This afternoon, the Holy Father Leo XIV made a pastoral visit to the parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ponte Mammolo, at Via Casal de Pazzi, 88.
Upon arrival, at around 16.00, the Pope was welcomed, in the courtyard of the oratory, by children, young people, and their families. Inside the parish rooms, the Pontiff met with the elderly, the sick and a representation of the poor and homeless who use the shower service present in the parish, along with volunteers from Caritas and the Sant’Egidio Community who take care of them.
At 17.00, 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 and the priests. Then, after the last greetings, he returned to the Vatican.
The following is the homily delivered by the Pope after the proclamation of the Gospel:
Homily of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters,
Our Eucharistic celebration today, more than ever, is filled with joy. Indeed, the beauty of our gathering today is set against the backdrop of the Sunday known as “Laetare”, meaning “rejoice”, taken from the words of Isaiah: “Rejoice with Jerusalem” (Entrance Antiphon, cf. Is 66:10).
This gives us cause to reflect. At present, many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are suffering because of violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems and differences can be resolved through war, whereas we must engage in unceasing dialogue for peace. Some even go so far as to invoke God’s name in these choices of death, but God cannot be enlisted by darkness. Rather, He always comes to bestow light, hope and peace upon humanity, and it is peace that those who invoke Him must seek.
It is this Sunday’s message: no matter how deep the abyss into which a person may fall because of their sins, Christ comes to bring a brighter light, capable of freeing them from the blindness of evil, so that they may begin a new life.
The encounter between Jesus and the man born blind (cf. Jn 9:1-41) can, in fact, be likened to the scene of a birth, through which the man, like a child coming into the world, discovers a new world, seeing himself, others and life through the eyes of God (cf. 1 Sam 16:9).
Let us ask ourselves, then: what does this gaze consist of? What does it reveal? What does it mean to “look with the eyes of God”?
According to the Gospel of John, it means, first and foremost, overcoming the prejudices of those who, when faced with a suffering person, see only an outcast to be despised, or a problem to be avoided, retreating into the fortress of selfish individualism. So often we hear people say things like: “When things were going well, there were plenty of friends; but when the going got tough, many of them left, they vanished!” Jesus does not act in this way: He looks upon the blind man with love, not as an inferior being or a nuisance, but as a loved one in need of help. Thus their encounter becomes an opportunity for God’s work to be revealed in everyone.
In the “sign”, in the miracle, Jesus reveals His divine power and the man, as if retracing the gestures of creation – the mud, the saliva – once again fully reveals his beauty and dignity as a creature made in the image and likeness of God. Thus, having regained his sight, he becomes a witness to the light.
Of course, this involves a great deal of effort: he must get used to so many things previously unknown to him, learn to distinguish colours and shapes, and rebuild his relationships – and it is not easy. Indeed, the hostility surrounding him grows, provoking him, and not even his parents have the courage to defend him (cf. Jn 9:18–23). It almost seems, absurdly, as though those close to him wish to undo what has happened. Not only that: in the interrogation to which the blind man who can now see is subjected, it is above all Jesus who is put on trial, accused of having violated the Sabbath in order to heal him.
Thus, another form of blindness is revealed in those present, one that is different and even more serious: that of failing to see, right before their eyes, the face of God, for which they trade the possibility of a saving encounter for the sterile security afforded by the legalistic observance of a formal discipline. Faced with such obtuseness, Jesus does not stop, showing that no “Sabbath” can stand in the way of an act of love. After all, the meaning of the Sabbath rest for the people of Israel – and for us on Sunday, the Lord’s Day – is precisely to celebrate the mystery of life as a gift, in the face of which no one can ignore the cry for help from a brother or sister who is suffering.
Perhaps, at times, in this sense, we too can be blind, when we fail to notice others and their problems. Jesus, however, asks us to live differently, as the early Christian community well understood, where brothers and sisters, constant in prayer, shared everything with joy and simplicity of heart (cf. Acts 2:42–47). Not that tribulations and obstacles were absent, even in those days. But they did not give up: strengthened by the gift of Baptism, they strove nonetheless to live as new creatures, living in communion and peace with all, and finding in the community a family that accompanied and supported them.
Dear friends, these are the fruits we are called to bear as children of light (cf. 1 Thess 5:4–5); and for some ninety years your parish has faithfully lived out this mission, with special care for situations of poverty, marginalization and emergency, paying attention to the presence, within its territory, of the Rebibbia Prison, and through many other signs of sensitivity and solidarity.
I know that you help many brothers and sisters from other countries to settle here: to learn the language, to find decent housing and to find honest and secure work. There is no shortage of difficulties, unfortunately sometimes exacerbated by those who, without scruples, take advantage of the destitute condition of the most vulnerable to further their own interests. I am, however, aware of how committed you all are to facing these challenges, through the services of Caritas, the family homes providing shelter for women and mothers in difficulty, and many other initiatives. I am also aware of the vitality and generosity with which you devote yourselves to the education of young people and children, through the oratory and other educational programmes.
Saint Augustine, speaking about the face of God, of which we are called to be a mirror in the world, said to the Christians of his time: “What sort of face hath love? What form hath it? What stature? What feet? What hands hath it? … It hath feet, for these carry men to church: it hath hands; for these reach forth to the poor: it hath eyes; for thereby we consider the needy” (In Epistolam Joannis ad Parthos, 7, 10), and added, referring to charity: “Take it, clasp it; there is nothing sweeter” (ibid.).
Dearest brothers and sisters, here is the gift of light entrusted to you, so that you may nurture it within yourselves and amongst yourselves in all its sweetness, and spread it throughout the world through prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, and charity. Continue to commit yourselves in this way on your journey.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom your parish is dedicated, continue to shape and protect this beautiful community, so that, with the same sentiments as Christ (cf. Phil 2:5), you may live out and bear witness with joy and dedication to the treasure of grace you have received.
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Final greeting of the Holy Father at the end of Mass
Many thanks for this beautiful gift: here is a photo of the parish, to serve as a constant reminder, but here we can see the life of the parish, which is so important! Thank you to all of you!
And we present this chalice as a small gift to the parish, representing what we celebrate in the Eucharist: the body and blood of Christ, the communion among all of you. Best wishes to you all, and thank you!
