Vatican City, 20 September 2014 (VIS) –
The participants in the international meeting, “The pastoral
project of Evangelii gaudium”, organised by the Pontifical Council
for the Promotion of New Evangelisation” and chaired by Archbishop
Rino Fisichella, were received in audience by Pope Francis in the
Vatican's Paul VI Hall yesterday.
In his address, the Holy Father spoke
of the urgency of the evangelising mission in our times, presenting
as an example, first and foremost, the passage from the Gospel
according to Matthew in which Jesus feels compassion towards the
crowd that follows Him, tired and exhausted like a flock without a
shepherd.
“How many people, in so many of the
existential peripheries of our time, are tired and exhausted, and
await the Church? They await us!” he exclaimed. “How can we reach
them? … It is not the task of the Pope to offer a detailed and
complete analysis of contemporary reality, but to invite all the
Church to grasp the signs of the times that the Lord continually
offers us. … These signs … must be reread in the light of the
Gospel: this is the moment of solid commitment, the context in which
we are called upon to work in order to enable the growth of God's
Kingdom. How much poverty and solitude we see in today's world,
unfortunately! How many people live in conditions of great suffering
and ask the Church to be a sign of the Lord's goodness, solidarity
and mercy. This is a task, in particular, for those who have the
responsibility of pastoral ministry. … They are required to
recognise and interpret these signs of the times in order to offer a
wise and generous response”.
“Before so many pastoral needs,
before the many demands of men and women, we run the risk of being
afraid and of turning inwards in an attitude of fear and defence.
Herein there lie the temptations of sufficiency and clericalism, of
the codification of faith in rules and instructions, just as the
scribes, pharisees and doctors of the law did in Jesus' time.
Everything is clear and orderly, but the population of believers and
seekers will continue to hunger and thirst for God. I have said many
times that the Church seems like a military hospital to me: many
injured people who need our closeness, who ask of us what they asked
of Jesus: closeness, proximity. And if we assume the attitude of the
scribes, the doctors of the law and the pharisees, we will never
offer a testimony of closeness”.
In this regard, the Pope cited the
parable in which Jesus speaks of the owner of a vineyard who, in need
of workers, left his home at different times of the day to look for
them. “He did not go out just once”, he emphasised. “All those
who are responsible for pastoral care can find a good example in this
parable. Go forth at all times of the day to find those who are in
search of the Lord. Reach the weakest and the least fortunate to
offer them support so they can be useful in the Lord's vineyard, even
if it is only for an hour”.
“Another aspect: please, let us not
follow the song of the sirens who call us to transform pastoral care
into a convulsive series of initiatives, without grasping the essence
of commitment to evangelisation. At times it appears as if they are
more concerned with multiplying their activities rather than taking
care of people and their encounter with God. A pastoral care that
lacks this attention will gradually become sterile”.
Finally, the Pope advised those present
to consider two important qualities: patience and perseverance. “The
Word of God entered with 'patience' in the moment of the Incarnation
and thus unto death on the Cross. Patience and perseverance. We do
not have a 'magic wand' for everything, but we do have our trust in
the Lord Who accompanies us and never abandons us. … Let us do
good, but without expected to be recompensed. Let us sow and offer
witness. Our witness is the beginning of an evangelisation that
touches the heart and transforms is. Words without example are of no
use! Our witness is that which brings and gives validity to our
words”.
“Thank you for your commitment”, he
concluded. “I bless you and, please, do not forget to pray for me,
because I have to talk a lot and also give a little Christian
witness!”.
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