During his visit to the Asti Cathedral on Nov. 20, Pope Francis explained that Jesus Christ's crucifixion death was his way of embracing every man's death, pain, and frailty.
Francis made the statement at the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King at the Asti Cathedral, which is part of this two-day visit to the Italian province in its northeastern portion.
What Christ's Crucifixion Death Meant
According to the Catholic News Agency (CNA) report, Christ's death on the cross bears many meanings for man.
"Only by entering into [Christ's] embrace do we come to realize that God went to this extreme, even to the paradox of the cross, in order to embrace everything about us, even what was furthest from him: our death - he embraced our death - our pain, our poverty, our weakness, and our frailties. He embraced all of that," CNA quoted the pope saying.
Francis's homily happened on the last Sunday of the current liturgical year. The pope expressed his wish for people to think about "the roots of our faith." His message was nothing short of fitting since he delivered it in a country where his family came.
"Those roots are planted in the barren soil of Calvary, where Jesus, like the seed that falls to the earth and dies, made hope spring up," the pope lamented.
He likewise urged the Catholic faithful to ask themselves if Jesus Christ, whom Catholics believe is the king of the universe, is also the king of their lives.
"Do I believe him? How can I celebrate him as the Lord of all creation, unless he also becomes the Lord of my life?" the pope told Catholics to reflect on.
He added that Christ is looking at humanity from his place on the cross.
"It is up to us to choose whether we will be onlookers or involved. Am I a spectator or do I want to be involved?" Francis said.
"We see the crises of the present time, the decline of faith, the lack of participation... What are we to do? Are we content to theorize and criticize, or do we roll up our sleeves, take life in hand, and pass from the 'if' of excuses to the 'yes' of prayer and service? All of us think we know what is wrong with society, all of us; we talk every day about what is wrong with the world, and even with the Church - many things are wrong with the Church. But then what do we do? Do we soil our hands like our God, nailed to the cross? Or do we stand with hands in our pockets, as mere onlookers?" CNA quoted the pope saying in his Sunday sermon.
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Pope's Italian Heritage
The website bared that the pope's family traces its root to the region.
His father, Mario Jose Giuseppi Bergoglio, resided in the Diocese of Asti before he migrated to Argentina. The pope's maternal grandparents likewise lived in northern Italy before transferring to the same Latin American country.
Aside from his engagement at the Asti Cathedral, the pope also visited his second cousin, Carla Rabezzana, to participate in her 90th birthday celebration in her home in Piedmont. He likewise had lunch in a cousin's house in Portocomaro and visited a home for the elderly before flying back to the Vatican on Sunday.
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