Bishop Paolo Speaks to the Faithful while Concluding his Pastoral Visit to St. Michael Sharjah

Sharjah.

This celebration concludes my first pastoral visit to this parish which has Saint Michael the Archangel as its patron; he is the angel who defends us from evil. I am delighted to have been with you these days. I had the joy of meeting so many people, groups, and communities. I found a lot of Christian faith and availability in everyone. I also see that many of you are engaged in various ministries within the parish.

The word of God helps us to re-read the experience of these days of pastoral visits and also to understand the spiritual experience of this parish. First, the Book of Genesis presents us with the figure of Abraham, our father in faith. Abraham is given to us as a man now advanced in age who receives an extraordinary call from the Lord: the Lord calls him to leave his land to leave his comfortable and sedentary life to head towards a new land, which the Lord himself will indicate.

Abraham is a fundamental figure because, after the sin committed by the first generations of humanity, he is the first to welcome God's voice and to trust his word: God will establish a first covenant with him. From Abraham, new people are born, the people of God, the people of the covenant.

These people will have a long, troubled history, a dramatic history of fidelity and sin, with many defeats and new beginnings thanks to God's forgiveness and infinite mercy. From this people will be born all the great prophets and kings. But above all, from these people, Jesus will be born for us, the Son of God who has become one like us and among us. The promise that God makes to Abraham is definitively fulfilled in Jesus.

Abraham appears to our eyes as a migrant, a man who, from a sedentary life, embraces a nomadic life, following the path that the Lord traces out for him. He journeys long, agrees to change his habits, and sets off toward the promised land.

We, too, are migrants in this land. We left our home countries and accepted a long journey. Coming to this land has changed our habits. But here, we could find the people of God who were born from Jesus' Passover and the gift of the Spirit.

Our Church is truly unique. The people of God here are from many different countries with different languages, traditions, cultures, and rites, but we form a single Church. We left our homes to be able to work here and support our families. And here we have the joy of finding communities that show Jesus' closeness to our lives. Here we find communities that accompany us and introduce us to the life of the whole parish and the whole Church. We are called to live unity in diversity.

The Gospel then gives us a decisive criterion for being able to live together and be on good terms with everyone: not to judge others but to welcome them as they are, for the love of God. Instead of judging others, Jesus invites us to change ourselves, recognize our mistakes and sins, and always be on a profound journey of conversion. Only in this way will we be able to help one another and correct one another in love.

Dear friends, I greatly appreciate all the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you, but at the same time, I invite you to welcome the Holy Spirit who impels us to work for the edification of the whole Church and never just a part. I ask communities and associations always to be inclusive and never exclusive, to look to the good of the entire body, which is the Church, and not just the individual parts. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit daily upon our parish: As an ancient father of the Church said: The Spirit is itself, Harmony.

I sincerely thank you for welcoming me these days. I thank all those who have worked intensely for this pastoral visit. I thank the committed lay people and those involved in the parish with special ministries. I thank the parish priest and the assistant priests for their commitment. I express my gratitude to the consecrated sisters who work for the parish and our schools: may their testimony inspire vocations to the consecrated life among young people.

Seeing so many people, moved by the Holy Spirit, come to pray in the Church and participate in the various liturgies is a marvelous sight. We know that many Catholic faithful do not attend Church and have distanced themselves from the Christian faith and practice. The synodal process that the whole Church is experiencing under the guidance of Pope Francis urges us to be an outgoing Church and to seek out those who are far away as well. Let them feel that the Church is also their home.

I ask you always to involve young people. The Church is vital when there is a dialogue between generations. They carry many questions and many desires in their hearts. Let us help them discover that Christ is the answer to the heart of every man and woman who seeks true love and happiness.

We don't have to keep the Gospel to ourselves. We must bear witness to the values of the Gospel for all: to bring dialogue, peace, and harmony to families and society. From this parish, the divine light radiates for a more fraternal and humane world. May the Lord bless you and be with you always.

May Saint Michael keep and protect you, keep you close to Jesus, and united with one another.