The pope has met today with Augustinian Recollects from all over the world, who are convening in Rome for their General Chapter. For three weeks, they have been reflecting on the challenges the order faces and working out ways to make their organization more efficient.
The pope reminded them that, in the Church, reinventing oneself means coming even closer to God.
POPE FRANCIS
'Being men of hope, with broad horizons, capable of placing all our trust in God's mercy, aware that we cannot face, only with our own strength, the challenges God puts in our way.â?
Amongst them was the Prior General, Miguel Miró, who could not contain his excitement just after meeting with the pope.
BROTHER MIGUEL MIRí? MIRí?
Prior General, Augustinian Recollects
'For those of us who are in the General Chapter, it was an incredibly moving moment, which drives us to keep working to evangelize from from our communities with a sense of service to the Church and all the people, especially those in need.â?
BROTHER CARLOS MARIA DOMíNGUEZ
First Provincial of Santo Tomás de Villanueva
'The motto of the General Chapter is 'Give what you command, and command what you will,â? a quote by St Augustine, all our hope is in Your mercy. That is what the pope focused on: to be able to know what God commands, we must place Him always at the center of our lives. This is the only way to achieve the revitalization and the restructuring that we wish for the whole order.â?
The Augustinians have brought this painting to the pope, in which Christ Child is dressed like Aylan, the Syrian boy that drowned when he was trying to reach the coast of Europe in a boat.
BROTHER JAAZEAL JAKOSALEM
Artist
'His image made people aware of the plight of the refugees, and then it is represented in the painting, and the title of the painting is 'Embracing Mercyâ?. The pope himself embracing mercyâ?.
BROTHER MIGUEL MIRí? MIRí?
Prior General, Augustinian Recollects
'When, in a community, there is love, like the pope has told us, there is vitality, strength, and enthusiasm to communicate the Gospel. But if the community is divided we cannot do much. We have to give testimony in a broken society, that is crumbling, fragmented, we need to give a testimony of communion, just as St. Augustine asked in his time.â?
The Order of Augustinian Recollects is more than 400 years old. Today, they are more than 1,000 religious men that work in missions, parishes, schools and colleges in 19 countries. They are in the United States, Mexico, and Spain, but also in China, Philippines, and Sierra Leone. From these places, they preach love for God and each other.
JMB/AG
AA/CTV
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- BN
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