April 07, 2014 - Pope Francis visited a parish in southern Rome Sunday evening, and
reminded the faithful about the importance of detaching oneself from sin through the
power of Christ’s healing grace. In his homily at Mass in the parish of St. Gregory
the Great Church in Magliana, he reflected on Jesus raising Lazarus from death asking
the parishioners to think about death, tomb and the stone. Jesus’ command, ‘Lazarus,
come forth!’ the Pope said, is asking us to detach ourselves from sin, so that all
of our hearts might be healed and resurrected by the power of Jesus. He noted that
some people have many dead parts of the heart, and find it difficult to be free of
sin. But the power of Jesus is able to help us leave this dead part of the heart,
this tomb that we all have, the Pope said. He gifted the parishioners a pocket-size
Gospel each, as he had done earlier in St. Peter’s Square, asking them to read it
any time, such as when travelling in the bus. But on a humorous note cautioned them
not to be too complacent, “else they’ll pick-pocket you.” Prior to the Mass,
Pope Francis met the children and youth of the parish, the sick, the elderly, the
engaged, and couples who recently had their children baptized, as well as members
of an outreach group helping with the reintegration of ex-prisoners and ex-addicts.
Sunday’s visit was Pope Francis’ sixth pastoral visit to a parish in the diocese of
Rome.