By Sarah Mac Donald - 26 October, 2015
Families from all over the world filled St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday for the Mass marking the conclusion of the Synod on the Family.
Presided over by Pope Francis, the president-delegates of the Synod and the general secretaries concelebrated with the Pontiff.
In his homily, the Pope thanked the Synod Fathers for having “walked together.”
He said that, with eyes fixed on Jesus, they had searched for paths “which the Gospel indicates for our times so that we can proclaim the mystery of family love.”
He told the Synod Fathers that they now have to “follow the path the Lord desires” not allowing themselves “to be tarnished by pessimism or sin”.
Elsewhere in his homily, the Pontiff warned of the temptations of falling into a “scheduled faith”.
He said this is when we are able to walk with the People of God but we already have “our schedule for the journey, where everything is listed: we know where to go and how long it will take; everyone must respect our rhythm and every problem is a bother.”
He also warned of the temptation of a “spirituality of illusion” which causes us to “walk through the streets of humanity without seeing what is really there; instead we see what we want to see.”
“This can be a danger for us: in the face of constant problems, it is better to move on instead of letting ourselves be bothered. In this way, just like the disciples, we are with Jesus but we do not think like him. We are in his group, but our hearts are not open.”
“We lose wonder, gratitude and enthusiasm, and risk becoming habitually unmoved by grace. We are able to speak about him and work for him, but we live far from his heart, which is reaching out to those who are wounded.”
The Pope warned on Sunday that a faith that does not know how to root itself in the life of people remains arid and, rather than an oasis, creates other deserts.
The prayers of the faithful were read in five languages including Chinese, French, Polish, English, and Hindi, praying for the Church, families, world leaders, the economic situation and the poor, suffering and lonely.
At the end of the Mass, before leaving the Basilica, the Salve Regina was sung and Pope Francis paused before the image of the Holy Family before leaving the Basilica.
