Pope Francis to the Sodalitium: “Go out and make beautiful evangelical mischief”

Rome, 02/21/14 (Sodalit News – Italy). In a private audience in the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis received the Superior General of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, Alessandro Moroni Llabres.

During the visit Alessandro Moroni spoke with the Holy Father about the progress of the community and brought him the prayer offerings of Sodalits and members of the spiritual family. He also communicated to him the Sodalitium’s availability to serve the Church. “It was a very warm encounter, without any sort of formal protocols. It was a fluid and attentive dialogue, in which, from the beginning, I experienced a filial affection,” said Moroni summing up the audience. “I give thanks to God, not only for what it means for our small community, but also for myself, a poor sinner, who God, in his infinite goodness, educates and guides – as he does for all of us – down the paths of his Love.”

Moroni assured the Holy Father that “Sodalits take his magisterium very seriously, especially the Evangelii Gaudium, and we want to be ever more men of God in order to live our apostolic consecration more generously.” The Pope concurred and asked them to continue digging deeper into the apostolic exhortation.

The Superior of the Sodalitium gave the Pope an image of St. Martin de Porres, a mulatto Peruvian saint, who distinguished himself by his humility, obedience and service to the most needy. The Pope was grateful for this image of the “saint of the broom”, made from wood by Peruvian artisans.

During the audience, the Holy Father sent a video message to the members of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, inviting them to live a life of prayer and encounter with the Lord, and to renew their apostolic vocation. “Search for the Lord and let yourselves be sought out by Him, and from there will come all the apostolic fervor that must come,” said Pope Francis. He emphasized that “no apostolic work is fruitful if it is not done from the Lord and with the Lord. Do not abandon the life of prayer.”

Pope Francis also invited Sodalits to let themselves be accompanied by the Virgin Mary in their efforts of evangelization and to walk “always holding Mary’s hand”, in this way highlighting her maternal role in the apostolate of all her sons. “From the Lord, with the Lord and holding the hand of Mary. May He bless you and may she care for you. And go out and make beautiful evangelical mischief,” concluded the Holy Father.