Pope Francis canonises Br Junipero Serra

[By Christopher White from Catholic Voices USA] The canonisation mass of Blessed Junipero Serra at Catholic University of America was a call to Christian mission—for all Catholics to follow the example of Serra in proclaiming to good news of Christ, to heal wounds, and meet people where they are in life. He rejected criticism of Serra and noted that he “sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.”On Christian mission he said:

“A Christian finds joy in mission: Go out to people of every nation!A Christian experiences joy in following a command: Go forth and proclaim the good news!A Christian finds ever new joy in answering a call: Go forth and anoint!”“Go out to proclaim the good news that error, deceitful illusions and falsehoods do not have the last word in a person’s life. Go out with the ointment which soothes wounds and heals hearts.”“Mission is never the fruit of a perfectly planned program or a well-organized manual. Mission is always the fruit of a life which knows what it is to be found and healed, encountered and forgiven. Mission is born of a constant experience of God’s merciful anointing.”“The Church, the holy People of God, treads the dust-laden paths of history, so often traversed by conflict, injustice and violence, in order to encounter her children, our brothers and sisters. The holy and faithful People of God are not afraid of losing their way; they are afraid of becoming self-enclosed, frozen into élites, clinging to their own security. They know that self-enclosure, in all the many forms it takes, is the cause of so much apathy.”

And on Junipero Serra:

"Today we remember one of those witnesses who testified to the joy of the Gospel in these lands, Father Junípero Serra. He was the embodiment of “a Church which goes forth”, a Church which sets out to bring everywhere the reconciling tenderness of God.”“Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people.”

Click here for the full text of the homily.