On September 30, Pope Francis received members of the Federation of Santo Thomas Communities, applauding their mission in the field of education, emphasizing that this is a spiritual charity.
(Vatican News Network)On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Federation of the Societies of Saint Thomas, Pope Francis received the members of the Federation at the Vatican on September 30, encouraging them to make positive contributions to the implementation of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
The Pope first emphasized: “The novelty of the ecumenical council is to fully understand the rights and duties of the laity in the mission of evangelization, which they also have as children of God through baptism.” The Pope pointed out that seeing the It is always astonishing that the Holy Spirit enters every human reality through the talents he inspired in the disciples of Jesus.
The Pope said: “Today we see that your federation has been taught by the ecumenical council, has initiated the evangelization of various cultures, youth and families, created many educational institutions, such as universities and colleges in different parts of the world. college dormitory.”
The Pope then pointed out that the history of the life of St. Thomas, the Confederate’s patron, “has its challenges as well.” The Pope explained that at that time people found value in the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, but some people were reluctant to study his writings because they feared that his non-Christian ideas were not compatible with Christianity. However, the Pope said: “St. Thomas found that most of Aristotle’s writings corresponded with the revelation of Christianity. That is, St. Thomas was able to show that there is a natural harmony between faith and reason.” This richness, the Pope stressed, is essential “to overcome fundamentalism, blindness and ideology”.
The Pope went on to point out that another testimony that Saint Thomas left us was his deep relationship with God, as demonstrated, for example, by his adoration of Jesus present in the Eucharist. “His devotional life helped him to discover the mystery of God, thereby enabling him to describe it with the talent of writing. An important fact is: in order to discover the presence of God in the world, in events, it is necessary to Pray to unite one’s heart with Jesus in the tabernacle.
Finally, the Pope encouraged those present to live out the charisms they held. “Through education, you are clearly aware of this, and it is important for you to remember that education is precisely one of the spiritual works of charity,” the Pope said. Education “giving meaning and describing every element of human life, it Not exhausted in the process of sharing knowledge or developing skills, as the word education suggests, it helps everyone bring out the best.”
At the end of his speech, the Pope entrusted the members of the Confederation of Saint Thomas to the Virgin Mary, praying: “May Mary teach us to be evangelists for culture, youth and families, with divine tenderness.”
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