ROME • In preparation for and later in thanksgiving of receiving his pallium, Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a series of Masses with more than 70 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of San Antonio who had come to the Eternal City to mark this special occasion with their shepherd.
    During the final week of June, Archbishop Gomez celebrated four liturgies: In St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican; St. Mary Major Basilica, the oldest of the five archchurches in Rome; the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi; and Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica, located in a suburb of Rome.
    Following are portions of the archbishop’s homilies at each of the Masses in Italy.

ST. PETER’S BASILICA
    “It is a special moment of grace to begin this pilgrimage at St. Peter’s Basilica,” the archbishop said in welcoming remarks on June 26. “The passages from the Gospel remind us of the contrasts of Christian life, to fulfill the call of Christ. They are very demanding.”
    Archbishop Gomez said that while Jesus is asking us for unconditional love, he is also calling us to the overwhelming task of personal holiness in our ordinary life.
    “Christ’s life brings plenitude to human life. He expects a conversion from us,” said the archbishop. “Christ is calling us to the fullness of discipleship, the call of Jesus. The challenge is accepting God’s will for us.”

ST. MARY MAJOR BASILICA
    The liturgy was celebrated on June 27, the feast of St. Cyril. This saint played an important role at the Council of Ephesus, which named Mary the Mother of God.
    In his homily at the Mass, Archbishop Gomez discussed the Gospel reading of the day, in which Jesus teaches about the seriousness of the call to discipleship.
    “In Rome, we see the importance of commitment to our faith. The beautiful buildings take us to the beginnings of Christianity,” said the archbishop. “We feel the love of God for us, and are reminded of God’s mercy. The Lord is kind and merciful. God is demanding of us, and God is assuring us of his love.”
    The prelate related how Mary was the first one to believe, the first evangelizer. She was learning from Jesus and sharing her faith with the apostles.
    “As difficult as it is to think, think what kind of commitment we have to one another. The challenge of the pallium is faithfulness,” Archbishop Gomez said. “Pope Benedict XVI has asked us to carry one another, carry each other to Christ. Take this opportunity to be understanding and faithful. Lead people out of the desert to life and life in abundance.”
    The archbishop closed by reciting the last words of Mary in the Gospel: “Do whatever he tells you.”

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI BASILICA
    In this June 28 Mass, Archbishop Gomez emphasized the great example of St. Francis of Assisi in rebuilding the church.
    “Franciscan spirituality emphasizes poverty and the call to unity and peace. It seeks unity in spirit and detachment from material things. They are beautiful examples,” he said.
    The archbishop recalled how the first evangelization in Texas was done by Franciscan priests and friars, and he asked listeners to begin a new task in faith.
    “The mission in the life of the church is re-Christianizing the world,” said the San Antonio shepherd. “Look forward to starting on this joyful mission in joy, security and confidence that Jesus is on our side.”

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE BASILICA
    This Mass of thanksgiving for the imposition of the pallium to Archbishop Gomez was celebrated on the feast of the first Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, June 30.
    Archbishop Gomez was the celebrant, with concelebrants including Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of the Archdiocese of Denver; Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of the Diocese of Fargo, N.D.; Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. Zurek; priests from the archdioceses of San Antonio and Denver and the Diocese of Rome; as well as clergy from the Opus Dei Prelature.
    Acolytes and choir members for the liturgy were seminarians from the Legionaries of Christ. The reader was Alice Gomez de Torres, and gift bearers included Eugenia Saldivar Gomez, Alicia Torres de Sanmiguel and Maricarmen Celaya de Velasco, sisters of Archbishop Gomez.

     This liturgy marked the conclusion of the archdiocesan pilgrimage, and the archbishop acknowledged that fact in his comments.
    “We gather to give thanks to God and to say thank you for the end of the pilgrimage. It has been a time of renewal for me personally and for the archdiocese. It is a time of new beginnings for me and for the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” Archbishop Gomez said. “I personally give thanks to God for his mercy on me. I am also grateful to the people of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.”
    That morning, the archbishop said he was thinking and praying, asking, “What is God asking of me at the end of this pilgrimage, at this special time of grace?”
    The prelate replied, “First, he is asking for an increase of faith. Always contemplate the example of Abraham. His faith was challenged to the extreme. And the first Roman martyrs had heroic faith, giving their lives as a witness to faith.”
    Archbishop Gomez asked, “When thinking of these two examples, I think it is a little too much. Is our faith as strong as Abraham’s? Is our faith as strong as the first Roman martyrs? Is our faith without conditions?”
    He answered those questions by saying that if our faith is weak, we need grace from God, and that the Year of the Eucharist is a special moment for all of us to look at Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
    “We cannot forget that the way to grow in faith is by working on our personal spiritual life. For there to be renewal in the United States and in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, there must be renewal to the truth, to the Gospel,” said the archbishop. “We must participate in an intense way in the improvement of society. If we have strong spirituality, we will be able to change society.”
    His words echoed the message of Pope John Paul II, who in his visit to San Antonio in 1987, stressed the importance of renewing our commitment to the church.

     Lastly, in his closing comments, the archbishop described how the pilgrimage had been especially emotional for him.
    “As I give thanks to God and reflect on my own life, I really need your prayers and the help of the grace of God,” he said.
    Archbishop Gomez stressed how Pope Benedict XVI, in his homily from the Mass of installation, said feeding means loving, and loving means being willing to suffer.
    “Pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more and learn to love his flock more and more, the church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” he asked the American pilgrims that filled the Roman church. “Pray that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another. Pray that we can continue the journey of faith serving God and one another.”

More coverage and photos of the pallium pilgrimage to Rome will appear in the July 22 edition of Today’s Catholic newspaper.