Pope Francis receives in audience families supported by the Spanish Catholic Foundation “Madre de la Esperanza de Talavera de la Reina” of Toledo which for fifty years has been assisting persons with intellectual disabilities to foster their inclusion in society, and encourages them to continue to be missionaries of God’s mercy.
By Lisa Zengarini
“Teamwork is able to ensure that everyone’s different abilities converge in a final result that belongs to everyone”, said Pope Francis on Saturday, recalling that in the “Via Crucis of life” no one can walk alone.
The Pope was addressing a delegation of the Spanish Catholic Foundation “Madre de la Esperanza de Talavera de la Reina” of Toledo, Spain, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Foundation was founded in 1973 to assist people with intellectual disabilities and their families in all stages of their lives, and to foster their social and labour inclusion through vocational training to acquire skills for an independent life.
The “journey of life” is like the Way of the Cross
Taking his cue from the traditional Via Crucis representation the Foundation organizes every year in Toledo at Easter, Pope Francis noted that the “journey of life” is like the Way of the Cross: “In life, as in the Via Crucis”, he said, “we all have a job, a task. Jesus looks at us and rejoices in our effort and in the love that we are capable of transmitting”.
“How important it would be that in the work of each person we were able to see all the willingness to learn, the patience of his teachers in teaching, the teamwork that is capable of ensuring that everyone’s different abilities converge in a final result that belongs to everyone. And all this love in such a small thing…. It looks amazing.”
Together with Jesus, hands are not tied and can do good things
Commenting on a photograph of the last Via Crucis organized by the Foundation, in which Jesus is represented with his hands tied and a cross embroidered into a small scapular, the Pope noted that “Jesus dresses like this because we realize that many brothers and sisters who are next to us do not feel capable of doing what others can do, and believe their hands are tied”.
But this is not true: together with Jesus, we can do many good things. In this way you are the hands of Jesus, when you work together”, Pope Francis remarked
“You are (Jesus’) hands and feet, His voice, His Heart, when you go out to share the joy of having met Him with others. How? By giving thanks to God for your parents, for your brothers, for your teachers, for your priests, for all the people who love you.”
That same embroidered cross on Jesus’s scapular, “invites you to dream of the resurrection”, the Pope continued. “And our cross – that is, effort, patience, effort – results in a beautiful work of art, full of colour and hope, which, lit in our hearts, gives us strength and encourages us to go forward.”
Working together
Pope Francis therefore concluded by inviting the disabled people assisted by the Foundation to continue to “work united and to give thanks filled with joy, because Jesus has chosen us for this great mission”.
“Jesus came into the world to show us the way to heaven, to open its doors to us, and this is the great joy we celebrate in the resurrection: we are free to do good, to walk together towards this goal.”
