Pope urges believers to be holy
in everyday life
Pope Francis urged Christians to live their lives with love
and to bear witness to Christ in everything they do.
By Linda Bordoni
Addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square on
Sunday for the Regina Coeli prayer, the Pope reflected
on the Gospel reading of the day which tells us of the moment in which Jesus
presents himself as the true vine and invites us to remain united with Him in
order to bear fruit.
Explaining that the vine is a plant that forms a whole with
its branches which are fertile only if they remain one with the vine, the Pope
said the secret of Christian life lies in this binding relationship with Jesus
Christ.
One must remain with the Lord in order to go forth with
courage
“One must remain with the Lord in order to find the courage
to go out of ourselves, out of our comfort zones, out of our narrow and
protected spaces” he said in order to go forth into the “open sea made up of
the needs of others” and bear witness to our Christian vocation.
He said one of the most mature fruits that is borne from our
communion with Christ is our commitment to show charity towards our neighbour,
and to love our brothers and sisters with self-sacrifice, just as Jesus loved
us.
Francis explained that the charity of a true believer is not
the result of strategies; it does not arise from external solicitations, from
social or ideological demands, but from the encounter with Jesus and from
“remaining” in Jesus.
“For us, he is the vine from which we absorb the sap, that
is, the "life" that we bring into society: a different way of living
and spending, which puts the last in the first place” he said.
The Pope held up the example of the Saints but encouraged
those present to pursue holiness in their everyday lives.
Gaudete et Exsultate
“To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a
religious. […] We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and
by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves” he said.
The Pope concluded saying that every activity - work and
rest, family and social life, the exercise of political, cultural and economic
responsibilities - if lived in union with Jesus and with an attitude of love
and service, is an opportunity to live baptism and evangelical holiness to the
full.
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