Pope’s quotes: It’s brave to live in the world

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A quote from Pope Francis:

“From that moment up to the present you have done great good for the Church, with bravery, as it takes bravery to live in the world. Many of you come and go, alone, in your apartment; others are in small communities. Every day, you live the life of someone who lives in the world, and at the same time protect the dimension of contemplation, in relation to the Lord and to the world; contemplating reality, contemplating the beauty of the world, and also the great sins of society, deviations, all these things, and always in spiritual tension. … For this reason, your vocation is fascinating, as it is a vocation that is located right there, where this salvation of not only people but also institutions is at play.”

“I hope that you will always maintain this attitude of going beyond, not only beyond, but even further, where everything is at play: politics, the economy, education, the family. It is perhaps possible that at times you are tempted to think, ‘But what can I do?’. When this temptation rears, remember that the Lord has spoken to us about the grain of wheat. And your life is like the grain of wheat. It is like leaven. Do everything possible so that the Kingdom might come, grow and be great, and that it may protect many people, like the mustard tree. Think about this. A small life, a small gesture; a normal life, but it is leaven, it is a seed, it allows growth. And this brings consolation. The results in the balance of the Kingdom of God cannot be seen, but only the Lord enables us to perceive something. … We will see the results there, above.”

-- Audience with assembly of the Institutes of Secular Life, May 10, 2014

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