Praying for Pope Francis

Some 2,800 Catholics from far and near came to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St John on Sunday, Mar 15 to mark the second anniversary of the Pontificate of His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Mar 26, 2015

By Bernard Anthony
Some 2,800 Catholics from far and near came to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St John on Sunday, Mar 15 to mark the second anniversary of the Pontificate of His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Kuala Lumpur Archbishop His Grace Julian Leow presided at the Mass. Archbishop Joseph Marino, the Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia delivered the homily. The other concelebrants were Melaka-Johor Diocese Bishop Paul Tan SJ, Msgr Ionut Paul Strejac Secretary of the Apostolic Nuncioature, Fr Lucas Ng CDD, Vicar for Religious, Fr Joseph Pereira, Archdiocese Chancellor, Msgr James Gnanapiragasam, Rector of the Cathedral and his assistant Fr William Michael.

In his homily, the Apostolic Nuncio, who represented the Pontiff, referred to the 2nd Reading (Ephesians 2:4-10) and the Gospel (John 3: 14-21). The Nuncio said, “Christ clearly defined His mission. God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that through Him, the whole world could be saved.” He reiterated that it is by grace that we have been saved, not by anything we have done.

The Nuncio said, “Two years ago, Pope Francis was elected as Bishop of Rome. We gather here today to pray for him and to celebrate his 2nd anniversary as the Vicar of Christ.”

On that occasion, Pope Francis announced that “the Church can make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy .....which begins with a spiritual conversion. For this purpose, I have decided to proclaim an extraordinary Jubilee that will have, as its centre, the mercy of God. It is to be a Holy Year of Mercy.”

This said, Pope Francis told his cardinals and by extension, us, to focus on being people of mercy, to be a Church of mercy and to focus our compassion on the marginalized and the rejected.

“When Jesus stretches His hands to heal, it is because He is a Person of compassion; the human heart of Jesus was touched by compassion. That made Him go around to look for people who were marginalized in society — the rejected, the discriminated, the least and the forgotten. These were the ones that Jesus looked for. He was never afraid to touch them and eat with them. He protected them.”

Archbishop Marino said that Jesus was never afraid to cause scandals, even by the work of healing. He was not scandalized by those who did not fit in with his thinking. The Nuncio called on the assembly to be like Christ — to be moved with pity and look for the marginalized. Pope Francis himself said that there was a great need to save these people and bring everyone back into the ‘camp,’ reinstating them back into the community. What matters to Jesus is to save and heal their wounds and make them part of God’s Community. “To have compassion — that is what Pope Francis wants the Church to have.”

The Nuncio stressed that we must leave the four walls of the Church and go to the outskirts of society to reach the marginalized.

Thanking Archbishop Leow for opening the cathedral to pray for Pope Francis, the Nuncio also asked the people to ‘pray for me,’ quoting what the Pope said after his election on March 13, 2013.

Archbishop Marino also expressed his thanks to all for coming in great numbers to pray for our Pope. The cathedral was packed with hundreds more standing outside. He said, “All of you are welcome and are part of God’s family, including the marginalized in society. The Church welcomes all.”

After Mass, Archbishop Leow acknowledged the Apostolic Nuncio for sharing with us the Holy Father’s message. The prelate was also pleased that Bishop Tan and Msgr Inout were able to join in the celebration. He also thanked both, Msgr James and Fr William for organizing the celebration. He appreciated the presence of the representatives from the Lutheran and Anglican Churches, the diplomatic corps and all people of God for coming to pray for our Pope. Archbishop Leow added that the Holy Father needs our prayers, and asked that we continue to pray for him, and all the leaders of our country for peace, understanding and harmony among all peoples.

The Archbishops later adjourned to the main entrance of the cathedral to greet and mingle with the faithful.

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