Pope Francis celebrated this Mass as he did during the first coronavirus wave: at the altar of the Chair of Peter, with the number of people present limited because of the pandemic.
In this case, the liturgy was dedicated to praying for bishops and cardinals who have died this past year.
The pope was visibly focused, and his face expressed many emotions, although initially he appeared to have trouble moving and breathing.
During his homily, he said the Christian must look at death with eyes of faith.
POPE FRANCIS
We are called daily to leave behind our instinctive image of death as the total destruction of a person. We are called to leave behind the visible world we take for granted, our usual, commonplace ways of thinking, and to entrust ourselves entirely to the Lord who tells us, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
He also said that God's will should always be part of the life of a person who chooses to follow Him closely.
POPE FRANCIS
The life of a servant of the Gospel is shaped by the desire to be pleasing to the Lord in all things. This is the criterion of our every decision, of every step we take, and so we remember with gratitude the witness of the deceased Cardinals and Bishops, given in fidelity to God’s will. Let us pray for those who strive to follow their example.
Among those present were many Curia cardinals, like Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. There were also emeritus cardinals, like Slovakian Jozef Tomko, 96.
The color for these celebrations is not purple, but red, to indicate pontifical mourning.
Javier Romero
Translation: CT
