Bishop Dónal McKeown has said Pope Francis courageously reached out to those on the margins and challenged vested interests both political and economic during his papacy. - video Dailymotion

Derry Journal

Bishop Dónal McKeown has said Pope Francis courageously reached out to those on the margins and challenged vested interests both political and economic during his papacy.

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00:00His courageous reaching out to and for those on the margins.

00:06His challenging of vested interests, political and economic.

00:12But we remember the last 12 years, at least I do,

00:15as a time when Christ's core message of mercy and joy were proclaimed.

00:22They may have been key themes in his own personal spiritual journey over all the years,

00:26but they were also core messages for our angry and frightened times.

00:33He spoke in an uncomplicated language that addressed peace,

00:39the destruction of the earth's resources and the effect on the poor.

00:43And he challenged loudly and bluntly vested interests in economics and in the church.

00:51Like Peter and John in today's first reading,

00:54Pope Francis knew that the truth was always uncomfortable,

00:59especially for the strong,

01:01and that to quote the psalm which is quoted again in our first reading,

01:05the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

01:11Any future can be built only on the cornerstone of a shared search for the truth

01:17and never on the shifting sands of greed and narrow self-interest.

01:23Making the church great again is not on our agenda.

01:28But it's intriguing that despite his disposal of uncomfortable causes,

01:32his challenge of many people in strong positions,

01:35tomorrow's funeral will be attended by many of the powerful

01:37whom we would have criticised,

01:39people in many cases who have no connection with Christianity of any kind,

01:43least of all with Catholicism.

01:45The crowds of people from every walk of life suggest

01:49there is a hunger for the message

01:52that Peter and John in our first reading

01:55preached to the rulers, the elders, the scribes,

01:58the high priests in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.

02:02Resurrection still means that bad news

02:05and poor role models,

02:08brutality and hard-heartedness

02:10are not the best we can expect,

02:13nor will they have the final say.

02:17In the crowds I hear a cry for grace and new life

02:20to overcome the reality of sin and exploitation.

02:26And Jesus' message on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias,

02:30the Sea of Galilee,

02:31is one the church also, also needs to hear.

02:34The life of Pope Francis suggested that one great danger from the church

02:38comes not from outside enemies of the word,

02:42but from those in church who think that an abundant catch is not possible.

02:48Peter and his companions go against their best instinct

02:51as experienced fishermen,

02:53and they are astounded by the huge catch of fish.

02:58That's the sort of conversion that's needed

02:59if the church is to be renewed.

03:02Sinodality is not about tinkering with structures or teachings

03:05in order to suit somebody's passing agenda.

03:08That's silly.

03:10It's about listening together to what the Lord is saying.

03:13And leadership is about having the courage to put out the nets

03:16despite everything that is saying

03:18this would be a waste of time.

03:21It's worth noting in our Gospel story too

03:24that as the Apostles come ashore with a haul of fish,

03:28Jesus already had a fire lit with fish cooking on it.

03:31But he still asks the Apostles to bring some of the fish

03:34that they have just caught.

03:37Though he can provide everything,

03:39he still wants everybody to be able to make their own contribution

03:43to the shared table.

03:46A Eucharistic community sits down together

03:49where everyone has a contribution to make.

03:53Resurrection changes not only what has happened,

03:55it changes what can happen.

03:57It involves a resurrection of our imagination

03:59and of what we dream for the mission of the church.

04:04Renewal comes not merely from believing the truth,

04:07but from living the truth

04:09in reviewing how we structure

04:11our community of missionary disciples.

04:16And so this weekend, in these days,

04:18we commend the soul of Pope Francis to God.

04:22In life, he constantly asks people to pray for him.

04:26We still do that.

04:28He knew, like the first Peter did,

04:31that of all the names in the world,

04:33the name of Jesus is the only one

04:36by which we can be saved.

04:38So we accompany him with our prayers

04:40as he comes before the one who says

04:43that as often as we reached out

04:44to the least of Christ's brothers and sisters,

04:47we did it to him.

04:51And because we can look back on the last years

04:53with gratitude

04:53for the one who began his ministry

04:56with the words,

04:57Good evening,

04:58and he finished his ministry by saying,

05:00Happy Easter,

05:01we can face the future with trust

05:03that God will continue

05:04to be at work in his church

05:06even when we think God is not.

05:09All we have to do

05:11is to act justly,

05:12to love tenderly,

05:15walk together humbly with our God,

05:18and be amazed at the abundant catch

05:20that comes through those

05:22who put out into deep water

05:23and allow God to bring resurrection

05:26into the mess of our Calvaries.

05:29May his soul and the souls

05:33of all the faithful departed

05:34do the mercy of the Lord.

05:37Amen.

05:39As you leave the cathedral this evening,

05:42you're invited to take a packet

05:44of seeds for wild flowers

05:47in honor of St. Pope Francis

05:50to plant them when you go home

05:52so that we continue to improve our environment.

05:56So as you're leaving,

05:58there are packets of seeds of wild flowers,

06:01and even if you don't have a garden,

06:02you'll have a window box

06:03or something that you can put them in.

Bishop Dónal McKeown has said Pope Francis courageously reached out to those on the margins and challenged vested interests both political and economic during his papacy.

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