Pope Francis Presides at the Good Friday Passion of the Lord at St. Peter's Basilica with 4,500 Faithful and Cardinal Cantalamessa gives the Homily - VIDEO

Pope Francis presides over the celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica. 4,500 faithful were present in St. Peter's Basilica for the Good Friday service.
In the homily was given by the cardinal preacher of the Papal Household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa. Who explained that on the cross, Jesus respects the free will of men and chooses to cancel himself, a lesson for the powerful of the earth. From the triumph of the resurrection an invitation to all humanity to entrust themselves to him: the elderly, those in prison for his faith, women victims of violence
Jesus did not come to retouch and perfect the idea that men have of God, but to overturn it and show them his true face with his death on the cross. A sacrifice that can only be witnessed in silence, as that of Pope Francis, who stopped to pray in front of the altar. Cardinal Cantalamessa, preacher from the Papal Household, in his homily, was inspired by what Jesus reveals to the Pharisees in the Gospel of John: "When you have raised up the Son of Man, then you will know that I Am".

Jesus came to "overthrow" the idea of God but, the cardinal underlines, "The idea of God that Jesus came to change, unfortunately we all carry within us, in our unconscious", because "we can speak of a One God, pure spirit, supreme being", but it is difficult to see him "in the annihilation of his death on the cross". To understand this, it is in fact necessary to reflect on the true meaning of God's omnipotence. “When faced with human creatures”, explains Father Cantalamessa, God finds himself “deprived of any capacity, not only constrictive, but also defensive. He cannot intervene with authority to impose himself on them. He cannot do anything but respect, to an infinite extent, the free choice of men." The true face of his omnipotence, then, is revealed “in his Son who kneels before the disciples to wash their feet; in him who, reduced to the most radical impotence on the cross, continues to love and forgive, without ever condemning".

The true omnipotence of God, therefore, “is the total impotence of Calvary”. In fact, it takes "little power to show off", but "it takes a lot, to put yourself aside, to erase yourself". “What a lesson for us who, more or less consciously, always want to show off!”, reiterates the cardinal, “what a lesson especially for the powerful of the earth! For those among them who not even remotely think of serving, but only of power for power's sake."

The triumph of the resurrection itself, "definitive and irresistible", is different from the pomp of that of the emperors or from the "triumph of the Holy Church" which was spoken of in the past. “The resurrection,” he continues, “happens in mystery, without witnesses.” While his death is seen by a large crowd and by the highest political and religious authorities, "once resurrected, Jesus appears only to a few disciples, out of the spotlight". After having suffered, in fact, "we must not expect an external, visible triumph, such as earthly glory. The triumph is given in the invisible and is of an infinitely superior order because it is eternal! The martyrs of yesterday and today are proof of this."

"It is not a revenge that humiliates his adversaries", explains Father Cantalamessa, because "any revenge would be incompatible with the love that Christ wanted to bear witness to men with his passion". His words on the cross reiterate this: “Come to me, all you who are weary and weary, and I will give you rest”. “One who himself does not have a stone on which to lay his head, one who has been rejected by his own, condemned to death”, concludes the preacher of the Papal Household, “turns to all humanity, of all places and Of all times". Everyone, no one excluded: "the elderly, sick and alone", those who "the world allows to die in poverty, hunger or under the bombs", those who for their faith in Him or for their fight for freedom languish in a prison cell”, the woman victim of violence. By renouncing the human idea of omnipotence, she preserves her own, which is the omnipotence of love, intact.

Source: Vatican News with Screenshot