Pope: Love the Church first before criticising it
Concluding the cycle of catechesis on St Joseph, in today's general audience Francis dwelt on the title of patron of the universal Church attributed to him 150 years ago. "When I have a problem with someone, do I try to guard them or do I condemn them immediately?". Prayers for a religous killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on February 2, after celebrating Mass.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "We live in a time when it is common to criticise the Church", but only by loving her as she is are we capable "of saying what is wrong" and "recognising all the good," observed Pope Francis today during his Wednesday general audience, addressing the faithful present in the Paul VI Hall.
Concluding the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the figure of St Joseph, Pope Francis dwelt on the meaning of the title "patron of the Catholic Church" attributed to him by Blessed Pius IX 150 years ago. "Joseph - he explained - has the task of protecting Jesus and Mary" and together they form "the primordial nucleus of the Church".
"The Son of the Most High came into the world in a condition of great weakness," the Pontiff continued, "He wanted to need to be defended, protected and cared for. God trusted Joseph, as did Mary, who found in him the bridegroom who loved and respected her and always took care of her and the Child".
"Every person who is hungry and thirsty, every stranger, every person without clothes, every sick person, every prisoner is the "Child" that Joseph looks after. And we too must learn from Joseph to "guard" these goods: to love the Child and his mother; to love the Sacraments and the people of God; to love the poor and our parish. Each of these realities is always the Child and his mother".
This also implies a precise way of looking at the Church: "We live in a time," Francis observed, "in which it is common to criticise her, to point out her inconsistencies, her sins, which in reality are our inconsistencies, our sins, because the Church has always been a people of sinners who encounter God's mercy. Let us ask ourselves if, in our hearts, we love the Church. In fact, only love makes us capable of fully telling the truth, in a non-partisan way; of saying what is wrong, but also of recognising all the good and holiness that are present in the Church".
"The Church," said the Pontiff, "is not that little group that is close to the priest and commands everyone. The Church is everyone. On a journey. Guarding one another, guarding each other. This is a good question: when I have a problem with someone, do I try to look after them, or do I immediately condemn them, spit on them, destroy them?
Hence the invitation to "ask for the intercession of St Joseph precisely at the most difficult times in your life and in the life of your communities. There where our errors become a scandal," the Pope concluded, "llet us ask Saint Joseph to give us the courage to speak the truth, ask for forgiveness, and humbly begin again. Where persecution prevents the Gospel from being proclaimed, let us ask St Joseph for the strength and patience to endure abuse and suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Where material and human resources are scarce and make us experience poverty, especially when we are called to serve the last, the defenceless, the orphans, the sick, the rejected of society, let us pray to Saint Joseph to be Providence for us".
Addressing the pilgrims present in different languages, in his greeting to a group of religious of the Order of Clerics Regular Minor, the Pope recalled his young confrere Fr Richard Masivi Kasereka, killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 2 February after celebrating Mass on the Day of Consecrated Life.
"His death - commented Francis - will not discourage his family, his religious family and the entire Christian community of that nation to be heralds and witnesses of goodness and fraternity, despite the difficulties, imitating the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd".
Finally, addressing the elderly, the sick, young people and newlyweds as usual, he said to them: "In a world that continues to be torn apart by deep and apparently irreconcilable contrasts, may each one of you be, for your part, a sign of reconciliation rooted in the word of the Gospel".
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