Canadian Region Assembly - Homily - Day 1
Today we had the blessing of reflecting on Pope Francis’ Encyclical "Dilexit Nos". I believe that more than a magisterial document, this Encyclical is like his testament, the fruit of his faith experience in a God who loves unconditionally. And for us, who are consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this letter is a special gift from the pope to be not forgotten on the shelf but stored in the heart. He invites us to be disciples who strive to unite faith, love, and life; to be brothers who reveal the truth of their hearts through concrete actions of love, mercy, and compassion. In the very first numbers of the encyclical, Pope Francis says: “The heart is also the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. (…) Mere appearances, dishonesty, and deception harm and pervert the heart. Despite our every attempt to appear as something we are not, our heart is the ultimate judge, not of what we show or hide from others, but of who we truly are. It is the basis for any sound life project; nothing worthwhile can be undertaken apart from the heart” (DN 5-6).
Today, in the Gospel, Jesus rightly criticizes the hypocrisy lived by the scribes and Pharisees. As we know, they were proud of being the guardians of the ancient Law, chosen and privileged among the people. They considered themselves superior and better than others. They loved to appear and be praised as irreproachable religious figures, but they lived a superficial religion, based on external rituals, generating prejudice and exclusion. Jesus’ words are harsh but well-deserved: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
A hypocrite is like a masked person who puts up a beautiful facade but hides his heart, his real intentions. It is someone who is able to deliver a beautiful sermon but makes no effort to practice what he preaches. In this sense, Jesus denounces that the scribes and Pharisees neglected the most important teachings of Scripture: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are three fundamental values for those who wish to be disciples of His Heart and collaborators in the construction of His Kingdom.
Justice. What does it mean to practice justice? It’s to acknowledge that we own nothing. That, in truth, everything is a gift from God to be shared. Justice is to ensure that all people have access to the goods of the Earth, live with dignity, and in harmony with each other and with all creation. It would be to guarantee the right to honest work, good health, security, housing, freedom of speech, and religion… all of that is justice. And for us Dehonians, bringing justice is a work of reparation. It is to touch and heal the wounded Heart of Christ in the poor and the marginalized of our society; it is to bring about concrete reconciliation. We remember what Fr. Dehon once said: “If social injustices are not sin, then sin does not exist.”
And mercy? It flows from the open Heart of Christ on the cross, who, through the offering of His life, reconciles us with the Father. His love has saved us. And just as He has loved and forgiven us, we too must love and forgive those who have offended us. We all fail in life, and no one is in a position to condemn or exclude others. We are called to seek together a path of constant conversion, welcoming the grace of a merciful God who comes to the aid of all.
And what about faithfulness? What does it mean to be faithful? We know that in this life we will always fall short in our fidelity to the Lord. But despite our weaknesses, being faithful means renewing each day our consecration to the Lord who chose us and called us to be His disciples and close friends. It means embracing His Gospel, above all else, as our life plan. It means rejecting the temptation of our selfish interests, of being seduced by our personal vanities, or worshiping the god of our own ego. It is about following Christ without reservation, even when He leads us to Calvary, where things are not easy, and love demands sacrifice. It is about being so fully enveloped by God’s love that everything else becomes secondary.
In the First Reading, as Paul was facing “suffering and insults” from those who suspected the sincerity of his missionary service, he opened his heart to defend himself by sharing his tenderness for the community of Thessalonica: “With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.”
The best preaching of the Gospel is accomplished through a life offered with love each day. The Gospel is realized in the way we live our fraternal life in community, how we care for one another, serve with joy, and bear our burdens together. Of course, we come from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and histories. However, we share the same charism of love that unites us. Our Sint Unum testifies that it is possible to live as true brothers and sisters in a world so divided by selfishness, greed, and the pursuit of power.
As we read in our Constitutions number 65: “Through fellowship, even above and beyond conflicts, and through mutual forgiveness, we would like to be a sign that the fraternity for which people thirst is possible in Jesus Christ, and we would like to be its servants.”
Let us ask the Heart of Christ that this Assembly may be a time of grace to renew our commitment to Him and to one another. Aware of the challenges we face, let us seek together to respond to His call and take on the mission He entrusts to us. Let us ask for the grace to be less like Pharisees and more like disciples of the Lord. And may He help us to live justice, mercy, and fidelity through our words and actions. Amen.
Fr. Willyans Prado Rapozo, scj
