Homily – Memorial Mass for Shabbaz Bhatti

Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran

6 March 2011

We are gathered here to give thanks to God for the life of Shahbaz Bhatti.  He has been an example and his spiritual testament will help us to grow in the understanding of Jesus’ message.  When we are before the abject behaviour of man, when we feel unprotected and exposed to every danger, we find in the Eucharist the courage to hope and to love.

Shahbaz Bhatti would always find his optimism and courage in the Eucharist.  He knew that we cannot share Christ under the sign of the shared bread and wine consumed, without giving ourselves to the other because of Christ.  Jesus is the only one who can dominate sin, forgive those who believe in him.

With Shahbaz Bhatti, who is now near to God our Father, and is more than ever our brother, let us engage ourselves to be the messengers and the witnesses to the victory of love over violence. We have the choice between a blessing and a curse. Let us continue our pilgrimage with confidence because of “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood…”