Apr 03 2008
St. Francis Paola
At an early age today’s saint followed his namesake and became a Franciscan of great piety. God inspired him to become a hermit and when others joined him he founded the Order of Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi in 1456, later to be known as the Order of Minims (little ones). They lived a strict Lenten fast all year long abstaining from eggs and milk as well as from meat. He was sent by the pope to be the spiritual director for several kings of France.
Today is also the third anniversary of Pope John Paul’s death. Our belief consoles us that this beloved pope is not dead and gone forever. Our hope is that he is with the Lord and that one day we will be with him in heaven. As we pray for Pope Benedict’s intentions, let us reflect on his homily at last year’s Mass on this anniversary.
In Karol Wojtyla’s life, the word “cross” was not merely a word. From his childhood, he was familiar with suffering and death. As priest and Bishop and especially as Supreme Pontiff, he took most seriously the Risen Christ’s last call to Simon Peter on the shore of the Lake of Galilee: “Follow me… Follow me!” (John 21: 19, 22). His whole life, particularly with the slow but implacable advance of the disease which gradually stripped him of everything, became an offering to Christ, a living proclamation of his passion in hope brimming with faith in the resurrection. …Dear brothers and sisters, the Responsorial Psalm has placed words full of trust on our lips. In the Communion of Saints, we seem to hear them spoken aloud by our beloved John Paul II, who, from the Father’s House, we are sure of it, never ceases to accompany the Church on her way: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord!” (Ps 27[26]: 13-14). Yes, let your heart take courage, dear brothers and sisters, and burn with hope! With this invitation in our hearts let us continue the Eucharistic Celebration, already looking at the light of the Resurrection of Christ…. May the Totus tuus of the beloved Pontiff encourage us to follow him on the path of the gift of ourselves to Christ through the intercession of Mary, and may she herself, the Virgin Mary, obtain it for us while we entrust to her motherly hands this father, brother and friend of ours, that he may rest in God and rejoice in peace. Amen.
Today’s Readings: Acts 5:17-26; Psalm 34:2-9; John 3:16-21
