Year: 2021

Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García, Archbishop of Havana, in his Sunday allocution greeted the faithful with the same phrase of the risen one to the apostles: “Peace to you”. He remembered that peace comes from knowing that God loves us, and if He loves us there is no need to fear or be afraid. “Peace, he said, comes from feeling that the mission that God has entrusted to us in the family, in the Church, in society, we can fulfill it despite many difficulties, because God himself has given us gifts to fulfill what is in charge. And whenever God gives a gift he gives it as a task.”

“Blessed are those who believe without having seen me.” It is the bliss in which we are included those who have put our faith in Christ forever and, even without seeing him bodily, even involved in doubt and difficulty, we follow in his footsteps. Faith in the living and risen Christ “serves” not to turn away from the world and reality, not to enter into a solitary, alienating and selfish bubble, to have life in his name, to live in truth and in authentic freedom, to open our eyes to the world around us contemplating the wonders of God and also his miseries, to be in solidarity with the pain of the brothers with whom we share life , to whom Christ sends us to be witnesses and servants of his eternal and merciful love for each of them.

For its present, we resume the homily of Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Pontifical House, in the celebration of Good Friday. In his message, he recognizes as a factor of division within the Church today, putting above the religious and ecclesial choice, the political option that defends an ideology, therefore forgets the meaning and duty of obedience in the Church. “We must learn from the gospel and the example of Jesus. There was a strong political polarization around him. There were four parties: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians and the Zelotas. Jesus did not align himself with any of them and resisted vigorously the attempt to drag him to one side or the other. The early Christian community faithfully followed him in this election. This is an example especially for shepherds who must be shepherds of the whole flock, not a single part of it. Therefore, they are the first to have to take a serious examination of conscience and wonder where they are taking their flock: whether by their side, or next to Jesus.”