Today's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square. The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and with the faithful who had come from Italy and all other parts of the world.
Prior to the beginning of the Audience, at 9:15am, the Pope went to the Paul VI Hall where he met with those who are taking part in a pilgrimage organized by the Little Apostles of Charity Secular Institute and by the Our Family Association.
In his address, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the Church, adding a meditation on the diversity of the Church's charisms.
After the summaries of His catechesis, provided in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each of the groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear friends,
The 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Secular Institute of the Little Apostles of Charity has given you the occasion to come to Rome to meet with the Successor of Peter. First of all I greet you with affection, dear children and youngsters, and I tell you that I am very happy to meet you. Thank you for your presence! I greet the Bishops and priests who accompany you, the General Directress and the Directors of the Our Family Association, which looks after you and your needs with such care. The Founder, Blessed Luigi Monza, intuited the need of closeness to disabled people, with competence and love. May his charism, supported by the Venerable Paul VI when he was Archbishop of Milan, be an example for the families and all those who have public responsibilities. I impart to you my heartfelt Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning,
From the beginning, the Lord filled the Church with the gifts of His Spirit, thus rendering her always alive and fruitful. Distinguished among these gifts are some that are particularly precious for the building and journey of the Christian community: they are called charisms. In this catechesis, we want to ask ourselves: what, exactly is a charism? How can we recognize it and receive it? And, above all, the fact that in the Church there is a diversity and multiplicity of charisms; is this seen positively, as something good, or rather as a problem?
In ordinary language, when there is talk of a charism, it is often understood as a talent, as a natural ability. So, in the cace of a particularly brilliant and moving person, it is usually said: He is a charismatic person. In the Christian perspective, however, a charism is something more than a personal quality, a predisposition with which one might be gifted. A charism is a grace, a gift lavished by God the Father, through the action of the Holy Spirit. And it is a gift that is given to someone, not because he is better than others or because he merited it: it is a gift that God makes so that, with the same gratuitousness and the same love, he can place it at the service of the whole community, for the good of all.
Something important that must be stressed immediately is the fact that one cannot understand on one’s own if one has a charism, and which one it is. It is within the community that the gifts with which the Father fills us flow and flourish; and it is in the heart of the community that one learns to recognize them as signs of His love for all His children. So, it is good that each one of us should ask himself: Is there some charism that the Lord has made arise in me, in the grace of His Spirit, and which my brothers in the Christian community have recognized and encouraged? And how do I conduct myself in regard to this gift: do I live it with generosity, putting at the service of all, or do I neglect it and end up by forgetting it? Perhaps it becomes in me a reason for pride, to the point of always lamenting others and of pretending that things be done my way in the community?
The most beautiful experience, however, is to discover with how many different charisms and how many gifts of His Spirit the Father fills His Church! This must not be seen as a reason for confusion, for embarrassment: they are all gifts that God gives to the Christian community so that it can grow harmoniously in the faith and in His love, as one body, the Body of Christ. Knowing of this multiplicity of charisms, therefore, our hearts must open to welcome them with joy and we must think: What a beautiful thing! So many different gifts, because we are all God’s children, and all loved in a unique way. Woe, then, if these gifts become a reason for envy and division! As the Apostle Paul reminds us in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12, all charisms are important in God’s eyes and, at the same time, no one is irreplaceable. This means that in the Christian community we need of one another, and every gift received is fully enacted when it is shared with others for the good of all. This is the Church! And when the Church expresses herself in communion, in the variety of charisms, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith, which is given by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life.
Dear friends, see what the Lord asks of us today: to recognize with joy and gratitude the different charisms that He distributes in the community, to put ourselves on the line for one another, according to the ministries and services to which we are called. In this way, the Church grows with the grace of her Lord and becomes in all times and places a credible sign and living testimony of the love of God.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and to each linguistic group of pilgrims present, His Holiness addressed a few words of greeting. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including the various groups from Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Japan, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland and the United States. In a particular way I greet the deacon ordinands of the Pontifical North American College, together with their families and friends. Upon all of you I invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you!
Prior to the beginning of the Audience, at 9:15am, the Pope went to the Paul VI Hall where he met with those who are taking part in a pilgrimage organized by the Little Apostles of Charity Secular Institute and by the Our Family Association.
In his address, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the Church, adding a meditation on the diversity of the Church's charisms.
After the summaries of His catechesis, provided in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each of the groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Greetings spoken by the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the Little Apostles of Charity Secular Institute
and the Our Family Association
Dear friends,
The 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Secular Institute of the Little Apostles of Charity has given you the occasion to come to Rome to meet with the Successor of Peter. First of all I greet you with affection, dear children and youngsters, and I tell you that I am very happy to meet you. Thank you for your presence! I greet the Bishops and priests who accompany you, the General Directress and the Directors of the Our Family Association, which looks after you and your needs with such care. The Founder, Blessed Luigi Monza, intuited the need of closeness to disabled people, with competence and love. May his charism, supported by the Venerable Paul VI when he was Archbishop of Milan, be an example for the families and all those who have public responsibilities. I impart to you my heartfelt Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning,
From the beginning, the Lord filled the Church with the gifts of His Spirit, thus rendering her always alive and fruitful. Distinguished among these gifts are some that are particularly precious for the building and journey of the Christian community: they are called charisms. In this catechesis, we want to ask ourselves: what, exactly is a charism? How can we recognize it and receive it? And, above all, the fact that in the Church there is a diversity and multiplicity of charisms; is this seen positively, as something good, or rather as a problem?
In ordinary language, when there is talk of a charism, it is often understood as a talent, as a natural ability. So, in the cace of a particularly brilliant and moving person, it is usually said: He is a charismatic person. In the Christian perspective, however, a charism is something more than a personal quality, a predisposition with which one might be gifted. A charism is a grace, a gift lavished by God the Father, through the action of the Holy Spirit. And it is a gift that is given to someone, not because he is better than others or because he merited it: it is a gift that God makes so that, with the same gratuitousness and the same love, he can place it at the service of the whole community, for the good of all.
Something important that must be stressed immediately is the fact that one cannot understand on one’s own if one has a charism, and which one it is. It is within the community that the gifts with which the Father fills us flow and flourish; and it is in the heart of the community that one learns to recognize them as signs of His love for all His children. So, it is good that each one of us should ask himself: Is there some charism that the Lord has made arise in me, in the grace of His Spirit, and which my brothers in the Christian community have recognized and encouraged? And how do I conduct myself in regard to this gift: do I live it with generosity, putting at the service of all, or do I neglect it and end up by forgetting it? Perhaps it becomes in me a reason for pride, to the point of always lamenting others and of pretending that things be done my way in the community?
The most beautiful experience, however, is to discover with how many different charisms and how many gifts of His Spirit the Father fills His Church! This must not be seen as a reason for confusion, for embarrassment: they are all gifts that God gives to the Christian community so that it can grow harmoniously in the faith and in His love, as one body, the Body of Christ. Knowing of this multiplicity of charisms, therefore, our hearts must open to welcome them with joy and we must think: What a beautiful thing! So many different gifts, because we are all God’s children, and all loved in a unique way. Woe, then, if these gifts become a reason for envy and division! As the Apostle Paul reminds us in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12, all charisms are important in God’s eyes and, at the same time, no one is irreplaceable. This means that in the Christian community we need of one another, and every gift received is fully enacted when it is shared with others for the good of all. This is the Church! And when the Church expresses herself in communion, in the variety of charisms, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith, which is given by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life.
Dear friends, see what the Lord asks of us today: to recognize with joy and gratitude the different charisms that He distributes in the community, to put ourselves on the line for one another, according to the ministries and services to which we are called. In this way, the Church grows with the grace of her Lord and becomes in all times and places a credible sign and living testimony of the love of God.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and to each linguistic group of pilgrims present, His Holiness addressed a few words of greeting. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including the various groups from Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Japan, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland and the United States. In a particular way I greet the deacon ordinands of the Pontifical North American College, together with their families and friends. Upon all of you I invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you!
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