuates the presumption of being able to erase all difference between creatures and the Creator, seducing man and woman with the illusion of becoming like God. Satan urges them to take possession of something that, he says, God would deny them in order to keep them in a state of inferiority. This fresco from Genesis is an unsurpassed masterpiece that represents the drama of freedom.
The Gospel seems to answer the ancient dilemma: can I realize my life to the full by saying “yes” to God? Or, in order to be free and happy, must I liberate myself from Him?
The scene of the temptations of Christ, after all, addresses this dramatic question. It leads us to discover the true humanity of Jesus who, as the Conciliar Constitution Gaudium et spes teaches, reveals man to himself: “In the mystery of the incarnate Word, the mystery of man takes on light” (GS, 22). In fact, we see the Son of God who, opposing the snares of the ancient Adversary, shows us the new man, the free man, the epiphany of freedom that is realised by saying “yes” to God.
This new humanity is born from the baptismal font. And so – especially in this season of Lent – we are called to rediscover the grace of Baptism, as the source of life that dwells within us and that, in a dynamic way, accompanies us in the most absolute respect for our freedom.
First and foremost, it is the Sacrament itself that is dynamic, because what it offers is not limited to the space and time of the rite, but is a grace that constantly accompanies our entire life, supporting our following of Christ. But Baptism is also dynamic because it always sets us on a new path, since grace is an inner voice that urges us to conform ourselves to Jesus, freeing our freedom so that it may find fulfilment in the love of God and neighbour.
We thus understand the relational nature of Baptism, which calls us to live in friendship with Jesus and, thus, to enter into his communion with the Father. This grace-filled relationship enables us to live in authentic closeness with others, a freedom that – unlike what the devil proposes to Jesus – is not a search for power, but a love that gives itself and makes us all brothers and sisters. Saint Paul affirms: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
Brothers and sisters, Pope Leo XIII asked Saint John Bosco to build the church where we are today. He had intuited the centrality of this place, next to Termini Station and at a unique crossroads of the city, destined to become even more important over time. For this reason, dear friends, as I meet you today, I see in you a special presence of closeness, of proximity amid the challenges of this area. In fact, there are many young university students, commuters who come and go for work, immigrants looking for employment, young refugees who have found, in the centre next door, thanks to the initiative of the Salesians, the opportunity to meet Italian peers and implement integration projects; and then there are our brothers and sisters who do not have a home and who find shelter in the Caritas centre in Via Marsala. Within a few metres, you can touch the contradictions of this time: the carefree spirit of those who come and go with all comforts, and those who have no roof over their heads; the many possibilities for good and rampant violence; the desire to work honestly and the illegal trafficking of drugs and prostitution.
Your parish is called to take on all these situations, to be the leaven of the Gospel in the dough of the area, to be a sign of proximity and charity. I thank the Salesians for the tireless work they carry out every day, and I encourage you all to continue to be a little flame of light and hope right here.
May Mary Help of Christians always sustain our journey, make us strong in times of temptation and trial, so that we may fully live the freedom and fraternity of the children of God.
