Pope Leo’s homily at Mass from the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Castro Pretorio)
Dear brothers and sisters,
A few days ago, with the rite of Ash Wednesday, we began our Lenten journey. Lent is an intense liturgical season, offering us the opportunity to rediscover the richness of our Baptism, to live as fully renewed creatures thanks to the Incarnation, death, and Resurrection of Jesus.
The First Reading and the Gospel we have just heard, in dialogue, help us rediscover the gift of Baptism as a grace that embraces our freedom. The Genesis narrative brings us back to our condition as creatures, tested not so much by a prohibition, as is often believed, as by a possibility: the possibility of a relationship. Human beings are thus free to recognize and embrace the otherness of the Creator, who recognizes and embraces the otherness of creatures. To prevent this possibility, the serpent insinuates the presumption that he can erase all differences between creatures and the Creator, seducing man and woman with the illusion of becoming like God. Satan pushes them to possess something that—so he says—God wishes to deny them, thus perpetually keeping them in a state of inferiority. This fresco from Genesis is an unsurpassed masterpiece that represents the drama of freedom.
The Gospel seems to answer the age-old dilemma: can I realize my life fully by saying "yes" to God? Or, to be free and happy, must I free myself from Him?
The scene of Christ's temptations ultimately addresses this dramatic question. It leads us to discover the true humanity of Jesus who, as the conciliar Constitution Gaudium et Spes teaches, reveals man to himself: "In the mystery of the Incarnate Word, the mystery of man truly becomes clear" (GS, 22). Indeed, we see the Son of God who, opposing the wiles of the ancient Adversary, shows us the new man, the free man, the epiphany of freedom that comes to fruition by saying "yes" to God.
This new humanity is born from the baptismal font. And so—especially in this Lenten season—we are called to rediscover the grace of Baptism, as the source of life that dwells within us and dynamically accompanies us with the utmost respect for our freedom.
First of all, the Sacrament itself is dynamic, because what it offers is not limited to the space and time of the rite, but is a grace that constantly accompanies our entire life, sustaining our following of Christ. But Baptism is also dynamic because it constantly sets us on a new journey, since grace is an interior voice that urges us to conform to Jesus, liberating our freedom so that it may find fulfillment in the love of God and neighbor.
We thus understand the relational nature of Baptism, which calls us to live in friendship with Jesus and, thus, to enter into his communion with the Father. This grace-filled relationship also enables us to experience authentic closeness with others, a freedom that—unlike what the devil proposes to Jesus—is not a pursuit of one's own power, but a self-giving love that makes us all brothers and sisters. Indeed, Saint Paul states: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28).
Brothers and sisters, Pope Leo XIII asked Saint John Bosco to build the church where we stand today. He had understood the centrality of this place, next to Termini Station and at a unique crossroads of the city, destined to become even more important over time.
For this reason, dear friends, in meeting you today I see in you a special expression of proximity, of closeness to the challenges of this area. Indeed, there are many young university students, commuters who come and go for work, immigrants seeking employment, young refugees who have found in the building next door, thanks to the Salesians' initiative, the opportunity to meet Italian peers and carry out integration projects; and then there are our brothers and sisters who are homeless and find welcome in the Caritas spaces on Via Marsala. In just a few meters, one can touch the contradictions of this time: the carefree attitude of those who leave and arrive with all the comforts and those who have no roof over their heads; the many potentials for good and the rampant violence; the desire to work honestly and the illicit trade in drugs and prostitution.
Your parish is called to address these realities, to be a leaven of the Gospel in the local community, to be a sign of closeness and charity. I thank the Salesians for the tireless work they carry out every day, and I encourage everyone to continue to be a small flame of light and hope right here.
May Mary Help of Christians always support us on our journey, making us strong in times of temptation and trial, to fully experience the freedom and brotherhood of God's children.
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