Living out and proclaiming the Gospel are inseparable aspects at the heart of an authentically Christian life and witness, Pope Francis said in his message for World Mission Sunday.
Pope Francis
Reviewing one’s life is an essential step in discerning God’s call because it helps one see places where God was at work, even in small things, and also helps one recognize “toxic” thoughts of self-doubt, Pope Francis said.
Prayer is medicine for one’s faith and it reinvigorates the soul, Pope Francis said.
Catholic media are called to break through ideological barriers and help believers get to know the faith and struggles of their brothers and sisters around the world, Pope Francis said.
The Second Vatican Council was the universal Catholic Church’s response to God’s love and to Jesus’ command to feed his sheep, Pope Francis said, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the council’s opening.
To know oneself is a gift and a grace that allows Christians to properly discern between feelings and convictions, Pope Francis said. During his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 5, the pope said that knowing oneself requires “patient soul-searching” and the awareness of one’s “way of acting, of the feelings that dwell within us.”
Jesus never abandons, coerces or blackmails anyone when they stray, rather, he patiently waits and is “our greatest and most faithful friend,” Pope Francis said.
Close to 200 bishops at the beginning of their ministries in dioceses and eparchies around the world met Pope Francis Sept. 19 at the end of a week of conferences.
Discerning the will of God means being able to listen to one’s own heart and recognize the Lord’s presence in the unexpected events of life, Pope Francis said.
Marking the six-month anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Pope Francis renewed his appeal for prayers for an end to “the horror of war.”