In his homily at the Requiem Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis commends his predecessor into the loving hands of God the Father, and prays that his joy may now be complete as he contemplates the Lord face to face.
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Pope Francis recalled those final words spoken by the Lord, as proclaimed in the Gospel reading at the Requiem Mass for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Thursday morning in St. Peter’s Square.
In his homily, the Pope said Jesus’ final words summed up the Lord’s entire life, “a ceaseless self-entrustment into the hands of His Father.”
The Lord’s were hands of “forgiveness and compassion, healing and mercy, anointing and blessing,” recalled Pope Francis, as he entrusted Himself also into the hands of His brothers and sisters, offering the ultimate sacrifice of life in loving and serving others.
Grateful devotion
The Pope said Jesus’ invitation to entrust our spirit in the hands of the Father is a programme of life inspiring and shaping the heart of every pastor, so that he may be “attuned in grateful devotion, in service to the Lord and to His people, a service born of thanksgiving for a completely gracious gift.”
He said this shows the great “closeness of God,” who entrusts Himself into the “frail hands of his disciples,” so they can care for His people in loving service and sacrifice. (Vatican News)
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
