Zagrebačka nadbiskupija

Dear brothers and sisters!

1. Apostolic Letter Motu proprio Aperuit illis by which Pope Francis establishes The Third  Sunday of Ordinary Time as Sunday of the Word of God, which is celebrated next Sunday, begins with the words of the encounter of the Risen Lord and his disciples, precisely at a point when he opens their minds to understand the Scripture. The timing of the motu proprio is also significant, as it was published on 30 September 2019 i.e. Feast of Saint Jerome, a saint  deeply rooted in Croatian spirituality and culture. This year also marks 1600 years since his death (AD 420- 2020).

Hence, Pope Francis’ words resonate with us: “The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible. Hence, Saint Jerome could rightly claim: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Commentary on the Book of Isaiah, Prologue: PL 24,17).

[…]This Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity.
(AI 1 and 3)

Dear brothers and sisters, here we are together in this communion of prayer and celebration for we have placed the Word of God not only at the heart of this place but our hearts as we try to listen what the Lord is telling us.

2. It is difficult to remain indifferent upon hearing the proclaimed Word of God and context in which Jesus sends his disciples to spread the Gospel, the Cardinal said and drew our attention to two things. The first is that the Risen Lord visits his disciples when they are in a state of confusion, fear, confinement and doubt, unwilling to believe those who had already seen the Risen Lord. They were left alone. As they are in this state of solitude, the Lord visits them. What seemed violently terminated started over. Joy is once again alive, hope restored and plans gain silhouettes of new possibilities.

Jesus rebukes his disciples for their unbelief and hardness of heart, any yet again it is to them just as they are that Jesus entrusts with the great proclamation of the Gospel and acts which show clear signs of faith. And then it seems he abandons them again, leaving them to confront the reality of life, filled with fear and mistakes as well as the burden of human limitation.

It is encouraging for us not to forget Christ’s gift of vicinity which helps us to start over whenever we lack enthusiasm or feel the weight of unfulfilled dreams and forlorn hope. With Him we are never on our own. The second is the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, two bastions which have Christ’s departure in common, as this departure becomes a gift of his new presence in the world via the Holy Spirit empowering the faithful to transform the world by building the Kingdom of God.

It is unusual that the disciples are not disappointed after Christ’s ascension. Seeing Jesus’ departure from Earth into the presence of God in heaven, the Holy Spirit reveals them the truth and value of his arrival. In Jesus God wanted to experience our humanity, the weight of a man’s life. He became one of us only to be immersed in the life of the world created by his love. This Gospel is an invitation to feel not abandoned in this world of full of anxiety but to feel at home. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16). We are immersed in death and new life, the one which makes us see the world the way Christ sees us, for we are given the light of the Holy Spirit. In this way one looks at a man as Christ sees him and accepts others with love, and his acts are kind.

3. This year’s motto of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was inspired by the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 28:2). It accentuates shipwreck, threat, uncertainty and that the disciples were “shown an unusual kindness.”
The original Greek text uses the word filanthropia( “pareihon ou ten tyhousan fianthropían hemin”), a strong Christian term, whose value is recognized by all people. “ God has sent his Son for man so as to save him from any shipwreck, so as to show the way to fullness of life; and Christian humanism which arises from creation of man and world is fulfilled in love of others and not selfishness.

In this significant togetherness we pray for collaboration with the Holy Spirit who unites Christ’s body, the Church. Thus, if a significant number of Christ’s followers spiritually unite with the Lord’s prayer “so all of them may be one”, such a prayer shall not be fruitless. So let us pray tonight for cohesion of God’s word and our acts which gives credibility by testimony of life and capability to reveal the beauty of our faith to future generations.

4. Brothers and sisters, Croatia is preparing for National meeting of Croatian Catholic Youth which is to take place on 9 and 10 May 2020 here in Zagreb. Croatian youth has chosen Mary’s words “Do whatever he tells you! “(John 2:5) as their motto. Our acts have an unusual strength if they arise from God’s word and mystery of his vicinity. To those who believe and live by faith new horizons open up. A man who is not focused on himself speaks a new language of kindness and hospitality and God’s love is his stronghold of confidence.
And as in the world of today we may see multiple threatening and worrying realities, this celebration demonstrates how we wish to walk together in Jesus’ footsteps. Let us thank the Lord for this and pray so he continues to steer and guide us.

Amen.