Pope: bearing witness to the Gospel, lay Christians must show that "God has not abandoned the city"
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Christian laity must show that "God has not abandoned the city," today "magnificent spaces of freedom and human fulfillment, but also terrible spaces of dehumanization and unhappiness". This involves meeting others to "break the wall of anonymity and indifference that often reigns in the city". Providing for the formation of the laity so they may be "joyful proclaimers of the Gospel to their fellow citizens" in the knowledge that in the cities "there is often a much more fertile ground for the apostolate of what many imagine" was the recommendation by Pope Francis to all participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, met on the theme: "Finding God in the heart of the city", received this morning in the Vatican.
In today's world, the Pope observed, in which more than half of the people on the planet live in cities, "the urban context has a strong impact on people's mentality, culture, lifestyles, interpersonal relations, religiosity. In this varied and complex context, the Church is no longer the only 'promoter of sense' and Christians have to absorb "languages, symbols, messages and paradigms that offer new approaches to life, often at odds with the Gospel". Cities present great opportunities and great risks: they can be magnificent spaces of freedom and human fulfillment, but also terrible spaces of dehumanization and unhappiness. It seems that each city, even one that appears more prosperous and orderly, has the capacity generate within itself an obscure 'anti-city'. It seems that among a city's citizens there are also non-citizens: The invisible people, lacking in means and human warmth, inhabiting 'non-places', living ' non- relations'. These are individuals that no one looks at, pays attention to, shows an interest in".
"But in the face of these sad scenarios we must always remember that God has not abandoned the city. The title of your Plenary wanted to point out that you can encounter God in the heart of the city. This is very nice. Yes, God continues to be present in our frantic and distracted cities! Therefor we need never abandon ourselves to pessimism and defeatism, but view the city through the eyes of faith, a contemplative look "that discovers the God who dwells in its houses, its streets, its squares" and God is never absent from the city because He is never absent from the human heart! In fact," the presence of God accompanies and supports the sincere search of people and groups who are trying to find meaning in their lives". The Church wants be at the service of this search opening up hearts to God. The lay faithful, especially, are called to go out without fear to go to the men of the city: in daily activities, at work, as individual or as a family, together with the parish or ecclesial movements to which they belong, they can break the wall of anonymity and indifference that often reigns in the city. It is about finding the courage to take the first step of approach to others, to be apostles of their neighborhood".
"By becoming joyful proclaimers of the Gospel to their fellow citizens, the lay faithful discover that there are many hearts that the Holy Spirit has already prepared to accept their testimony, their closeness, their attention. In the city there is often a much more fertile area of apostolate than many imagine. It is therefore important to provide for the formation of the laity: to help them to have the gaze of faith, full of hope, that can see the city through the eyes of God, to encourage them to live the Gospel, knowing that every Christian life lived always has a strong social impact. At the same time, you need to feed them to the desire to witness, so that they can give to others, the gift of faith they have received, with love, accompanying those brothers who are taking their first steps in the life of faith with affection. In a word: the laity are called to live a humble leadership in the Church and become leaven for the whole city".
"It is also important that, in this renewed missionary outreach in the city, the lay faithful, in communion with their pastors, are able to propose the heart of the Gospel, not its 'appendages'. Even the then Archbishop Montini, involving people in the great mission town of Milan, spoke of "the search for the essential," and invited us to be first of all to live 'essentially' ourselves that is be true and genuine, counting on what really matters. Only in this way can, the liberating message of God's love and salvation that Christ offers be proposed in all of its strength, beauty and simplicity".
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