Practice Beatitudes for holy, happy life: Mumbai Bishop

OLD GOA: As tens of thousands of devotees thronged Old Goa to celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier, fondly known as Goencho Saib, Auxiliary Bishop Barthol Barretto on Monday exhorted the faithful to strive to put into practice the beatitudes of Christian identity for a holy and happy life.
The auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay was delivering his homily at the Feast Mass of St Francis Xavier in tune with the theme of the feast ‘Like St Francis Xavier, let us live the beatitudes and be holy'.
Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Ferrao and Bishop of Sindhudurg Allwyn Barretto were the other prelates con celebrating the feast mass along with Counsellor at the Apostolic Nunciature of India at New Delhi Monsignor Javier D Fernández González, Rector of Bom Jesus Basilica Fr Patricio Fernandes, Vicar-General Fr José Remedios Fernandes, Se Cathedral Parish Priest Fr Alfred Vaz and scores of other priests from all over archdiocese and beyond.
“Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exaltation has said that as Christians, we can live a holy and happy life it we strive to put into practice the beatitudes of Christian identity,” said Bishop Barretto, who traces his roots to Loutolim.
Focusing on the beatitudes, Bishop Barretto said, “All of us are called to be poor in spirit, to be completely dependent on God, to share in other people's mourning, to react to others the spirit of humility, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to see and act with mercy, to keep hearts free to love, to sow peace around us, and finally to be faithful to the Gospel even in the face of persecution”.
Bishop Barretto further added that St Francis lived a Christian identity. “When confronted with the words of Jesus ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his soul', Xavier rose to his consciousness he lived out his Christian identity by leaving his country and coming to the Far East to India”.
“He exhorted all of us to live the beatitudes of Christian identity by lives filled with prayer and bearing witness in everything we do,” the bishop added while praying that all of us should, through intercession of St Francis Xavier, intercede Christ to live out the beatitude of Christian identity and thus become holy and happy.
Earlier, Bishop Barretto said that as Christians we receive our identity on the day of our baptism filled with the Holy Spirit and we are anointed as priests, prophets and kings.
“As priests, we are called to live our life in prayer and good deeds. As prophets we are called to speak what is right and just in the eyes of God and as kings we are called to be of service to our brothers and sisters knowing and believing in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do it unto me',” Bishop Barretto said.
Archbishop Ferrao greeted the huge congregation by welcoming them in the beginning and thanking them at the end, while the Basilica Rector Fr Fernandes expressed his gratitude to government officials, government departments like PWD, electricity, health, fire and emergency services, Goa Police, traffic police, Se Old Goa panchayat, and many others for helping in making the Novena and Feast a success.
Special thanks also went out to Francis Serrao of Crosscraft for the stunning backdrop for the main stage, which resembles the interior of a Church, and which was appreciated by all.
Besides the Feast Mass at 10. 30 am, other Masses on the Feast Day were celebrated at 4 am, 5 am, 6 am, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, 12.30 pm, 3 pm (Spanish), 4 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm (English).
Long queues of devotees were seen venerating the Relics of St Francis Xavier in the Basilica the entire day.