Pope Francis to Spanish pilgrims: no to sad religious people
The Pope receives a group of Spanish pilgrims who came to Rome at the height of celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the Augustinian nuns’ monastery in Talavera della Reina and reiterates his closeness to Valencia. The Pontiff urges not to lose good humor and to “always have the needs of others at heart”: “When someone goes to complain because they have a lot of work, think of those who do not have it. When one stays in the convent on rainy and snowy days, think of the people who sleep outside”
by Tiziana Campisi – Vatican City
It is a warm and brief greeting that Francis addresses to the pilgrims attached to the Augustinian nuns’ monastery in Talavera della Reina, Spain, accompanied by a new prayer for the people of Valencia plagued by the Dana flood and a recommendation to never lose good humor and to “always have the needs of others in your heart,” reminding them that there are people who lack even the most basic necessities.
Do you know that there are people who do not have jobs? And when someone goes to complain because they have a lot of work, think of those who don’t have work. There are people who can’t pay rent and are being evicted, and when one goes into the convent, into the parish house, you think “he has all that for free.” When one stays in one’s parish house, in one’s convent, and on snowy and rainy days one is well protected, you think that there are people who sleep outside, under anything-
Service and apostolate arise from encounter with God
The Pope received nuns and pilgrims this morning, Nov. 7, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Songs on the guitar welcomed the Pontiff’s entrance. “Me alegra encontrarlos,” he said in his native language. The group of faithful arrived in Rome at the height of celebrations for the 450th anniversary of the monastic community, which, since its founding, “has united the contemplative life with the service of Christian education.” It is precisely because of this that many have come into contact with the nuns since their school days, observed the Pope, who highlighted how important it is for Christians to have God as a point of reference.
In this year dedicated to prayer, it seems to me a significant example of how our service and apostolate, far from preventing us from encountering the Lord, must be born from Him
Teachers in the art of prayer
Francis recommends, then, to bring to Augustinian nuns his blessing with the request “that they always be an example of interior life, teachers in the art of prayer,” and this “so that from school, among all the knowledge that can be transmitted to children, the ability to speak with God, to listen to Him, to feel Him present in all moments of life and to accept with docility His inspirations may be highlighted.”
Francis: we pray for Valencia and Spain suffering from flooding
Detaching himself from the written text and recalling the group’s origin from Spain, the Pope mentioned the drama that struck the province of Valencia with the Dana flood that left nearly 220 people dead and many missing.“You come from Spain.In these days I am very close to Spain because of the tragedy in Valencia,” the pontiff says.And he recalls the image of the Virgen de los Desamparados, patron saint of Valencia, displayed yesterday on the stage at the Wednesday general audience, before which he prayed for a few moments.“They are suffering so much there, so much.
And now it seems that Barcelona is also having some problems, but now they know a little bit how to deal with them, they are acting, they are containing them,” Francis says. Hence the advice to always look to those in need, without complaint and grateful for what you have.
Never lose your sense of humor
In the same vein, Pope Francis urges to “never lose joy, never lose your sense of humor,” because “when a Christian, even more so a religious, a nun, loses his sense of humor, he sours,” and “it is so sad to see a priest, a religious, a nun, soured.”
“They are preservatives in vinegar,” the Pope says, eliciting laughter from those present. “One must always have a smile and a good mood.”
And in this regard, as he did recently to the Gregorian academic community, he invites them to “recite every day a very beautiful prayer of St. Thomas More to ask for a sense of humor,” which keeps them “fresh in the service of God.”
I repeat: a sad saint is a sad saint.Holiness is always joyful, from St. Philip Neri’s expressions of good humor to the more cautious expressions of good humor, which is the smile.Have the smile that does not pretend,
The prayer of St. Thomas More
The Pope then reads in full the prayer of St. Thomas More: “I would like you to learn to recite it every day”
“Give me, O Lord, good digestion and also something to digest. Give me health of the body, with the good humor necessary to maintain it. Give me O Lord, a holy soul, treasuring what is good and pure, so that it will not be afraid of sin, but will find in Your presence the way to set things right again. Give me a soul that does not know boredom–the grumbling, the sighing and the groaning, and do not allow me to worry excessively about that too intrusive thing called “I.” Give me, O Lord, a sense of humor, grant me the grace to understand a joke, that I may know some joy in life and be able to share it with others. So be it.”
The monastic community of Talavera
The convent of the nuns of Talavera de la Reina was founded on May 9, 1573 by Saint Alonso de Orozco, a friar of the Order of Saint Augustine.
Here his sister Francisca, a pious woman devoted to works of charity who had been widowed, wanted to lead a life of total dedication to God in meditation and prayer. From the earliest years of the foundation, girls and boys were admitted to the cloister who were educated according to the customs of the time; there were those who later embraced religious life and those who, instead, prepared for marriage.
The monastic community developed the apostolate of education while maintaining an intense contemplative life.Today, through the educational work in the College of the Sacred Hearts and pastoral work in the groups Friends of Agustín (children), Cor Unum (adolescents and youth), Santa Mónica (families) and Community of Christian Mothers Santa Mónica (parents), the nuns aim to accompany each other in the search for Truth, to walk in an authentic evangelical fraternity and to contribute with their lives to the building of the civilization of Love.
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