Pope Francis says "experience blood donation...as a journey of spiritual growth on the path of solidarity that unites in Christ" to Blood Donors - FULL TEXT
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Meeting with members of the Italian Federation of Blood Donor Associations, Pope Francis highlights the spiritual dimension of blood donation as a testimony of Christian love that comes from the heart. Pope Francis on Saturday addressed the Italian Federation of Blood Donor Associations (FIDAS) as they celebrate their 65th anniversary of foundation.
FULL TEXT - ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
ITALIAN FEDERATION OF BLOOD DONORS ASSOCIATIONS (FIDAS)
ON THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDATION
Paul VI Hall
Saturday, 9 November 2024
___________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, welcome!
I greet the President and all of you. I am pleased to meet you on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Italian Federation of Blood Donors Associations (FIDAS), animated by the silent commitment of thousands of donors throughout the country. I would like to pause with you to reflect for a moment on three aspects of your activity: joy – because I know that you are joyful –, testimony and solidarity.
First: joy. Joy and positivity are frequent characteristics in volunteer environments and more generally among people committed to the good of others. We feel it here too, among you, and it is no coincidence. Giving with love, in fact, brings joy. Jesus himself said it: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (cf. Acts 20:35). The reason is that we “were made […] to give love, to make love the inspiration of all our activity” (Benedict XVI, Greeting to young people in Westminster Cathedral, 18 September 2010). Giving gives joy, because in it our whole life changes and flourishes, entering into the luminous dynamic of the Gospel, in which everything finds its meaning and its fullness in charity. Giving gives joy, this gesture [giving] makes you happier than this gesture [taking]. This gesture [giving] makes us happy. You freely give to others an important part of yourselves, your blood, and you certainly know the happiness that comes from sharing.
Second: witness. In a world, we know, polluted by individualism, which often sees in the other more an enemy to fight than a brother to meet, your disinterested and anonymous gesture is a sign that overcomes indifference and loneliness, overcomes borders and breaks down barriers. The donor does not know who his blood will go to, nor does the person receiving a transfusion generally know who his benefactor is. And blood itself, in its vital functions, is an eloquent symbol: it does not look at the color of the skin, nor the ethnic or religious affiliation of the person receiving it, but humbly enters where it can, trying to reach, running through the veins, every part of the organism, to bring energy. This is how love works. And the gesture of stretching out the arm, which is done at the moment of collection, is significant in this regard. It closely resembles that made by Jesus in the Passion, when he voluntarily stretched out his body on the cross. It is a gesture that speaks of God, and reminds us that "the evangelizing mission of the Church passes through charity" (cf. St. John Paul II, Homily for the Beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, October 19, 2003).
Finally, solidarity. Whoever follows the blood reaches the heart, physically, but also spiritually: that is, he reaches the "unifying center [...] of the person" (Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos, 55), where "self-esteem and openness to others" meet (ibid. 18), the place par excellence of reconciliation and unity. And in this regard I would like to invite you to experience blood donation not only as an act of human generosity, but also as a journey of spiritual growth on the path of solidarity that unites in Christ, as a gift to the Lord of Mercy, who identifies with those who suffer (see St. John Paul II, Address to the participants in the solidarity march organized by the Directors of the Association of Italian Volunteer Blood and Organ Donors, 2 August 1984). Follow the blood to reach the heart - do not forget this -, that is, to increasingly embrace every man and woman you meet, all of you, in a single charity.
Dearest, thank you for what you do! I bless you and your families, the donors and all those who collaborate with your Federation. I remember you in prayer and, I recommend, you too do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
ITALIAN FEDERATION OF BLOOD DONORS ASSOCIATIONS (FIDAS)
ON THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDATION
Paul VI Hall
Saturday, 9 November 2024
___________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, welcome!
I greet the President and all of you. I am pleased to meet you on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Italian Federation of Blood Donors Associations (FIDAS), animated by the silent commitment of thousands of donors throughout the country. I would like to pause with you to reflect for a moment on three aspects of your activity: joy – because I know that you are joyful –, testimony and solidarity.
First: joy. Joy and positivity are frequent characteristics in volunteer environments and more generally among people committed to the good of others. We feel it here too, among you, and it is no coincidence. Giving with love, in fact, brings joy. Jesus himself said it: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (cf. Acts 20:35). The reason is that we “were made […] to give love, to make love the inspiration of all our activity” (Benedict XVI, Greeting to young people in Westminster Cathedral, 18 September 2010). Giving gives joy, because in it our whole life changes and flourishes, entering into the luminous dynamic of the Gospel, in which everything finds its meaning and its fullness in charity. Giving gives joy, this gesture [giving] makes you happier than this gesture [taking]. This gesture [giving] makes us happy. You freely give to others an important part of yourselves, your blood, and you certainly know the happiness that comes from sharing.
Second: witness. In a world, we know, polluted by individualism, which often sees in the other more an enemy to fight than a brother to meet, your disinterested and anonymous gesture is a sign that overcomes indifference and loneliness, overcomes borders and breaks down barriers. The donor does not know who his blood will go to, nor does the person receiving a transfusion generally know who his benefactor is. And blood itself, in its vital functions, is an eloquent symbol: it does not look at the color of the skin, nor the ethnic or religious affiliation of the person receiving it, but humbly enters where it can, trying to reach, running through the veins, every part of the organism, to bring energy. This is how love works. And the gesture of stretching out the arm, which is done at the moment of collection, is significant in this regard. It closely resembles that made by Jesus in the Passion, when he voluntarily stretched out his body on the cross. It is a gesture that speaks of God, and reminds us that "the evangelizing mission of the Church passes through charity" (cf. St. John Paul II, Homily for the Beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, October 19, 2003).
Finally, solidarity. Whoever follows the blood reaches the heart, physically, but also spiritually: that is, he reaches the "unifying center [...] of the person" (Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos, 55), where "self-esteem and openness to others" meet (ibid. 18), the place par excellence of reconciliation and unity. And in this regard I would like to invite you to experience blood donation not only as an act of human generosity, but also as a journey of spiritual growth on the path of solidarity that unites in Christ, as a gift to the Lord of Mercy, who identifies with those who suffer (see St. John Paul II, Address to the participants in the solidarity march organized by the Directors of the Association of Italian Volunteer Blood and Organ Donors, 2 August 1984). Follow the blood to reach the heart - do not forget this -, that is, to increasingly embrace every man and woman you meet, all of you, in a single charity.
Dearest, thank you for what you do! I bless you and your families, the donors and all those who collaborate with your Federation. I remember you in prayer and, I recommend, you too do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
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