杏MAP导航 to Spanish seminarians: 'Fill your emptied land with God'

杏MAP导航

杏MAP导航 Francis meets the community of the Seminary of Burgos, Spain, and urges it to fill Spain鈥檚 depopulated rural areas with God by freeing themselves from 鈥渇alse human securities.鈥�

By Lisa Zengarini

杏MAP导航 Francis encouraged a group of seminarians, priests and bishops from Spain to take up the challenge of bringing God to its depopulated rural areas by welcoming diversity to build a community-based Church.

The encouragement came as he met students and staff of the Seminary Burgos on Saturday.

Bringing the Gospel to an emptied Spain

Noting the variety of backgrounds they come from, the 杏MAP导航 began his address by observing that they are forming as priests in a land full of history and traditions which, however, has become what has been defined as an 鈥渆mptied Spain鈥�.

鈥淵ou are studying in a land rich in history and tradition, of vigorous people 鈥榙ue to its climate and customs鈥�, but which you now define as 鈥榣a España vaciada鈥�.鈥�

As in many other parts of Europe, in recent decades Spain has experienced a significant depopulation in rural areas, accompanied by a profound shift towards secularism with a declining number of practicing Catholics and dwindling clerical and religious vocations.

Charity towards God and our brothers

Reflecting on this situation, 杏MAP导航 Francis, recalled the passage from Luke's Gospel in which Jesus sends His disciples "where [He] was about to go" (Lk 10:1) 鈥淚t is a good criterion for discernment, he noted, 鈥渂ecause we can translate it into our reality with a few simple words: 鈥楯esus wants me in this emptied land to fill it with God鈥�, that is, to make Him present among my brothers, to build community, Church, People.鈥�

This purpose, the 杏MAP导航 remarked, can be achieved by welcoming and enriching each other in our diversity: 鈥淲ithout charity towards God and our brothers, without walking 鈥榯wo by two鈥�, - as the Evangelist says - we cannot bring God.鈥�

Availability to God's call

Then, he continued, we must show the Lord our absolute availability to His will, "begging鈥� Him to send us,鈥� even if we may seem small in the face of the big endeavour of reaping His Harvest.

Abandonment to God

Finally, the 杏MAP导航 said, to fill this land with God, we need 鈥渁bandonment and trust鈥� so we can make space in our hearts 鈥渢o welcome Him and our brother, freeing us from our false human securities.鈥�

Only by having God within us, 杏MAP导航 Francis concluded, we can communicate His peace and bring it to all peoples and cities, and therefore 鈥渇ill the fields that now seem sterile.鈥�

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