Do not walk alone...

I think that reading the "Gospel of Joy" is helping me to see my own life in a new way. Here is another excerpt to reflect on today:


Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: "We have always done it this way". I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory. I encourage everyone to apply the guidelines found in this document generously and courageously, without inhibitions or fear. The important thing is to not walk alone, but to rely on each other as brothers and sisters, and especially under the leadership of the bishops, in a wise and realistic pastoral discernment."

(The bold is my highlighting!)

 
The important thing, the Pope tells us here, is not to walk alone! I think this is so important for us to learn to rely on each others and to know that it is good for others to rely on us - we find new ways of reaching out to others as long as we keep Jesus as the center of our lives!
I want to mention two books that I am using as I find them helpful.The one is on my Kindle and I-Pad and is A Big Heart Open to God: A Conversation with Pope Francis" published by HarperCollins. It is the complete interview with the Pope that was published in America plus some great commentaries on the interview.
The other book I mentioned before but I am still using it for either spiritual reading or prayer - it is Open Mind, Faithful Heart: Reflections on Following Jesus by Pope Francis. Some of his meditations are worth underlining, something I do when a phrase or paragraph really speaks to me. Others I just read, but I am still trying to keep up with all the Holy Father says, writes, and does!