At his first general audience this morning Pope Francis urged Catholics to "go out, with Christ, in search of the one lost sheep, however far it may have wandered".(Vatican Radio) Please find below the English summary of Pope Francis' first general audience. An English translation of the Holy Father's complete catechesis will follow shortly:
Dear Brothers and Sisters... [at Easter] the heart of the liturgical year, when we commemorate the great events that express most powerfully God's loving plan for all men and women. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to give himself completely. He gives us his body and his blood, and promises to remain with us always. He freely hands himself over to death in obedience to the Father's will, and in this way shows how much he loves us. We are called to follow in his footsteps. Holy Week challenges us to step outside ourselves so as to attend to the needs of others: those who long for a sympathetic ear, those in need of comfort or help. We should not simply remain in our own secure world, that of the ninety-nine sheep who never strayed from the fold, but we should go out, with Christ, in search of the one lost sheep, however far it may have wandered. Holy Week is not so much a time of sorrow, but rather a time to enter into Christ's way of thinking and acting. It is a time of grace given us by the Lord so that we can move beyond a dull or mechanical way of living our faith, and instead open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes, our movements or associations, going out in search of others so as to bring them the light and the joy of our faith in Christ.