At 12:30pm today (6:30am EDT), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the General Chapter of the Roman Union of the Order of Saint Ursula.
Dear sisters!
I offer a cordial greeting to each of you and I thank the Prioress General. The General Chapter is an event of grace, an ecclesial event: even when it is celebrated in strictest confidentiality, it belongs to the life of the Church. All this appears particularly evident with reference to your General Chapter, which has as its theme: Global community, we are moving towards a new life. Challenging!
The juxtaposition of these two words: community and global immediately leads to questioning, because it seems contradictory. Generally the term community is used to indicate a group of people who share the same fairly restricted environment: like the religious community, the parish community, in short, a circumscribed form of God's people; the global adjective, on the other hand, is used to attribute the reality referred to as a universal extension, which reaches the ends of the earth. It seems that these two terms are not meant to be together, yet this is the reality in which we live and with which we have to deal.
We find ourselves in a time that is increasingly interconnected and inhabited by peoples who have now become part of a global community. We all find ourselves closer to the great challenges we face. Today no one can say, This does not concern me. The protection of human rights, the conquest of freedom of thought and religion, the evangelization of those who are distant and of neighbours alike - starting with oneself -, social justice, environmental protection and the common search for sustainable development, the advent of a humanistic economy, of a politics that is truly at the service of mankind are not the problems of others, but they are our problems, they are my problems; they no longer concern only one people or one nation, but the whole world. For example, fire burning in the Amazon is not just a problem of that region, it is a global problem; the migration phenomenon does not concern only some States, but the international community; and so on.
Here then is the hopeful invitation expressed by the second part of your theme: Let us go to a new life. These words take up what Saint Angela Merici often said: Make new life. But how is it possible to go towards new life?
It is possible by opening the doors to Christ and imitating him in charity, that is, in making himself a neighbour to every man and woman of every language, people and nation with great respect for the diversity of the other, both cultural and religious.
In the same way, you too, dear sisters, in respect of your personal identities and the charismatic originality that characterizes you, are called to make new life, to bring a breath of new life to the ends of the earth, knowing how to be responsibly present in the midst of peoples, nations and different cultures, so that the message of faith, hope and charity you bring may attract people to Christ.
Therefore, what we live in is an international and intercultural context, I invite you to seek, in a climate of prayer, with the appropriate tools so that in pursuing your individual and community goals you do not lose sight of the vast horizon of humanity for which Jesus gave his life. In this regard, I hope for the entire Roman Union of the Order of Saint Ursula a courageous missionary choice, capable of transforming everything, so that the customs, styles, schedules, languages and structures of your governance and your apostolate may become adequate channels for the evangelization of today's world. To do this, a pastoral conversion of structures is necessary, so that they are more and more mission-oriented, so that they are outgoing - because if they are not focused outward, they are not part of the Church -, aimed at favouring the response of all those to whom Jesus offers his friendship.
More than ever we need consistent evidence and coherent testimonials, please, please. The Church needs men and women who, beginning with their personal conversion, are able to offer to the others the gifts of listening and understanding together with the joy of the gospel.
You, dear sisters, are called to give this testimony as faithful daughters of Saint Angela Merici, finding renewed inspiration in her charism, in order to respond to the thirst for this world, which is ultimately a thirst for Christ and a thirst for his Mercy.
In this context, I would like to encourage you to continue your educational task with enthusiasm, especially at a time when young people are burdened with an enormous amount of information and disoriented by the speed with which they are transmitted. Consequently an educational proposal is needed that teaches others to think critically, to discern the pros and cons of the means we use and that knows how to indicate to young people a path of maturation in values.
You are well aware of the fact that serious human growth in the awareness of values is possible only by combining education with the proclamation of the Gospel. This happens mainly through personal testimony, therefore I invite you to take care of the spiritual life.
Love for the people is a force that favours the encounter with God and the spiritual life itself, because those who love their neighbour love God, while those who do not love their brothers and sisters walk in darkness, remain in death and do not know God (1 Jn 2.11; 3.14; 4.8). When we live the spirit of encounter, when we approach others with the intention of seeking their good, we expand our interiority and their ability to receive the most beautiful gifts of the Lord. Whenever we meet with a brother or sister in love, faith is more enlightened and able to recognize God. For this reason, if you want to grow in the spiritual life, you cannot give up being missionaries.
Dear Sisters, I ask God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Saint Ursula and Saint Angela Merici, to enlighten you in discernment and in decisions, to give you the strength to put them into practice, always being mindful that the ultimate goal of life is to give glory to God. May the grace of the Lord always accompany you and sustain you on your journey. I cordially bless you and all your communities. All of you! And you, please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
offered to Ursulines in Rome
Dear sisters!
I offer a cordial greeting to each of you and I thank the Prioress General. The General Chapter is an event of grace, an ecclesial event: even when it is celebrated in strictest confidentiality, it belongs to the life of the Church. All this appears particularly evident with reference to your General Chapter, which has as its theme: Global community, we are moving towards a new life. Challenging!
The juxtaposition of these two words: community and global immediately leads to questioning, because it seems contradictory. Generally the term community is used to indicate a group of people who share the same fairly restricted environment: like the religious community, the parish community, in short, a circumscribed form of God's people; the global adjective, on the other hand, is used to attribute the reality referred to as a universal extension, which reaches the ends of the earth. It seems that these two terms are not meant to be together, yet this is the reality in which we live and with which we have to deal.
We find ourselves in a time that is increasingly interconnected and inhabited by peoples who have now become part of a global community. We all find ourselves closer to the great challenges we face. Today no one can say, This does not concern me. The protection of human rights, the conquest of freedom of thought and religion, the evangelization of those who are distant and of neighbours alike - starting with oneself -, social justice, environmental protection and the common search for sustainable development, the advent of a humanistic economy, of a politics that is truly at the service of mankind are not the problems of others, but they are our problems, they are my problems; they no longer concern only one people or one nation, but the whole world. For example, fire burning in the Amazon is not just a problem of that region, it is a global problem; the migration phenomenon does not concern only some States, but the international community; and so on.
Here then is the hopeful invitation expressed by the second part of your theme: Let us go to a new life. These words take up what Saint Angela Merici often said: Make new life. But how is it possible to go towards new life?
It is possible by opening the doors to Christ and imitating him in charity, that is, in making himself a neighbour to every man and woman of every language, people and nation with great respect for the diversity of the other, both cultural and religious.
In the same way, you too, dear sisters, in respect of your personal identities and the charismatic originality that characterizes you, are called to make new life, to bring a breath of new life to the ends of the earth, knowing how to be responsibly present in the midst of peoples, nations and different cultures, so that the message of faith, hope and charity you bring may attract people to Christ.
Therefore, what we live in is an international and intercultural context, I invite you to seek, in a climate of prayer, with the appropriate tools so that in pursuing your individual and community goals you do not lose sight of the vast horizon of humanity for which Jesus gave his life. In this regard, I hope for the entire Roman Union of the Order of Saint Ursula a courageous missionary choice, capable of transforming everything, so that the customs, styles, schedules, languages and structures of your governance and your apostolate may become adequate channels for the evangelization of today's world. To do this, a pastoral conversion of structures is necessary, so that they are more and more mission-oriented, so that they are outgoing - because if they are not focused outward, they are not part of the Church -, aimed at favouring the response of all those to whom Jesus offers his friendship.
More than ever we need consistent evidence and coherent testimonials, please, please. The Church needs men and women who, beginning with their personal conversion, are able to offer to the others the gifts of listening and understanding together with the joy of the gospel.
You, dear sisters, are called to give this testimony as faithful daughters of Saint Angela Merici, finding renewed inspiration in her charism, in order to respond to the thirst for this world, which is ultimately a thirst for Christ and a thirst for his Mercy.
In this context, I would like to encourage you to continue your educational task with enthusiasm, especially at a time when young people are burdened with an enormous amount of information and disoriented by the speed with which they are transmitted. Consequently an educational proposal is needed that teaches others to think critically, to discern the pros and cons of the means we use and that knows how to indicate to young people a path of maturation in values.
You are well aware of the fact that serious human growth in the awareness of values is possible only by combining education with the proclamation of the Gospel. This happens mainly through personal testimony, therefore I invite you to take care of the spiritual life.
Love for the people is a force that favours the encounter with God and the spiritual life itself, because those who love their neighbour love God, while those who do not love their brothers and sisters walk in darkness, remain in death and do not know God (1 Jn 2.11; 3.14; 4.8). When we live the spirit of encounter, when we approach others with the intention of seeking their good, we expand our interiority and their ability to receive the most beautiful gifts of the Lord. Whenever we meet with a brother or sister in love, faith is more enlightened and able to recognize God. For this reason, if you want to grow in the spiritual life, you cannot give up being missionaries.
Dear Sisters, I ask God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Saint Ursula and Saint Angela Merici, to enlighten you in discernment and in decisions, to give you the strength to put them into practice, always being mindful that the ultimate goal of life is to give glory to God. May the grace of the Lord always accompany you and sustain you on your journey. I cordially bless you and all your communities. All of you! And you, please, don't forget to pray for me. Thank you!
Testo originale nella lingua italiana
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