Pope's Prayer Intention: For a Shared Mission
“For a shared mission” is the prayer intention chosen by Pope Francis for the month of October – a theme linked to the upcoming General Assembly of the Synod, about which Pope Francis reflects in his message entrusted to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. He asks every Christian – laity, priests, religious – “to walk together, taking the path of synodality,” explaining that “we are co-responsible in mission, we participate and we live in the communion of the Church.”
Whether someone is a “bus driver,” a “farmer,” or a “fisher,” Pope Francis underlines that the mission is the same: “to witness with one’s own life,” “everyone contributing what they know how to do best.” We work together in this co-responsibility, regardless of each person’s vocation. “Priests are not the bosses of the laity, but their pastors. Jesus called us, one and others – not one above others, or one on one side and others on another side, but complementing each other,” he explains at the beginning of his message. He then adds a little later, “the laity, the baptized are in the Church, in their own home, and need to take care of it. So do we priests and consecrated persons."
Let us pray that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of coresponsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity.