Galilee, the place of the first encounter with Jesus
The Scriptures, Pope Francis said in his homily, give us three words, three points of reference for the Christian journey. The first word is 鈥渕emory.鈥� The risen Jesus tells the disciples to go before Him to Galilee, and this was the first encounter with the Lord. Each one of us 鈥渉as his own 鈥楪alilee,鈥欌�� where Jesus shows Himself for the first time, where we have known Him and have had 鈥渢his joy, this enthusiasm for following Him.鈥� In order 鈥渢o be a good Christian it is necessary to always have this memory of the first encounter with Jesus, or of subsequent encounters.鈥� It is 鈥渢he grace of memory鈥� which in 鈥渢he moment of trial gives me certainty.鈥�
A gaze fixed in heaven, our feet in the world
The second point of reference is 鈥減rayer.鈥� When Jesus ascended into heaven, the Pope explained, He did not break off His relationship with us: 鈥淧hysically, yes, but He is always joined to us by interceding for us. He shows the Father His wounds, the price He has paid for us, for our salvation.鈥� And so 鈥渨e must ask for the grace to contemplate heaven, the grace of prayer, the relationship with Jesus in prayer, that in the moment He hears us, He is with us鈥�:
鈥淭hen there is a third [point of reference]: 鈥渢he world.鈥� Jesus, before He left them鈥攁s we heard yesterday in the Gospel of the Ascension鈥攕ays to the disciples: 鈥楪o into the world and make disciples.鈥� Go: the Christian鱿鱼视频app place is in the world in order to proclaim the Word of Jesus, in order to say that we are saved, that He is come to give us grace, to bring us all with Him before the Father.鈥�
Memory, prayer, and mission
This, the Pope said, is 鈥渢he topography of the Christian spirit,鈥� the three points of reference of our life: memory, prayer, mission; and the three words for our journey: Galilee, heaven, the world:
鈥淎 Christian must move in these three dimensions, and request the grace of memory: saying to the Lord, 鈥楧on鈥檛 let me forget the moment when You chose me, don鈥檛 let me forget the moment we met.鈥� Then, praying, looking to heaven because He is there, interceding. He intercedes for us. And then, going on mission: that is, not saying that everyone has to go to the foreign missions; [rather] going on mission is living and bearing witness to the Gospel, it is making Jesus known to all people. And doing so through witness and through the Word: because if I tell people about Jesus, and about the Christian life, and then live like a pagan, that won鈥檛 do. The mission will not go forward.鈥�
The Christian life is joyful
If, instead, we live in memory, in prayer, and on mission, Pope Francis concluded, the Christian life will be beautiful, and also joyful:
鈥淎nd this is the final word Jesus speaks to us today in the Gospel: 鈥極n that day, the day in which you live the Christian life in this way, you will know all things and no one will be able to take your joy away from you.鈥� No one, because I have the memory of my encounter with Jesus; I have the certainty that Jesus is in heaven in this moment and He is interceding for me, He is with me; and I prayer and I have the courage to speak, to go out of myself, and to speak to others and bear witness with my life that the Lord is risen, He is alive. Memory, prayer, mission. May the Lord give us the grace to understand this topography of the Christian life and to go forward with joy, with that joy that no one can take from us.鈥�