Francis says Mass for cardinals and bishops who died during the year. “Only human sin can break this bond, but even in this case God will always go in search for him to restore that union that lasts even after death.”
Vatican City ( AsiaNews) – “Nothing will ever separate us from the love that Christ himself gained for us, giving of himself completely. Even evil powers that are hostile to man are powerless in the face to the intimate union of love between Jesus and those who welcome him with faith”. This “reality of the faithful love that God has for each of us” was remembered today by Pope Francis, who celebrated Mass for the repose of the cardinals and bishops who died during the year this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Pope commented on the phrase from the Letter to the Romans, where Saint Paul says : “I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ”
“The Apostle speaks of the love of God as the deepest, most invincible motive for our trust in Christian hope. He lists the opposing and mysterious forces that can threaten the path of faith. But he states with confidence that even if our entire existence is surrounded by threats, nothing will ever separate us from the love that Christ himself gained for us, giving of himself completely”.
“Only the sin of man can break this bond, but even in this case God will always go in search for him to restore that union that lasts even after death, it is indeed a union that in the final encounter with the Father reaches its climax. This certainty gives a new and full meaning to earthly life and opens us to hope for life beyond death”.
Because those who have left this world, as the Book of Wisdom says ” are in God’s hands! The hand is a sign of welcome and protection, it is the sign of a personal relationship of respect and loyalty: to offer one’s hand, to shake hands”. “Our sins are also in God’s hands, those merciful hands with their “wounds” of love. It is not by chance that Jesus wanted to preserve the wounds on his hands to make us feel his mercy. This is our strength and our hope! This reality, which is full of hope, is the prospect of final resurrection, of eternal life, to which the “righteous”, those who accept the Word of God and are obedient to His Spirit are destined”.
And , the Pope concluded , “Let us also pray that the Lord may prepare us for this encounter. We do not know the date, but that encounter will take place!”.
