Pope, in New York, calls priests and religious to gratitude, self-sacrifice, pays tribute to women religious

September 25, 2015

Pope Francis traveled from Washington to New York on the afternoon of September 24 and presided at Vespers in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

At the beginning of his homily, the Pope made reference to the clerical abuse crisis:

I know that, as a presbyterate in the midst of God’s people, you suffered greatly in the not distant past by having to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the Church in the most vulnerable of her members…  In the words of the Book of Revelation, I know well that you “have come forth from the great tribulation” (Rev 7:14).  I accompany you at this time of pain and difficulty, and I thank God for your faithful service to his people.

Pope Francis then reflected on the importance of gratitude and generous self-sacrifice in the lives of priests and religious. Warning against spiritual worldliness, he said that “we can get caught up measuring the value of our apostolic works by the standards of efficiency, good management and outward success which govern the business world. Not that these things are unimportant! … The cross shows us a different way of measuring success.  Ours is to plant the seeds: God sees to the fruits of our labors.”

“Another danger comes when we become jealous of our free time, when we think that surrounding ourselves with worldly comforts will help us serve better,” he continued. “Rest is needed, as are moments of leisure and self-enrichment, but we need to learn how to rest in a way that deepens our desire to serve with generosity.  Closeness to the poor, the refugee, the immigrant, the sick, the exploited, the elderly living alone, prisoners and all God’s other poor, will teach us a different way of resting, one which is more Christian and generous.”

The Pontiff concluded with a tribute to the women religious of the United States:

In a special way I would like to express my esteem and gratitude to the religious women of the United States.  What would the Church be without you?  Women of strength, fighters, with that spirit of courage which puts you in the front lines in the proclamation of the Gospel.  To you, religious women, sisters and mothers of this people, I wish to say “thank you,” a big thank you, and to tell you that I love you very much.

 

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Further information:

• Apostolic Journey of the Holy Father to Cuba, to the United States of America and Visit to the United Nations Headquarters (19-28 September 2015) (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope in Cuba and USA (Vatican Radio)
• Vatican YouTube coverage