Vatican
City, 17 December 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father has written a letter
to Fr. Jose Narlaly, minister general of the Order of the Holy
Trinity for the Redemption of the Captives, to commemorate the eighth
centenary of the death of its founder St. Juan de Mata, and the
fourth centenary of the passing of St. Juan Bautista de la
Concepcion, reformer of the order. In his letter, Pope Francis joins
with the Order in giving thanks to the Triune God for saints'
outstanding contribution to the Church and conveys a “simple
message of encouragement and spiritual closeness, and the hope that
they will serve as an impulse to and company in enthusiastic and
determined progress on the spiritual path they have traced, for the
glory of the thrice Holy and the good of those who face various
trials”.
The
Pope recalled the exemplary lives of the two saints who, upon hearing
the call of God, dedicated themselves fully to the most needy. “We
are all called to to experience the joy that springs from the
encounter with Jesus, to conquer our selfishness”, he said, “to
reach out of our 'comfort zone' towards all the peripheries in need
of the light of the Gospel”.
“The
Trinitarians are clear - and from this we should all learn – about
the fact that in the Church, responsibility and authority should be
lived as service. Therefore, our action must be removed from any
desire for wealth or personal promotion, and must seek to put all the
talents we receive from God to the service of the common good, to be
able to manage them, like good administrators, for the purpose for
which they have been granted; that is, to alleviate the suffering of
the most disadvantaged. This is Christ's will, and for this reason
the houses of your Family always keep their doors open, offering a
brotherly welcome”.
The
Pope encouraged the Order to continue to imitate Christ and, with the
strength of His Spirit, to offer themselves with humility in the
service of the poor and the imprisoned. “Today there are many …
do not seek, therefore, for your works and apostolic initiatives, any
basis other than 'the root of charity' and 'the will of Christ',
which my predecessor, Innocent III, considered to be the essential
pivots of this new way of life, approved by his apostolic authority”.
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