Pope prays for so many who suffer out of sight

Homeless bed down for the night in Las Vegas carpark - near empty offices and hotels

Source: Vatican News/SCMP

During Mass this morning, Pope Francis prayed for those who are living this time of sorrow and fear, hidden in the cracks of society.

"These days of sorrow and sadness highlight so many hidden problems," he began.

Mentioning a photograph featured in many newspapers around the world, (it depicted a carpark in Las Vegas where officials had allowed homeless people to sleep on the tarmac, six feet away from each other to avoid more infection - see link below) Pope Francis said: "it touches the heart. So many homeless people in a city, huddling in a parking lot... there are so many homeless people today."

He invited the faithful to ask St Teresa of Calcutta to awaken in us a sense of closeness to those who live, hidden, in the cracks of society, like the homeless whose plight is particularly evident in this moment of crisis.

In his homily, the Pope explained that Christians must be conscious of having been chosen by God, joyful as they tread the path of salvation, and faithful to the Covenant.

Commenting on the readings of the day, from the Book of Genesis and from the Gospel according to John, the Pope noted they both focus on the figure of Abraham, on the Covenant with God and on how Jesus comes to "remake" creation by forgiving our sins.

"The Lord has made us a promise and now He asks us to enter into a Covenant, a Covenant of faithfulness," he said.

We are Christians, Pope Francis explained, "because we are elected, chosen by God, and we have received a promise of fruitfulness, to which we must respond with fidelity to the Covenant."

"A Christian isn't someone who can just show their baptismal certificate. A certificate of baptism is just a piece of paper. You are a Christian if you say 'yes' to the election of the Lord, if you follow the promise that the Lord has made to you and if you live the Covenant with God. This is the Christian life," he said.

The Pope explained that our sins are against three dimensions: not accepting the election by worshipping idols, not hoping for the promise, and forgetting the Covenant.

The Lord always remembers His Covenant, and never forgets His people. "He only forgets in one case, when He forgives sins. After forgiving He loses his memory, He doesn't remember those sins. In other cases, God doesn't forget. His faithfulness is memory. His faithfulness to His people. His faithfulness to Abraham is the memory of the promise He made," said the Pope.

Elaborating on the fact that each one of us is a chosen one, and that in this election there is the promise of hope and the sign of fruitfulness, the Pope recalled that when the Lord told Abraham He had chosen him to be "the father of a multitude of nations," He also told him to be fruitful in faith "which will flourish in good works," and to "observe the Covenant with me."

Pope Francis concluded: "This is the revelation that the Word of God gives us today about our Christian existence. Let it be like that of our father: conscious of being chosen, joyful in going towards a promise and faithful in making the Covenant."

LINKS

Watch today's Mass here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhX2srQoN08

See also: Homeless in Las Vegas placed in outdoor parking: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvybGoznqAI

Throughout the Coronavirus crisis, Pope Francis has cancelled public appearances, but instead his Morning Masses at Casa Santa Marta are being livestreamed, especially for those who are sick and those caring for them. Recordings are also being posted up by Vatican Media so people around the world can see them later.