Pope Francis " Faced with a world that is sometimes hostile to the ideals preached by Christ, do not hesitate to respond with the joyful and serene witness..."
IN NOMADELFIA, IN THE DIOCESE OF GROSSETO,
WHERE WILL MEET THE COMMUNITY FOUNDED BY DON ZENO SALTINI;
(Nomadelfia is a group, which started in 1948, that lives according to the Gospel with no private ownership of property and cares for abandoned children)
MEETING WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY OF DON ZENO SALTINI
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Nomadelfia (Grosseto)
Thursday, 10 May 2018
Dear brothers and sisters of Nomadelfia!
I came here among you in memory of Don Zeno Saltini and to express my encouragement to your community founded by him. I greet you all with affection: your President Francesco Matterazzo, the parish priest Fr Ferdinando Neri, the many friends and the Bishop of Grosseto, in whose diocese you are inserted and who follows the path of Don Zeno's work with care. Nomadelfia is a prophetic reality that aims to realize a new civilization, implementing the Gospel as a form of good and beautiful life.
Your Founder dedicated himself with apostolic zeal to prepare the ground for the seed of the Gospel, so that he could bring forth fruits of new life. Raised in the fields of the fertile plains of Emilia, he knew that when the appropriate season arrives, it is time to put his hand to the plow and prepare the soil for sowing. He was impressed by the sentence of Jesus: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and then turns back is suitable for the kingdom of God" (Lk 9,62). He repeated it often, perhaps presaging the difficulties he would encounter to embody, in the concreteness of daily life, the renewing power of the Gospel.
The law of fraternity, which characterizes your life, was the dream and the objective of the whole life of Don Zeno, who wanted a community of life inspired by the model outlined in the Acts of the Apostles: "The multitude of those who were having become believers they had only one heart and one soul, and no one considered his property to be his own, but among them everything was common "(Acts 4:32). I urge you to continue this style of life, trusting in the power of the Gospel and of the Holy Spirit, through your limpid Christian witness.
Faced with the suffering of children who were orphaned or affected by discomfort, Don Zeno understood that the only language they understood was that of love. Therefore, he knew how to identify a peculiar form of society where there is no room for isolation or loneliness, but the principle of collaboration between different families is in force, where the members recognize themselves as brothers in the faith. Thus in Nomadelfia, in response to a special vocation of the Lord, bonds are established that are much more solid than those of kinship. A consanguinity with Jesus is carried out, proper to those who have been reborn from the water and the Holy Spirit and according to the words of the divine Master: "Whoever does God's will is for me brother, sister and mother" (Mc 3,35 ). This special bond of consanguinity and familiarity, is also manifested by the mutual relations between people: all are called by name, never with the surname, and in everyday relations we use the confidential "you".
I also want to underline another prophetic sign, a sign of great humanity of Nomadelfia: it is about loving attention to the elderly who, even when they do not enjoy good health, remain in the family and are supported by the brothers and sisters of the whole community . Continue on this path, embodying the model of fraternal love, also through visible works and signs, in the many contexts where evangelical charity calls you, but always preserving the spirit of Don Zeno who wanted a "light" and essential Nomadelfia in its structures . Faced with a world that is sometimes hostile to the ideals preached by Christ, do not hesitate to respond with the joyful and serene witness of your life, inspired by the Gospel.
Thank you so much for the warmth and the family atmosphere with which you welcomed me. It was a brief meeting but full of meaning and emotion; I will take it with me, especially in prayer. I will bring your faces: the faces of a large family with the pure flavor of the Gospel.
And now, enjoying the joy of being all brothers because we are children of the heavenly Father, let us recite our Father together.
Recital of the Our Father
And now I impart to all of you, to your families, to your loved ones the Apostolic Blessing, invoking upon each one the light and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessing
And pray for me, do not forget.
* * *
Concluding words
Thank you so much for the welcome. And for the gifts, which are "family gifts", this is very important: they are gifts that come from the heart, from the family, from here; simple, but rich in meaning.
Thank you very much! Thank you for welcoming, for your joy.
And go ahead! Thank you.
Comments