THE CHURCH IS THE COMMUNITY THAT LISTENS TO THE LORD WITH FAITH AND LOVE

Vatican City, 5 October 2013 (VIS) – After lunch at the Caritas soup kitchen, the Pope visited the Hermitage of the Carceri (Prisons) at Mount Subasio, five kilometres from Assisi and at an altitude of eight hundred metres, surrounded by forests. There he visited the grotto where St. Francis had retreated in order to devote himself to contemplation, and the minute chapel dedicated to St. Mary where Francis and his peers gathered to pray together.

The visit lasted around half an hour; the Holy Father was welcomed by the religious community and prayed in St. Francis' grotto. From there, he transferred by car to the cathedral of St. Rufino to meet with the clergy, consecrated persons and members of the pastoral council of the diocese.

In this cathedral, there is the font where St. Francis and St. Clare were baptised, and the Pope mentioned this, emphasising the importance of the memory of baptism, “our birth as children of the Mother Church”. In his address, the pontiff spoke about the most important aspects in the life of the diocesan community and referred to the Synod that its members are about to commence.

The first issue he considered was the Word of God. “The Church is this”, said the Pope: “the community that listens, with faith and love, to the Lord who speaks. … It is the Word of God that engenders faith, that nourishes and regenerates it. The Word touches hearts, converts them to God and to His reasoning, which is so different from ours”. But “it is not enough to read the Sacred Scriptures, it is necessary to listen to Jesus Who speaks through them. We need to be antennae that receive, that tune in to the Word of God. It is the Spirit of God that brings the Scriptures alive, that allows them to be understood in depth, in their true and full sense”.

The second aspect is that of “walking. It is one of the words I like best when I think of the Christian and the Church. But for you it has a particular meaning – you are about to embark on a diocesan synod, and 'synod' means to walk together. I think this is truly our most beautiful experience: to be part of a community of people who walk together, throughout history, alongside the Lord, who walks among us. We are not isolated, we do not walk alone, but rather we are part of Christ's single flock, which walks united. And here, when I think of you priests – and allow me to include myself among you – I ask, what is more beautiful for us than being able to walk with our people? … united, without breaking away, without nostalgia for the past. And while we walk, we speak, we get to know each other, we grow together as a family”.

Finally, the third aspect is to go out into the peripheries and proclaim. “This is an element I experienced a lot when I was in Buenos Aires: the importance of reaching out towards others, in the peripheries”, in a geographical sense, and “above all, people in special life situations … marginalised and disregarded human lives. These are people who we perhaps find physically close to the 'centre' but spiritually distant”.

“Do not be afraid of going out towards these people, to these situations. Do not allow yourselves to be obstructed by prejudices, habits, mental or pastoral rigidity, the famous 'it's always been done this way'! But you can reach the peripheries only if you carry the Word of God in your heart and walk with the Church, like St. Francis. Otherwise we only take ourselves with us, not the Word of God, and this is not good, it is not useful to anyone. We do not save the world ourselves; it is the Lord Who does this”.

THE POPE IN ASSISI: THE CHRISTIAN KNOWS WHERE CHRIST'S WOUNDS ARE

Vatican City, 4 October 2013 (VIS) – The Pope began his pastoral visit to Assisi to celebrate the feast of St. Francis, patron of Italy. The Pope's helicopter landed a quarter of an hour ahead of schedule – at 7.30 a.m. - in the sports field of the Seraphic Institute of Assisi, where he greeted a group of sick and disabled children. The Holy Father was accompanied by the eight members of the Council of Cardinals, who concluded their first meeting in the Vatican yesterday afternoon. Upon his arrival, the Pope was received by Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino, the president of the Italian Senate, Pietro Grasso, and the president of the Region of Umbria, Catiuscia Marini.

Francis warmly embraced the children from the Institute and, commenting on the address given by the director of the Institute, Francesca Maiolo, he said, “We are among the wounds of Christ … wounds that need to be acknowledged. … It reminds me of when the Lord Jesus was walking with the two sad disciples. The Lord Jesus, in the end, showed them His wounds, and they recognised Him. … And here Jesus is hidden among these children, in these people. … They need to be listened to. Perhaps not in the newspapers, as news items: that is a form of attention that lasts for one, two, three days, and then another piece of news comes along, and another... They need to be heard by those who declare themselves Christians”.

“But”, he added, “when He was resurrected, Jesus was beautiful. His body bore no bruises, no wounds... Nothing! He was more beautiful! But he wished to conserve His wounds and to carry them to Heaven. The wounds of Christ are here and are in Heaven, before the Father”.

The Holy Father then delivered to Archbishop Sorrentino the address he had prepared, to be considered as read, and a summary of which we offer here below.

“My visit is above all a pilgrimage of love, to pray at the tomb of a man who, divested of himself, redressed himself in Christ and, following Christ's example, offered his love to all, especially the poorest and most abandoned; he loved God's creation with wonder and simplicity. Arriving here in Assisi, at the city gates, we find this Institute, which is indeed named 'Seraphic', a name used to describe Francis. It was founded by a great Franciscan, Blessed Ludovico of Casoria. And it is right to begin here. St. Francis, who said, in his testament, 'The Lord granted me, Brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: While I was in sin, it seemed very bitter to me to see lepers. And the Lord Himself led me among them and I had mercy upon them”.

“Society, unfortunately, is contaminated by a throwaway culture, which is the opposite of the culture of welcome. And the victims of throwaway culture are precisely the weakest, the most fragile. In this House, I see instead the culture of welcome in action. … Thank you for this sign of love that you offer: this is a sign of true civilisation, human and Christian! Placing the most disadvantaged people at the centre of social and political attention! At times, instead, families find they have to take on the responsibility of caring for them alone. What can we do? Here, where we see real love, I say to all: let us multiply the action of this culture of welcome, of works inspired above all by deep Christian love, love for Christ Crucified, for the flesh of Christ, works which unite professionalism, qualified and justly remunerated work with that of volunteers, a most valuable treasure”.

“To serve those most in need of assistance enables us to grow in humanity, because these are true resources of humanity. St. Francis was a young rich man, with ideals of glory, but Jesus, in the person of the leper, spoke to him in silence and changed him, making him understand what was truly of value in life: not wealth, the strength of arms, earthly glory, but humility, mercy, forgiveness”.

At the end of the visit, the Pope proceeded to the Church of St. Damian to pray privately. This was the place where, in 1205, while praying before the cross, heard Jesus speak to him, asking him to repair His house. Here, too, in the later years of his life, the 'Poverello' composed his “Canticle of the Creatures”. On arrival the pontiff was received by Fr. Michael A. Perry, minister general of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor and by the religious community of the convent. After praying, the Pope proceeded to the bishop's residence in Assisi, to the room where St. Francis despoiled himself of the garments given to him by his father, in order to meet with the poor assisted by Caritas.

Pope Francis answers questions of young people in Assisi

(Vatican Radio) At the conclusion of his one day visit to Assisi on Friday, Pope Francis met with over 20.000 enthusiastic young people gathered in front of the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, answering four questions about faith, family, vocations and their fears for the future.

Responding to the first question from a young couple with their new baby, the Pope said it takes courage to form a family, to build solid and lasting relationships in our ephemeral and superficial environment. But the Holy Spirit, he said, has inspired many new initiatives within the Church for young people, for couples in crisis, or for parents and children in difficult situations.

Marriage and the family, the Pope stressed, is a real vocation, but there are also others who are called to the vocation of celibacy and commitment to the Kingdom of God. How can we recognize this calling, a young man and woman had asked him? By listening to the voice of God, he replied, in silence, in prayer, in the Sacraments. Having a living relationship with Our Lord, he said, is like keeping an open window so that we can hear God calling us and telling us what he wants us to do. Every calling is different, he went on, but each one begins with an encounter with God that touches our hearts and involves every part of our being.

Responding to the other two questions about loss of hope in the future and how to participate in this Year of Faith, Pope Francis urged the young people to listen to the voice of St Francis calling them to be servants of the Gospel of Christ. This message of salvation, he said, must not be mere empty words ,but must help us to transform the world through the witness of our life and faith

Pope Francis: Tune into God's Word and walk with Our Lord

(Vatican Radio) Tune into God, walk with Our Lord and proclaim the Gospel to the margins of society. That was Pope Francis’ message on Friday to clergy, religious and members of the pastoral council of the diocese of Assisi, gathered in the Cathedral of San Rufino.
After stressing the importance of pastoral councils for the running of a diocese, the Pope shared three reflections for their diocesan synod which is to take place shortly.
Firstly, he said, all members of the Church must listen attentively to the Word of God – priests, parents, catechists must all be tuned into God so that they can share their faith more effectively with others.
Secondly, he said, the Church community must walk together with Our Lord in their midst. Priests, he stressed, must be really present with their people to encourage, support and share the journey with them. Forgiving and asking for forgiveness, he said, are an essential part of both family and community life.
Finally Pope Francis highlighted the importance of missionary work, bringing the Gospel to the margins of our societies. Do not be afraid, he said, to go out to those places and those people who are living in difficult situations or who are far away from the spiritual life of the Church.

At the end of the encounter in San Rufino, the Holy Father went to the Basilica of St Clare where he spent a few moments in silent prayer in front of the glass tomb of the saint housed in the crypt . He then met with the community of cloistered nuns there, speaking of the humanity and joy that springs from a life centred on Christ. Teasing the sisters gathered in front of him, the Pope said it makes him sad to see sisters who are not joyful, who have forced smiles, or who are too serious in their spiritual life. Yours, he said, must be the holiness of a mother who gives life to the Church. Though community life is not always easy, he concluded, you must try to resolve your problems with love, with friendships and with joy that comes from the heart.