Pope in Loreto: rediscover God’s plan for the family
Francis visits the Holy House. The profound bond between young people, the family, the sick and the home of Mary. He signs the Apostolic Exhortation fruit of the Synod dedicated to young people, entitled ‘Christus vivit’, ‘Christ lives’. "In the event of the Annunciation the dynamic of the vocation appears, expressed in the three moments that marked the Synod: 1) listening to God's Word-project; 2) discernment; 3) decision".
Loreto (AsiaNews) - There is a profound bond between young people, the family, the sick and the house of Mary, which was traditionally in Nazareth and in which Mary pronounced her 'yes', becoming the mother of Jesus.
On a pilgrimage to Loreto Pope Francis underlines that Mary was a young woman, and affirming in the house where Jesus' family lived, that "in the delicate situation of today's world, the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman assumes importance and an essential mission "and that" it is necessary to rediscover the God’s design for the family, to reaffirm its greatness and irreplaceability in the service of life and society ".
But Francis' visit to Loreto is particularly linked to young people. In fact, the Pope chose this place and today's feast of the Annunciation of the Lord to sign the Apostolic Exhortation fruit of the Synod dedicated to young people. "It is called - he said -‘ Christus vivit - Christ lives ’. In the event of the Annunciation - he explained - the dynamic of the vocation appears, expressed in the three moments that marked the Synod: 1) listening to God's Word-project; 2) discernment; 3) decision ".
Arriving shortly after 9:00 am, at the Giovanni Paolo II Youth Center in Montorso, Francis immediately went to the sanctuary where at 9.45 he celebrated Mass inside the Holy House. At the end of the celebration, he signed the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation dedicated to young people.
The Pope then greeted the community of the Capuchin Friars and the cloistered nuns in the sacristy. Then in the sanctuary he greeted the sick and, having left the shrine's churchyard, he recited the Angelus and greeted those present, to whom he addressed a speech in which he noted that in Loreto, "an oasis of silence and pity, many come, from Italy and from all over the world, to draw strength and hope. I think in of young people, families, the sick ”.
"The Holy House is the home of the young, because here the Virgin Mary, the young woman full of grace, continues to speak to the new generations, accompanying each one in the search of their own vocation. This is why I wanted to sign the Apostolic Exhortation, fruit of the Synod dedicated to young people here. It is titled "Christus vivit - Christ lives". In the event of the Annunciation the dynamic of the vocation appears, expressed in the three moments that marked the Synod: 1) listening to God's Word-project; 2) discernment; 3) decision. The first moment, that of listening, is manifested by those words of the angel: "Do not fear Mary, [...] you will conceive a child, you will give birth to him and you will call him Jesus" (vv. 30-31). It is always God who takes the initiative to call to follow Him ". "The call to faith and to a coherent journey of Christian life or of special consecration is a discreet but strong disruption of God in the life of a young person, to offer them His love as a gift. We need to be ready and willing to listen and accept the voice of God, which is not recognized amid noise and agitation. His design on our personal and social life is not perceived if we stop at the superficial, but by descending to a deeper level, where moral and spiritual forces act. It is there that Mary invites the young to go deeper and fine-tune themselves to God’s action".
"The second moment of every vocation is discernment, expressed in the words of Mary:" How can this be? "(V. 34). Mary does not doubt; her question is not a lack of faith, on the contrary, she expresses her desire to discover the 'surprises' of God. She is attentive to welcoming all of God's demands in His plan for her life, to understand every aspect, so as to ensure a ensure her collaboration is both complete and responsible. It is the attitude proper to the disciple: every human collaboration with God's gratuitous initiative must be inspired by a deepening of one’s own abilities and attitudes, conjugated with the awareness that it is always God who gives, to act. So too poverty and the smallness of those whom the Lord calls to follow Him on the way of the Gospel is transformed into the richness of the manifestation of the Lord and into the power of the Almighty ”.
"The decision is the third passage that characterizes every Christian vocation, and is made explicit by Mary's response to the angel:" May it be done to me according to your word "(v. 38). Her "yes" to God's plan of salvation, implemented through the Incarnation, is the giving of her entire life to Him. It is the 'yes' of complete trust and total openness to the will of God. Mary is the model of every vocation and the inspirer of every vocational ministry: young people who are in search or wonder about their future, can find in Mary She who helps them to discern God's plan for themselves and the strength to adhere to it ".
"The House of Mary is also the home of the family. In the delicate situation of today's world, the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman assumes an essential importance and mission. We need to rediscover God’s design for the family, to reaffirm its greatness and irreplaceability in the service of life and society. In the house of Nazareth, Mary lived the multiplicity of family relationships as a daughter, engaged, bride and mother. For this reason, every family, in its different components, finds a welcome here, an inspiration to live its own identity. The domestic experience of the Blessed Virgin indicates that family and young people cannot be two parallel sectors of the pastoral care of our communities, but they must walk closely together, because very often young people are what a family has given them during their growth" .
"The House of Mary is also the home of the sick. Here those who suffer in body and spirit find welcome, and the Mother brings the mercy of the Lord to all from generation to generation. Illness hurts the family and the sick must be welcomed into the family. And please do not fall into that culture of waste that today is proposed by the ideological colonizations that assail us. The home and family are the first to care for the sick in loving them, supporting them, encouraging them and caring for them. This is why the sanctuary of the Holy House is the symbol of every welcoming home and sanctuary of the sick. From here I send to you all, all over the world, my thoughts and affection and I tell you: you are at the center of Christ's work, because you concretely share and carry the Cross every day behind Him. Your suffering can become a decisive collaboration for the advent of the Kingdom of God ".
"Dear brothers and sisters! To you and to those who are linked to this Shrine, God, through Mary, I entrust a mission in our time: to bring the Gospel of peace and life to our often distracted contemporaries, preoccupied with earthly interests or immersed in a climate of spiritual aridity. There is a need for simple and wise people, humble and courageous, poor and generous. In short, people who, at Mary's school, welcome the Gospel without reserve in their lives. Thus, through the holiness of the people of God, witnesses to holiness in every state of life will continue to spread in Italy, in Europe and in the world, to renew the Church and animate society with the leaven of the Kingdom of God ".
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