Pope at Regina Coeli: How beautiful is it to share our faith

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

How beautiful it is to encounter the Lord, and when we have done so, we must transmit the joy of this to others...

Pope Francis gave this comforting reminder during his Regina Coeli address on this third Sunday of Easter.

In his address, the Holy Father reflected on the day's Gospel reading according to St. Luke, which takes place the evening of Passover.

The passage narrates when the Apostles are gathered in the Upper Room, and in particular, when the two disciples return from Emmaus and tell of their encounter with Jesus.

The Holy Father went on to reflect on how this moment transformed their lives, and how likewise, encountering Jesus, changes everything for all faithful.

The most beautiful thing we have to tell

The Pope highlighted that despite how life changing our encounter with the Lord is, and how "it is the most beautiful thing we have to tell," we still often struggle to talk about it.

"Each one of us could say so much about this; not by being a lecturer to others," he clarified, "but by sharing the unique moments in which we perceived the Lord alive and close, who kindled joy in our hearts or dried our tears, who transmitted confidence and consolation, strength and enthusiasm, or forgiveness, tenderness, peace."

The Holy Father stressed how important it is to share this in the family, in the community, and with friends.

Retracing our steps

The Pope observed how well it will do us to retrace our steps to the thoughts and feelings that arose when we placed ourselves in the presence of God, and also about our efforts and labours to understand and to progress along the way of faith.

"If we do this," Pope Francis said, "Jesus, just as He did with the disciples on the evening of Passover, will surprise us and make our encounters and our environments even more beautiful."

"Everyone has had an encounter with the Lord," the Holy Father recognized, asking for everyone to think back to it.

'When did the Lord draw close to me'

"Let us take a moment of silence and think," the Pope invited, "when did I find the Lord? When did the Lord become close to me?"

When we experienced this encounter with the Lord, he went on to ask, did we share it and give glory to the Lord for the incredible experience.

Similarly, he asked faithful to question whether they listen to others when they tell us of their encounters Christ.

Pope Francis concluded by turning to the Blessed Mother to help us share the faith, in order to make our communities become ever greater places of encounter with the Lord.

Pope's Regina Coeli in the Vatican