The Church is the Body of Christ!
Vatican City, 22 October 2014 (VIS)
-This morning, the Holy Father gave a general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
An hour earlier he received the athletes of the Bayern Munich Football Club in
the Paul VI Audience Hall.
At the general audience, after
traversing the square in his Popemobile greeting the faithful present, he
continued his series of catechesis on the Church.Today’s mediation focused on
the Church as the Body of Christ. Pope Francis defined the Church as “a
masterpiece of the Spirit that instills in all the new life of the risen
Christ, placing us side by side to serve and support one another, thus making
of us one body, built in communion and love”. He emphasized, however, that it
is not just “a body built in the Spirit – the Church is the Body of Christ.
This is not just a figure of speech. It is what we truly are! It is the great
gift that we received on the day of our Baptism!”
The Pope noted that it would be good to
remind ourselves more often of what we are and of what the Lord Jesus has made
of us. “We are His body,” he stated, “a body that nothing and nobody can snatch
away from him and that He fills with all His passion and love just as a husband
loves his wife”. He also noted that divisions, jealousies, misunderstandings,
and marginalizations “are not good because, instead of building up and growing
the Church as the Body of Christ, it is fractured into many pieces and
dismembered”.
He recalled some advice that the
Apostle Paul gave to the Corinthians, who at the time were facing the same
difficulties. It is apt advice for us today: “We should not be jealous but, in
our communities, we should appreciate the gifts and qualities of our brothers
and sisters. We should draw near to and participate in the suffering of the
poor and the most needy. We should express our gratitude to all. Finally,” he
concluded, “we should not consider ourselves as superior to others but should,
in charity, think of ourselves as members of one another, living and giving of
ourselves to the benefit of all.”
At the end of the catechism, Francis
greeted the pilgrims and gathered faithful in different languages. He
especially addressed the employees of Meridiana airlines, based in the
Tempio-Ampurias Diocese of Sardinia, Italy, who are experiencing a very
difficult moment of uncertainty regarding their jobs. “I hope,” he said, “that
you can reach an equitable solution that takes into account, above all, the
dignity of the human person and the essential needs of the families. I send
this appeal to all those responsible: please, no family without a job!”
© VIS, Vatican Information Service
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