At Sacred Heart Church in Manama, several Catholics from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia met with Pope Francis. Bishop Paul Hinder, the Apostolic Administrator of the Vicariate of Northern Arabia, described the community's difficulties.
Many of them are struggling daily but do so with deep faith, trusting that we are all in the hands of our Heavenly Father.
A laywoman and a religious sister also shared their testimonies. They said that the construction of Sacred Heart Church had strengthened the Catholic community in the country. But there are still many challenges.
I have personally witnesed the trials faced by many migrantes who left their families back home.
Your gracious visit shows your care for your faithful flock and the region of the Arabian Gulf. And we feel the warmth of God's fatherly love.
Pope Francis explained the Gospel passage where Jesus invites all who are thirsty to drink the living water He offers them.
POPE FRANCIS
The words of Jesus that we have heard speak of the living water that flows from Christ and the believers. They made me think of this very land. It is true—there is much desert, but there are also springs of fresh water flowing silently underground, irrigating it. It is a beautiful picture of who you are and especially of what faith can do in one's life.
The Pope told the commuity that, although their humanity seems fragile on the surface, the 'sweet water of the Spirit' flows within them. He shared some advice to keep this spring from running dry.
POPE FRANCIS
To you, who have discovered this joy and live it in community, I would like to say: keep it. Rather, multiply it. And do you know what is the best way to do this? Share the joy. Yes, this is the way. Christian joy is contagious because the Gospel makes people go outside themselves to communicate the beauty of God's love. So it is essential that in Christian communities, joy does not lost but is shared.
Pope Francis explained this paradox of Christian joy—that the more it is shared, the more it grows. It is meant to be shared and not kept as something private.
POPE FRANCIS
On the contrary, we will lose our faith and become a boring community. And that is bad.
The Pope also encouraged the effort to continue building peace. He thanked the King of Bahrain for his invitation and the country's Minister of Justice for being present at the ceremony. Pope Francis then prayed the Angelus with those present. He blessed them and signed the Church's book of honor as the choir sang the Salve Regina.
RM
TR: KG
