During his General Audience, Pope Francis began a new cycle of catechesis, focusing on 'an essential dimension of the Church'—that is 'to be missionary.'
The Pope said that when the Christian life loses sight of this dimension, ''it is lost, it grows sick: it closes in on itself, becomes self-referential and it withers.'
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today we begin a new series of catecheses on apostolic zeal. Christ’s Church, founded on the apostles, was born with missionary zeal, sent by the Holy Spirit to radiate the light of Christ to every land and people. Apostolic zeal is the very oxygen of our Christian life and an index of the Church’s spiritual health.
Drawing upon the Scriptures and the Church’s living tradition, we can find a first, eloquent example of this in the calling of the apostle Matthew. The Gospel tells us that Jesus “saw” this despised tax collector; he looked at Matthew with eyes of mercy and called him to become his disciple. Matthew then “got up and followed him”; now a changed man, he left behind his ill-gotten gains and embraced, with Jesus, a life of discipleship and service to others. Significantly, the first thing Matthew did was bring Jesus to a dinner with many other “tax collectors and sinners”. He went back to where he lived and introduced Jesus to others.
This can be our primary lesson in apostolic zeal; in the words of the late Pope Benedict, it proclaims Jesus not by proselytism but by attraction, out of a joyful desire to share with others the loving gaze of Jesus and the call to follow him as his disciples.
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience,
especially the groups from Uganda, Australia and the United States of America. I offer a special greeting to the many student groups present, and to the priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education of the Pontifical North American College. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
