Celebrating the Liturgy of the Word with Italian Bishops, Francis outlines how the pastors of souls ought to be. They must be men capable of "listening to the silent stories of those who suffer, and help those who are afraid of not making it." We must also lift, reassure and inspire hope by leading our "life in accordance with God's plan, and fully commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus. From this, comes the discernment that recognises and takes on the thoughts, expectations, and needs of the people of our times."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - For Pope Francis "to be a pastor means believing every day in the grace and power that comes from the Lord," despite our weakness. It also means being "vigilant" about oneself and the flock, because "the lack of vigilance," as we know, "makes the Shepherd half-hearted, distracts him, makes him forgetful, even edgy. It seduces him with the prospect of a career, and entices him with money and the compromises with the spirit of the world. It makes him lazy, turns him into a bureaucrat, a self-centred cleric concerned with organisations and structures rather than the true good of the People of God. The danger is that, like the Apostle Peter, we might deny the Lord, even if we formally act and speak on his behalf, overshadowing the holiness of the hierarchical Mother Church, making it less fruitful."

For the Pontiff, who spoke this afternoon at the 65^th general assembly of the Italian Bishops' Conference, this is how the shepherd of souls ought to be. In his reflection on what bishops ought to do and what their soul ought to be, he warned against the dangers of "worldliness," noting that the right answer lies in the questions Jesus asked Peter, which are "do you love me?", are you my friend?

At the end of the Liturgy of the Word in Saint Peter's Basilica, Francis and the Italian bishops renewed their profession of faith. As bishop of Rome, the pope belongs in some way to the group 'I bishop share with you'.

The meditation the Pope proposed to 300 bishops or so that were present began with the question Jesus addressed to Peter. "The question is addressed to me and to each of us. If we can avoid reacting too hastily and superficially, it pushes us to look inside, to go back into ourselves. 'Do you love me?', 'Are you my friend? '. He who looks into hearts becomes a beggar for love and questions us on the only issue that is really essential, [which is the] premise and condition [that allows us] to feed his sheep, his lambs, his Church. Each ministry is based on this intimacy with the Lord; living on Him is the measure of our Ecclesial service, which is expressed in our readiness to obey, humble and totally give ourselves. "

"Likewise, the consequence of loving the Lord is to give everything-absolutely everything, even one's very own life-for Him. This is what ought to differentiate our pastoral ministry; it is the litmus test that shows how deeply we have embraced the gift we received in response to Jesus' call; of how much we have bound ourselves to the people and the communities that have been entrusted to us. We are not expressions of a structure or an organisational need. Even with the service of our authority, we are called to be a sign of the presence and action of the Risen Lord, so as to build the community with brotherly charity. Not that this is taken for granted for even the greatest love, in fact, when it is not continuously fed, fades and goes out.

"Who are we, Brothers, before God? What are our trials? What is God telling us through them? What are we relying on to overcome them? As was the case for Peter, Jesus' insistent and heartfelt question can leave us saddened, with greater awareness of the weakness of our freedom, beset as it is by a thousand internal and external constraints, which often cause confusion, frustration, and even disbelief."

"These are certainly not the feelings and attitudes the Lord wants to arouse; rather, [they are emotions] the Enemy, the Devil, takes advantage of in order to isolate us in bitterness, complaints, and discouragement."

"Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not humiliate us or abandon us to remorse. The tenderness of the Father speaks in Him, the one who consoles and lifts; the one who makes us go from the disintegration caused by shame to the fabric of trust; the one who restores courage, entrusts again with responsibility, and hands us over to the mission.

"To be a pastor also means to be ready to walk among and behind the flock, capable of listening to the silent story of those who suffer, and help those who are afraid of not making it; careful to lift, reassure and inspire hope. By sharing with the humble, our faith always comes out stronger.  Let us therefore put aside any form of arrogance, and bow toward those the Lord has entrusted in our care. Among these, let us reserve a special place for our priests; for them especially, our hearts, our hands, and our doors remain open at all times."

"Dear brothers, the profession of faith that we now renew together is not a formal act; it is renewing our response to the 'Follow me' that ends the Gospel of John. It makes us lead our life in accordance with God's plan, and fully commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus. From this, comes the discernment that recognises and takes on the thoughts, expectations, and needs of the people of our time."

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