"To remain in the Lord to find the courage to move outside of ourselves, outside of our comfort zones, from our restricted and protected spaces, to move into the open sea of the needs of others and give our Christian witness to the world". "The dynamism of the believer's charity is not the result of strategies, it is not born from external solicitations, of social or ideological demands, but from our encounter with Jesus and abiding in Jesus".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Pope "accompanies" with the prayer "the positive outcome of the Inter-Korean Summit" and calls for collaboration in Korea to bring "positive fruits" for the whole world. Francis once again his attention to the Korean events at the end of the Regina Caeli prayer, before which he stressed the relationship between "remaining" with Jesus and commitment to others.
"The Word of God - he told the 30 thousand people present in Saint Peter's Square - also on this fifth Sunday of Easter, continues to show us the way and the conditions to be a community of the Risen Lord. Last Sunday the relationship between the believer and Jesus Good Shepherd was highlighted. Today the Gospel offers us the moment in which Jesus presents himself as the true vine and invites us to remain united to him to bear much fruit (cf. Jn 15: 1-8). The vine is a plant that forms one with the branches; and the branches are fruitful only if they are united to the vine. This relationship is the secret of the Christian life and the evangelist John expresses it with the verb 'remain', which in the passage today is repeated seven times ".
"To remain in the Lord to find the courage to move outside of ourselves, outside of our comfort zones, from our restricted and protected spaces, to move into the open sea of the needs of others and give our Christian witness to the world. This courage to come out of oneself comes from faith in the Risen Lord and from the certainty that his Spirit accompanies our history. In fact, one of the most mature fruits that springs from communion with Christ is the commitment of charity towards one's neighbor, loving the brothers with self-denial, to the last consequences, as Jesus loved us. The dynamism of the believer's charity is not the result of strategies, it is not born of external solicitations, of social or ideological requests, but of our encounter with Jesus and of remaining in Jesus. For us it is the vine from which we absorb the sap, that is the 'life' to bring to society a different way of living and spending, which puts the latter first."
"When one is intimate with the Lord, as the vine and the branches are intimate and united among themselves, one is able to bear fruits of new life, of mercy, justice and peace, arising from the Resurrection of the Lord. It is what the Saints did, those who lived the Christian life and the witness of charity fully, because they were real branches of the Lord's life. But to be saints "it is not necessary to be bishops, priests or religious. [...] All of us are called to be saints living with love and offering each one their own testimony in our every day activities, where he is "(Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, 14). All of us are called to be saints".
"Every activity - work and rest, family and social life, the exercise of political, cultural and economic responsibilities - every activity, if lived in union with Jesus and with an attitude of love and service, is an opportunity to live in fullness of Baptism and evangelical holiness ".
After the recitation of the Marian prayer the Pope dedicated a thought to Korea. "I accompany with prayer - his words - the positive outcome of the Inter-Korean Summit last Friday and the courageous commitment undertaken by the Leaders of the two Parties to achieve a path of sincere dialogue for a peninsula free of nuclear weapons. I pray to the Lord that the hope of a future of peace and more fraternal friendship will not be disappointed, and that collaboration may continue bringing good fruits for the beloved Korean people and for the whole world ".
Finally Francis announced that "the day after tomorrow, May 1st, in the afternoon I will begin the Mariano Month with a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Our Lady of Divine Love. We will recite the Rosary, praying especially for peace in Syria and throughout the world. An invitation to be spiritually united and to extend the prayer of the Rosary for peace throughout the month of May ".