Bp Pascal Gollnisch, who was invited by the rector of the shrine of Montligeon, came to chair a Sunday Mass in communion with the whole world. This was in 2024 during the Pilgrimages of Heaven. He was delighted to take part to the universal prayer of the archiconfraternity and of the fraternity of Montligeon. He offered a strong meditation on the belief in eternal life.
Interviewed at the end of the Mass, Bp Gollnished declared: “This was an opportunity to pray in a fully catholic manner, in communion with a number of Christians throughout the world – to help the souls in purgatory, to keep the hope of such purification after death, in expectation of a face-to-face encounter with the Lord.”
Eternal life considered as meeting God’s gaze
After recalling that eternal life is lived out as a direct relationship with God, he explained:
“Eternal life will be a two-way exchange of gazes with God. We shall see God as He is, and He will see us as we are.”
Meeting God’s gaze involves a truth that may be difficult to welcome. “We are still sinners and we do not like the idea that God might see us as sinners. Yet He does see us. But his gaze goes beyond our sin.”
Referrin g to the Gospel of the day, he adds:
“Jesus spotted that poor woman as she was giving a few pennies to the temple. He knows how to see her. Likewise, he sees each of us in the humility of what we are – poor sinners relying on His mercy.”
Supporting the Christians in the East
Besides being a priest in the Paris diocese, Bp Gollnisch is also the director of L’Œuvre d’Orient. This organization brings “support, friendship and communion in prayer with the Christians in the East”, who often face very challenging circumstances.
“Today, the Christians in the East are in trouble – in Ukraine, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Ethiopia or Palestine.
We represent the closeness of the bishops of France to these Eastern Churches and to these Christians who are our brothers, sometimes also Catholics like us.”
The mission of L’Œuvre d’Orient in the field
The association supports over 1,200 projects, including schools, hospitals and charitable initiatives. “The Christians in the East put the Gospel into practice through education, healthcare and concern for the poorest. We help them in their mission, which is carried out in the name of the Gospel, and which in a way makes the Gospel credible, at a time when Christians are particularly in the minority.”
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