By receiving the members of the Congregation of Saint Joseph, Pope Francis affirmed that in order to be credible testimonies of Christ it is necessary not only to love God but to allow oneself to be loved by Him.
The Holy Father said these words during the audience he granted in the Clementine Room to the members of the congregation founded in 1873 by Saint Leonardo Murialdo.
“The experience of God’s love has profoundly marked the life of Saint Leonardo,” said Pope Francis, “and he invited the brothers to allow themselves, first of all, to love God.”
The Pontiff pointed out that this was the secret of the apostolate of the Italian saint who, as he recalled, evangelized in the midst of an environment dominated by Freemasonry.
In this sense, Pope Francis indicated that this invitation to be loved by God is valid for all the faithful “to be credible witnesses of his love.” “Let us always let his love of him be the guide of our affections, thoughts, and actions. Not the rules, not the provisions,” he said in his De él speech de él.
The Congregation of San José –also known as Josefinos de Murialdo–, celebrates its 150th anniversary on March 19, and the Holy Father recalled that, on the occasion of this jubilee celebration, he sent a letter to the Superior General last year to encourage them to continue growing in the “art of accepting the demands of the times and providing oneself with the creativity of the Holy Spirit”.
“You cannot control the Spirit, it is He who leads us forward. All that is needed is discernment and fidelity,” the Pope said.
In his speech, the Pontiff also said that Saint Leonardo Murialdo was “a profoundly mystical man” who was also sensitive to the needs of the men and women of his time, “of whom he was an acute observer and a courageous prophet.”
This led him to dedicate himself especially to young workers, Pope Francis stressed. Saint Leonardo Murialdo “became a spokesman for the prophetic word of the Church in a world dominated by economic interests and power, giving a voice to the most marginalized,” he added.
Likewise, he pointed out, he knew how to “accept the value of the laity in the life and apostolate of the People of God.”
Finally, the Pontiff highlighted “the paternal sweetness of charity” as another of the important values of the Congregation of Saint Joseph, and encouraged its members to live it among themselves and exercise it before others.
“Be like Mary, our Mother: at the same time strong in witness and sweet in love,” he invited.
“I would like to conclude by recalling Murialdo’s invitation to holiness: ‘Become saints and do it soon…Because the saint has a farsighted look, humanizes life, communicates hope and trust and knows how to share his experience that God is love, ‘” the Pope said.