Pope Francis invites you to worship, serve and walk with the Lord in the Jubilee Year

During the audience offered to the members of an Italian arch-confraternity, Pope Francis encouraged them to value the relationship between worshiping, serving and walking with the Lord, especially during the Jubilee Year.

When receiving the Archconfraternity of Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist of the Knights of Malta from the town of Catanzaro (Italy), the pontiff recalled that this entity has the Virgin Mary as its patron under the title of “Hodegetria”, which means “ “the one who shows the way.”

After celebrating that its members bear witness by “worshiping the Eucharist, serving their neighbors and walking through the history” of their city, he presented a brief reflection on the verbs adore, serve and walk.

Regarding worship, the Pope invited “especially in this Holy Year” to cultivate prayer with great commitment, both personal and communal. May this be the force that constantly renews your ancient brotherhood.”

“Fervor guards fraternity,” the Holy Father stressed because “from the Lord Jesus, who feeds us with his life and sustains us with his Spirit, come all gifts, charismas, the fruits of goodness that make the Church fruitful and joyful.” .

Regarding the action of serving, Pope Francis indicated that “when you take care of the poor, when you visit the sick, when you are in the company of those who suffer, you serve the Lord.”

“There is a very close relationship between worship and service, which we must never forget. “Christ came into the world to serve,” emphasized the Pontiff, who encouraged this charity to be prolonged when one is “close to the little ones and the needy with compassion and tenderness.”

In this way, the testimony of devotion to God and dedication to the brothers “will shine for everyone along the way,” he added.

Thirdly, Pope Francis addressed the meaning of the verb walk: “Remember that Jesus, the Way, calls us to follow him with perseverance, keeping the torch of faith lit during the earthly pilgrimage.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you to continue with hope the path of generosity, along which the Lord will always accompany you. I cordially bless you and your families. And please don’t forget to pray for me,” he concluded.