Pope to Stigmatines: Bring the
fire of God’s love to the Christian community
The Pope arrives for his audience in the Vatican with Stigmatine Fathers. |
On Saturday, Pope Francis received in audience members of
the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata, or the Stigmatine Fathers, on the
occasion of their General Chapter.
By Sr. Bernadette Mary Reis
Fire. This is the image Pope Francis used with the
Stigmatine Fathers. “I have come to cast fire on the earth. How I wish it were
already ignited!” (Luke 12:49). That fire, he said is God’s love for us. He
then invited those participating, to “rekindle within yourselves and your
communities the fire of the Word of God.” This was Pope Francis' message in
prepared remarks which were delivered to the Stigmatines gathered in the
Vatican for the audience with the Holy Father. The written remarks were
distributed to the Fathers while the Pope spoke with them off the cuff.
The Stigmatine Fathers were founded in Verona, Italy in 1816
by St Gaspar Bertoni. Theirs is a specifically missionary vocation at the
service of the Bishops, the proclamation of the Word of God, and the formation
of young people and clergy. They are present in 15 countries and number about
400 members.
Evangelize through the joy of your life
In his prepared text, Pope Francis said, “In the Bible God
is compared to fire, but he is the fire of love, which conquers peoples’ hearts
not with violence, but respecting each one’s freedom.” He highlighted the way
in which their Founder announced the Gospel—humbly and joyfully after the
example of Jesus’ own style of evangelizing. It is “through the joy of your
life,” Pope Francis said, that “you can lead people to conversion, to communion
with Christ.” In fact, it is precisely the “fraternal community of
missionaries” that confirms their proclamation of the Gospel because it has been
“tested by fire,” he said.
Reawaken faith
Thus, the Pope called them to “bring this fire into the
Christian community, where the faith of so many people needs to be reawakened.”
Above all, he asked them to go out to announce the Gospel “to the poor, and to
those who do not feel loved by anyone”—the sad, the depressed, prisoners, the
homeless, immigrants, and those fleeing from war. Lastly, he reminded them to
pay “special attention to the family” after the example of St Gaspar, who
transmitted to his sons “a love for the Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph.” After
asking them to pray for him, Pope Francis imparted his blessing on those
present and on their entire Congregation, and left them with the words: “May
the Lord always inflame your mission with the fire of the Holy Spirit!”
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét