At prayer vigil, Pope speaks of his desires for Synod of Bishops
October 06, 2014
On October 4, the eve of the Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis presided over a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square in which he discussed the human longing for a stable family.
The evening hour, he noted, is a time when “one willingly returns home to the same meal, in the thick of affections, of the good that has been done and received, of the encounters which warm the heart and make it grow.” It is also, however, “the most weighty hour for him who finds himself face to face with his own loneliness, in the bitter twilight of broken dreams and plans: how many people trudge through the day in the blind alley of resignation, abandonment, even resentment.”
“It is significant how – even in the individualistic culture which distorts and renders connections fleeting – in each person born of a woman, there remains alive an essential need of stability, of an open door, of someone with whom to weave and to share the story of life, a history to which to belong,” he continued.
“The communion of life assumed by spouses, their openness to the gift of life, the mutual protection, the encounter and the memory of generations, educational support, the transmission of the Christian faith to their children-- with all this, the family continues to be a school without parallel of humanity, an indispensable contribution to a just and united society,” he added.
Pope Francis said that the synod should “perceive the ‘scent’ of the people today, so as to remain permeated with their joys and hopes, by their sadness and distress, at which time we will know how to propose the good news of the family with credibility. We know, in fact, as in the Gospel, there is a strength and tenderness capable of defeating that which is created by unhappiness and violence.”
“Yes, in the Gospel there is salvation which fulfills the most profound needs of man!” he continued. “Of this salvation – work of God’s mercy and grace – as a Church, we are sign and instrument, a living and effective sacrament.”
Pope Francis then spoke of three primary prayer intentions for the synod:
Above all, we ask the Holy Spirit, for the gift of listening for the Synod Fathers: to listen in the manner of God, so that they may hear, with him, the cry of the people; to listen to the people, until they breathe the will to which God calls us.
Besides listening, we invoke an openness toward a sincere discussion, open and fraternal, which leads us to carry with pastoral responsibility the questions that this change in epoch brings …
The secret lies in a gaze: and it is the third gift that we implore with our prayer. Because, if we truly intend to walk among contemporary challenges, the decisive condition is to maintain a fixed gaze on Jesus Christ – Lumen Gentium [Light of the Nations] – to pause in contemplation and in adoration of His Face.
If we assume his way of thinking, of living and of relating, we will never tire of translating the synodal work into guidelines and paths for the pastoral care of the person and of the family. In fact, every time we return to the source of Christian experience, new paths and un-thought of possibilities open up. This is what the Gospel hints at: “Do whatever he tells you.”
These are the words which contain the spiritual testament of Mary, the friend who is ever-concerned that wine not be lacking in our lives. Let us make these words ours!
“At that point, our listening and our discussion on the family, loved with the gaze of Christ, will become a providential occasion with which to renew – according to the example of Saint Francis – the Church and society,” he concluded.
“With the joy of the Gospel we will rediscover the way of a reconciled and merciful Church, poor and friend of the poor,” he added. “May the Wind of Pentecost blow upon the Synod’s work, on the Church, and on all of humanity. Undo the knots which prevent people from encountering one another, heal the wounds that bleed, rekindle hope. Grant us this creative charity which consents to love as Jesus loved. And our message may reclaim the vivacity and enthusiasm of the first missionaries of the Gospel.”
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Further information:
- Pope leads prayer vigil ahead of Synod (Vatican Radio)
- Veglia di preghiera per il Sinodo sulla Famiglia in Piazza San Pietro (Holy See Press Office)
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