In order to follow Christ, we must look to the experience of Saint Ignatius and
Saint Paul, "place the encounter with Christ in the Church and with the
Church at the centre" of our life, let ourselves be conquered "completely"
by the Lord and ask Him for
"the grace of shame," Pope
Francis said this morning in his homily during Mass at the Gesù Church in Rome,
on the occasion of the feast day of the founder of the Society of Jesus, which
he celebrated with his fellow Jesuits and their friends and associates. The Mass began at 8.15 am and was co-celebrated with Mgr Luis Ladaria, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Father General of the Society Adolfo Nicolas, members of the Society's Council, and over two hundred Jesuits.
At the end of the service, the pope visited the altars of Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier to pray and pay homage to them. He did the same at Our Lady of the Way Chapel and in front of the tomb of Father Pedro Arrupe.
Speaking to about 800 worshippers present at the service, the Pope proposed "three simple ideas defined by three phrases: placing Christ and the Church at the centre [of our life], letting oneself be conquered by Him in order to serve, and feeling the shame of our own limitations and sins in order to be humble before Him and the brothers."
As he developed these "simple ideas", Francis stressed the dual centrality of the Christian calling. "The centrality of Christ is also the centrality of the Church. They are two fires that cannot be separated. One cannot follow Christ except within the Church and with the Church. Men rooted and grounded in the Church: this is how Jesus wants us. There can be no parallel or isolated journeys. Yes, we can follow quests of discovery and creative journeys; this is important; going to poor areas, to many poor areas. [. . .] Serving Christ is to love the Church as it is, serving it with generosity and s spirit of obedience. "
What road must be taken, the pope asked, "in order to live this double centrality? Look at Saint Paul's experience, which is also that of Saint Ignatius. The Apostle, in the Second Reading we heard [today], wrote, ''I seek Christ's perfection 'since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ' (Phil, 3:12)''. For Paul, this came on the road to Damascus, for Ignatius, at his home in Loyola; but the main point is the same: letting ourselves be conquered by Christ. I seek Jesus, I serve Jesus, because He sought me first, because I was conquered by him, and this is at the heart of our experience."
To achieve these results, Jesuits "must ask for the grace of shame; shame that comes from the constant dialogue with Him for mercy; shame that makes us blush in front of Jesus Christ; shame that puts us in tune with Christ's heart, he who became sin for me; shame that puts our weeping heart in harmony and accompanies us in the daily sequela of 'my Lord'."
"Dear brothers," Francis said by way of conclusion, "let us turn to Our Lady, She who carried Christ in her womb and accompanied the first steps of the Church. May She help us place Christ and his Church at the centre of our lives and of our ministry. She who was the first and most perfect disciple of her Son; may help us let ourselves be conquered by Christ in order to follow him and serve him in every situation. She who responded with the deepest humility to the Angel's Annunciation-"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Lk, 1:38)-; may She make us feel shame for our inadequacy before the treasure that was entrusted to us, to live humility before God. May the paternal intercession of Saint Ignatius and all the Jesuit Saints accompany our journey; they who continue to teach us how to do everything, with humility, maiorem Dei gloriam".