Homily of Father General - Feast of St. Francis Borgia

The patron of the General Curia is St. Francis Borgia, the third General of the Society of Jesus (1565-1572.) His feast day, on 3 October, is the occasion for the entire Curia community, lay members and Jesuits, to pray together. Due to the sanitary rules linked to the pandemic, we were not able to meet in the chapel of St. Francis Borgia. To ensure social distancing, we celebrated the mass in the Aula of the Congregations.

Here is an excerpt from the homily of Father Arturo Sosa, Superior General, on this occasion.

The pandemic has openly highlighted the consequences of the use of power to establish the dominion of the few, instead of making it an instrument to care for the Common Good. The difference between conceiving power as an instrument of domination or service is reflected on all levels of human life, from fundamental relationships in our families and communities, to our neighbourhood, our country and even international relations.

The life of St. Francis Borgia is a parable of conversion from power of domination to power of service. He went from frequenting the “great ones” of the world to having no other Lord than Jesus, crucified and risen, for whom he dedicated himself with his heart, life and soul to the service of the most needy, according to the charism of the Society of Jesus which he had known closely under the guidance of Ignatius of Loyola himself.

Inspired by the memory of our patron, St. Francis Borgia, and enlightened by the Word of God, we gather for this Eucharist asking for light for this new year that is beginning. We also pray for the victims of the pandemic, especially those we have known closely, for the members of the apostolic body of the Society, as well as for the one million and more people that Covid-19 has taken.

Above all, we gather around the Eucharist to nourish our faith and increase our Hope. The pandemic is not over and we do not know how long it will last. Nor can we predict with certainty its consequences in the medium and long term. Therefore, we ask the Lord to increase our faith and strengthen us as witnesses of Hope for our companions, for our families, for our friends.

As citizens of this country and as citizens of the world, we want to be witnesses of Hope in the possibility of a better world than the one we have known. Hope that leads us to act in response, contributing according to who we are and what we have to make this possible.

The Ignatian expression “in everything to love and to serve” takes on a special significance in these moments to inspire us in our daily lives. This is what we desire as a community of life and work of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus: to love and to serve in all things.

May Our Lady of the Way be the one who accompanies us in this conversion to the life of love and service that can make a difference in the times to come.