By Deborah Castellano Lubov
It is so important to cultivate friendship with Jesus…
Pope Leo XIV gave this important reminder on Friday in the Vatican to participants in the Course for Seminary Formators held at Rome’s Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum University, and to Xaverian Missionaries at the conclusion of their General Chapter.
To those who just concluded the course or their General Chapter, Pope Leo admitted, “These are certainly two different events, yet we can see a common thread that unites them because, in different ways, we are called to enter into the dynamism of mission and to face the challenges of evangelization.”
To have the ‘same mind’ as Christ Jesus
It is precisely this call, the Pope marveled, that requires of us all, ordained ministers and lay faithful alike, “a solid and integral” formation, “which is not limited to specialized knowledge, but must aim to transform our humanity and our spirituality so that they reflect the Gospel, and so that we have ‘the same mind’ as Christ Jesus.”
The Pope went on to offer some thoughts for reflection in this regard, also remembering that with such inspiration the Dicastery for the Clergy recently hosted an international gathering dedicated to priests on the theme, “Joyful Priests.”
“We can add that to be enthused by the joy of the Gospel,” Pope Leo suggested, “is not just for priests, but for everyone, and so we can speak of happy Christians, happy disciples and happy missionaries.”
A Christian’s ‘house’ must be founded on ‘rock’
If this hope is not to remain a mere slogan, he said, formation is essential.
“Indeed, it is necessary that the ‘house’ of our life and vocational journey, whether priestly or lay, be founded on ‘rock,'” the Pope highlighted, clarifying that is, on solid foundations “with which to face the human and spiritual storms from which even the lives of Christians, priests and missionaries are not exempt.”
The Holy Father next asked “how we can build our house on rock,” and, in this regard, went on to offer three brief suggestions.
Need to personally experience the Master’s closeness and love
The first, he reminded, is to “cultivate friendship with Jesus,” noting this is the foundation of the house, “which must lie at the heart of every vocation and apostolic mission.”
“We need personally to experience the closeness of the Master,” he said, “to know that we have been seen, loved and chosen by the Lord by pure grace and without merit on our part, because it is above all our own personal experience that we then exude in our ministry.”
“Moreover, when we form others in the priestly life and, according to our specific vocation, proclaim the Gospel in mission lands,” Pope Leo reminded, “we first radiate our personal experience of friendship with Christ, which shines through in our way of living, in our attitude, in our humanity, and in how we are capable of living out healthy relationships.
Need to constantly work on ourselves
The Holy Father in this context reminded that evangelization is first and foremost “witness,” “witness of personally encountering Jesus Christ,” which, he acknowledged, requires a continuous journey of conversion, in which “we are constantly to work on ourselves.”
“A concerted effort,” he said, “is needed to look into our hearts in order to see the shadows and wounds that mark us, and then to have the courage to abandon our masks and cultivate an intimate friendship with Christ.” “In this way,” the Holy Father continued, “we will allow ourselves to be transformed by the life of the Gospel and become authentic missionary disciples.”
The second suggestion, Pope Leo next stated, is to “live an effective and affective fraternity among ourselves.”
In this respect, the Pope noted, “we must work hard on ourselves in order to overcome individualism and the desire to overtake others, which makes us competitors,” and rather “learn gradually to build human and spiritual relationships that are both healthy and fraternal.” “In principle, I think everyone agrees on this,” he said, “but in reality,” he recognized, “there is still a long way to go.”
Priests are not alone
Finally, Pope Leo XIV suggested the third aspect is to “share the mission with all the baptized,” as he observed, “priests must also be trained in this, not to think of themselves as lone leaders, nor to live out the ordained priesthood with a sense of superiority.”
On this point, the Pope said, “We need priests who are able to discern and appreciate in lay people the grace of Baptism and the charisms that flow from it, perhaps even helping them to open up to these gifts and then to find the courage and enthusiasm to commit themselves to help the life of the Church and society.”
“In concrete terms,” Pope Leo explained, “this means that the preparation of future priests must be increasingly immersed in the reality of the People of God and carried out with the contribution of its members: priests, laity, and consecrated men and women.”
Before concluding, the Holy Father thanked those before him for this opportunity to be together, but above all, for their service, care in carrying out priestly formation, and missionary work in evangelizing lands that are often wounded and in need of the hope of the Gospel. “I encourage you to continue on your journeys,” he said. – Vatican News
