Earthen Vessels

Without humility, without the ability to publicly acknowledge your sins and your own human frailty, you can not attain salvation and proclaim Christ, nor pretend to be his witness.

Pope Francis invited all to reflect on the theme of Christian humility during his homily at Mass Friday morning, 14 June, in the Chapel of the Domus Sancate Marthae. Concelebrating with him among others were Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governorate, and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. Also present were officers and employees from the department. Accompanying Cardinal Bertello were relatives of the late Archbishop Ubaldo Calabresi, who for years was Apostolic Nuncio to Argentina. During the prayers of the faithful, the Holy Father asked for prayers for the bishop to whom he was bound by a deep friendship.

The daily readings from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians (4:7-15) and the Gospel of Matthew (5:27-32) were at the centre of the Pope's meditation, who linked the image of the 

“beauty of Jesus, the power of Jesus, and the salvation that Jesus brings us”, which the Apostle Paul speaks of, with that of the “earthen vessels” in which the treasure of faith is contained.

Christians are like clay pots, because they are weak, in that they are sinners. Nevertheless, the Pope said, between “us poor, earthen vessels” and “the power of Jesus Christ” is a dialogue, and that is the “dialogue of salvation”. He warned that when this dialogue assumes the tone of self-justification, it means that something is not working and that there is no salvation. The humility of a Christian is that of one who follows the path indicated by the Apostle. “We must recognize our sins, concretly, and not present ourselves with a false image”.

“Brothers, we have a treasure: the Saviour Jesus Christ, the cross of Jesus Christ is treasure in which we rejoice”, but let us not forget “to also confess our sins” because only in this way 

“the dialogue is Christian, Catholic, and concrete”. “Jesus Christ did not save us with an idea, nor with an intellectual program. He saved us with flesh, with the concreteness of the flesh. He lowered himself, became man, and was made flesh until the end”.  You can only understand a treasure like this if you are transformed into clay pots.