Pope at Mass: Love is the centre of the Gospel

By Christopher Wells

The beauty of Singapore, the “great and bold architecture” that make the city “so famous and fascinating”, was the starting point for Pope Francis’ homily at Mass on Thursday, as he reflected on St Paul’s words, “Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up”.

Love is the foundation of great works

The Holy Father insisted it is love, not primarily “money, techniques, or even engineering ability”, that is at the foundation of the great works people accomplish.

Acknowledging that some might consider such a statement naïve, he said, a little reflection can show that great works, although inspired by creativity and genius, nonetheless rely on countless “fragile men and women” motivated by love, without which “there is no love, no impetus, no reason to act, no strength to build”.

God, the foundation of our capacity to love

This conviction, he continued, is “confirmed and enlightened” by faith, which teaches that God, our common Father, “is at the root of our capacity to love and to be loved”.

God created each of us freely and out of love; and it is God’s love that redeems us and frees us “from sin and death through the death and resurrection of His only Son”.

So, the Pope said, quoting his predecessor, St John Paul II, “in our own love we see a reflection of God’s love… love that is characterized by a deep respect for all people, regardless of their race, belief, or whatever makes them different from ourselves”.

Sharing God's love with others

“These our important words for us”, Pope Francis said, “because, beyond the astonishment we feel in the face of human works, they remind us that there is an even greater wonder to be embraced with even greater admiration and respect: namely, the brothers and sisters we meet” every day.

Pope Francis went on to say that God’s love invites us to share with others, to respond generously to the needs of the poor, to encourage those who suffer, and to be always ready to forgive and to hope”.

Love, he said, again quoting St John Paul, “is the very centre of the Gospel”!

The example of the saints

The Holy Father concluded his homily by pointing to the example of two saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Francis Xavier, who exemplify that love.

On today’s feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, “we see the Father’s love manifested in one of the most beautiful and fulsome of ways”, that is, in the tenderness of a mother who never abandons us.

And in St Francis Xavier, who in his missionary journeys was often welcomed in Singapore, we see a saint who recognized the primacy of charity over learning.

Pope Francis invited the faithful to follow their example, and to take up the words of St Francis Xavier, “Lord, here I am; what do you want me to do?”, so that "they may accompany us not only in these days, but always, as a constant commitment to listening and responding readily to the invitations to love and live justly that continue to come to us today from the infinite love of God”.