Pope urges Estonian Catholics to
leave their comfort zones and go out to others
 |
| Pope at Mass in Freedom Square, tallinn, Estonia on September 25, 2018. (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis on Tuesday concluded his September 22 to 25
pastoral visit to the Baltic nations celebrating an evening Mass in Freedom
Square in the Estonian capital Tallin.
By Robin Gomes
Recalling how God established His covenant with the
Israelites at Mount Sinai after bringing them out of slavery from Egypt, Pope
Francis urged Estonians not to give into new forms of slavery after emerging
from decades-long repression under foreign domination.
He told them it is God who loved us first and
who wants our free response. God fulfils man’s aspirations
and without Him we aren't pilgrims but orphans and drifters with no home to
return to.
Listening and seeking
Like the Israelites who came out of Egypt, the Pope said, we
too have to listen and seek.
People think they can show their strength by speaking loud or
threatening to use weapons, deploy troops and
implementi strategies to prevail over others. The Pope said,
this is not “seeking” God’s will but rejecting ethics and God.
Ethics leads to God who calls for free and committed
response to others and to the world. The Pope told Estonian Catholic they
did not gain your freedom in order to end up as slaves of consumerism, individualism or
the thirst for power or domination.
Chosen people
The Pope recalled that in the desert, His chosen people were
tempted seek other Gods, such as the golden calf and trusting in their own
strength, but God always called them to Himself. The Pope reminded
Estonian Catholics they too were chosen by God to be a priestly and holy
people.
Being chosen does not mean being exclusive or sectarian,
hiding or withdrawing, thinking ourselves better or purer. Rather, the
Pope said, God wants us to be like yeast, to leave our comfort
zones and “go forth” and fly boldly, assured we are always
protected by Him. Pope Francis said, “We have to leave our fears behind
and go forth from our safe places, because today most Estonians do not
identify themselves as believers.”
Priestly people
Estonian Catholics need to go out as priests, to help others
establish a loving encounter and relationship with God who cries out: “Come to
me!” They need to spend time and be close to others, accompanying them
with compassion that heals, frees and encourages growth in the
Christian life.
Holy people
Pope Francis said Estonian Catholics are all called to be
holy by living their lives with love and by bearing witness in everything they
do. Holiness is lived day-to-day and expands, overflows and makes
fruitful all that it touches. “Today,” the Pope said, “we choose to be saints
by shoring up the outskirts and fringes of our society,
wherever our brothers and sisters lie prostrate and experience
rejection.”
The Pope concluded urging that Estonian Catholics be able to
discern how to be free, to embrace goodness and feel chosen, and how to let God
increase, here in Estonia and in the whole world, his holy nation, his priestly
people.
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