Vatican City, Jul 7, 2013 / 08:12 am America/Denver (CNA).
In his July 7 Angelus reflection, Pope Francis reminded those gathered in St. Peter’s Square that all of the faithful are called to be missionaries, spreading the Gospel message.
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, he observed that “Jesus is not an isolated missionary, does not want to fulfill his mission alone, but involves his disciples.”
Not only does he call the 12 apostles, The Holy Father noted, but “He calls seventy-two others, and sends them into the villages, two by two, to announce that the Kingdom of God is near.”
“This is very beautiful! Jesus does not want to act alone. He has come to bring to the world the love of God and wants to spread that love with a style of communion and fraternity. For this reason, he forms immediately a community of disciples, which is a missionary community.”
However, the Pope cautioned, “the purpose is not to socialize, to spend time together – no, the purpose is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and this is urgent! There is no time to waste in small talk, no need to wait for the consent of all – there is need only of going out and proclaiming.”