POPE FRANCIS - Audience 13 June

Dear brothers and sisters: Today we begin a new series of catechesis dealing with the commandments. In the Gospel passage we heard earlier, a young man asks Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”. His question expresses the universal desire, felt especially by young people, to live a full and authentic existence and not to settle for a life of bland mediocrity. Jesus first tells the young man to follow the commandments, but then points beyond them to something “greater”, something that is still lacking. He invites the young man, who has obeyed the commandments from childhood, to sell what he has, give to the poor and follow him, promising that in this way he will have “treasure in heaven” (Mk 10:21). Here we see the meaning of Jesus’ saying that he came, “not to abolish the Law but to fulfil it”. The Lord wishes to give us that something greater, the treasure of life in abundance. In coming weeks, we will reflect on how the Law finds its fulfilment in the new life of grace. In the Ten Commandments, read in the light of Christ, we will find a door through which we can follow Jesus to the fullness of life: his own life and our life as God’s children.  

YEAR OF MISSION - Quotes from Pope Francis 

"The mission of the Christian in the world is a mission for all, a mission of service, which excludes no-one; it requires great generosity and in particular the gaze and heart turned heavenward to invoke the Lord’s help. There is so much need for Christians who bear witness to the Gospel with joy in everyday life. The disciples, sent by Jesus, 'returned with joy'. When we do this, our heart fills with joy."  
 “We need to avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world: when a Church becomes like this, it grows sick. It is true that going out onto the street implies the risk of accidents happening, as they would to any ordinary man or woman. But if the Church stays wrapped up in itself and doesn’t try new things, it will age.” 
 “We seek to make contact with families that are not involved in the parish. Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives, we must try to be a Church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate in parish life, do not know much about it and are indifferent towards it. We organise missions, we pray, we celebrate mass, we offer baptism which we administer after a brief preparation. This is the style of the parishes and the diocese itself. Other than this, we must also try to reach out to people who are far away, via digital means, the web and brief messaging.”