Readings and Homily from morning Mass today celebrated by Fr Richard in Ss Joseph and Francis Xavier
16th
Sunday of Ordinary Time: John Paul I's legacy
Those of you who are more senior than me will no doubt
remember Pope John Paul I – known as the “smiling pope” (incidentally whose
cause for canonisation is still ongoing). I imagine it will have been a great
shock on 28 September 1978 to learn of his death – only 33 days into his
papacy.
There’s a story of that day which is handed down to
generations of students at the English College in Rome where I trained for the
priesthood. Apparently, on hearing the news early in the morning, one of the
more senior students thought he’d better tell the Rector. Knocking on his door,
the student said: “Fr Rector – the pope is dead!” After a few moments the
response came which was something like: “Go back to bed you stupid boy – that
was last month!” “No – the new pope is dead,” the student replied.
We might wonder why, in God’s plan, did we have such a short
papacy? I’m speculating – but perhaps the Lord wanted John Paul I (Albino
Luciani) to remind the Church and the world of just one (or rather three) important
things. Because after his first (introductory) Wednesday audience, unbeknown to
him, he had just three more - and he chose to give Catechises on faith, hope
and love: the theological virtues. We prayed at the beginning of this Mass in
the Collect for the Lord to increase the gifts of His grace in us, “that made
fervent in hope, faith and charity” we “may be ever watchful in keeping [His]
commands.”
The three theological virtues were given as a gift by God to
us at our baptism. By living them, we come into a relationship with the Holy
Trinity. We cannot live without them. They are those habits by which we do the
good. Interestingly, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church the virtues
are explained before the Ten Commandments are. That’s because to stand any
chance of living God’s law, we first need to grow in virtue – especially in
these three.
Faith – the virtue by which we commit our entire selves to
God, by which we believe in Him and the things He has revealed to us. Hope – by
which we desire “the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness,
placing our trust in Christ's promise…”[1]
And charity, the greatest of the virtues, “by which we love
God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the
love of God.”[2]
If we grow in these virtues we will be like the wheat in
today’s Gospel producing a good harvest amid the darnel (the evil in our world).
To cultivate faith, hope and love will result in us shining like the sun in the
world today and in the Kingdom of our Father.
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