Pope Francis’ Calling

9月21日是聖瑪竇宗徒慶日，你知道這日子對教宗方濟各有什麼意義嗎？60年前的9月21日，16歲的他本來想跟同學出去慶祝，因當天是阿根廷的假期。但他卻到了他的堂區祈禱。他當時大概不知道9月21日是聖瑪竇——那位被看不起的稅吏，後來卻被選為宗徒——的慶日。當他到了聖堂，他看到一位不認識的神父。

教宗方濟各想不起當時跟他說了些什麼，或神父對他的回應，但他記得當天決定辦告解。

教宗在今年5月時曾跟一些人分享過：「我不知道為何那神父會在那兒，或我為什麼會渴望告解。但事實是，在那裡，有一位在等我。祂已等了我一段時間。當我告解過後，我覺得自己跟以前不同了。我聽到一把聲音。我確信自己要成為一位神父。」

教宗說：「我們一定要尋找天主，到祂那裡，尋求祂的寬恕。當我們走到那兒，會發覺祂已經在等候！」

就像耶穌召喚聖瑪竇去成為救恩的使者一樣，同一位天主召叫了少年貝爾格里奧去帶給人天主的慈愛和修和。天主也在召叫和等候我們每一位，你願意到祂那裡，領受那份愛和寬恕嗎？

September 21 is the feast of St. Matthew. Do you know what this day means to Pope Francis? On this day, sixty years ago, sixteen-year-old Jorge was planning to go out to celebrate with friends an Argentinian national holiday. But he decided to start the holiday by going to pray at his parish church. He likely was unaware that, in the Church's liturgical calendar, Sept. 21 is the feast of St. Matthew, the despised tax collector who, despite his sins, was nevertheless shockingly summoned by the Lord to become one of his apostles. When Jorge arrived at church, he saw a priest he didn't recognize but who seemed to radiate holiness.

Pope Francis cannot remember what he said to the priest or what the priest said in response. But what he remembers is that he asked the priest to hear his confession.

Pope Francis has shared with a group in May: "I do not know why that particular priest was there, whom I did not know, or why I felt this desire to confess. But the truth is that Someone was waiting for me. He had been waiting for me for some time. After making my confession, I felt something had changed. I was not the same. I had heard something like a voice or a call. I was convinced that I should become a priest."

Pope Francis said: "We must seek God; go to him and ask forgiveness. When we go, he is waiting for us; he is there first!"

Just as much as Jesus had summoned Matthew to become an ambassador of the salvation from sins to his friends and the whole world, the same Lord was calling the adolescent Jorge to be an emissary of that patient Divine waiting and merciful reconciliation to others.

資料來源 Source:
The 60th Anniversary of Pope Francis' Calling