I dream of a church that is a mother and shepherdess.
Interpretation
Pope Francis envisions a church that nurtures and guides its community like a caring mother.
In this quote, Pope Francis expresses his desire for a church that embodies the qualities of maternal love and guidance. He imagines a church that offers support, care, and leadership to its followers, fostering a sense of belonging and protection, while nurturing their spiritual growth much like a mother would care for her children.
In practice
In a sermon about community care, you might say, 'As Pope Francis once envisioned, we should see the church as a mother and shepherdess nurturing our spirits.'
We are a church of sinners but we must not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way that is with love, joy and faith.
I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.
No one must say that they cannot be close to the poor because their own lifestyle demands more attention to other areas. This is an excuse commonly heard in academic, business or professional, and even ecclesial circles. While it is quite true that the essential vocation and mission of the lay faithful is to strive that earthly realities and all human activity may be transformed by the Gospel, none of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice
We face so many challenges in life: poverty, distress, humiliation, the struggle for justice, persecutions, the difficulty of daily conversion, the effort to remain faithful to our call to holiness, and many others. But if we open the door to Jesus and allow him to be part of our lives, if we share our joys and sorrows with him, then we will experience the peace and joy that only God, who is infinite love, can give.
More and more people work on Sundays as a consequence of the competitiveness imposed by a consumer society.
This Christmas may we be consistent in living the Gospel, welcoming Jesus into the centre of our lives.
Either we conform our desires to the truth or we conform the truth to our desires.
The United Nations, whose membership comprises almost all the states in the world, is founded on the principle of the equal worth of every human being.
To be convinced in our hearts that we have forgiveness of sins and peace with God by grace alone is the hardest thing.
It is really hard to be lonely very long in a world of words. Even if you don't have friends somewhere, you still have language, and it will find you and wrap its little syllables around you and suddenly there will be a story to live in.
I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached.
The exclusion of the weak and insignificant, the seemingly useless people, from a Christian community may actually mean the exclusion of Christ; in the poor brother Christ is knocking at the door.
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