by Sue
Waiting in line on Palermo’s Corso Vittorio Emmanuele among thousands of groups of young people, whole parishes and families:
The Pope arrived by helicopter from the town Piazza Armerina. There was a huge cheer from the 100,000 of us lining Palermo’s Foro Italico as the helicopter came into view.
“3P: Love will change the world”:
Below is the video of Pope Francis’s homily. An English translation can be found below.
“Twenty-five years ago today, when he died on his birthday, he crowned his victory with a smile, with that smile that kept his killer awake at night. His killer said: “there was a kind of light in that smile”. Fr Pino was defenceless, but his smile transmitted the power of God: not a blinding glare, but a gentle light that delves in and enlightens the heart. It is the light of love, of giving, of service. We need many smiling priests. We need many smiling Christians, not because they take things lightly, but because they are rich only in the joy of God, because they believe in love and live to serve. It is in giving one’s life that joy is found, because there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20:35). So, I would like to ask you: do you too wish to live this way? Do you want to give your life, without expecting others to take the first step? Do you want to do good without expecting to be repaid, without waiting for the world to become better? Dear brothers and sisters, do you wish to risk taking this path, to take a risk for the Lord?”