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May 11, 2023Abu Dhabi.
The fifth Ordinary Chapter of the Capuchin General Custody of Arabia took place at St. Paul's Church Musaffah, Abu Dhabi from 8-11 May 2023.
Below is the full text of the homily delivered by Bishop Paolo Martinelli during the Holy Mass celebrated on 9 May at St. Paul's Church Musaffah. The Bishop invites the Capuchin clergy to bring the peace of Christ, which is a gift from God, to all.
May the Lord give you Peace and joy in abundance.
Also this evening, we gather around the altar with the people of God, together with the members of the custody of the Capuchin friars who live and work pastorally in the Gulf.
Important work took place today during the chapter of the friars. A new Custos has been elected who will have the task of guiding the friars of the custody for the next three years. Together with him, the new members of the custody council were elected.
I take advantage of this circumstance to thank the outgoing Custos and his counselors for the precious work done over these years.
I also invoke the Lord's blessing on the new council with the new Custos so that it can work for the good of the custody and the two vicariates in which the friars are involved.
The word of God that today's liturgy proposes shows us two great points of reference for all the people of God and the friars gathered these days for the chapter of the general custody of the Capuchins.
First, the Gospel focuses on the theme of Peace as a special gift that Jesus offers his disciples. Jesus, before the paschal mystery, speaks of a different peace than the one everyone talks about, another peace compared to what society can give.
The risen Jesus, while appearing to his disciples, immediately says to them: Peace be with you! Jesus encloses his paschal mystery between two announcements of Peace.
The world is not able to obtain Peace. But the same world needs true Peace.
The Peace of Jesus comes from above, from God. It is Peace as the fruit of reconciliation, mercy, and forgiveness. Without Peace, there is no good life for men and women. Peace is an ecclesial and social good. It is a gift from God and not one of our conquests. We are called to welcome Peace and to be peacemakers. When Jesus tells us that he gives us Peace, he describes the gift of himself since he is our Peace. He is that love that can overcome divisions.
St. Francis of Assisi was a man who welcomed this gift from Jesus. For this reason, his greeting was always the same with all the people he met: may the Lord give you Peace. This is also the mission of the friars: to bring Peace, to bring Jesus to all, to sow reconciliation and mutual understanding among all peoples, overcoming divisions and hostility.
The second fundamental word comes to us from the Acts of the Apostles. This book tells us about the beauty of the Christian life at its beginning, after the resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of their preaching, the apostles realized that the Gospel is not only for the Jews, the ancient people of God, but also for the pagans who welcome the good news. This novelty forces the disciples of Jesus to change their mentality, to be open to the wonders of the Spirit, and to open wide the horizons of their mission.
Dear brothers and sisters, we, too, must always be open to the surprises of the Spirit. God works new things among us. Above all, Christianity is not a package of closed doctrines, but it is a new life that springs from the heart of God and reaches us in Jesus. Let the Gospel constantly renew our lives, and the gift of the Holy Spirit make us new creatures, peacemakers, and protagonists of a more fraternal world.