The Grand Master’s Homily at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Dear Knights and Dames,
Here, in this splendid Basilica that enshrines the memory of the Apostle Paul, we begin our pilgrimage. The presence of you all here, coming from Lieutenancies and Magistral Delegations across the world, is a true expression of catholicity and universality. This occasion —the Jubilee— is a gift of the Church and those who participate in it, who draw spiritual treasures, proper to the Jubilee Year, from the immeasurable merits of Christ: from His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Let us keep this firmly in mind throughout the coming days of our pilgrimage.
I must add that I am deeply grateful for your generous presence, so beautiful and heartfelt, which expresses not only your sensitivity to the spiritual gifts bestowed upon us by the Church, but also your enthusiastic devotion to our Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and to the mission it pursues. Thank you for this splendid testimony.
Allow me now to say a few words about the Word of God with which we begin our Jubilee here today. It could only be a Word from the Apostle Paul. But which one? The many Letters he wrote bear witness to his great work of evangelisation, through which he brought Christ to the peoples around the Mediterranean. After leaving the “Mother” Church of Jerusalem, he devoted himself to ensuring that the Grace of God reached the Gentiles. He knew well what this entailed, having encountered the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus while harbouring strong feelings of hostility and actively persecuting Christians. Indeed, the Lord had seized him and, through Grace, transformed him from a persecutor into the Apostle to the Gentiles.
In the Reading we have heard (cf. Acts 22:3–16), Paul recounts the encounter he had with Jesus, which radically changed his life. He never forgot this; indeed, he knew that it would help many men and women in their unbelief or in their weakness. It is a testimony that compels us to reflect on our own lives: where the Lord found us, and how He continues to open our eyes, inviting us to convert to Him and urging us not to be deceived by the countless temptations of life. A Knight and a Dame should never forget two things dear to the Apostle Paul, and therefore essential for us:
- Who we were, and where the Lord took us from, meeting us and giving meaning to our lives.
- What mission He entrusts to us.
For Paul, it was to be a witness of Jesus and to bring His Gospel to all peoples; for us, it is to hold dear our mission for the Holy Land, the Land of the Lord: its people, peace, compassion, and forgiveness, without forgetting the care and attention needed by our local Churches, which are also in great need, as I wrote in the Book on Spirituality and continue to repeat in homilies during Investiture ceremonies.
But was this not precisely what Paul taught his Christians in Macedonia, Corinth, Galatia, and Antioch when he urged them to be generous, to remember the “Saints” in Jerusalem as a gesture of profound solidarity?
Here, before the tomb of the Apostle Paul, we wish today to renew our commitment, as he taught us—a teaching that leads us to a deep conviction of the spiritual value of our belonging to the Order, and at the same time, of the supreme importance of charity. This awareness should never fade, for it is rooted in faith in Christ crucified and risen, not in the vanity of social status. I would like to conclude these brief reflections with an act of renewal of our faith and of our witness to it, becoming apostles of that faith, as today’s Gospel reminds us: “Go […] preach […] bear witness” (Mark 16:14–18).
The Lord calls us, and our Order responds to the invitation of the Risen One. To contribute to this mission of Jesus is the greatest honour the Lord bestows upon us, and with it, He opens us to the joy of participation. May this Jubilee be, for all of us, a beautiful opportunity to renew our commitment to Christ, to His Church, and to our Order.
Amen.