Pope: Seeking Jesus, meeting Jesus, following Jesus is the way
During the Angelus, Pope Francis said that World Day of Migrants and Refugees will now be celebrated on the second Sunday of September, the next one being on 8 September 2019. “It is not enough to construct an image of God based on hearsay; we must go in search of the Divine Master and discover where He lives,” he said. The “role of a real witness [. . .] is fundamental,” he added, stressing the need to “overcome a religious practice that is habitual and obvious”. Lastly, the pontiff asked the faithful to pray for his visit to Chile and Peru, which starts tomorrow.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Before reciting the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his thoughts about today’s Gospel reading (Jn 1,35-42), centred on “seeking Jesus, meeting Jesus, following Jesus: this is the path”.
"Each one of us, as a human being, is looking for something,” he said. “[W]e are searching for happiness, for love, for a good and full life. God the Father has given us all this in His Son Jesus.” And “In this search, the role of a real witness, of a person who first made the journey and met the Lord, is fundamental.”
"Only a personal encounter with Jesus can generate a journey of faith and discipleship. We can have many experiences, accomplish many things, establish relationships with many people, but only the appointment with Jesus, at the hour that God knows, can give full meaning to our lives and make our projects and efforts fruitful.”
“It is not enough to construct an image of God based on hearsay; we must go in search of the Divine Master and discover where He lives. [. . .] The life of faith consists in a burning desire to be with the Lord and, therefore, in a continuous search for the place where He lives. We are called to overcome a religious practice that is habitual and obvious, and to revive our encounter with Jesus in prayer, in meditation on the Word of God and in frequenting the Sacraments - to be with Him and bear fruit thanks to Him, to His help, His grace.”
In St Peter’s Square, the large crowd was made up mostly of migrants and refugees who earlier this morning attended the Mass the pontiff celebrated in the basilica for World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
With respect to this, after the Angelus, the pope said that from now on, for pastoral reasons, the Day "will be celebrated on the second Sunday of September. The next, the one hundredth-fifth, will be Sunday, September 8, 2019."
Citing the Message he signed for the 2018 Day, he reiterated that "migration today is a sign of the times. [. . .] our common response could be articulated around four verbs founded on the principles of the Church's doctrine: welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating."
Finally, he announced that tomorrow he will travel to Chile and Peru (January 15-22). For this reason, "I ask you to accompany me with your prayers on this Apostolic Journey.
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