Pope Francis says "... I encourage you to pray for priests, and to give thanks to God for the charisms with which they enrich the entire ecclesial family..."
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SPEECH OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO A GROUP OF MEXICAN ENTREPRENEURS
Clementine Room
Friday, February 17, 2023
________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters:
I greet you and I thank Mr. Eduardo Pisa, delegate of the Archdiocese of Mexico for the administration of ecclesiastical property, for the words he has addressed to me. I am very pleased to be able to meet you and I repeat the phrase that is said in Mexico, “my house is your house”. And it is that, for all Catholics, the Vatican is also like their home; It is a place where the children of the Church can meet and praise God as a family.
It is very sad what we are experiencing, how wars wreak havoc on the entire human family, causing suffering and poverty. And this makes us lose the sense of being a family, of respecting and tolerating each other, even with our differences and difficulties. The fight is in the first place, and we forget that in a family things are fixed with patience, with love, dialogue, sharing the points of view and the needs of each one, to help each other. The culture of our time is riddled with individualism and closure. And little by little we see the consequences of our consciences numbed by comfort, which leads to losing sight of those who are suffering or being discarded. And without wanting to, we are acquiring this movement of focusing on ourselves, the famous "I", "me", "my", "with me", "for me". I, me, my, with me, for me; it is a habit that can unconsciously grip us all. Alert!
A few months ago I told a group of Spanish businessmen that the Catholic entrepreneur, in order to be a sign of God's presence in the world of economy and work, has to take care of the relationship with the Lord. The most important capital we can have is spiritual capital. When the Lord touches our hearts, we broaden our gaze and are able to see those in need, to care for creation; we are capable of putting the common good first, the "us" of a family, to put aside the mundane logic of the "I", success, dominance, money, excluding others. Each one of us is called to contribute so that in society there are more and more artisans of peace and a culture of encounter; and that the builders of a community in which all, without exception, feel welcomed and loved by the Lord, multiply in the Church.
And with regard to taking care of the relationship with God, we know that to do so it is necessary that there be good priests, since they are the shepherds of the people of God. I am happy to see that you love the Church and care about her ministers. It is a right of the faithful that they have well-trained priests, and that they joyfully feed the community of believers with the Word and the Eucharist; and also bear witness to a life dedicated to others. For this reason I encourage you to pray for priests, and to give thanks to God for the charisms with which they enrich the entire ecclesial family, and to intercede for them in the midst of so many hardships they have. And likewise, I invite you to be close to them, help them so that they can focus their energies and their creativity on the exercise of pastoral care.
I would like to end these words by entrusting you to the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Take care of her as she is: simple, bold, and don't let anyone ideologize her. And it is. She asked that a house be built for her where all her children could visit her to deposit her pains and hopes. For this reason, the Basilica of Guadalupe is the image of the Church, it welcomes all her children. May she take care of you, her families, encourage you and accompany you in your good projects. God bless you. And please, I ask you not to forget to pray for me.
TO A GROUP OF MEXICAN ENTREPRENEURS
Clementine Room
Friday, February 17, 2023
________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters:
I greet you and I thank Mr. Eduardo Pisa, delegate of the Archdiocese of Mexico for the administration of ecclesiastical property, for the words he has addressed to me. I am very pleased to be able to meet you and I repeat the phrase that is said in Mexico, “my house is your house”. And it is that, for all Catholics, the Vatican is also like their home; It is a place where the children of the Church can meet and praise God as a family.
It is very sad what we are experiencing, how wars wreak havoc on the entire human family, causing suffering and poverty. And this makes us lose the sense of being a family, of respecting and tolerating each other, even with our differences and difficulties. The fight is in the first place, and we forget that in a family things are fixed with patience, with love, dialogue, sharing the points of view and the needs of each one, to help each other. The culture of our time is riddled with individualism and closure. And little by little we see the consequences of our consciences numbed by comfort, which leads to losing sight of those who are suffering or being discarded. And without wanting to, we are acquiring this movement of focusing on ourselves, the famous "I", "me", "my", "with me", "for me". I, me, my, with me, for me; it is a habit that can unconsciously grip us all. Alert!
A few months ago I told a group of Spanish businessmen that the Catholic entrepreneur, in order to be a sign of God's presence in the world of economy and work, has to take care of the relationship with the Lord. The most important capital we can have is spiritual capital. When the Lord touches our hearts, we broaden our gaze and are able to see those in need, to care for creation; we are capable of putting the common good first, the "us" of a family, to put aside the mundane logic of the "I", success, dominance, money, excluding others. Each one of us is called to contribute so that in society there are more and more artisans of peace and a culture of encounter; and that the builders of a community in which all, without exception, feel welcomed and loved by the Lord, multiply in the Church.
And with regard to taking care of the relationship with God, we know that to do so it is necessary that there be good priests, since they are the shepherds of the people of God. I am happy to see that you love the Church and care about her ministers. It is a right of the faithful that they have well-trained priests, and that they joyfully feed the community of believers with the Word and the Eucharist; and also bear witness to a life dedicated to others. For this reason I encourage you to pray for priests, and to give thanks to God for the charisms with which they enrich the entire ecclesial family, and to intercede for them in the midst of so many hardships they have. And likewise, I invite you to be close to them, help them so that they can focus their energies and their creativity on the exercise of pastoral care.
I would like to end these words by entrusting you to the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Take care of her as she is: simple, bold, and don't let anyone ideologize her. And it is. She asked that a house be built for her where all her children could visit her to deposit her pains and hopes. For this reason, the Basilica of Guadalupe is the image of the Church, it welcomes all her children. May she take care of you, her families, encourage you and accompany you in your good projects. God bless you. And please, I ask you not to forget to pray for me.
Source: Vatican.va
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