"We are all sinners! We take advantage of this moment is and cross the threshold of this mercy of God. " There are many places "where closed doors have become normal. We must not give in to the idea that this is the system to follow, which also has security, to our life, our family life, city and society. Let alone the life of the Church. It would be terrible! An unwelcoming Church, as well as a family locked in on itself, demeans the Gospel and dries up the world. "

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The opening of the Holy Door, which marks the beginning of the Jubilee encourages us to open our doors, "and if the door of God's mercy is always open, even the doors of our institutions must be open so we can all go out to bring the mercy of God, this means the Jubilee,  go forth to allow the Lord to enter ", this is why there must be "no closed doors in the Church, everything must be open."

The meaning of the now near Jubilee was indicated today by the Pope in having the courage to "cross the threshold" of God's mercy, which is a "door" that is always open, as must those of the churches, institutions and individuals because "the door has to be guarded, of course, but should not turn people away".

Pope Francis reflected on the approaching  Jubilee with the 30 thousand people present in St Peter's Square, among which he toured in his white jeep, "In front of us - he said - is the door, but not only the Holy Door: the great door of the Mercy of God - and that's a beautiful door! - Welcoming our repentance offering the grace of forgiveness. The door is generously open, it takes a little 'courage on our part to cross the threshold. " "Each of us has within him things that weigh ... All, right? We are all sinners! We take advantage of this moment is and cross the threshold of this mercy of God that never gets tired of forgiving, never gets tired of waiting for us! He looks at us, he is always beside us. Courage! We need ti enter through this door. "

"From the Synod of Bishops, which we celebrated last October, all the families, and the whole Church, have received a great encouragement to cross the threshold of this open door. The Church has been encouraged to open its doors to help  the sons and daughters on life’s journey,  sometimes uncertain, sometimes lost, in these difficult times to encounter the Lord. Christian families in particular were encouraged to open the door to the Lord who is waiting to enter, bringing his blessing and his friendship. And if the door of God's mercy is always open, even the doors of our churches, the love of our communities, our parishes, our institutions, our diocese, must be open, because then we can all go out to bring this mercy of God. The Jubilee means the big door of God's mercy but also small doors of our churches open to let the Lord  out, the Lord who so often is held prisoner of our facilities, our selfishness, and so many things. "

"The Lord never forces the door: He also asks permission to enter the Lord asks permission, He does not force the door! The Book of Revelation says: 'I stand at the door and knock'. But imagine the Lord who knocks at the door of our hearts! - If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me '. And the last great vision of this Book of Revelation, prophesies of the City of God: "Its gates shall not be closed during the day", which means forever, because "there will be no night." There are places in the world where you do not lock your doors, there still are. But there are many where closed doors have become normal. We where closed doors have become normal. We must not give in to the idea that this is the system to follow, which also has security, to our life, our family life,  city and society. Let alone the life of the Church. It would be terrible! An unwelcoming Church, as well as a family locked in on itself, demeans the Gospel and dries up the world. No closed doors in the Church, nothing! Everything open. "

"The management of symbolic 'doors' - thresholds, passages, border - has become crucial. The door should be guarded, of course, but not turn people away. On the other hand the door must not be forced, we must ask permission, because welcome shines in the freedom of acceptance, and darkens in the arrogance of invasion. The door is opened frequently to see if there is someone waiting outside, who maybe does not have the courage, perhaps not even the strength to knock ". "How many people have lost confidence, do not have the courage to knock on the door of our Christian hearts, at the doors of our churches ... And they are there, they do not have courage, we have lost trust: please, this must never happen ".

"The door says a lot about the house, and even the Church. Management of the door requires careful discernment and, at the same time, should inspire great confidence. I would like to say a word of gratitude for all those concierge who guard the doors of our apartment blocks, of civic institutions, the churches themselves. Often the wisdom and kindness of the concierge are able to offer an image of humanity and warmth to the entire place, already from the entrance. There is a lot to be learned from these men and women, who are custodians of places of encounter for the city and people!. To all of you keepers of many doors, be they the doors of homes, or  church doors, thank you very much! But always with a smile, always showing the welcome available in that house, in that church, so people feel happy and welcome in that place”.

"In truth, we know that we ourselves are the guardians and servants of the Gate of God, and what is the name of God's door? Can anyone tell me? Who is the Door of God? Jesus. Who is the Door of God? Strong! Jesus! He enlightens us on all the doors of life, including those of our birth and our death. He himself said: "I am the door; if anyone enters by me he will be saved". Jesus is the door that allows us to enter and exit. Because the flock of God is a shelter, not a prison. "

"The house of God is a shelter, not a prison, and the door's name? … Jesus! And if the door is closed, we say: 'Lord, open the door!'. Jesus is the door and allows us come and go. There are thieves, those who try to avoid the door: it is curious, thieves always try to go the other way, through the window, the roof but avoid the door, because they have bad intentions, and sneak into the fold to deceive the sheep and take advantage of them. We have to go through the door and hear the voice of Jesus: if we hear his voice, we are sure we are safe. We can enter without fear and exit without danger. In this beautiful speech of Jesus, we also speak of the keeper, who has the task of opening the Good Shepherd. If the keeper listens to the voice of the Shepherd, then he opens the gate, and lets all the sheep that the shepherd leads, all, including those lost in the remotest forests, that the Good Shepherd has gone to find. The sheep do not choose the guardian, nor the parish secretary, no, they do not pick them! The sheep are all invited, are chosen by the Good Shepherd. The Guardian obeys the voice of the Shepherd. Here, we could say that we must be like the guardian. The Church is the caretaker of the house of the Lord, the Church is the caretaker, not the mistress of the house of the Lord. "

"The Holy Family of Nazareth knows what it means to find a door open or closed, for those expecting a child, for those without shelter, for those who have to escape danger. Christian families should make their doorstep a small sign of the great door of God’s mercy and welcome.  That’s how the Church will be recognized in every corner of the earth, like the guardians of a  God who knocks, a  God that welcomes and that never closes the door  with the excuse that he is not home. In this spirit we are all close to the Jubilee, there will be the holy door, but the door of God's mercy is great! There's also the door of our heart to receive all, both God's forgiveness or give our forgiveness and welcome all those who knock on our door. Thank you".

• VATICAN
• POPE
• FRANCIS
• GENERAL
• AUDIENCE
• JUBILEE
• OF
• mercy