Pope invites religious in North
Macedonia not to stifle the Spirit
Pope Francis meets Priests, Religious and their families in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Skopje (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis greets the Catholic priests and religious men
and women of North Macedonia, and invites them to rely on God as they take
stock of their mission.
By Devin Watkins
The last public event of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to
North Macedonia was an encounter with the Church’s ministers and missionaries.
In his prepared remarks, Pope Francis thanked God for the
presence of the Latin and Byzantine rites in the Balkan nation.
“I can see the Church breathing fully with both her lungs –
the Latin rite and the Byzantine rite – and taking in the ever new and renewing
air of the Holy Spirit.”
He said both lungs are necessary and complementary, since
they “help us better to taste the beauty of the Lord.”
Taking stock
Pope Francis said the Church’s ministers often feel the need
to “take stock” of their mission. He said the bottom line is usually “in the
red”, with few priests and religious to serve so many houses and apostolates.
The risk, said the Pope, is that we can fall into the
temptation of relying too heavily on ourselves, rather than on the Lord.
He said taking stock has the advantage of bringing priests
and religious closer to the people they serve: families that fail to grow, the
sick, elderly, young people frustrated without a future, and the poor.
These people, said Pope Francis, remind us that we are “a
Church of beggars in need of the Lord’s Mercy.”
Secret of strength
“All too often we let ourselves think that things might be
different if we were strong, powerful and influential,” he said.
The truth, said the Holy Father, is that the secret of our
strength lies in something other than ourselves.
“Let us not deprive ourselves of the best of our mission;
let us not stifle the heartbeat of the Spirit.”
Surprises among the pots and pans
Pope Francis told the priests and consecrated persons of
North Macedonia that faith draws us more deeply into the world – not leading us
to reject it – with trust in God’s unconditional love for us.
And he concluded with words of gratitude for their service
and ministry.
“Thank you for having shown the familiar face of the God
with us, the God who never ceases to surprise us amid the pots and pans!”
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