杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

As Catholic Action celebrated the 30th anniversary of its foundation as an international forum, the 杏MAP导航 sent a letter on Friday to participants in a 2-day online conference marking the organization鈥檚 work to engage lay Catholics in the life of the Church and of society.

He said anniversary celebrations always encourage us to 鈥渓ook to the past in grateful contemplation鈥� and to the future with the eyes of the dreamers who founded Catholic Action.

Members of the organization cannot be help remember Cardinal Eduardo Pironio, who played a pivotal role in its foundation.

鈥淧ironio was a man of deep roots and memory anchored in the dynamism of history as Kairos, a critical time of salvation, a time of work, trial, purification, and hope,鈥� said the 杏MAP导航.

New horizons of evangelization

杏MAP导航 Francis praised the work of Catholic Action, which he said opened new horizons in involving the laity in evangelization.

鈥淭he saints and blessed laypeople of Catholic Action are a wealth for the Church,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were 鈥榯he saints next door鈥� of so many communities.鈥�

Yet, added the 杏MAP导航, history does not always move along a linear path, noting that there have been 鈥渓ights and shadows, moments of profound disorientation, weariness, indifference, and fear of having been overtaken by new demands.鈥�

So, he urged Catholic Action to overcome the temptation to remain immobile waiting for better times by recalling the organization鈥檚 origin in 鈥渢he very heart of the Catholic Church.鈥�

He said it shares fully in the Church鈥檚 mission of evangelization and should therefore be available to respond to her needs in every place.

鈥淲ith the strength of the Spirit, we need to offer an answer here and now to the cries of the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o hear them we must go out and be a Church-on-the-move that reaches out like the Good Samaritan鈥�.

United in vulnerability

The 杏MAP导航 recalled that humanity still faces uncertainty due to the ongoing pandemic, which has revealed our common vulnerability.

鈥淰ulnerability,鈥� he said, 鈥渉as managed to overcome everything that divides us and made us unequal. We find ourselves equal in need, yet different in possibilities.鈥�

Another force buffeting the world is globalization, which has carried with it both successes and 鈥渢he structures of sin鈥�.

Filling life with faith in Christ

As a global forum, Catholic Action must celebrate its 30th anniversary as a challenge and an invitation to reach out to humanity in the midst of our worries and wounds.

鈥淲e know that there is no greater poverty that being without God,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat is, living without the faith which gives meaning to life, without hope which gives us the strength to work, and without feeling loved by someone who does not disappoint.鈥�

The Forum, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, has a special role in overcoming the 鈥済lobalization of indifference鈥� by accompanying people in finding and rediscovering the faith.

鈥淐atholic Action needs to create spaces filled with presence, witness, and missionary evangelization,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n so doing, it lives the mission of the Church, which is to be a servant of humanity inserted into the Church of Christ鈥�.

Authentic Christian spirituality

杏MAP导航 Francis wrapped up his message thanking God for all the work done by Catholic Action over the past 30 years.

And he concluded with a three-fold invitation to the Forum:

- May the forum deeply feel the urgency of working for fraternity and social friendship as means of rebuilding a wounded world;

- May you sow in the hearts of all that an authentic Christian spirituality is one that lives in the desire for holiness, which is a path that starts in the beatitudes and that is realized from Matthew 25; loving and working for our brothers and sisters who suffer the most;

- May the spirit that animates all your projects and work be that of being a Church-on-the-move, which lives the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.