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Pope Francis’ greetings to the diocesan clergy of Marseille
Basilica of “Notre Dame de la Garde” (Marseille) – la Bonne Mère (the Good Mother)
Friday, 22 September 2023
“We have lost a little the sense of adoration, we must take it back”
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am happy to begin my visit by sharing this moment of prayer with you.
I thank Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline for his words of welcome and greeting H.E. Bishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, my brother Bishops, the Rector Fathers and all of you, priests, deacons and seminarians, consecrated men and women who work in this Archdiocese with generosity and commitment to build a civilization of encounter with God and neighbor.
Thank you for your presence and for your service, and thank you for your prayers!
When I arrived in Marseilles, I joined the great ones: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Charles de Foucauld, John Paul II and many others, who came as pilgrims here, to entrust themselves to Notre Dame de la Gard (Our Lady of the Gaurd).
Let us place under his mantle the fruits of the Mediterranean meetings, together with the expectations and hopes of your hearts.
In the biblical reading, the prophet Zephaniah invites us to joy and trust, reminding us that the Lord our God is not far away, he is here, close to us, to save us (Zephania 3:17 – The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you[a] in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing).
It is a message that in a certain sense, refers, the history of this Basilica and to what it represents. In fact, it was not founded in memory of a miracle or a particular apparition, but simply because, since the thirteenth century, the holy People of God have sought and found here, on the hill of La Garde, the presence of the Lord through the eyes of his Holy Mother.
For centuries, the people of Marseille – especially those who sail on the waves of the Mediterranean – have gone up there to pray.
It was the holy people faithful to God who – (I use the word) – “anointed” this shrine, this place of prayer. Holy People of God who, as the Council says, are infallible in credendo.
Even today, for everyone, Our Lady is theprotagonist of a very tender “crossing of gazes”:
on the one hand that of Jesus, whom she always shows us and whose love is reflected in her eyes – which is the most authentic gesture of Our Lady. Our Lady’s “Do whatever He tells you“, point to Jesus:
on the other hand those of so many men and women of every age and condition, whom she gathers and brings to God, as we recalled at the beginning of this prayer, placing a lighted candle at her feet.
Here, at the crossroads of peoples that is Marseille, I would like to reflect with you on this intersection of gazes, because it seems to me to express well the Marian dimension of our ministry.
We too, priests, consecrated persons, deacons, are in fact called to make people feel the gaze of Jesus and, at the same time, to bring to Jesus the gaze of our brothers and sisters. An exchange of looks.
In the first case we are instruments of mercy, in the second instrument of intercession.
The first glance: that of Jesus caressing the man.
It is a look that goes from the top to the bottom, but not to judge, but to lift up those on the ground.
It is a gaze full of tenderness that shines through Mary’s eyes.
And we, who are called to transmit this gaze, are obliged to lower ourselves, to feel compassion – I emphasize this word: compassion.
Let us not forget that God’s style is one of closeness, of compassion and of tenderness – in order to make our own “the patient and encouraging goodness of the Good Shepherd, who does not rebuke the lost sheep, but carries it on his shoulders and celebrates its return to the fold” (cf. Lk 15:4-7)” (Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests, 41).
I like to think that the Lord does not know how to make the gesture of pointing the finger of judgment, but he knows how to stretch out his hand to lift.
Brothers and sisters, let us learn from this gaze, let us not let a day pass without remembering when we received it upon us, and let us make it our own, to be men and women of mercy.
Closeness, compassion, tenderness. Let us not forget.
To be compassionate is to be close and tender.
Let us open the doors of churches and rectories, but especially those of the heart, to show the face of our Lord through our gentleness, kindness and hospitality. Whoever approaches you will not find distance and judgment, but the witness of a humble joy, more fruitful than any ostentatious ability.
May the wounded of life find in your gaze a safe haven, a welcome, an encouragement in your embrace, a caress in your hands capable of drying tears.
allow the warmth of God’s paternal and maternal gaze to be lacking, even in the many occupations of daily life.
And to the priests, please: in the Sacrament of Penance, always forgive, forgive!
Be generous as God is generous to us. Forgive!
And with God’s forgiveness many paths open up in life.
It is beautiful to distribute his forgiveness generously, always, always, to free people through grace from the chains of sin and to free them from blocks, remorse, resentment and fears, against which alone they cannot prevail.
It is beautiful to rediscover with amazement, at every age, the joy of illuminating life, in happy and sad moments, with the sacraments, and to transmit, in the name of God, unexpected hopes: His closeness that consoles, His compassion that heals, His tenderness that moves.
Closeness, compassion, tenderness.
Be close to everyone, especially the most fragile and less fortunate, and may those who suffer never lack your attentive and discreet closeness. In this way the faith that animates the present, the hope that opens to the future and the charity that lasts forever, will grow, in them but also in you.
Here is the first movement: to bring the gaze of Jesus to our brothers and sisters.
There is only one situation in life in which it is permissible to look down on a person: it is when we are trying to take them by the hand to lift them up. In other situations it is a sin of pride. Look at the people who are down and who are asking you with their hand – consciously or unconsciously –to lift them up.
Take them by the hand and lift them up: it is a very beautiful gesture that cannot be done without tenderness.
And then there is the second gaze: that of the men and women who turn to Jesus.
Like Mary, who at Cana understood the needs of two young couples and brought them to the Lord (Jn 2:3 – When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.)”, you too are called to make yourselves a voice that intercedes for others – men and women for others.
Then the recitation of the Breviary, the daily meditation of the Word, the Rosary and all the other prayer, I recommend to you especially the prayer of adoration.
We have lost a little the sense of adoration, we need to regain it, I recommend it.
All these prayers will be filled with the faces of those who Providence puts you on the path.
You will take with you their eyes, their voices, their questions: at the Eucharistic table, in front of the Tabernacle or in the silence of your room, where the Father sees (Mt 6:6 – when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.). You will answer them faithfully, as intercessors, as “angels on earth”, as messengers who bring everything “before the glory of the Lord” (Tob 12:12).
And I would like to conclude this brief meditation by calling your attention to three images of Mary that are venerated in this Basilica.
The first is the large image that stands on its top of the Basilica, which shows her holding the blessing Infant Jesus in her arms: See, like Mary, we bring the blessing and peace of Jesus everywhere, in every family and in every heart. Sow peace! It is the look of mercy.
The second image is below us, in the Crypt: it is the Vierge au bouquet (the virgin with bouquet), a gift from a generous layman. She also carries the Child Jesus in one arm, and shows him to us, but in the other hand, instead of the sceptre, she holds a bouquet of flowers. This makes us think of how Mary, model of the Church, presents her Son to us, also presents us to him, like a bouquet of flowers in which each person is unique, beautiful and precious in the eyes of the Father. It is the gaze of intercession. This is very important: intercession. The first was Our Lady’s look of mercy, this is the gaze of intercession.
Finally, the third image is the one we see here in the center, on the altar, which is striking because of the splendor it radiates. We too, dear brothers and sisters, become a living Gospel to the extent that we give it, coming from ourselves, reflecting its light and beauty with a humble, joyful life, rich in apostolic zeal.
May we be inspired by the many missionaries who have set out from this high place to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Dear friends, let us bring God’s gaze to our brothers and sisters,
let us bring to God the thirst of our brothers and sisters. Let us spread the joy of the Gospel.
This is our life and it is incredibly beautiful, in spite of the fatigues and the falls, even our sins.
Let us pray together to the Mother of God, who accompanies us, who protects us.
And you, please, pray for me.
