Pope
Francis on Saturday evening presided over a gathering of Catechumens in
Saint Peter’s Basilica, in one of the final events of the Year of
Faith.
At the beginning of the gathering, the Holy Father welcomed
some 35 men and women by presiding over the Rite of Acceptance into the
Order of Catechumens.
This was followed by a celebration of the Liturgy
of the Word.
In his catechesis, which followed the reading of the
Gospel of John 1:35-42, the Pope emphasized “how important it is to keep
this desire [for God] alive, this yearning to encounter the Lord and
experience him, his love, his mercy!”
“The faith,” he continued, “gives
us the certainty of Jesus’ constant presence in every situation, also
the most painful or difficult to understand. We are called to journey,
to enter always more deeply into the mystery of God’s love, who is above
us and enables us to live with serenity and hope.”
In an
interview with Vatican, Fr Geno Sylva, an official of the Pontifical
Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, explained the
significance of this gathering.
As the Year of Faith comes to a
close, he said, “what continues is the commitment of every Christian to
respond daily to the Lord Jesus who calls us to be his disciples, sent
out into the world to announce the Gospel, and to bear witness to the
joy of a life lived in faith.”
The Year of Faith officially ends on
Sunday with Mass, the presentation of Pope Francis’ Apostolic
Exhortation, followed by the veneration of the relics of St Peter the
Apostle, which are being shown for the first time in history.
Presenting the relics of St. Peter, Fr Sylva said, is a “powerfully symbolic way to end the Year of Faith.”
“The
whole purpose of the Year of Faith was to reawaken the faith of the
first Christians in the hearts of present-day and contemporary
Christians.”
“This final, culminating sign,” he continued, “will
confirm once again that the door for the encounter with Christ is always
open and awaits to be crossed with that very same passion and
enthusiasm, and the very same conviction of the very first believers.”