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Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the afternoon of December 31, the Te Deum to express gratitude for what he experienced during the year that is about to end.
Vatican City
Giovanni Batista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, read the homily that Pope Francis had prepared for this occasion, but in which he could not preside due to health problems.
Thanksgiving for the year coming to an end
Cardinal Re emphasized the reason for this celebration: “Tonight we give space for thanksgiving for the year that is coming to an end.” And he added that, although this seems “forced, almost shocking” in the context of a year marked by the pandemic, even more, there are people who wonder: what is the meaning of a drama like this?
The cardinal insisted that one should not rush to respond, because “God’s response follows the path of the incarnation, as the antiphon of the Magnificat will soon sing:” For the great love with which he loved us, God sent his Son in flesh of sin “.
Cardinal Re, then presents those features that are not those of God, the Father of Jesus and our Father: “A God who would sacrifice human beings for a great project, even if it were the best possible, is certainly not the God revealed in Jesus Christ (…) God is Father and shepherd, and what shepherd would renounce a single sheep, thinking that in the meantime he has many others? No, this cynical and ruthless God does not exist.
He then reminds us of the characteristics of the God of Jesus: “God is Father,” Eternal Father, and if his Son became man, it is because of the immense compassion of the Father’s heart.
Another feature of our God is compassion, for which he quotes the evangelist Luke (10, 25-37): The Samaritan, moved by compassion, bent over the stranger, treating him like a brother, and took care of him, doing everything possible. This fact makes it possible to find at least one meaning of the pandemic: “that of awakening compassion in us and provoking attitudes and gestures of closeness, care, solidarity, affection”.
It happens in Rome and the world
“There are so many people who, quietly, have tried to make the burden of proof more bearable. With their daily commitment, encouraged by love of neighbor, they have fulfilled the words of the hymn Te Deum: “Every day we bless you, we praise your name forever.” Because the blessing and praise that God most appreciates is brotherly love, ”Cardinal Re said.
“The same goes for health workers, nurses, volunteers (…) school leaders and teachers,” Re added, continuing: “But tonight our gratitude goes out to all those who strive every day to carry out their families and their service to the common good in the best possible way ”.
This cannot happen without the grace of God
“All this cannot happen without grace, without God’s mercy” insisted the cardinal, who stressed that it is almost natural for us to protect ourselves and our loved ones, however, “How can it be possible, then, that so many people, with no other reward than doing good, find the strength to care for others? What prompts you to give up something of yourself, your own comfort, your time, your possessions, to give it to others? “
The cardinal responds: Deep down, even if they don’t think about it themselves, they are driven by the force of God, which is more powerful than our egoism. That is why we praise him, because we believe and know that all the good that is done day after day on earth comes, in the end, from him. And looking to the future that awaits us, we implore again: “May your mercy be always with us We have hoped in you. In you we put our faith and our hope.
On January 1, Pope Francis will celebrate the Angelus prayer at 12 noon, Rome time.
Photo gallery
Thanksgiving Eve and Te Deum
