For the fifth consecutive year, Pope Francis was present at the Mass for Word of God Sunday—a celebration he instituted in 2019 to promote reading the Bible.
In his homily, the Pope spoke of the many saints whose lives were changed by the Gospel, such as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi. He said it is necessary to read the Bible and pray with it carefully, as they did, in order to understand what God wants from each person.
POPE FRANCIS
So many times we hear the Word of God and it goes in one ear and out the other. Maybe, as these witnesses show us, we must not be “deaf” to the Word. This is the risk we run: overwhelmed by a thousand words, we let the Word of God slip by us—we hear it, but we do not listen to it; we listen to it, but we do not keep it; we keep it, but we do not allow ourselves to be provoked to change.
For this reason, Pope Francis directed some questions to those present. For example, he asked how much time they dedicate daily to studying the Bible or even if they have a Bible on hand. The Pope also expressed his regret that despite being believers, some people have never read even a full Gospel.
POPE FRANCIS
So many times I have advised people to always have the Gospel with them, in their pocket, in their purse, on their cell phone. If Christ is more dear to me than anything else, how can I leave him at home and not take his Word with me? And one last question: have I read in full at least one of the four Gospels? The Gospel is a book of life. It is simple and short, yet so many believers have never read one from beginning to end.
During the Mass, Pope Francis conferred two ministries, that of Lector and that of Catechist, on 11 lay people from different parts of the world: Bolivia, Chad, South Korea, the Antilles, Germany and Brazil.
CA
TR: KG
