The Pope, in the new catechesis on St. Joseph: "He is a true master of what is essential".Accompanying people suffering from depression"The Church loves you and needs each one of you to fulfill her mission at the service of the Gospel." These are the opening words of the message that Pope Francis addressed to people "living with some kind of disability" on the occasion of the International Day dedicated to them, which is celebrated on December 3.
It is an anniversary introduced by the United Nations in 1992 to increase awareness and understanding of disability-related issues, as well as efforts to ensure the dignity, rights and well-being of those living with this condition.
From the Vatican, the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, which in recent times has initiated a reflection and pastoral action in this area, "a new theme in which we have decided to commit ourselves and invest a lot of energy," explained Father Alexandre Awi Mello in a press conference when presenting the Pope's Message. It is a commitment that concerns the three main competencies of the Dicastery, because persons with disabilities, as lay and baptized persons, are "sharers in the same vocation as all Christians", and their presence "challenges the pastoral care of the family and is at the heart of the Church's concern for the defense of all life".
The theme chosen for this year's Message is taken from Chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, "You are my friends," and it is precisely on these words of Jesus that Pope Francis based his "greeting" and his reflection.
Jesus as a friend
"Having Jesus as a friend is the greatest of consolations and can make each of us a grateful and joyful disciple, capable of bearing witness that our own fragility is not an obstacle to living and communicating the Gospel." explains the Pontiff in the document, recalling that precisely this "trusting and personal friendship with Jesus" can be "the spiritual key to accepting the limitations we all experience and to living our condition in a reconciled way."
The need for community
In addition to the personal relationship, community is necessary, and people with disabilities are full members of the Church - Pope Francis reiterates - precisely because of their Baptism and because of Jesus' choice to "be our friend".
It is therefore necessary to banish every form of discrimination, still present at various levels of society, linked to prejudice, ignorance and a culture that struggles to understand "the inestimable value of each person." In the ecclesial sphere, this absence of discrimination translates into greater "spiritual attention", beginning with access to the sacraments.
Protagonism in the light of the Gospel
In the final part of the Message, the Pope reiterates the need for these people to be protagonists in the light of the Gospel: "the Gospel is also for you. It is a Word addressed to all, which consoles and, at the same time, calls to conversion". This translates into a profound appeal to trust in God - as witnessed by the Gospel accounts of the people with disabilities who met Jesus in his day - and a willingness to pray, as a specific mission entrusted by the Pope: "dear brothers and sisters, your prayer today is more urgent than ever."
"They need me."
"I am happy that the Pope has written that I am important for the Church, that I am necessary. Certainly, because of my situation I need many things, but I also have my task as a disciple of Jesus," commented Antonietta Pantone, of the "Faith and Light" Community, as she presented this year's Message to journalists.
Meanwhile, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has prepared a collection of five videos for the #IamChurch (I am Church) campaign, to be launched on December 6, with the testimonies of some Christians with disabilities from different countries, among them some young deaf people from Mexico or some nuns with Down syndrome who live their vocation in a monastery in France.
