Ready to love “without limits”

The warm, friendly meeting between Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict, is an image that will be engraved in the memory of the consistory of February 14, when Bergoglio imposed the biretta, consigned the ring and assigned the title or diaconate church to 19 new cardinals in St. Peter’s. The twentieth new Cardinal, Jose de Jesus Pimiento, 96, has asked to receive the biretta in Colombia.A strong sense of justice. In the homily delivered during the celebration the Pope chose the hymn to charity of the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians as “Magna Charta” for the new Cardinals to whom Francis explained the meaning of being “generous” as a “synonym of Catholicism”, ability “to love without limits, but also to be faithful in particular situations and with practical gestures.” The Pope quoted from St. Ignatius highlighting the need of “loving the little things within the horizon of the great things,” outlining “the spiritual program” of the Cardinals, “to be incardinated and docile.” To feel anger, but not pent-up anger, “This is unacceptable in a man of the Church”, who is never “self-centered” and does not seek “his own interest”, but who has instead “a strong sense of justice.” Cardinalate is not “honorific.” “The cardinalate is certainly an honour, but it is not honorific.” These were the first words of the Pope, in the homily of the Consistory. “”This we already know from its name – ‘cardinal’ – from the word ‘cardo’, a hinge”, Francis explained. “As such it is not a kind of accessory, a decoration, like an honorary title. Rather, it is a pivot, a point of support and movement essential for the life of the community.” “In the Church, all ‘presiding’ flows from charity, must be exercised in charity, and is ordered towards charity.” “Loving without limits.” “The greater our responsibility in serving the Church, the more our hearts must expand according to the measure of the heart of Christ.” It is the Pope’s invitation, who quoting the words of St. Paul underlines: “‘Patience’ – ‘forbearance’ – is in some sense synonymous with catholicity”: “it means being able to love without limits, but also to be faithful in particular situations and with practical gestures.” “It means loving what is great without neglecting what is small; loving the little things within the horizon of the great things”, he added with a quote from St. Ignatius. “To know how to love through acts of kindness”, the other indication to the Cardinals: “benevolence – means the firm and persevering intention to always will the good of others, even those unfriendly to us.”The “temptation” of enviousness. Not even “Church dignitaries are “immune from this temptation” of “enviousness”, vanity, pride. When he quotes from St. Paul who said that charity “‘is not arrogant or rude, it does not insist on its own way'”, the Pope describes him as a “miracle of charity”, “since we humans – all of us, at every stage of our lives – are inclined to jealousy and pride, since our nature is wounded by sin.” “Those who abide in charity are not self-centred.” It is the portrayal of cardinals offered by the Pope to the newly appointed Church dignitaries. “The self-centred inevitably become disrespectful; very often they do not even notice this. The self-centred person inevitably seeks his own interests; he thinks this is normal, even necessary.” At times, this “‘interests’ can even be cloaked in noble appearances, but underlying them all is always ‘self-interest.” A program of life. “Even if a momentary outburst is forgivable, this is not the case with rancour. God Save us from that!.” In the homily at the Consistory, the Pope guarded against the “mortal risk” or pent-up anger, which makes us brood over wrongs we have received. No. This is unacceptable in a man of the Church”, followed by the cry: “Pastors close to their people have plenty of opportunities to be irritable, to feel anger. Perhaps we risk being all the more irritable in relationships with our confreres, since in effect we have less excuses.” Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things’.” Here, in these four words, for Pope Francis “is a spiritual and pastoral program of life.” This what cardinals are: “persons ready to bear patiently every situation and each of our brothers and sisters, in union with Christ, who bore with love the burden of our sins.”