Not a time of God’s judgement, but of our own judgement

I was honoured to have been asked by RTÉ on Friday to offer the commentary and English language translation for the Pope’s Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in Rome.

It was a powerful and moving ceremony. Few who watched it will ever forget the image of the solitary figure of the elderly Pontiff dressed in white making his way to the platform in the pouring rain in an eerily empty square.

Or the profundity of the moment when Pope Francis faced the world and offered the Eucharistic Benediction – never was I more conscious of the sense that this was a blessing Urbi et Orbi to the city and to the world.

Homily

The Pope’s homily – in which he drew on the lack of Faith of the disciples when the boat is sinking to illustrate Christ’s abiding presence – was both simple and challenging. He constantly repeated the words of the Lord in the Gospel of Mark: ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no Faith?’

Our Faith is weak and we are fearful. How could one not be frightened by the silent killer that is coronavirus stalking our communities? Yet, as the Pope pointed out, the strength of Faith frees us from fear and gives us hope.

How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all? Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons”

We do not know when this pestilence will pass. But we do know that Christ is there in the midst of it and he will not abandon his people.

We can see the presence of Jesus in transforming our question from ‘why has God done this to us?’ to ‘how can we discover new ways of knowing God and loving one another in this challenge?’

Go back to the scriptures. Every crisis in the history of the Israelites – the loss of the Temple, the loss of the monarchy – eventually led to a new deeper relationship with God. It was when the Jewish people thought that they had lost everything that they re-discovered God. Their prayers of pleading changed their hearts, and they found a new intimacy with their Lord.

The coronavirus is a challenge and a call to us – a call to conversion and a call to put our relationship with God at the centre of our lives. The Pope on Friday addressed God in his meditation and said: “You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing.

“It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.

“How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all? Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons,” the Pope said.

Our Faith which has fed and sustained our ancestors through countless trials will not fail us. Be not afraid!