On the evening of August 2, the first day of his international pastoral visit to Portugal, Pope Francis recited Vespers with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers. In his homily, the Pope reflected on the conflicts, injustice and lack of hope facing the world today, and on the face of the Church stained by “ugly sin”, encouraging people to respond to Christ’s call to help us start afresh and sail bravely into the Evangelize the ocean.
(Vatican News Network) Pope Francis met with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastors at the San Jerónimo Monastery in Lisbon on the evening of August 2, the first day of his international pastoral visit to Portugal The spiritual workers recited the Vespers together, and about 1,100 believers participated in the activity. In his homily, the Pope reminded, “The Church is not a customs office that separates the righteous from the sinners. She tolerates everyone and does not point fingers.” in crisis.
exhausted crisis
The Pope first talked about the fishing experience of the Apostle Peter and the first disciples. They returned empty-handed from fishing at night, and their exhaustion also reminds us of the Church today. Pope: this is a fairly common sentiment in countries with an ancient Christian tradition that have undergone many social and cultural changes, marked by increasing secularization, indifference to God and detachment from the practice of faith . This exhaustion is often exacerbated by some people’s disappointment and anger towards the church, which is sometimes stained by our bad looks and sins. The shouting begins. “
Jesus Continues to Revitalize His Spouse’s Church
Feelings of failure can lead to thoughts of disembarking, the pope said: “Instead, we give to the Lord our toil and our tears, facing the pastoral and spiritual situation, facing each other with an open heart, together Try some new ways forward, trusting that Jesus will continue to hold the hand of His beloved Spouse, the Holy Church, and lift her up.”
called to cast the net again
Then, the Pope said: “Brothers and sisters, we are indeed living in a difficult time, but the Lord asked the Church today: ‘Do you want to disembark and sink into despair, or do you want to get me on board and accept me again? Newness of the Word, let me take the helm? Do you just want to put the past behind you, or do you want to cast your nets passionately again?”
The Pope continued: “We are called to cast our nets again, to embrace the world with the hope of the Gospel. Now is the moment that the Lord has given us to venture into the ocean of evangelistic mission, to worship and pray tirelessly before the Lord, never to fail. Doctrine leads to faith.”
Being a fisherman in today’s ocean
The invitation Jesus sent to his disciples two thousand years ago has remained unchanged. To be a fisherman is to “catch people up and pull them out of the sea”, “help them pick up where they fell, and bring them back from the sea.” Resurrected from all forms of death”.
The Pope concluded by saying: “There are many shadows in today’s society, even in Portugal. We feel a lack of enthusiasm, courage to pursue our dreams, strength to face challenges and confidence in the future; Sex, economic instability, lack of social friendship, lack of hope. As a church, our mission is to go deep into this sea, to cast the net of the gospel, not to point fingers, but to bring new life to the people of our time advice, that is the life of Jesus.
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2023-08-03 13:37:29
