witness of life. In a particular way, consecrated men and women are asked to
listen to the voice of the Spirit who calls them to go to the peripheries, to
those to whom the Gospel has not yet been proclaimed.
The fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Decree Ad Gentes is
an
invitation to all of us to reread this document and to reflect on its contents.
The Decree called for a powerful missionary impulse in Institutes of
Consecrated
Life. For contemplative communities, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Patroness
of the Missions, appears in a new light; she speaks with renewed eloquence and
inspires reflection upon the deep connection between contemplative life and
mission. For many active religious communities, the missionary impulse which
emerged from the Council was met with an extraordinary openness to the mission
ad gentes, often accompanied by an openness to brothers and sisters from the
lands and cultures encountered in evangelisation, to the point that today one
can speak of a widespread 'interculturalism' in the consecrated life. Hence
there is an urgent need to reaffirm that the central ideal of mission is Jesus
Christ, and that this ideal demands the total gift of oneself to the
proclamation of the Gospel. On this point there can be no compromise: those who
by God's grace accept the mission, are called to live the mission. For them,
the
proclamation of Christ in the many peripheries of the world becomes their way
of
following him, one which more than repays them for the many difficulties and
sacrifices they make. Any tendency to deviate from this vocation, even if
motivated by noble reasons due to countless pastoral, ecclesial or humanitarian
needs, is not consistent with the Lord's call to be personally at the service
of
the Gospel. In Missionary Institutes, formators are called to indicate clearly
and frankly this plan of life and action, and to discern authentic missionary
vocations. I appeal in particular to young people, who are capable of
courageous
witness and generous deeds, even when these are countercultural: Do not allow
others to rob you of the ideal of a true mission, of following Jesu s through
the total gift of yourself. In the depths of your conscience, ask yourself why
you chose the religious missionary life and take stock of your readiness to
accept it for what it is: a gift of love at the service of the proclamation of
the Gospel. Remember that, even before being necessary for those who have not
yet heard it, the proclamation of the Gospel is a necessity for those who love
the Master.
Today, the Church's mission is faced by the challenge of meeting the needs of
all people to return to their roots and to protect the values of their
respective cultures. This means knowing and respecting other traditions and
philosophical systems, and realising that all peoples and cultures have the
right to be helped from within their own traditions to enter into the mystery
of
God's wisdom and to accept the Gospel of Jesus, who is light and transforming
strength for all cultures.
Within this complex dynamic, we ask ourselves: 'Who are the first to whom the
Gospel message must be proclaimed?'. The answer, found so often throughout the
Gospel, is clear: it is the poor, the little ones and the sick, those who are
often looked down upon or forgotten, those who cannot repay us. Evangelisation
directed preferentially to the least among us is a sign of the Kingdom that
Jesus came to bring: 'There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the
poor. May we never abandon them'. This must be clear above all to those who
embrace the consecrated missionary life: by the vow of poverty, they choose to
follow Christ in his preference for the poor, not ideologically, but in the
same
way that he identified himself with the poor: by living like them amid the
uncertainties of everyday life and renouncing all claims to power, and in this
way to become brothers and sisters of the poor, bringing them the witness of
the
joy of the Gospel and a sign of God's love.
Living as Christian witnesses and as signs of the Father's love among the poor
and underprivileged, consecrated persons are called to promote the presence of
the lay faithful in the service of Church's mission. As the Second Vatican
Council stated: 'The laity should cooperate in the Church's work of
evangelisation; as witnesses and at the same time as living instruments, they
share in her saving mission'. Consecrated missionaries need to generously
welcome those who are willing to work with them, even for a limited period of
time, for an experience in the field. They are brothers and sisters who want to
share the missionary vocation inherent in Baptism. The houses and structures of
the missions are natural places to welcome them and to provide for their human,
spiritual and apostolic support.
The Church's Institutes and Missionary Congregations are completely at the
service of those who do not know the Gospel of Jesus. This means that they need
to count on the charisms and missionary commitment of their consecrated
members.
But consecrated men and women also need a structure of service, an expression
of
the concern of the Bishop of Rome, in order to ensure koinonia, for cooperation
and synergy are an integral part of the missionary witness. Jesus made the
unity
of his disciples a condition so that the world may believe. This convergence is
not the same as legalism or institutionalism, much less a stifling of the
creativity of the Spirit, who inspires diversity. It is about giving a greater
fruitfulness to the Gospel message and promoting that unity of purpose which is
also the fruit of the Spirit.
The Missionary Societies of the Successor of Peter have a universal apostolic
horizon. This is why they also need the many charisms of consecrated life, to
address the vast horizons of evangelisation and to be able to ensure adequate
presence in whatever lands they are sent.
Dear brothers and sisters, a true missionary is passionate for the Gospel. St.
Paul said: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!'. The Gospel is the source
of joy, liberation and salvation for all men and women. The Church is aware of
this gift, and therefore she ceaselessly proclaims to everyone 'what was from
the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes'. The
mission
of the servants of the Word - bishops, priests, religious and laity - is to
allow everyone, without exception, to enter into a personal relationship with
Christ. In the full range of the Church's missionary activity, all the faithful
are called to live their baptismal commitment to the fullest, in accordance
with
the personal situation of each. A generous response to this universal vocation
can be offered by consecrated men and women through an intense life of prayer
and union with the Lord and his redeeming sacrifice.
To Mary, Mother of the Church and model of missionary outreach, I entrust all
men and women who, in every state of life work to proclaim the Gospel, ad
gentes
or in their own lands. To all missionaries of the Gospel I willingly impart my
Apostolic Blessing".
___________________________________________________________
Francis prays with the Pentecostal evangelical pastors of Phoenix for the
unity
of the Church
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - The diocese of Phoenix, U.S.A., has
organised
a day of dialogue and prayer, on the eve of Pentecost, with a group of
evangelical pastors of Pentecostal orientation, including the Italian Giovanni
Traettino, whom Pope Francis visited during his trip to Caserta. The Holy
Father
participated with a video message, screened yesterday afternoon at the opening
of the meeting (during the night in Europe), ample extracts of which are given
below:
"'Father, may we be one so that the world may believe you sent me'. This is
the
slogan, the theme of the meeting: Christ's prayer to the Father for the grace
of
unity. Today, Saturday ... I will be with you spiritually and with all my
heart.
We will search together, we will pray together, for the grace of unity. The
unity that is budding among us is that unity which begins under the seal of the
one Baptism we have all received. It is the unity we are seeking along a common
path. It is the spiritual unity of prayer for one another. It is the unity of
our common labour on behalf of our brothers and sisters, and all those who
believe in the sovereignty of Christ. Dear brothers and sisters, division is a
wound in the body of the Church of Christ. And we do not want this wound to
remain open. Division is the work of the father of Lies, the father of Discord,
who does everything possible to keep us divided.
"Together today, I here in Rome and you over there, we will ask our Father to
send the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and to give us the grace to be one,
'so that the world may believe'. I wish to say something that may sound
controversial, or even heretical, perhaps. But there is someone who 'knows'
that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It
is
he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood
of) martyrdom. He knows that Christians are disciples of Christ: that they are
one, that they are brothers! He doesn't care if they are Evangelicals, or
Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic ... he doesn't care! They are
Christians. And that blood (of martyrdom) unites. Today, dear brothers and
sisters, we are living an 'ecumenism of blood'. This must encourage us to do
what we are doing today: to pray, to dialogue together, to shorten the distance
between us, to strengthen our bonds of brotherhood.
"I am convinced it will not be theologians who bring about unity among us.
Theologians help us, the science of the theologians will assist us, but if we
hope that theologians will agree with one another, we will reach unity the day
after Judgement Day. The Holy Spirit brings about unity. Theologians are
helpful, but most helpful is the goodwill of us all who are on this journey
with
our hearts open to the Holy Spirit! In all humility, I join you as just another
participant on this day of prayer, friendship, closeness and reflection. In the
certainty that we have one Lord: Jesus is the Lord. In the certainty that this
Lord is alive: Jesus is alive, the Lord lives in each one of us. In the
certainty that He has sent the Spirit He promised us so that this 'harmony'
among all His disciples might be realised".
___________________________________________________________
The Pope to Christian workers' association: fight for free, creative,
participatory and fraternal work
Vatican City, 23 May 2015 (VIS) - "We must ensure that through work - free,
creative, participatory and mutually supportive - human beings may express and
increase the dignity of their lives", said Pope Francis this morning as he
received in audience the members of the Christian Associations of Italian
Workers (ACLI), who celebrate the 70th anniversary of their foundation this
year.
The Holy Father took the opportunity to reflect on the scale and urgency of
the
employment problem in today's world and the need to propose equitable,
fraternal
and genuinely practicable solutions. "The spread of precariousness, illegal
work
and organised crime, especially among the younger generations, ensure that the
lack of work robs dignity and obstructs the fullness of human life. This
demands
an immediate and vigorous response", he said, then indicating the four features
that should be present in all work.
Firstly, work must be free: the true freedom of work means that man,
continuing
the work of the Creator, ensures that the world reaches its objective. Too
often, however, work is a vehicle for oppression at several levels: man against
another man; new forms of organised slavery that oppress the poorest. "In
particular, many children and women suffer as the result of an economy that
obliges them to carry out undignified work that contradicts creation in its
beauty and harmony. We must ensure that work is not a tool of alienation, but
rather of hope and new life".
Creative work allows one to use his or her unique and original abilities. This
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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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