“Let the Gospel, that is, Jesus Himself, shape your life,” Pope Francis told General Chapter participants in a private audience at the Vatican on Nov. 15. ” In this way you will take on poverty, minority and simplicity as your distinguishing marks before all.”
“With this Franciscan and secular identity of yours,” he said, “you are part of the outbound church. Your favourite place is to be in the midst of the people, and there…to give witness to Jesus with a simple life, without pretension, always content to follow the poor and crucified Christ, as did Saint Francis and so many men and women of your Order”.
“And may you be men and women of hope, committed to living it and also to ‘organising’ it, translating it into real everyday situations, in human relations, in social and political engagement; nurturing hope in tomorrow by alleviating the pain of today.”