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March 6, 2023Ghala.
The Lenten Reflection for the Second Sunday of lent was delivered by Bishop Paolo during his pastoral visit to Holy Spirit Church, Ghala. He appreciates the various parish activities and expresses his gratitude on seeing the many gifts of the Holy Spirit among the faithful
Below is the full text of the reflection.
On this day my first pastoral visit to your parish in Ghala, a parish dedicated to the Holy Spirit, concludes. These days I have met many people and I have had the opportunity to appreciate your communities and to see many gifts of the Holy Spirit present among you.
I met your priests, the parish priest, the various communities, the many associations, and the movements that are active in this parish. You have many riches. At the end of this visit, I want to underline some important things by allowing ourselves to be enlightened by the word of God.
The First reading today tells us about Abraham's calling. He is a great figure who stands at the origin of the history of Israel. We Christians too recognize Abraham as our father in faith.
Abraham welcomes the Lord's call to leave his own land to follow God's plan for him. From him will be born a ‘great people’. In Abraham's footsteps, we also must always consider ourselves as a Church on the way.
Pope Francis in recent years has been inviting the Church to be on a synodal journey. Being a synodal Church means being a Church in which all are called to walk together.
We are a Church of Migrants, made up of faithful who come from different countries, with different languages, traditions, and rites. But we all form one family here. We are God's people on the way. Faith is the fundamental criterion of our life here. We trust in God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ and who gave us the Holy Spirit to live as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.
Ours is a unique Church, a Church made of migrants. But we all form a single family of God. We cannot simply transfer here, whatever we practice or experience in our home countries. Here we have to deepen a proper tradition of our Church here, and also get to know each other and share our different experiences.
Also do not forget that you form one parish. This beautiful parish belongs to a larger reality which is the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. The Apostolic Vicariate also belongs to an even greater reality, the Holy Catholic Church spread throughout the world. Never forget that you belong to the One and the Undivided Church of Jesus Christ and we are all brothers and sisters with equal dignity: the dignity of children of God.
St. Paul in his letter spoke to us about the vocation to holiness. We are called to be saints. It is our baptism that has given us this beautiful vocation. All of us are baptized in the One Church and each one is called to holiness.
But what is holiness? it is the love of God that is poured into our hearts. We are all called to love and to be loved because God is love. The secret of happiness is to give life.
Finally, we look at the gospel of the transfiguration that we have heard. Going towards Jerusalem, Jesus takes with him John Peter and James - the Apostles closest to Jesus - and is transfigured in their presence. He becomes luminous like the sun and manifests the glory of God. This event takes place in view of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Jesus was speaking about it to his disciples, and they were afraid of the coming trial. Jesus wants to support their faith by showing them his Glory and he transfigured before them, in the company of Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the law of the old testament. Jesus will fulfil this ancient law with the new commandment of love: love one another as I have loved you. Elijah is the great prophet who fought against idolatry and who reminds us even today that we must adore God alone and must renounce idols: power, money, careers, and the pleasures that seduce us. Jesus is the fulfilment of every prophecy. He frees us from evil and opens the way for us to become truly free.
These disciples who climb the mountain together with Jesus are the image of our Lenten journey. They are also the image of the bishop's pastoral visit. Lent leads us to follow Christ to the cross to participate in the joy of the resurrection. In the same way, I hope that the pastoral visit will be an opportunity for all of you to be closer to Jesus to rediscover the beauty of being Christians.
I ask you to walk together, to be a synodal Church, I ask you to be united and work in solidarity, to feel that you are all part of the great family of God, the Holy Catholic Church. Love one another as children of God. Be close to your priests, as they are close to you. I thank all those who are involved in the life of the parish in different ways. I invite you to think about the young people, they are the present and the future of the Church. The life of each of us is precious in the eyes of God. Each of us is unique in this world. Each of us has a mission to accomplish together with the whole community. I invite you to live the joy of the Gospel intensely and to be particularly attentive to the faithful who do not come to Church for various reasons and who feel distant from the life of the Church. Help your priests reach out to these faithful and give these people a sign that they are important to us and that the Church is also their family. Let us show them the beauty of the encounter with Christ.
I conclude with the words of Pope Benedict the Sixteenth: “It is really so: the purpose of our lives is to reveal God to men. And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him”.