Pope to World Assembly of Christian Life: ‘be contemplative in action’

By Linda Bordoni

In a message addressed to Mauricio Lopez, President of the World Christian Life Communities, Pope Francis sent encouragement to all members to “to continue to make Christ present in their respective environments", giving an apostolic meaning to all the activities they undertake.

Representatives of 70 countries are gathered in Buenos Aires for the World Assembly of Christian Life Communities. The assembly is taking place from 22 to 31 July in Buenos Aires.

Expressing appreciation for their particular charism the Pope thanked all participants for their “dedication and love towards the Church and towards their brothers and sisters”.

A gift for the Church and for the world

He expressed appreciation for the celebration of the 2018 World Assembly, “which coincides with the 50th anniversary of your journeying as Christian Life Community” and for wanting to pray and reflect together so that “the Lord may grant you a greater depth in the living out of your charism, and thus, by delving deeper into the received charism, you may continue to be a gift for the Church and for the world”.

He said that the Community is a called to the responsibility of going forth to encounter others, of nourishing them with “the only bread capable of satisfying the human heart: the love of Christ”.

Contemplatives in action

“At the center of your Ignatian spirituality is this desire to be contemplatives in action” he said.

He reflected on the dimensions of contemplation and action that, he said, go together because “we can only enter the heart of God through the wounds of Christ, and we know that Christ is wounded in the hungry, the uneducated, the discarded, the old, the sick, the imprisoned, in all the vulnerable human flesh”.

He encouraged those participating in the Assembly to continue to be guided by a Christian way of life, with a strong spiritual life and working for the Kingdom, which means, Francis said, “letting oneself be shaped by the love of Jesus, having his same sentiments (see Phil 2: 5), asking oneself continuously: What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I to do for Christ? (see Sp. Ex. 53)”.