Pope FRANCIS - FUNERAL LIVESTREAM

Following the 5pm Mass on Saturday 26 April, we will livestream Pope Francis’ Funeral within our Church for all to be united in prayer for the repose of his soul. The ceremony official commences at 6pm Sydney time.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We come to the second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday with bittersweet feelings. In a forty-eight hour period we have celebrated the joy of the Resurrection of Christ only then to mourn the passing of his Vicar on earth, Pope Francis. As we look at these two realities juxtaposed we can’t help but see our faith and the hope it brings writ large for the world to see. The cornerstone of our salvation lies in the Jesus’ rising from the dead. It illumines our darkness gives comfort in our trials and tribulations and places love where others might only see suffering. Pope Francis’ vocation as the shepherd of the Church was to be the pre-eminent witness to this reality. As he is taken from earth just after celebrating our Saviour’s conquering of the grave we find our own faith reinforced.

We now ask that our Holy Father be met with the merciful love of Jesus about which he had preached so strongly. Who could forget the ocean of Divine tenderness that restored so many suffering souls during the special Jubilee of Mercy called by Francis in 2016?

While he may well be remembered more in the popular media for his encyclical on the environment, ‘Laudato Si,’ or his one on marriage, ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ some of his deepest and richest works came in the last year of his pontificate. His encyclical on the heart of Christ, ‘Dilexit Nos’ (He Loved Us) is pure fuel for prayer and contemplation as is his letter convoking the Jubilee year we are living right now, ‘Spes Non Confundit’ (Hope does not disappoint).

Apart from his writings, Francis will be remembered for being the Pope with the common touch. When I lived in Rome I was always impressed by how much affection ordinary people on the street felt for him. His emphasis on the poor, the marginalised and the forgotten has placed Christ’s “little one’s” firmly at the centre of the Church’s heart and mission.

On a personal note, I have always felt a strong connection to him as I was privileged to be the deacon that presented him with the fisherman’s ring (the symbol of Papal authority) at his installation Mass. On that day, Pope Francis said to everyone he met, “Pray for me, pray for me!” He renews that plea today, and so we pray for the repose of his soul. His work as the Vicar of Christ now done we ask that he hears the words flowing from Easter hope, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matt 25:23)

Fr Dan McCaughan