FREEDOM AND LOVE COINCIDE IF WE ABANDON ALL FOR CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, 27 JUN 2010 (VIS) - The Pope focused his remarks prior to praying the Angelus on this last Sunday of June to the theme of the call of Christ and the requirements it brings.

Addressing thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope said that "a young man or young woman who leave their family, their studies or their work to consecrate themselves to God" represent "a living example of the radical response to the divine vocation".

"One of the most beautiful experiences a person can have in the Church is that of being able to see and touch the work of the Lord in people's lives, of experiencing the fact that God is not some abstract entity, but a reality so great and strong as to fill man's heart to overflowing; a living Person Who is close to us, Who loves us and asks to be loved".

Benedict XVI highlighted how the requirements for following Christ "may seem very harsh, but in reality they express the novelty and absolute priority of the Kingdom of God which is present in the Person of Jesus Christ. They are, in the final analysis, the radical commitment that is due to the Love of God, which Jesus Himself was the first to obey".

"A person who renounces everything in order to follow Christ enters a new dimension of freedom", he continued. "Freedom and love are the same thing, while obeying one's own egoism leads to rivality and conflict".

The Holy Father concluded by inviting everyone "to contemplate the mystery of the divine-human Heart of the Lord Jesus. ... People who fix their gaze on that Heart, pierced and ever open with Love for us, feel the truth of the following invocation: 'Be you, my Lord, my only good', and are ready to abandon everything in order to follow the Lord".

ANG/ VIS 20100628 (470)

Trust In Our Lord

The devil is trying me again. When will he realize that the more he throws my way, the more Faith I gain in grace and protection? He may set me back a little with helping others, but this only strengthens my desire to defeat him in every manner. To see through his ugliness, and see only the Face of Christ in all people. Through the intercession of St. Vincent de Paul, my Patron St. Sylvia, my Guardian St. George, my Defender St. Michael, my Family in Heaven, and my Blessed Mother Mary, Christ will be by my side. He will shine His Love on me and allow me comfort in the Arms of my Father, my God. When I am tired, I will rest my head on God’s shoulders and feel peace in the arms of Abba. When I am well, I will strive to imitate my Brother, Jesus. I will trust in His great mercy to guide me with pure intentions. Come Holy Spirit; fill me with your grace.

9/22/2003