By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Francis’ monthly prayer intention for October is for “a shared mission.”
The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month’s The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
All contributing in their little way regardless of vocation
Pope Francis’ videomessage emphasizes his invitation to each and every Christian “to walk together, taking the path of synodality,” explaining that “we are co-responsible in mission, we participate and we live in the communion of the Church.”
The images in the video were produced by the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York with the help of DeSales Media, with the collaboration of the General Secretary of the Synod itself, and the support of Fondazione Pro Rete Mondiale di Preghiera del Papa.
Regardless of one’s career or work in life, Pope Francis underlines that the mission is the same, namely that of “witnessing with one’s own life,” “everyone contributing what they know how to do best.”
The Holy Father suggests that, in this way, “we work together in this co-responsibility.”
Co-responsibility to care for the Church, our ‘home’
In the video, Pope Francis clarifies that priests “are not the bosses of the laity, but their pastors,” and stresses how Jesus calls upon us all to complement one another.
With this spirit, the Holy Father calls on all baptized people in the Church at all levels to remember how the Church is their home, and therefore, reminding them of their responsibility to take care of it.
Pope Francis concludes by praying, “Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity.” – Vatican News
