>“It was beautiful to be able to assure Pope Francis that there is a vital force in the Church, even in spite of so many problems,” Maria Voce said to Vatican Radio microphones, as she described the confirmations and novelties she drew from that special encounter.

“It definitely confirmed the commitment to live our charism, as we felt how strongly communion is the essential mark of the Church today. And then our charism of communion, it seems to me, was highlighted for us as a necessary service to the Church. This was also confirmed by considering the feast under which we were meeting. We asked about each other, we assured each other of prayers …” .

“Renewed perhaps in the courage to face the world, because every movement surely has this inner drive that Pope Francis is strongly stressing, to reach out to others, to be available to the Church, to place ourselves at the disposal of the Church. Hearing it stated so forcefully by the Pope, it was like giving us the courage to say: we’re small, we’re weak, but in spite of this it is Jesus who leads us. Jesus is with us. The Pope sends us, so we can go …”.

As he looked ahead at the road before the different charisms and movements, the Pope put everyone on guard against both particularism and homologation, and he presented them with three words: harmony, newness, mission. What does this mean for you concretely?

“I was deeply impressed by the word “newness” because we would all be tempted to continue leaning on what is already familiar to us from the road we’ve already travelled, based on past experiences. But the Pope has challenged us to welcome surprises from the Holy Spirit, to listen well to what He asks of us and to follow Him on the streets of the world.”

Source: Vatican Radio – News Radio May 21, 2013 19:30 edition