CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis celebrated Mass immediately after landing in Azerbaijan Sunday, telling faithful gathered in the small church that faith and service are the heart of Christian life, woven together like the different threads of a carpet.<\/p>\n\u201cFaith and service cannot be separated; on the contrary, they are intimately linked, interwoven with each other,\u201d the Pope said Oct. 2.<\/p>\n
To help make the concept more concrete, Pope Francis used the image of carpet weaving, which is an ancient tradition in Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n
Traditionally handmade in different sizes and with a dense texture, the Azerbaijani rug since ancient times has been used to cover to floors or decorate walls, sofas, beds, chairs and tables. Carpet making is typically a family tradition passed down orally and through practice, mostly through women.<\/p>\n
In his homily, Pope Francis pointed to the two processes of \u201cwefting\u201d and \u201cwarping.\u201d In their technical definition, the terms refer to two types of thread used to weave the finished textile product.<\/p>\n
The warp is the tightly stretched threads that run lengthwise and form the core of the fabric, whereas the weft is the thread woven between the warp to create the different patterns.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour carpets are true works of art,\u201d the Pope said, explaining that each one must be \u201charmoniously woven\u201d with the warp and the weft. The same goes for the Christian life: \u201cevery day it must be woven patiently, intertwining a precise weft and warp: the weft of faith and the warp of service.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen faith is interwoven with service, the heart remains open and youthful, and it expands in the process of doing good,\u201d he said, adding that if faith follows this path, \u201cit matures and grows in strength, but only when it is joined to service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Francis traveled to Azerbaijan on the last of this three-day trip to there and Georgia, both of which have a small minority Catholic presence. Azerbaijan marks the first time the Pope has traveled to a majority Shi\u2019ite nation. Georgia was a majority Georgian Orthodox.<\/p>\n
After landing at the Heydar Aliyev airport of Baku earlier this morning, Francis celebrated Mass at the Church of the Immaculate in the Salesian Center of Baku, the only Catholic church in Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n
Originally built in 1915, the church was destroyed by the communist regime in 1931, and the pastor sent to a forced labor camp, where he later died. After the end of Soviet rule in the country, the Catholics in the country began to regroup.<\/p>\n
It was after St. John Paul II\u2019s visit in 2002 that the Catholic community was finally able to purchase the land to rebuild the church, which was completed in 2009. It is believed that Apostle Bartholomew was martyred in Azerbaijan, near Baku, in 71 AD.<\/p>\n
In his reflections on faith, Francis pointed God\u2019s response to the Habakkuk in the First Reading, in which the prophet asked God to step in and re-establish the justice and peace that had been shattered by violence and disagreements.<\/p>\n
Instead of jumping in, God \u201cdoes not intervene directly,\u201d and nor does not resolve the situation \u201cin an abrupt way\u201d or make himself present with force. Rather, \u201che invites patient waiting, without ever losing hope; above all, he emphasizes the importance of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
God treats us in the same way, he said, explaining that he doesn\u2019t \u201cindulge our desire to immediately and repeatedly change the world and other people,\u201d but rather seeks to heal the heart of the person.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod changes the world by transforming our hearts, and this he cannot do without us,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cwhen God finds an open and trusting heart, then he can work wonders there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having faith isn\u2019t always easy, he said, and pointed to the Apostles\u2019 petition to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke to \u201cincrease our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus\u2019 response \u201cis surprising,\u201d because he turns the question back on them and says \u201cif you had faith\u2026\u201d In this answer, the Lord asks us to have faith, he said, adding that faith is as a gift from God that must always be asked for, faith has to be nurtured.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is no magic power which comes down from heaven,\u201d and nor is it \u201ca special force for solving life\u2019s problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
A faith that satisfies our needs \u201cwould be a selfish one, centered entirely on ourselves,\u201d Francis said, adding that faith shouldn\u2019t be confused with well-being or feeling good, nor with having a consolation in our heart that brings inner peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaith is the golden thread which binds us to the Lord, the pure joy of being with him, united to him; it is a gift that lasts our whole life, but bears fruit only if we play our part.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to service, this doesn\u2019t mean just fulfilling our duties or doing some good act, but \u201cis much more,\u201d Francis said, noting how in the Gospel, Jesus asks \u201cin very radical terms\u201d for our complete availability, \u201ca life offered in complete openness, free of calculation and gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pope then cautioned against two temptations that Christians face which lead away from service and end up \u201crendering life pointless.\u201d These temptations, he said, are allowing ourselves to grow lukewarm, and to think \u201clike masters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lukewarm heart becomes self-absorbed in lazy living and it stifles the fire of love,\u201d he said, explaining that a lukewarm person \u201clives to satisfy his or her own convenience, which is never enough, and in that way is never satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gradually Christians like this end up being content with mediocrity, allocating to God and others only a percentage of their time, \u201cnever spending too much, but rather always trying to economize.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than being passive, the second temptation of \u201cthinking like masters\u201d centers on being too active, the Pope observed, explaining that a person like this only gives of themselves \u201conly in order to gain something or become someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn such cases service becomes a means and not an end, because the end has become prestige; and then comes power, the desire to be great,\u201d he said, but cautioned that the Church \u201cgrows and is adorned\u201d only through service.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis concluded his homily by returning to the image of the carpet, telling the local community that \u201ceach of you is like a magnificent silk thread.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he stressed that only if you are woven together will the different threads form a beautiful composition; on their own, they are of no use,\u201d and urged Azerbaijanis to always be united, humbly living in joy and charity.<\/p>\n
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