At 1:05pm today (7:05am EDT), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the participants taking part in the 18th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word (Verbites) which is taking place at the Ad Gentes Centre in Nemi (Italy), from 17 June to 14 July 2018.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Allow me first to greet your Superior General and to thank him for the words he has offered me in the name of the entire Society of the Divine Word. I welcome you and I wish to express to you my joy that we can share some time during this meeting, which is motivated by your General Chapter; a General Chapter always constitutes a moment of grace for the entire Verbite family, as well as for the Church and for the entire world. And since it is a matter of following Christ faithfully, let us ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, the Father of the poor, as Saint Arnold Janssen used to say.
The theme that is guiding your work has a clearly Pauline and missionary flavour: The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor 5:14): rooted in the Word, committed to his mission. It is the love of Christ that compels us to personal and community renewal in order to strengthen our commitment to go out and to proclaim the gospel. For this to take place, it will be necessary once again for you to examine your roots, to see where you are rooted, what is the sap that gives life to your communities and to the works that they perform, in every corner of the world where they are present. Based on this examination of your origins, I would like to reflect on three words: trust, proclamation and brothers.
First, trust. Trust in God and in his divine Providence, because knowing how to abandon ourselves into his hands is essential in our life as Christians and as consecrated persons. How far does our trust in God go, how much do we trust in his provident and merciful love? Are we willing to risk, to be courageous and determined in our mission? Saint Arnold was convinced that in the life of a missionary there is nothing that can justify the lack of courage and trust in God. Let us not allow ourselves to be afraid and closed, since we have experienced the love of God, so that we are not the ones who apply brakes and obstacles to the actions of the Spirit. Aware of the gift we have received, of so many proofs of divine help, I encourage you to renew your trust in the Lord and to go out without fear, to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel, which makes many happy. May this trust in the Lord, renewed every day in the encounter with Him in prayer and in the sacraments, also help them to be open to discernment, examining their own lives, seeking to do God's will in all their activities and plans.
The second word is: proclamation. In your charism it is essential that you proclaim the Word of God to all men, in all times and places, taking advantage of all possible means, forming communities of disciples and missionaries who are united among themselves and with the Church. In the heart of every Verbite, the words of Saint Paul must burn like a fire: Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel! (1 Cor 9,16). That has been the vigilance of so many missionaries who have preceded them, that is the torch that has been bequeathed to them and the challenge that they face today. Its founder thought of you as missionaries ad gentes. Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News (Mk 16:15). The missionary mandate knows no borders or cultures, because the whole world is a mission land.
Although this is a little messy, the issue is to go, then it will all fall into order, later. But the life of the missionary is always disordered. There is only one thing that guarantees order: prayer. And with prayer we can go forward.
Dear brothers: If you are anchored in the Word of God, rooted in it, if you presume it to be the foundation of your lives and let the Word burn in your hearts (Lk 24,32); this Word will transform you and will make each one of you a true missionary. Live and let yourself be sanctified by the Word of God, and you will live for it.
The third word that I propose is brothers. We are not alone, we are a Church, we are a people. We have brothers and sisters at our side with whom we travel the path of life and our own vocation. A community of brothers united by the Lord who attracts and unites us, assuming what we are as people and without letting us be by ourselves. From God you will receive the strength and joy to remain faithful and to make a difference, following the path that he points out: Love one another (Jn 13,34). It is beautiful to see a community that walks together, where its members love each other; this is the greatest evangelization. Even if you fight, even if you argue, because in every good family that is loved, they fight, they argue. But then there is harmony and there is peace. The world, as well as the Church, needs to feel this fraternal love in spite of diversity and interculturality, which is one of the riches that you obtain. A community, in which priests, religious and laity feel they are members of a family, in which they share and live the faith and the same charism, in which everyone is at the service of others and nobody is more important than the other.
And united in this way, you will be able to face any difficulty and the task of going out to meet other brothers who are outside, excluded from society. We live in a culture of exclusion, a disposable culture. Go out to meet those excluded brothers, abandoned to their fate, trampled by selfish interests ... They are also our brothers who need our help and need to experience the presence of God who comes to meet them. There you are also sent to make the spirit of the Beatitudes a reality through the works of mercy: listening and responding to the cries of those who ask for bread and justice; bringing peace and integral promotion to those who seek a more dignified life; comforting and offering reasons for hope to the sorrows and sufferings of so many men and women of our time ... May this be the compass that guides your steps as brothers and missionaries.
Two things, origins. Origins are not just a story, they are not a thing, they are not an abstract spirituality. The origins are roots and for the root to give life we must take care of it, we must water it. You have to look at it and love it. I told you that you are rooted in your origins, that is, that your origins are the root that makes you grow. The second thing, it is not a gloomy thought. Think of cemeteries. Cemeteries from distant regions, in Asia, in Africa, in Amazonia ... How many of you are there and on the tombstone you read that they died young, because they played, they played for each other's lives. Roots and cemeteries are also roots for you. May God bless you, pray for me and do not forget: roots and cemeteries. Thank you.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to the Society of the Divine Word
Dear brothers and sisters,
Allow me first to greet your Superior General and to thank him for the words he has offered me in the name of the entire Society of the Divine Word. I welcome you and I wish to express to you my joy that we can share some time during this meeting, which is motivated by your General Chapter; a General Chapter always constitutes a moment of grace for the entire Verbite family, as well as for the Church and for the entire world. And since it is a matter of following Christ faithfully, let us ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, the Father of the poor, as Saint Arnold Janssen used to say.
The theme that is guiding your work has a clearly Pauline and missionary flavour: The love of Christ compels us (2 Cor 5:14): rooted in the Word, committed to his mission. It is the love of Christ that compels us to personal and community renewal in order to strengthen our commitment to go out and to proclaim the gospel. For this to take place, it will be necessary once again for you to examine your roots, to see where you are rooted, what is the sap that gives life to your communities and to the works that they perform, in every corner of the world where they are present. Based on this examination of your origins, I would like to reflect on three words: trust, proclamation and brothers.
First, trust. Trust in God and in his divine Providence, because knowing how to abandon ourselves into his hands is essential in our life as Christians and as consecrated persons. How far does our trust in God go, how much do we trust in his provident and merciful love? Are we willing to risk, to be courageous and determined in our mission? Saint Arnold was convinced that in the life of a missionary there is nothing that can justify the lack of courage and trust in God. Let us not allow ourselves to be afraid and closed, since we have experienced the love of God, so that we are not the ones who apply brakes and obstacles to the actions of the Spirit. Aware of the gift we have received, of so many proofs of divine help, I encourage you to renew your trust in the Lord and to go out without fear, to bear witness to the joy of the Gospel, which makes many happy. May this trust in the Lord, renewed every day in the encounter with Him in prayer and in the sacraments, also help them to be open to discernment, examining their own lives, seeking to do God's will in all their activities and plans.
The second word is: proclamation. In your charism it is essential that you proclaim the Word of God to all men, in all times and places, taking advantage of all possible means, forming communities of disciples and missionaries who are united among themselves and with the Church. In the heart of every Verbite, the words of Saint Paul must burn like a fire: Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel! (1 Cor 9,16). That has been the vigilance of so many missionaries who have preceded them, that is the torch that has been bequeathed to them and the challenge that they face today. Its founder thought of you as missionaries ad gentes. Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News (Mk 16:15). The missionary mandate knows no borders or cultures, because the whole world is a mission land.
Although this is a little messy, the issue is to go, then it will all fall into order, later. But the life of the missionary is always disordered. There is only one thing that guarantees order: prayer. And with prayer we can go forward.
Dear brothers: If you are anchored in the Word of God, rooted in it, if you presume it to be the foundation of your lives and let the Word burn in your hearts (Lk 24,32); this Word will transform you and will make each one of you a true missionary. Live and let yourself be sanctified by the Word of God, and you will live for it.
The third word that I propose is brothers. We are not alone, we are a Church, we are a people. We have brothers and sisters at our side with whom we travel the path of life and our own vocation. A community of brothers united by the Lord who attracts and unites us, assuming what we are as people and without letting us be by ourselves. From God you will receive the strength and joy to remain faithful and to make a difference, following the path that he points out: Love one another (Jn 13,34). It is beautiful to see a community that walks together, where its members love each other; this is the greatest evangelization. Even if you fight, even if you argue, because in every good family that is loved, they fight, they argue. But then there is harmony and there is peace. The world, as well as the Church, needs to feel this fraternal love in spite of diversity and interculturality, which is one of the riches that you obtain. A community, in which priests, religious and laity feel they are members of a family, in which they share and live the faith and the same charism, in which everyone is at the service of others and nobody is more important than the other.
And united in this way, you will be able to face any difficulty and the task of going out to meet other brothers who are outside, excluded from society. We live in a culture of exclusion, a disposable culture. Go out to meet those excluded brothers, abandoned to their fate, trampled by selfish interests ... They are also our brothers who need our help and need to experience the presence of God who comes to meet them. There you are also sent to make the spirit of the Beatitudes a reality through the works of mercy: listening and responding to the cries of those who ask for bread and justice; bringing peace and integral promotion to those who seek a more dignified life; comforting and offering reasons for hope to the sorrows and sufferings of so many men and women of our time ... May this be the compass that guides your steps as brothers and missionaries.
Two things, origins. Origins are not just a story, they are not a thing, they are not an abstract spirituality. The origins are roots and for the root to give life we must take care of it, we must water it. You have to look at it and love it. I told you that you are rooted in your origins, that is, that your origins are the root that makes you grow. The second thing, it is not a gloomy thought. Think of cemeteries. Cemeteries from distant regions, in Asia, in Africa, in Amazonia ... How many of you are there and on the tombstone you read that they died young, because they played, they played for each other's lives. Roots and cemeteries are also roots for you. May God bless you, pray for me and do not forget: roots and cemeteries. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment