Pope to Catholic Action members: honour the mission the Church entrusts you with
Loreto (AsiaNews) "Keep your eyes on Jesus", promote unity with "your pastors" and brethren "in other Church groups", be "the Gospel's leaven" at home, at school, at work, in your leisure time. This is the bidding the Pope gave Catholic Action members at the end of the mass celebrating the proclamation of three new Blessed. For John Paul II this is the mission the Church entrusts Catholic Action laity with. He stressed the point repeatedly saying "The Church entrusts you with [this mission]."
Here is the full text of the speech the Pope gave ahead of the Marian prayer for the Angelus:
"Dearest!
At the end of this intense celebration, I wish to express to you my joy for being here with you. May you always be ready when the Voice of the Lord Jesus beckons! As He needed Mary's fiat to be flesh so does the Gospel need your assent to be history in today's world.
[Speaking in Spanish] A special greeting to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Barcelona and the Diocese of Vic that came with Card. Ricardo Maria Carles, Mgr Lluis Martinez Sistach, Archbishop of Barcelona, the Bishop of Vic and most bishops of Catalonia.
[Speaking in Catalan] The new Blessed means a great honour for your land. As a medical doctor and priest he was a shining example for Christians of our times.
[Speaking in Spanish] I warmly greet pilgrims from other Spanish and Latin American dioceses who along with their bishops have taken part in the Catholic Action World Congress. Catholic Action should be the school where one can learn to love God wholeheartedly and follow Christ as the only Lord in our lives.
[Speaking in Italian] Dearest! I urge you to renew your assent and give you three tasks to fulfill. First: "Contemplation! Take to the path that leads to holiness and keep your eyes on Jesus, the one and only Teacher and Saviour for us all."
Second: "Communion! Try promoting unity with the pastors of the Church, with your brothers and sisters of the faith and other Church groups. Be the leaven that ferments dialogue among men and women of good will.
Third: "Mission! Take to others the leaven that is the Gospel; take it to their homes and schools; take it to their place of work and places of leisure. Remember! The Gospel is the word of hope and salvation for the world.
May Our sweet Lady of Loreto give you strength to honour your vocation; may She give you the generosity of spirit to fulfill your daily duties; may She give you the enthusiasm needed for the mission the Church has entrusted you with!"
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