Christians must help others meet Jesus, Pope Francis says

Vatican City, Apr 21, 2018 / 08:35 am

On Saturday Pope Francis said that Christians are called to a mission of leading others to an encounter with Jesus Christ, in order that every person might grow in his or her individual call to holiness.

"The men and women of our time need to meet Jesus Christ: He is the path that leads to the Father; He is the Gospel of hope and love that enables us to go as far as giving ourselves," the pope said April 21.

"It is a matter of carrying out an itinerary of holiness to respond courageously to the call of Jesus, each according to his own particular charism."

Quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Pope Francis said: "For a Christian it is not possible to think of his mission on earth without understanding it as a path of holiness, because 'this is in fact the will of God, your sanctification.'"

This is our mission, he continued. It requires responsibility and joy, generous availability, self-denial, and "trustful abandonment to the divine will."

Pope Francis spoke about holiness during an encounter with pilgrims from the Italian dioceses of Bologna and Cesena-Sarsina in St. Peter's Square. The pilgrimage to Rome followed Francis' own visit to Bologna and Cesena in October 2017.

Quoting from his recent apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, the pope also spoke about the important role of the Eucharist in helping to transform Catholics "into a holy and missionary community."

The Eucharist, he said, means "thanksgiving" and makes us feel the need for thanksgiving.

"It makes us understand that 'we are more blessed in giving than in receiving' (Acts 20:35), educates us to give primacy to love, and practice justice in its complete form, which is mercy; to know to give thanks always, even when we receive what is due to us."

The pope encouraged Christians to proclaim the call to holiness in their communities, since it concerns "every baptized person and every condition of life."

"In holiness consists the full realization of every aspiration of the human heart. It is a journey that starts from the baptismal font and leads up to Heaven and is carried out day by day by accepting the Gospel in concrete life," he said.