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Kasarani
Stadium-Nairobi on 27th, November, 2015
My Brother Bishops,
Dear Friends,
I thank you for your warm welcome this morning. It is wonderful to be
with you, and to experience your vitality and joy, so beautifully expressed
through song and dance. I wish to thank Bishop Anthony Muheria for
his words offered on your behalf, and the young people who have shared their
testimonies with us. It is not always easy to speak so openly about
our lives and faith. But when we do, when we speak honestly of who we
are, we come to know one another better and we deepen our friendship.
We begin to see that we are not so different and that we are not
alone. We are walking the same journey of faith.
As you know, this is my first visit to Africa, and you have made me feel at
home. I ask you, however, not only to receive me, Francis, with such
enthusiasm, but to receive the one in whose name I come, Jesus
Christ. Because, that is why we are here together this morning, to
stand strong in our faith, so that unafraid, we may live joyful and full
lives according to God’s will for each of us.
This is the message I bring. This is the testimony I offer to
you. I invite you, “at this very moment, to a renewed personal
encounter with Jesus Christ!” (Evangelii Gaudium, 3). Tell the Lord
that you love him and that you wish to be faithful to him. I urge
you, do not be Christians in name only, but in all your thoughts, words and
deeds. This may seem difficult at times. We are often so busy
and we leave little room for the things that matter most. Certainly,
we can be busy with many good things, such as work, studies and the responsibilities
of family and friendship. We think that God is always there, so he
can wait, and when I find a little time, I will give it to him. But
we all know what happens when we think this way. God loses first
place in our lives, and life loses its flavour, its direction, its focus.
And so, we must fall in love with Jesus again every day, and give ourselves
anew to him. For when we have a relationship with Jesus, we can see
those things which draw us to God, and those that lead us away from
him. Love changes us! Here is what a very wise priest, Father
Pedro Arrupe, once said about this: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a
quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes
your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will
get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you
spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in
love, and it will decide everything”.
Let Jesus be your first love, the Love which brings joy to all the
other loves which you encounter on the path of life! May you find him
in the Scriptures, and meet him in the sacraments, especially the Holy
Eucharist and confession.
When we know and love Jesus, we become one with him and his Body, the
Church. We belong to him, and we belong to one another. How
important this relationship is, which begins with faith given to us by
God. It is a seed he plants and tends in order to bring forth a
harvest worthy of heaven.
Jesus cares for us in two essential ways, through the Church and through
our families. In the Church, we receive the gift of divine life
through Baptism. We are strengthened in that gift by the Holy Spirit
in Confirmation. We are nourished by the Eucharist and consoled by
God’s mercy and forgiveness in Confession. And we can never forget
the love and witness which come to us from our families, our priests and
religious, our catechists and fellow parishioners, who daily grow, and
frequently struggle, in their own lives of faith.
In our families God teaches us to love him and how to live with one another
in charity and peace. Like parish communities and institutions, our
families are not always perfect, and are often reminders of the need for
conversion, forgiveness, patience and mutual encouragement. Families
are schools of prayer and mercy, where we learn how to live in the love
which unites the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There, children learn
God’s ways from their parents and grandparents, how to pray and, most
importantly, how to forgive. But children also teach their
elders. By their simplicity, humility and unconditional love, they
remind all of us that Jesus calls us to become like children, “for to such
belongs the kingdom of God” (Mt 19:14). May you be good sons and
daughters, loving parents to your children, attentive to the wisdom of your
grandparents, and ever ready to reach out to the poor and those who do not
have a family.
Our time together this morning will continue to be an encouragement for me
throughout my visit to Africa. I ask you to accompany me with your
prayers, because I need them so much. I would also like to ask you to
do something: leave this place today with a new commitment to love Jesus,
to rekindle that gift of faith which he has given you. By that love,
and by your fidelity to the Gospel, you will be beacons of hope in Kenyan
society. You will show that human dignity is worth more than possessions;
that the family is the most essential cell of society; that chastity and
marriage are gifts of God which not only fulfil the person, but enrich the
community and strengthen relationships; that an honest society seeks not
the profit or advantage of the few, but the good of all. You will
draw people to the love of God which gives meaning and direction to our
lives.
My friends, Kenya is a country blessed with natural beauty, bountiful
resources and a long history. But its greatest treasure lies in its
people, especially its elderly who preserve its wisdom, and its young who
foretell its future. May Almighty God bless you, your families, and
all the Kenyan people, and may he grant you peace, prosperity and great
joy!
Source:
Holy See Press Office
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