Pope Francis received members of the church community at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg on the evening of September 26. In his speech, the Pope emphasized the importance of service, mission and joy, and called on the church to be hospitable, to go out evangelically, and to live out the value of the gospel with a joyful heart.
(Vatican News)On the evening of September 26, Pope Francis met with religious from local church groups at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg and gave them a speech. The Pope’s speech focused on three themes: service, mission and joy.
The church is called to serve
When speaking on the first theme “Service”, the Pope repeated the theme of his visit to Luxembourg: “Serving people.” (See: John 13:13-17) He pointed out that service is an action, “it is the heart of the gospel.” The Pope confirmed that Luxembourg has always had a tradition of accepting outsiders, and that accepting others is not only a matter of charity, “but also a matter of justice.” The Pope praised the openness of Luxembourg and urged the faithful to continue using this tradition, saying: “The spirit of the Gospel is one of acceptance, openness to all.
The Church in Divine Society
Regarding the second theme, “Mission,” the Pope emphasized the missionary mission of the Church in an increasingly secular society and stressed the need for the Church to move forward with the times without giving up its core values. The Pope said, “We cannot close ourselves with sadness, resignation or complaint and resentment”; the church community must be “full of energy” and always respond to the challenges of the time. To achieve this goal, we must be an “evangelical church.”
the joy of the gospel
Later, the Pope spoke on the subject of joy, saying it is “a central part of the Christian faith.” The Pope mentioned the testimony given by the young man Diogo Costa before his speech. The Pope said that Diogo’s joy represents the message of the Gospel. “Our faith is full of joy, it is a ‘dance’ because we know that we are God’s children and that God is our friend,” said the pope.
This gathering was held in the context of the 400th anniversary of the Luxembourg Church’s devoted devotion to Mary, Consolation of the Worried. To this end, the pope urged the country’s church community in his farewell remarks: “Let us follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary in giving comfort and service to people. “
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2024-09-27 12:58:37
