Pope: we are all invited to be members of the People of God

by FLL Editorial Team
2013-06-12

"Waiting for the Pope" - by Bjørn Giesenbauer (https://www.flickr.com/photos/giesenbauer/4148201540/)

"Waiting for the Pope" - by Bjørn Giesenbauer (https://www.flickr.com/photos/giesenbauer/4148201540/)

教宗方濟各在週三接見信眾時說談及梵蒂岡第二次大公會議中,關於「天主子民」(《教會》教義憲章Lumen Gentium 9;天主教教理 782)的一些反省。他提出了數條問題。

1. 「天主子民」是什麼意思?首先,意思是天主不屬於任何人;是祂召叫我們,是祂邀請我們成為祂的子民,而這邀請的對象是所有人,因為天主的仁慈「願意所有的人都得救」(弟茂德前書2:4)。耶穌沒有叫宗徒去組織一個排外或只屬於精英份子的團體。耶穌說:「你們要去使萬民成為門徒」(瑪竇福音28:19)聖保祿說在天主的子民中,在教會內:「不再分猶太人或希臘人…因為你們眾人在基督耶穌內已成了一個。」(迦拉達書3:28)我想跟那些自覺離天主或教會很遠的人說,或那些害怕或冷淡的人說,或是那些認為自己不可能改變的人說:耶穌正在召喚你成為天主子民的一份子,而祂是極尊重和愛我們的!祂邀請我們成為祂的子民,天主的子民。

2. 你要怎樣成為這些子民的一份子?不是透過肉身的出生,而是透過重生。在福音中,耶穌告訴尼苛德摩,人除非由上而生,除非由水和聖神而生,不能見到天主的國。(若望福音3:3-5)透過洗禮,藉著對基督的信德——我們必須終生培育,我們成為祂的子民。讓我們問自己:我怎樣才能在我領洗時領受的信仰中成長?我們要怎樣養育這份信德?怎樣令它成長?這是另一個問題。

3. 天主子民的法律是什麼?這是愛的法律,愛天主和愛我們的近人,依照耶穌給我們的新誡命(若望福音13:34)。這是愛,但不是一種不結果實的感性或抽象的,而是認定天主是生命中唯一的主,而同時接受他人為真正的兄弟,克服分歧、競爭、誤會和自私;兩者都要兼顧。要切實地根據這新誡命——聖神在我們內工作、愛的誡命——生活,我們尚有一段距離。當我們在報章和電視看到基督徒之間的種種戰爭,天主的子民怎會明白?在天主的子民中間有這麼多戰爭!在社區、辦公室中,出於妒忌造成很多鬥爭。甚至在家庭中,依然有很多「內戰」。我們要向天主祈求,使祂協助我們明白這愛的誡命。能夠像手足般相愛會是多好!讓我們由今天開始做:也許我們都有愛惡,也許我們中有很多人都很憤怒。但至少讓我們跟天主說:「天主,我對他/她很生氣。我為他/她祈禱。我向祢祈求。」在我們憤怒的時候為激怒我們的人祈禱,是向這愛的誡命踏前一大步。讓我們今天這樣做吧!

4. 天主子民有什麼使命?要把天主的希望和救贖帶給世界:去成為那位召叫我們做祂朋友的天主愛的標記;去做令麵團發酵的酵母,去做那鹽去供給世界味道,去做光帶來光明。就像我說的,只要打開報紙,我們就會見到魔鬼在工作。但我想大聲說:天主更為強大!你相信天主更為強大嗎?讓我們大聲說:天主更為強大!你知道祂為什麼更強嗎?因為祂是天主,是唯一天主。我想補充,如果我們能首先把福音的光帶到生命中,就能改變由邪惡帶來的黑暗。在足球埸上,在一個黑暗的夜晚,只要一個人亮著一盞燈,你會僅僅見得到,但如果超過七萬觀眾每位都亮著燈,整個足球埸都會發光。讓我們把生命變成基督的光,一同把福音的光帶給世界。

5. 天主子民有什麼目標?他們的目標是建立天主的國,天主自己已在世上開始了,而我們要繼續建立直至祂在時間終結,當基督,亦即生命來臨時令它圓滿(Lumen Gentium 9)。我們的目標是跟基督完全共融;要進入祂神聖的生命,那時我們會生活在祂愛內,有無限的喜樂。

親愛的兄弟姊妹,要成為教會,要做天主的子民,就是要在人群中作天主的酵母,就是要向世界宣揚天主的救贖。世界經常迷失,需要我們的鼓勵性的答案,給人希望的答案,在旅途上給我們活力。願教會能成為一個充滿天主仁愛和希望,每一個人都被愛護和接納,可以按福音生活的地方。要令人覺得被接納、寬恕和愛護,教會的大門一定要打開,令所有人都可以進來,也讓我們走出去宣揚福音。

Pope Francis on Wednesday addressed the crowds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly General Audience.

Please find below Vatican Radio's full translation of his address.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today I would like to touch briefly on another of the terms with which the Second Vatican Council defined the Church, that of “People of God" (cf. Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 9; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 782). I shall do so with a few questions upon which we can all reflect.

1. What does it mean to be "People of God"? First of all, it means that God does not really belong to any people; for it is He who calls us, who summons us, who invites us to be part of his people, and this invitation is open to all, without distinction, because God's mercy “desires all people to be saved "(1 Tim 2:4). Jesus does not tell the Apostles and us to form an exclusive group, an elite group. Jesus says: Go and make disciples of all nations (cf. Mt 28:19). St Paul says that within the people of God, in the Church, "there is neither Jew nor Gentile ... for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). I would like to say to those who feel far from God and the Church, to those who are fearful or indifferent, to those who think they can no longer change: the Lord is calling you too to be part of his people and he does it with great respect and love! He invites us to be a part of this people, the people of God

2. How do you become a member of this people? It is not through physical birth, but through a new birth. In the Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that one must be born from above, of water and of spirit to enter the Kingdom of God (cf. John 3:3-5). It is through Baptism that we are introduced to this people, through faith in Christ, the gift of God which must be nurtured and tended to throughout our whole life. Let us ask ourselves: how can I grow in the faith that I received in my Baptism? How do tend to this faith that I have received and that the people of God has? How do I make it grow? And another question.

3. What is the law of the People of God? It is the law of love, love for God and love for our neighbor according to the new commandment that the Lord left us (cf. Jn 13:34). It is a love, however, that is not sterile sentimentality or something vague, it is recognizing God as the only Lord of life and, at the same time, accepting the other as a true brother, overcoming divisions, rivalry, misunderstandings, selfishness; the two things go together. We have still so far to go to be able to live concretely according to this new law, the law of the Holy Spirit working within us, the law of charity, of love! When we see in the many wars between Christians in the newspapers or on TV, how can the people of God understand this? Within the people of God there are so many wars! And in neighborhoods, in workplaces, so many wars due to envy, jealousy. Even within the same family, there are so many internal wars. We must ask the Lord to help us understand this law of love. How good, how nice it is to love each other as true brothers. How nice that is! Let's do something today: perhaps we all have our likes and dislikes, and perhaps many of us are angry with others. But at least let's say to the Lord: "Lord, I am angry with him or with her. I pray for him and for her. I pray to you". To pray for those with whom we are angry. It's a big step in this law of love. Let's do it today!

4. What mission does this people have? To bring to the world the hope and the salvation of God: to be a sign of the love of God who calls all to be friends of His; to be the yeast that ferments the dough, the salt that gives flavour and preserves from decay, the light that brightens. Just as I said, it is enough to open a newspaper, and we see that around us there is the presence of evil, the Devil is at work. But I would like to say in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it in a loud voice: God is stronger! Do you believe this? That God is stronger? Let's say it all together. God is stronger! All of us! And you know why He is stronger? Because He is the Lord, the only Lord. God is stronger! Good! And I would like to add that reality which is sometimes dark and marked by evil can change, if we are the first to bring the light of the Gospel especially with our lives. If in a stadium, let's think of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, or that of San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires, if on a dark night one person lights up a lamp, you can barely see it, but if each of over seventy thousand spectators switches on his own light, the whole Stadium lights up. Let's make our lives a light of Christ; and together we will bring the light of the Gospel to the whole world.

5. What is the goal of this people? Its end is the kingdom of God, which has been begun by God Himself on earth, and which is to be further extended until it is brought to perfection by Him at the end of time, when Christ, our life, shall appear (cf. Lumen Gentium, 9). The goal then is full communion with the Lord; it's to enter into his divine life where we will live the joy of his love without measure. That full joy.

Dear brothers and sisters, to be Church, is to be God's people, according to the Father's great plan of love, it means to be the yeast of God in this humanity of ours, it means to proclaim and to bring God's salvation into this world, which is often lost, in need of encouraging answers, answers that give hope, that give new vigor in the journey. May the Church be a place of mercy and of hope in God, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. And to feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, encouraged, the Church's doors must be open, so that all may come and that we can go out of those doors and proclaim the Gospel. Thank you so much.

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Pope: we are all invited to be members of the People of God

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