Pope Francis address to Claretian missionaries

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Friday (11th September) with a group of Claretian missionaries who are taking part in the General Chapter of their congregation. Putting aside his prepared text, the Pope spoke off the cuff in Spanish, noting that he counted some Claretians among his close friends.

In his reflections on how the Claretians can better perform their mission of service to the Church and to the world, Pope Francis focused on three aspects of the life of the congregation – adoration, journey and accompaniment.

Adoration: Turning first to adoration, the Pope lamented that in our efficient world we have lost the sense of adoration when we pray, saying there is a lack of this within the Church at this moment. He said adoration means simply adoring God without asking, without thanking and even without praising.   

Journey: Pope Francis reminded how right from the beginning God has always journeyed with his people. This movement, he explained to the missionaries, means going to the borders in every sense of the word, opening doors and looking for roads and never being content to stay still and not move. He warned that people who are calm and immobile become corrupted just like stagnant water becomes dirty whereas a flowing river stays clean. 

Accompaniment: He said we never journey alone because God always accompanies his people. He accompanies us during happy times, difficult times, during the time of the cross or when we sin. The Pope noted that Jesus wasn’t frightened of sinners but sought them out even though he was criticized for doing this by others.