EUROPE/CROATIA - THE POPE SAYS: THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS ALWAYS GATHERED IN THE UPPER ROOM IN PRAYER, AND AT THE SAME TIME, DRIVEN BY THE POWERFUL WIND OF THE SPIRIT, SHE IS ALWAYS ON THE STREETS PREACHING

Monday, 9 June 2003

Rijeka (Fides Service) – On Sunday 8 June, Pope John Paul II went to Rijeka’s Delta Square which takes its name from the delta of the Rifecina River, where he presided the celebration of the Mass of Pentecost. “The Church of Christ is always, so to speak, in a situation of Pentecost – the Pope said in his homily -. : she is always gathered in the Upper Room in prayer, and at the same time, driven by the powerful wind of the Spirit, she is always on the streets preaching. The Church is kept ever young and alive, one, holy, Catholic and apostolic, because the Spirit constantly descends upon her in order to remind her of all that the Lord has said to her and to guide her into the fullness of truth”.
The Holy Father then reflected on the identity of the Christian family, the motto of this Papal Visit to Croatia: “ In contemplating Mary and Joseph as they present the Child Jesus in the Temple or on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Christian parents can see a reflection of themselves as they take part in the Sunday Eucharist with their children or gather in prayer at home” the Pope said underlining the importance “respect for sacredness of Sunday, which enables members of the family to recollect themselves and to join in giving due worship to God.” The Pope then said that the family must be given “special consideration and concrete policies aimed at promoting and protecting its essential nature, its development and its stability.” And he encouraged Christian families to propose, first of all through the witness of their life “God’s authentic plan for the family as a community of life founded on marriage, in other words, on the stable and faithful union of a man and a woman, bound to each other by a bond which is publicly manifested and recognized.”
Concluding his homily John Paul II called on Christians to be “people of hope” in society today “ tragically fragmented and divided. This is the reason why it is so desperately unfulfilled.” The Pope said: “Christ’s desire is that all people should be one in him, so that all may experience the fullness of his joy. Today too he expresses this desire, for the Church which is ourselves.” SL (Fides Service 9/6/2003 EM lines 38 Words: 478)


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