Manama, November 4 (BNA) His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa delegated his personal representative, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to attend the mass of His Holiness Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Arabs in Awali. .
The mass was attended by representatives from different churches in the Kingdom and a large crowd of Christian worshipers.
Below is the Pope’s speech at the Ecumenical Meeting and the Prayer for Peace in the cathedral
“His Royal Highness ,
Honorable Minister of Justice,
We are grateful and proud of your presence.
“We, the Parthians, the Medes, the Elamites, the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya belong to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretan and Arabic. And we hear them say in their tongues the great works of God.”
Your Holiness, dear Brother Bartholomew, dear brothers and sisters,
These words seem written to us today: From many peoples and languages, from many places and different rites, we are all gathered here because of the mighty works of God! In Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, though they came from many places, all felt that they were united by one spirit.
Now as then, diversity of origins and languages is not a problem but a resource. As one ancient author wrote: “If someone says to one of us: ‘I have received the Holy Spirit, why do you not speak all languages?’” We must answer: “I speak all languages, for I am a member of the Body of Christ, the Church which speaks all languages.”
brothers and sisters,
And this applies to us also, because “by one spirit we were all baptized into one body.”
Alas, because of our divisions, we have wounded the Holy Body of the Lord, but the Holy Spirit, who holds all the members together, is greater than our divisions according to the flesh.
Thus, it is right to say that what unites us far outweighs what divides us, and that the more we travel according to the Spirit, the more desire we have, and with the help of God we restore complete unity among us.
Let’s go back to the text of the day of Pentecost. While reflecting on it, I was struck by two things that seem to be helpful in the company’s journey. I would like to share them with you. They are unity in diversity and a testimony of life.
First, unity in diversity. On the day of Pentecost, Acts of the Apostles tells us, the disciples “were all together in one place.” We must note how the soul, which settled on each one, nevertheless chose a moment in which they were all together.
They could also worship God and do good to others separately, but when they came together in one unit, the doors of God’s work were opened wide. The Christian people are called to come together so that the wonderful works of God may be done in our midst.
Our presence here in Bahrain as a small flock of Christ, scattered in different places and creeds, helps us feel the need for unity and to share in the faith.
As in this archipelago there are strong bonds between the islands, so may they also be between us so that we are not isolated but united in brotherly fellowship.
brothers and sisters,
I ask: How can we make loneliness grow if history, the force of habit, commitments, and distances seem to draw us elsewhere? What is the “gathering place”, the “spiritual attic” of our company? It is the praise of God that the Spirit stirs up in all. Prayer of praise does not isolate us or close us in on ourselves and our own needs, but rather draws us into the heart of the Father and thus connects us with all our brothers and sisters.
Praise and worship prayer is the highest form of prayer. It is free and unconditional, it withdraws the joy of the soul, cleanses the heart, restores harmony and unity. It is an antidote to grief and the temptation to regret our inner inadequacy and outwardly small numbers.
Prayers of praise allow the Spirit to fill us with His consolation. It becomes a wonderful cure for loneliness and homesickness. It allows us to feel the closeness of the Good Shepherd, even in times when we feel the absence of our Shepherds, as it often happens in these lands.
It is precisely in our deserts that the Lord loves to open new and undiscovered paths and make springs of living water sprout. Praise and worship lead us there, to the fountains of the soul, and bring us back to the origins, to unity.
It is good for you to persevere in praising God, that you may be the most sign of unity for all Christians! Maintain the good habit of making your church buildings also available to other communities for the worship of the One God.
Not only here on earth, but also in heaven, there is a song of praise that brings us together, sung by many Christian martyrs of different denominations.
How many of them have there been in these last years, in the Middle East and all over the world! They now form one starry sky, guiding our way as we walk through the deserts of history. We have the same goal: we are all called to full fellowship with God.
However, let us remember that the unity to which we are walking is unity in diversity. The Pentecost account indicates that each person who heard the apostles speak “in his or her own language”: the Spirit does not invent a new language for everyone, but allows each person to speak in other languages, so that each person can hear his own. It is spoken by others.
In short, he does not imprison us in consistency, but rather makes us accept each other in our differences. This happens when people live by the spirit. They learn to meet each of their brothers and sisters in the faith as part of the body to which they belong. This is the spirit of the ecumenical journey.
Dear friends,
Let’s ask ourselves how we’re going on this journey. As a pastor, servant, or member of the Christian Faithful, am I open to the work of the Spirit? Do I see ecumenism as a burden, an additional obligation, an institutional commitment, or a sincere desire in Jesus for all to be “one,” a message that flows from the gospel?
Specifically, what do I do for those brothers and sisters who believe in Christ and are not “mine”? Do I recognize them, do I order them? Do I show interest in them? Do I step away from formalism, or do I try to understand their history and appreciate their distinction, without considering it an insurmountable obstacle?
After unity in diversity, we now turn to the second component: the testimony of life. At Pentecost, the disciples “open”, turn, and come out of the attic.
They will then go to the whole world. Jerusalem, which seemed to be their point of arrival, became the starting point for an extraordinary adventure.
The fear that kept them at home is now a distant memory: from now on they go everywhere, not to stand out from others, much less to revolutionize the order of society and the world, but through their lives to radiate everywhere the beauty of God’s love.
Our message is not just a discourse with words, but a testimony with deeds. Faith is not a privilege to be claimed, but a gift that must be shared.
As stated in an ancient text: Christians “do not live in certain cities, do not use a foreign language, do not adopt a special way of life. Every foreign region is their home, and they live on earth, but they bear their nationality in Heaven.. They respect the laws in force, but they are in Their lifestyle is above the law. They love everyone.”
They love all: this is the badge of Christians, the essence of our testimony. Living here in Bahrain has enabled many of you to rediscover and practice the sheer simplicity of philanthropy.
I think of the help you give to our brothers and sisters from elsewhere, of your humble Christian presence and the testimony you bear daily in the workplace through your understanding, patience, joy, gentleness, kindness and spirit of dialogue. In a word: hello.
It would also be good to take a look at the way we bear witness, because over time we can wan our enthusiasm for expressing Jesus through the spirit of the Beatitudes, the consistency and goodness of our lives and our peace. Procedure.
Let us ask, now as we pray together for peace: Are we really a people of peace? Do we wish to make the meekness of Jesus present everywhere, without asking for anything in return? Do we make them, carry them in our hearts and in our prayers, the struggles and hurt and struggles that we see around us?
brothers and sisters,
I wanted to share these thoughts with you about the unity that is strengthened by praise and the witness that is confirmed by charity. Unity and certification are both essential.
We cannot truly bear witness to the God of love unless we are united among ourselves according to His will, nor can we be united by remaining separate, without openness to witness, without expanding the boundaries of our interests and communities in the name of the Spirit that embraces every language and reaches all.
The Spirit unites us and sends us. He gathers us into company and sends us on a mission. Let us entrust to him in prayer our common journey, and beseech us to pour out his grace upon us, on the new Pentecost which will open new horizons and speed up our journey in unity and peace.”
E, AE