Archbishop Gomez Concelebrates Mass with Pope Francis

Video 1: http://www.usccb.org/?bcpid=938522614001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAdgye3dk~,p0Zv3iru3vKSRZxvskCEAaYKHysQsf2Y&bctid=2293795770001

Video 2: http://bcove.me/xlj5nrln


On April 8, 2013, on the feast of the Annunciation, Archbishop José H. Gomez concelebrated a private Mass with Pope Francis at Domus Sanctae Marthae. In his homily, our Holy Father said that humility is the foundation of our Christian vocation and that we need humility to fulfill Christ’s commandment of love — love of God and love of one another. He encouraged us to ask for the grace of humility to grow in holiness.

Message from Archbishop Gomez, dated April 8, 2013:

Friends, this morning I had the great blessing to concelebrate a private Mass with Pope Francis at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, which is where the Pope is currently living. It was a very special Eucharist for me because we were celebrating the Annunciation and I was ordained a Bishop in Denver on the Solemnity of the Annunciation in 2001.

In his homily, Pope Francis talked about humility as a path of holiness. The humility of God who comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ and walks with us. The humility of Mary, our Blessed Mother, who is the “handmaiden of the Lord” and says yes to God’s call. Our Holy Father reminded us that humility is the foundation of our Christian vocation and that we need humility to fulfill Christ’s commandment of love — love of God and love of one another. He encouraged us to ask for the grace of humility to grow in holiness.
During the Mass I was praying for Pope Francis and the Church but especially for our great Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After Mass I told Pope Francis that all the faithful of Los Angeles love him and that we are praying for him and his ministry and that he has our loyalty. He said that he is grateful for our prayers and he asked for more prayers!
This has been a beautiful pilgrimage for me. As I said, I am leading a pilgrimage of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders for the Year of Faith.

It is also special for me because on Saturday, April 6, I marked the anniversary of my appointment as Archbishop of Los Angeles. It is a blessing to be in Rome and give thanks to God for all the graces that I have received in these three years and to thank God for the prayers, love and support of all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. You are all in my prayers in a very special way!