Be sowers of peace and hope

On September 7, Pope Francis met the bishop of Madagascar in the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Andohalo, to whom he urged to become a sower of peace and hope .

All this responsibility in the field of God should encourage us to have an open heart and mind, to avoid the fear it contains and to overcome the tendency to isolate ourselves: the fraternal dialogue between you, as well as the sharing of gifts and collaboration between Particular churches of the ocean Nican, be optimistic, record.

In his speech, the Holy Father stressed the difficult task facing the shepherds of these lands in the midst of many contradictions.

Rich land and a lot of poverty; a culture and wisdom inherited from the ancestors who value the life and dignity of the human person, but also the finding of inequality and corruption, he said.

In this regard, in commenting on the motto chosen for this visit, the Bishop of Rome declared that we are sowers, and that whoever sows it with hope, with effort and with personal dedication, while knowing that many factors must compete for it to be sown. sprout, grow, become an ear and finally abundant wheat.

Calling on the image of the sower, Francisco baderted that shepherds are called to spread the seeds of faith and hope on this earth. And he said that to do so, it is necessary that we develop this sense of smell that allows us to know him better and to discover what makes it difficult, embarrbading or damaging what is sown.

Therefore, pastors, accepting the contributions of different sciences, have the right to express opinions on everything that touches the lives of people, since the evangelizing task implies and requires the integral promotion of every human being. to demand that we relegate religion to the privacy of people, without any influence on social and national life, without worrying about the health of the institutions of civil society, without deciding on the events affecting the citizens, has he added.

The pope encouraged pastors not to remain indifferent to the challenges that their fellow citizens of all social categories face, regardless of their religious denomination.

The prophetic dimension related to the mission of the Church requires, everywhere and always, a discernment that is not generally easy. In this sense, a mature and independent collaboration between Church and State is an ongoing challenge, because the danger of collusion is never far away, especially if it makes us lose the precise evangelical bite.

And detall: This implies education, access to health care and especially to work, because in a free, creative, participative and supportive work, the human being expresses and increases the dignity of his life. Fair wages provide adequate access to other goods for common use.

The pontiff said that another dimension of the bishops' commitment is the defense of the human person. He therefore felt: "To be shepherds according to the heart of God, we must be the first in the option of proclaiming the Gospel to the poor: Today and always, the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel and evangelism freely directed to them is a sign of the Kingdom that Jesus has come to bring.It must be said without return that there is an inseparable link between our faith and the poor.

A pastor who sows, avoids controlling everything, gives space to initiatives, grows up at different times and does not become normalized; does not require more of the account, does not denigrate seemingly more mediocre results. This fidelity to the Gospel also makes us pastors close to the people of God, starting with our brother priests who are our closest neighbors and who should receive special attention from us, he said.

In the joys and difficulties inherent in ministry, priests must find in you always-available parents who know how to encourage and support, who appreciate the efforts and accompany the possible steps. The Second Vatican Council made a special observation on this point: [Los obispos] they must always welcome their priests with special love. These, in fact, participate in their functions and tasks and perform them every day in the work. Therefore, bishops, who regard them as their children and friends, eager to listen to them and treat them with confidence, must devote themselves to promoting the common pastoral care of all the dice.

Likewise, the Holy Father reminded pastors that accompaniment and discernment are an urgent duty, particularly with regard to vocations to consecrated life and the priesthood, and that it is essential to guarantee the authenticity of these vocations.

The harvest is abundant and the Lord who wants nothing more than genuine workers does not allow himself to be categorized in ways of calling, to incite the generous response of his own life. The formation of candidates for the priesthood and the consecrated life is precisely aimed at ensuring the maturation and purification of intentions, he added.

In this sense, the pontiff affirmed that this effort should also cover the great secular world, because they are sent to the harvest, called to participate in fishing, to risk their nets and their time in their multiple apostolate, both Church as in the world.

This is why I encouraged the pope to welcome all the initiatives taken by pastors for the formation of the laity and not to leave them alone in the mission of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, to contribute to the transformation of society. and the church in Madagascar.

Finally, Francisco sent his greetings to the priests, religious and religious sick or very affected by old age; I ask you to show them not only my affection and the safety of my prayers, but also to care for them with tenderness, keeping them in this beautiful mission of intercession.

Two women guard this cathedral: in the neighboring chapel rests the remains of Blessed Victoria Rasoamanarivo, who knew how to do good, to keep and spread the faith in difficult times; and the image of the Virgin Mara who has her arms open to the valley and the hills, seems to embrace everything. We ask them to always broaden our hearts, to teach us the compbadion of the maternal entrances that women and God feel to the forgotten of the earth and to help us to sow peace and hope, he concluded. . +