General Audience: The call to God is not a privilege, but it is for everyone

“We cannot say that we are special in relation to others. The call is to serve. God chooses someone to love everyone, to reach everyone,” the Pope said in the general audience on Wednesday, November 22.

Thulio Fonseca – Vatican News

Listen to the Pope’s voice and participate

“The Christian message is For everyone”. This is the topic that Pope Francis chose to teach the general audience on Wednesday (22). The Supreme Pontiff, who gathered with thousands of believers in St. Peter’s Square, stressed that through the encounter with Jesus, Christians are called to proclaim the wonders of the Gospel with joy.

By spreading the message of Christ, Francis stressed that “there is a power of humanity and the fulfillment of life directed at every man and every woman, because Christ was born, died, and rose again for everyone, excluding no one.” .

A Christian must be open and receptive

The Pope recalled an excerpt from the Apostolic Exhortation on proclaiming the Gospel in today’s world, Joy of the Evangelist:

“Everyone has the right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim it, without excluding anyone, and not as one who imposes a new duty, but as one who shares in the joy, points to an enormous horizon, and offers a delicious feast. The church does not grow by capture, but by “attraction” (No. 14).

Francis, when stressing the importance of serving the universal purpose of the Gospel, called on believers to be distinguished by their “ability to transcend themselves, to overcome selfishness and all limits”:

“Christians gather in the churchyard more than in the sacristy, and walk in the squares and streets of the city. They must be open, broad and receptive, and this character comes from Jesus who made his presence in the world a continuous journey, destined to reach everyone, and even to learn from some of his encounters.

The Lord’s calling is to serve

Speaking about the preaching of Jesus contained in the Gospels, the Pope recalled that the spread of the Good News must not be limited to the people to whom it belongs, but must be open to everyone. The Pope said: “The Bible shows us that when God calls someone and makes a covenant with him, the criterion is always this:

“The Lord chooses someone to reach others. This is God’s calling.”

The Holy Father then stressed that all of the Lord’s friends have experienced the beauty, but also the responsibility and burden of being “chosen” by him, adding: “They have all experienced frustration in the face of their weakness or loss of themselves.” protection. “.

Francis then urged the faithful about the danger of closure that might befall Christians:

“The greatest temptation is to regard the calling received as a privilege. Please no, a calling is not a privilege, at all. We cannot say we are special in relation to others. The calling is for service. And God chooses someone who loves everyone, and reaches everyone.

At the end of his teaching, the Pope emphasized that Jesus’ call is a universal one: “It is not for a group of first-class elect”: “God chooses someone to love everyone. This is the horizon of universality. The Gospel is not for me alone, but for everyone, and let us not forget that.”