Vatican City, 1 October 2015 (VIS) –
The Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus attending their
general chapter were received in audience by the Holy Father in the
Clementine Hall this morning. In his address to them, Francis spoke
about the words that define their name and identity.
As missionaries, the Combonians are
“servants and messengers of the Gospel, especially for those who do
not know it or have forgotten it”, said the Pope. “At the root of
this, the personal relationship with Christ … determines all of our
existence and action; and it is experienced and nurtured above all in
prayer, in staying by the Lord's side. … In this prayerful space we
encounter the true treasure we give to our brethren through
proclamation. Indeed, the missionary is the servant of God Who
speaks, Who wishes to speak to today's men and women, just as Jesus
spoke to those of His time. … In the Word of God there is the
wisdom that comes from above, and that enables us to find the
languages, approaches and tools suited to responding to the
challenges of a changing humanity”.
As Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of
Jesus, you contribute joyfully to the mission of the Church, bearing
witness to the charism of St. Daniel Comboni, characterised by the
merciful love of Christ's Heart for the defenceless. In this Heart
there is the source of the mercy that saves and generates hope.
Therefore, as you are consecrated to God for the mission, you are
called upon to imitate the merciful and mild Jesus, to live your
service with a humble heart, caring for the most abandoned of our
time. … From that Heart you learn the necessary meekness to carry
out your apostolic action even in difficult and hostile contexts.
This heart, that so loved humanity, drives you to the peripheries of
society to bear witness to the perseverance of patient and faithful
love”.
Finally, the Pope expresses to the
missionaries his hope that this general chapter might illuminate the
path of the Institute in the coming years, helping it to “continually
rediscover its great heritage of spirituality and missionary
activity. In this way you are able to trustfully continue your
valuable contribution to the mission of the Church. May you be
inspired and encouraged by the example of many of your brethren, who
have given their lives for the cause of the Gospel, willing even to
offer the supreme witness of blood. Indeed, it is well known that the
Combonian Institute is distinguished by an uninterrupted chain of
martyrs, up to our times. They are a fruitful seed in spreading God's
Kingdom, and protectors of your apostolic efforts”.
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