Ez. 37:1-5.11-14
Sisters and brothers,
we are gathered in this Basilica to pray for Pope Francis' trip to Iraq. We pray to the Lord for his protection, for the protection of all Iraqis, and that they will soon receive the gift of peace after so much suffering.
The pope as the "messenger of the good news who is going to proclaim peace and salvation" arrived in Baghdad this morning. His presence is a gospel that will lead to good news. The messenger of peace went to the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad where a terrible attack occurred. This offensive killed 48 people in December 2010; these individuals are contemporary martyrs. A red marble strip commemorates the blood of the martyrs from the altar to the churchyard.
The messenger of peace travels to Najaf, which is the shrine city of the Shiites. He will pay a visit to the great ayatollah al Sistani, who is a spiritual and important figure for the Shiites. Al Sistani was met by some of us in 2014 in Najaf. He started the meeting with these words: "You are part of us, we are part of you." We know what it means for Arabs to receive a guest in their home: it is the greatest gesture of friendship. A gesture that in Abraham's life brought the good news of a long-awaited offspring. Let us pray that many fruits of dialogue and understanding between Christians and Muslims will arise from this gathering. The messenger of peace goes to Ur, which is the land of Abraham, to pray for peace with the children of Abraham. Among them, there are also representatives of the Sabean Mandean community. Another step of the Spirit of Assisi takes place in a land where war has been considered holy by different fanatics, whereas the Spirit of Assisi for so many years has said that only peace is holy.
The messenger of peace goes to the Chaldean cathedral of St. Joseph in Baghdad where he celebrates -for the first time for a pope- the liturgy in the Chaldean rite, whose liturgical language is Aramaic, which is considered the language of Jesus. In particular, this ritual is the closest to synagogal worship among the Christian liturgies. Hence, he pays homage to an ancient martyred Church of this land, which in the early centuries spread the Gospel even in India and China. Today, this Church has even suffered an extensive emigration of believers due to war and terrorism.
Moreover, the messenger of peace travels to Erbil, which is the capital city of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. This place is a symbol of a population, specifically the Kurdish people who have endured so much suffering. In Erbil, the messenger of peace will meet Christians who have found refuge and hospitality during the harsh years of the Daesh caliphate. Here the pope will celebrate the liturgy in the city's stadium. The messenger of peace and good announcements voyages to Mosul, particularly to the square of the four churches (Syrian Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, and Chaldean). They were destroyed between 2014 and 2017 by terrorist attacks. Father Ragheed was a pastor in Mosul; he was killed together with three deacons in June 2007. His stole is kept at St. Bartholomew's and it was given to us by his parents during a touching prayer. In Mosul, the Pope prays for the victims of the war: Christians, Muslims, and Yezidis. We are all brothers. The messenger of peace goes to Qaraqosh, precisely to the Syrian Catholic church where a thriving Christian community lived, but it was wiped out by the self-styled Islamic State. Fortunately, this community is now beginning to repopulate the town and rebuild homes and churches. The messenger of joyful news comes to bring the Gospel of Resurrection in which the cries of death and the tragic clang of weapons have echoed.
The land that was visited by the Pope, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow, is located in Mesopotamia which is considered the cradle of ancient civilizations. It is also the homeland of Abraham (the father of all believers ). Furthermore, this place was the Babylon where the Jews were deported after the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar's troops. Specifically, the prophet Ezekiel was even deported with them. The Lord prompted him. Ezekiel did not give in to the despair or discouragement that had taken the Jews out of their land as refugees. Those people could not be regarded as barren bones. They received the spirit. A spirit that gives strength and it brings together the scattered and resigned people. The Lord revives the dry bones because they are scattered. He brings them together to establish a covenant of peace with them. In fact, the covenant of peace, which is God's work, lives among nations. Christians are challenged by this question and then they ask themselves: how can we be the men and women of peace, particularly artisans of peace? Similarly, the Church wonders whether it should not be a sign of the individuals’ unity, precisely a reference for humanity on the way to peace.
The Lord asks the prophet a question. This query is "Will these bones be able to live again?" It is a question of life in the midst of so much death. It is humanly impossible but God watches over the history of people. The Word of the Lord always rises as a great question during this feeling of being lost in these views. It is not a rhetorical question. Can these bones be revived? Will Iraq be able to revive in peace? There is an answer to that question during these days. The messenger of peace -- for whose mission and protection we pray tonight -- is giving an answer through his presence and his word that brings good news. The Pope asserts "Prophesy to these bones and announces to them, Withered bones, hear the word of the Lord. The Lord says to these bones: Behold! I bring the Spirit into you, and you shall live again." What a great mission is entrusted to the Pope! The hand of the Lord is upon him to protect and bless him. The Spirit illuminates the Word.
The Lord asks that his Spirit of life can be instilled in those barren bones; in this way, they may live again. The Spirit is the gift of life. The Spirit is God's passage into a parched world. The Spirit is hope in this desperate world. The Spirit is strength in a world that is drained by suffering, and it is guidance in a world of people who have lost their way. The prophet speaks and the Spirit acts. The Spirit restores life to dry bones. During Ezekiel's time, "the great work of God" was to restore the life of hopeless people. "The spirit entered them and they came back to life and stood up; they were a great and immense army". Those individuals knew about the resurrection and they came back to life. That is what we pray for tonight, by wishing the Day of Resurrection will come soon for the Christians of Iraq -and for all Iraqis-!
Let us thank the Lord because we are witnessing a story that is set in motion and not a narrative that is locked in the tombs of tragic immobility. One man and one faith can move mountains!
