Pope Francis celebrated a Mass on Saturday for the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps in which he invited them to constantly renew his vocation so as not to fall into lukewarmness, and pointed out that Christ asks his disciples for a strong spirit and not a shy one.
The Eucharist was celebrated in the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens after the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the Vatican Gendarmerie.
In his homily for him, the Holy Father invited the gendarmes to renew their vocation to serve. “This is a celebration to pray in such a way that the Lord revives the vocation of each one of us, today that of you gendarmes, and makes it grow,” he said.
In this sense, Pope Francis explained that “when something is not revived, it goes out; when a thing does not grow, it does not move, it becomes corrupted”.
“Still water is the first to become corrupted. This is why in life it is always necessary to go forward, it is necessary to grow, revive, resume, retake the “illusion” of the vocation. Almost all of you, each one –I want to think well– entered the Gendarmerie for a vocation, a desire to do something good, as a service, as growth”, he indicated.
However, the Pontiff warned, “as also happens to us priests, everyone, one gets used to it; and when one gets used to it, instead of growing, it goes down, descends, descends…and there is born such an ugly thing in our life as priests, which is of service: lukewarmness is born, being lukewarm”.
Therefore, he said that it is necessary to revive the vocation and make it grow every day. Francis invited the gendarmes “to renew themselves: every day to be better, every day to take a step forward in the very vocation to which we have been called.”
In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that Saint Paul asks his disciple to renew and take charge of the gift that has been given to her.
In this sense, he called on the gendarmes to take charge of their own vocations “not with a spirit of timidity”, but “with a spirit of faith, charity and strength. Three things that are important.
“Our life, if we do not live it in the light of faith, it is better to dedicate ourselves to another task. My life, the life of all priests, and yours as gendarmes”, said the Pope, who indicated that it is important to live the faith in a “true service”.
“The Lord – he affirmed – asks us for a spirit of strength, to revive with strength, with charity and with strength, not timidly, thus Paul says to the disciple. And this is what I wish for you: not to have the shyness that pulls you down. One thing is the fear of God, yes; but not shyness”.
Likewise, Pope Francis encouraged not to fear mistakes. “What if I’m wrong? I apologize and move on, because the error is not final. We all make mistakes, all of us! If someone is not mistaken, raise your hand, because that is how I make you come to preach.”
“We all make mistakes. And do not be afraid of this, but walk with strength in the service, and always forward. Rekindle their vocation for service, as gendarmes”, he encouraged.
Finally, the Pontiff asked Saint Michael the Archangel, for all the gendarmes, “the grace to be able to revive the vocation”.
(Adapted from ACI Prensa)