Rev. Don Francesco
Brothers and sisters

May the Lord give you peace!

What a joy to come and celebrate this third Sunday of Lent in this Parish, for us the Jubilee Church of the Virgin Mary of Graces in Larnaca. A place where our faithful from all our parishes and our communities have come and will come to obtain indulgences in this Jubilee Year…

Truly the Jubilee Year is a year of grace… And the Church loves us, accompanies us. Yes, the Church is Mother, and this is the true image of the Church: Mother. And Pope Francis once again had his gaze, his attention for the Church of Cyprus. He appointed one of our priests, Father Francesco di Palma: Missionary of Mercy. To accompany our faithful, in welcoming the pilgrims who will come to Larnaca in this Jubilee Year, with the faculty to absolve all sins, even those reserved to the Pope, reserved to the Holy Father. Yes, there are sins that only the bishop can absolve. And priests can absolve by asking the permission of the bishop (for example abortion), and also other sins that are reserved to the Supreme Pontiff (the Pope).

Father Francesco di Palma, Pontifical Missionary of Mercy is called in the name of the Pope, and of the Church to encourage the faithful to ask for the Sacrament of Penance, of Reconciliation. The Missionary of Mercy is called to help the pilgrims who come to Larnaca, in this Jubilee Church to experience mercy… and who can regain “hope”… Yes, Father Francesco, you are Missionary of Mercy and Hope… in this Jubilee of Hope.

Yes, our world needs Hope…. Our times, the times we are living in are marked by suffering. Today’s Gospel speaks to us of the great mystery of suffering… In the Gospel some go to Jesus to report a news story (that had happened), abominable, terrible facts. Pilate had exercised his power in a bloody way: by killing people in the Temple. He had killed Galileans and mixed their blood with that of the sacrifices (truly this act was a provocation, an act to humiliate the Jewish people)… and he had put many innocent people in prison. And the people go to Jesus asking for an explanation, the reason for this fact. The reason for evil… why God allows evil in the world. Be careful: many times we too have these questions… the reason for wars… the reason for suffering…

How many times when an illness comes to us. Even the illness of a child… the illness of one of our relatives… and immediately we ask ourselves the question: “But what have I done wrong (what has he or she done wrong) to deserve this?”. We seek answers, and it is also legitimate, but we need to enter into the awareness that for certain events, certain situations there are no answers. And we must be very clear: we do not have the answer for everything… We celebrated Saint Joseph a few days ago, and for me Saint Joseph is the “icon” of obedience to the will of God, even without understanding everything… and it is so: you will never be able to understand everything… and Saint Joseph teaches us, in the face of suffering, in dark moments we must be present. Saint Joseph does not speak… but he does, he is present. This is the path of faith…

Today it is as if Jesus were asking us not to think that our suffering is a punishment from God for the sins committed, or that God is absent, or that he does not love us or that he does not care about our suffering. Today Jesus invites us to make a different reading of those facts, placing them in the perspective of “conversion”. In fact, misfortunes, difficult events […] must represent opportunities to reflect, to overcome the illusion of being able to live without God, and to strengthen, with the help of the Lord, the commitment to change life. And He will always leave man free… to choose between good and evil… and many times man chooses evil… and we will have the consequences… (The question is not where is God, but where is man?)

A few years ago, I understood something very important, when we have some problem, a difficult moment, when someone speaks badly of me, criticizes me, goes against me. I do not call these people enemies, but I call them: benefactors, Yes, they help me to understand, and also to see my limits, my sins, my defects. And so many times I go back… I think about my actions, my words and so I ask for the Lord’s help, and I understand that I really need God. And in the end, they helped me in my spiritual life, in my journey of conversion.

Yes, brothers and sisters, Lent is the time of conversion. The Jubilee Year is a time of conversion, let us remember: the cross is an educator… And I would like to conclude with this prayer:

Lord, my God, here I am before you: I am sick, Lord, and you know my suffering and my fatigue, you also know my fear. Lord, in my dark night, be my light, do not leave me alone in my anguish, make me believe in your unique, merciful love, which leads me to Hope… Amen