Vatican ambassadors gather for Mass to pray for pope's health

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Four weeks after Pope Francis was hospitalized and one day after the 12th anniversary of the pope's election, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, celebrated a Mass for the pope with ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

"We gather in prayer this morning with the intention of the health of the Holy Father, that he might recover and return among us soon," the cardinal said March 14.

The Mass was celebrated in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, a chapel containing the last two murals Michelangelo ever painted: one of the crucifixion of St. Peter and the other illustrating conversion of St. Paul.

In his homily, focused on the day's Lenten Gospel reading, Cardinal Parolin spoke about the connection between prayer and love for God, which is expressed through love for others.

"The best way to present our prayers to God is, above all, to offer him a heart, our hearts, open and attentive to his word," the cardinal said.

Citing Matthew 5:20, in which Jesus tells his disciples, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven," Cardinal Parolin urged the diplomats to actively seek God's will.

"If you do not go beyond human logic in your search for God's will, you will never find it," he said.

And Jesus' examples in the passage -- of not hating others, speaking ill of them or refusing to forgive them -- show that trying to do God's will involves treating others with kindness and respect, the cardinal said.

"And this relationship must be founded on charity," he said. "Charity, love for our neighbor, is the proving ground of our love for God."

In the Gospel reading, Jesus reminds his disciples of the commandment not to kill and then tells them, "But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment."

The passage, the cardinal said, equates anger with killing.

"It seems a bit exaggerated, a bit extreme," Cardinal Parolin said. "But it is that way, isn't it?"

Looking at the wars "bloodying our planet," diplomats know that they do not begin on a battlefield, "but they are born in the human heart, in feelings of hatred and hostility," he said.

The Gospel call to love one's enemies, the cardinal said, is a call to recognize with humility how much each person needs God's help and grace.

"Listening to this Gospel, we must first of all open our hearts to accept a gift before following a command," Cardinal Parolin said. "Purified by these words of the Lord, may our prayer for the health of our Holy Father gain more momentum in rising to the giver of all good gifts."