In his homily closing the first session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis reflected on two verbs: “to adore and to serve. We love God through adoration and service.”

“Let us ask Saints Cyril and Methodius, apostles of the Slavs, that we may be instruments of ‘freedom in charity’ for others,” Pope Francis said at today’s general audience.

St. Bakhita was able to experience service not as slavery, but as an expression of the free gift of self.

At the opening of the General Assembly of the Synod, Pope Francis warned against a vision made up of “human strategies, political calculations or ideological battles.”

In his weekly audience, Pope Francis highlights the apostolic zeal of St. Daniel Comboni, who sought to engage and empower Africans as “subjects” of mission.

So many people complain and say that everything is going wrong. But that’s not what the Christian is called to do; instead, he is called to deal with it, to get his or her hands dirty.