Pope to Priests and Religious:
Persevere, be merciful and hope
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| Pope Francis during his encounter with Priests, Religious, Seminarians and Consecrated Men and Women. (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis, during an encounter with Priests and Religious
in Kaunas Cathedral, tells them they are children of Martyrs. He also urges
them to be merciful and to hold fast to Jesus amid tribulation.
By Lydia O’Kane
Tribulation and Christian hope
The Pope, seated in front of the Priests, Religious,
Consecrated Men and Women, and Seminarians in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and
Paul in Kaunas on Sunday, chose at the beginning, to go off script to tell them
that they were children of Martyrs. He was referring to Lithuania’s past which
saw the older generation endure violence and suffering for the defence of their
civil and religious freedom. To the older priests and religious present, he
said, “you have much to tell us and teach us”. It is tribulation, Pope Francis
explained, “that brings out what is distinctive about Christian hope. Never
forget the past, he stressed, “it is your strength.”
Hearts are fulfilled by God alone
Returning to his prepared address, Pope Francis drew
inspiration from the theme of this visit to Lithuania which is “Jesus Christ,
our hope”. The Pope also looked to a key figure in the Church, that of St Paul,
telling those gathered that he “invites us to hope with perseverance”. This
Saint, the Pontiff remarked, “repeats three times the word “groan”, which
“comes from an enslavement of corruption, from a yearning for fulfilment.” The
Pontiff commented, “we would do well to ask if we ourselves groan inwardly, or
whether our hearts are still, no longer yearning for the living God.” He went
on to say, “that perhaps our “prosperous society” keeps us sated, surrounded by
services and material objects; we end up “stuffed” with everything and filled
by nothing.” “As men and women of special consecration, he added, “we can never
afford to lose that inward groaning, that restlessness of heart that finds its
rest in the Lord alone.”
The Pope noted that this “groaning” can come also “from our
contemplation of the world around us, as a protest against the unsatisfied
needs of our poorest brothers and sisters, before the absence of meaning in the
lives of our young, the loneliness experienced by the elderly, the misuse of
creation.” Yet, he underlined, “we should also be concerned when our people
stop groaning, when they stop seeking water to quench their thirst. At those
times, we need to discern what is silencing the voice of our people.”
Be merciful and close to your flock
Concluding his discourse, Pope Francis again speaking off
the cuff, told those present they were not officials; their calling was to be
close to their flock and to be merciful to them, especially in the
confessional. The Pope remarked on the tendency for religious and priests to be
sad at times and continually tired. This sadness, the Holy Father said, was due
to the fact that they were not in love with God. He then advised those present,
if that was the case, to find and speak to a wise priest or nun who had that
love for the Father.
All of us, are on the boat of the Church, Pope Francis said, “We too want constantly to cry out to God, to persevere amid tribulation and to hold fast to Jesus Christ as the object of our hope.” The “challenge that impels us”, he continued, is the “mandate to evangelize.” “This is the basis of our hope and our joy.”
All of us, are on the boat of the Church, Pope Francis said, “We too want constantly to cry out to God, to persevere amid tribulation and to hold fast to Jesus Christ as the object of our hope.” The “challenge that impels us”, he continued, is the “mandate to evangelize.” “This is the basis of our hope and our joy.”
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