Instead, it means having the same attitude toward one another that Christ did, he said, adding that the Word of God "nourishes a hope that is concretely translated in sharing, in reciprocal service."
This reciprocity is essential, he said, because "even those who are strong sooner or later find themselves fragile and in need of comfort from others; and vice versa, in weakness one can always offer a smile or a hand to the brother in difficulty."
But this is only possible "if we put Christ and his Word at the center," Pope Francis said, and urged faithful to thank God for giving us his Word through scripture.
"We never thank God enough for the gift of his Word," he said, stressing that "it's there that we become aware of how our hope is not based on our own abilities and our own strength, but on the support of God and on his fidelity and love."
At the end of his audience Pope Francis also gave a shout-out to those participating in the "Watershed" Conference currently taking place in Rome in honor of the U.N. World Water Day, and which is being co-hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Argentinian Chapter of the Club of Rome.
"I am happy that this meeting is taking place," he said, "for it represents yet another stage in the joint commitment of various institutions to raising consciousness about the need to protect water as a treasure belonging to everyone, mindful too of its cultural and religious significance."
The Pope then made an appeal for his "24 hours for the Lord" event, which takes place each year on the fourth Friday and Saturday of Lent
"I hope that also this year this privileged moment of grace on the Lenten path is lived in many churches in order to experience the joyful encounter with the mercy of the Father, and that everyone welcomes and forgives," he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Took my Goddaughter to meet the pope. She stole his hat! <a href="https://t.co/SdSorop3uN">pic.twitter.com/SdSorop3uN</a></p>— Mountain Butorac (@MountainButorac) <a href="https://twitter.com/MountainButorac/status/844505243538931714">March 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.