Rome, the day after his priestly ordination. In his first Mass, Father Loyce Pinto turned his gaze toward those still searching for a word of hope, of truth, a word that gives life. We share the story of this day in italiano, español and English. A vocation also grows when it becomes a voice for others.
There Are Those Waiting for a Word. And the Answer Is You
“Even today there are people who ask themselves: who will speak to me words of hope, words of truth, words that give life? And very often the answer… is us.”
These are the words of Father Loyce Pinto in his first Mass, celebrated in Rome the day after his priestly ordination.
The previous day, Sunday, April 26, at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV ordained him priest together with nine other candidates.
In his first words as a priest, Father Loyce chose to turn his gaze at once toward those who are still searching, toward those waiting for a word capable of reopening the heart.
There are those who have much. Yet something is missing
In the homily he recalled Cornelius, spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles. He had prestige. He was a good man, one who feared God. Yet he felt that something was missing.
The answer is surprising: God sends Peter. Peter had many reasons not to go. He was busy. His community needed him. Caesarea was far away. Cornelius was a pagan, a Roman. Yet Peter set out, because he had begun to understand the heart of Christ.
Cornelius was waiting. Peter had to go.
“God has not forgotten you”
Father Loyce then recounted an episode.
A priest visited in hospital a man who had not gone to church for many years. He was accomplished, respected, surrounded by affection, yet he carried a restlessness within. When the priest entered the room, the man said: “Father, I do not even know why you are here.” The priest replied: “I am here because God has not forgotten you.” The man began to weep. Later he said: “I was waiting for someone to tell me that.”
The question is: will we go?
These people, Father Loyce said, are those close to us: in the family, among friends, at work. At times they hide their questions behind a smile, behind success, behind the frenzy of life.
The question is not whether they are searching. The question is: will we go? Will we listen to the voice of Jesus and step out of our comforts? To be Christian also means becoming His voice for others.
Deep down, we all ask ourselves: “Who will speak to us words by which we shall be saved?”
Two gestures toward his parents
On the occasion of the first Mass, according to an ancient tradition, the new priest offers two gifts to his parents.
To his mother is given the Manutergium, the linen cloth used to dry the consecrated hands during ordination. A sign of gratitude toward the one who first safeguarded his life.
To his father is given the first confessional stole, sign of priestly ministry and of God’s mercy. A gesture that recalls what a son also receives through a father’s example: the sense of justice and mercy.
So too did Loyce. For a vocation comes from above, yet it grows through the care of concrete persons and helps those who safeguard it to grow as well.
