Homily
... We let ourselves be helped, in our meditation, by the [lectionary] Readings we have heard.
In the first, God reminds the Israelites of the gratuitousness with which he loved them. He chose them not because they had particular privileges, gifts or merits, but out of pure love (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7-9), and he will always continue to love them, even if, because of their hardened hearts, they do not reciprocate his feelings.
This is God's charity, in which our vocation to love is rooted, which is not founded on calculation, nor on mere feeling, nor is it reducible to simple philanthropy, but invades our whole being: fire for the soul, light for the mind, irresistible impulse for freedom, peace and at the same time torment for the heart. that beats in tune with other hearts, involving the whole person. Because loving is connatural to man, indeed, it is the condition of the fullness of his very existence. ...
Address to Organizations Working with Migrants
In biblical language, the sea can symbolize danger, darkness and chaos. In the sea we find the Leviathan, which represents power that devours, and Rahab, a name that evokes the arrogance of the powers that rise up against God and against life (cf. Ps 74:13–14; 89:10–11; Is 27:1; 51:9; Job 26:12). Even today, monsters lurk in these seas: mafias that profit from despair, traffickers who enslave women and children, and those whose indifference allows the poor to be swallowed up by exploitation or forgetfulness.
However, faith is not paralyzed by the power of the sea. We believe in a God who subdues chaos, limits evil and opens up paths where death seems to prevail. The people of Israel experienced this as they crossed the Red Sea to escape slavery and walk toward freedom (cf. Ex 14:21–31). We see this in Christ, who walked on water and, in the face of the storm, uttered a decisive phrase: “Peace! Be still!” (Mk 4:39; cf. Mt 14:25-27). His voice continues to resound against the forces that devour, enslave and discard so many of our brothers and sisters. If Christ commands the sea to be still, the Church cannot remain silent about those who are abandoned to its waters.
