Pope urges Verbites to trust in
God and be brothers in proclaiming the Word of God
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| Pope meeting members of the general chapter of the Society of the Divine Word in the Vatican on June 22, 2018. (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis on June 22 met members of the Society of the
Divine Word (SVD) participating in their General Chapter near Rome.
By Robin Gomes
Pope Francis on Friday encouraged the Divine Word
Missionaries to trust in Divine Providence while preaching the Gospel,
especially to those who are excluded, abandoned and trampled, while remaining
united as brothers in their vocation and mission.
The Pope’s exhortation came in a talk to 155 members of
the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), popularly known as
Verbites, who are participating in their 18th General Chapter which began Nemi,
near Rome, on June 17.
Noting the theme of their general chapter, “'The Love of
Christ impels us’ (2 Cor 5:14): Rooted in the Word, Committed to His Mission”,
the Pope said it has a “clear Pauline and missionary flavour” and urged the
Verbites to return to their roots and origins as envisioned by their founder
Saint Arnold Janssen. In this regard he encouraged them to trust in
Divine Providence, to proclaim the Word of God and to be a community of
brothers.
Trusting in Divine Providence
Pope Francis encouraged the Verbites to renew their trust in
Divine Providence and to go out without fear, to witness to the joy of the
Gospel, which many make happy. They must be courageous in
taking risks and not be an impediment to the action of
the Holy Spirit. This trust, he said, renewed every day
in the encounter with Jesus in prayer and in the sacraments will
help them be open to discernment, to examine their own life in trying to do
God's will in all their activities and projects.
Proclaiming the Word of God
The Pope reminded the Divine Word Missionaries that
proclaiming the Word of God to all people, in every time, place and culture,
using every possible means, is their charism. Besides being
a legacy it is also challenge that awaits
them today, especially in their mission to those who don’t know Christ as yet
as envisioned by their founder.
Community of brothers in mission
Lastly, the Holy Father urged them to be a community of
brothers united by the Lord, walking together and loving one another, which he
said is “the greatest evangelization.” “The world, like the Church,” he
said, “needs to feel this fraternal love despite its diversity
and inter-culturality,” where “everyone is at the service of others and no
one more than the other.”
This unity the Pope said will help them overcome
difficulties and go out “meet other brothers who are outside, excluded from
society, abandoned to their fate, trampled underfoot
by selfish interests.” He said they are “sent to realize the spirit of
the Beatitudes through works of mercy” by “listening to and responding to the
cries of those who ask for bread and justice; bringing peace and
integral promotion to those who seek a more dignified life;
consoling and offering reasons for hope to the sadness and
suffering of so many men and women of our time.”
Roots and cemeteries
At the end, the Pope set aside his prepared text and spoke
off hand. He told the Verbites that going back to their origins is not an
abstract spirituality but are roots that give life, for which they must be
cared for and loved. Secondly, he asked the Verbites to think of the
cemeteries in distant lands in Africa, Asia, the Amazon and around the world
where many a Verbite missionary lay buried - young men who died gambling
with thier lives.
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