A short but significant homily that of Pope Leone visiting the Basilica of San Paolo outside the walls to venerate the “trophy”, that is, the remains of the apostle Paul. He commented on his letter to the Romans to clarify three concepts: grace, faith and justice. It entrusts “the beginning of this new pontificate” to the intercession of the apostle of the people “and underlines that” St. Paul says first of all that he had the grace of the call from God. That is, it recognizes that his encounter with Christ e His ministry are linked to the love with which God preceded him, calling him to a new existence while he was still far from the Gospel and persecuted the Church “. An experience close to that of Sant’Agostino – also a converted – who said “what will we choose, if we have not been chosen before? In fact, if we were not first loved, we can’t even love. ” At the beginning of each vocation, in fact, “there is God: his mercy, his goodness, generous as that of a mother, who of course, through his own body, nourishes his child when he is still unable to feed himself”. But then we also speak of “obedience of faith”. Appearing him on the way of Damascus, in fact, the Lord “did not deprive him of his freedom, but he left him the possibility of a choice, of an obedience the result of effort, of internal and external struggles, which he agreed to face. Salvation does not come by enchantment, but for a mystery of grace and faith, of love preventively of God, and of confident and free adhesion from man ».
We too can ask the Lord to respond to his invitations in the same way. From «Knowing how to cultivate and spread his charity, making us close to each other in the same race of affections which, from the encounter with Christ, has pushed the ancient persecutor to become” everything to all “, up to the martyrdom. Thus, for us as for him, in the weakness of the flesh the power of faith in God who justifies will prove ».
Finally, he recalls that the Basilica is entrusted by the Benedictines by century. «How can we forget, then, speaking of love as a source and engine of the announcement of the Gospel, the Insistent appeals of San Benedetto, in its rule, to fraternal charity in the cenobio and hospitality towards everyone?», He underlines. And he concludes with the words of which Pope Benedetto addressed to young people in Madrid: «Dear friends God loves us. This is the great truth of our life and which gives meaning to everything else (…). At the origin of our existence there is a project of love of God “, and Faith leads us to “open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as people who recognize themselves loved by God”. This is “the simple and unique root, of every mission, also of mine, as a successor of Peter and heir to the apostolic zeal of Paul. I give me the Lord the grace to respond faithfully to his call ».
