Pope Francis, at Chrism Mass, preaches on the joys of the Gospel

April 13, 2017

Pope Francis celebrated the Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Holy Thursday morning and preached on the joy of the Gospel.

“Good news,” he said. “A single word —Gospel —that, even as it is spoken, becomes truth, brimming with joy and mercy. We should never attempt to separate these three graces of the Gospel: its truth, which is non-negotiable; its mercy, which is unconditional and offered to all sinners; and its joy, which is personal and open to everyone.”

“The joys of the Gospel are special joys,” he continued. “I say ‘joys’ in the plural, for they are many and varied, depending on how the Spirit chooses to communicate them, in every age, to every person and in every culture.”

The Pope then offered “three images or icons of those new wineskins in which the good news is kept fresh, without turning sour but being poured out in abundance”:

• “the stone water jars at the wedding feast of Cana”: the Virgin Mary’s “‘contagious fullness’ helps us overcome the temptation of fear, the temptation to keep ourselves from being filled to the brim, the temptation to a faint-heartedness that holds us back from going forth to fill others with joy”
• “the jug with its wooden ladle that the Samaritan woman carried on her head in the midday sun”: “it speaks to us of something crucial: the importance of concrete situations”
• “the fathomless vessel of the Lord’s pierced Heart: his utter meekness, humility and poverty which draw all people to himself. From him we have to learn that announcing a great joy to the poor can only be done in a respectful, humble, and even humbling, way.”

 

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Further information:

• 2017.04.13 Chrism Mass (YouTube Vatican)
• Pope Francis’ homily at Holy Thursday Chrism Mass: Full text (Vatican Radio)
• Booklet for the Celebration (Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff)