25 January 2018 | Homily

CELEBRATION OF THE SECOND VESPERS ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE, HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls

[…] After their liberation, the chosen people undertook a long and difficult journey
through the desert, often wavering, but drawing strength from the memory of God’s
saving work and His presence, always close. Today’s Christians too encounter many
difficulties along the way, surrounded by so many spiritual deserts, which cause hope
and joy to dry up. Along the way there are also serious dangers, which endanger life:
how many brothers today suffer persecution for the name of Jesus! When their blood
is shed, even if they belong to different Confessions, they become together witnesses
of faith, martyrs, united in the bond of baptismal grace. Together with friends of other
religious traditions, Christians today still face challenges that demean human dignity:
they flee situations of conflict and misery; they are victims of human trafficking and
other forms of modern slavery; they suffer hardship and hunger, in a world that is
increasingly rich in means and poor in love, where inequalities continue to increase.
But like the Israelites of Exodus, Christians are called to conserve together the
memory of what God has accomplished in them. By reviving this memory, we can
support each other and face, armed only with Jesus and the sweet power of His
Gospel, every challenge with courage and hope. […]