Vatican City, Nov 24, 2013 / 06:19 am
In his homily at Sunday Mass on the Feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis emphasized Jesus' crucial place in creation, history, and the Church.
"The attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words, and in our works," he preached to a crowded St. Peter's Square on Nov. 24.
The many pilgrims who had come to celebrate the close of the Year of Faith listened attentively as he continued, "When this center is lost, when it is replaced by something else, only harm can result for everything around us and for ourselves."
This historic Mass at the "crowning of the liturgical year" marked not only the conclusion of a year dedicated to rediscovering "the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our baptism." In an unprecedented gesture, Pope Francis had the reliquary containing the bones of St. Peter brought out to the square.