{"id":5903,"date":"2014-03-29T16:44:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-29T16:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/witness-to-christ-pope-urges-blind-and-deaf\/"},"modified":"2014-03-29T16:44:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-29T16:44:00","slug":"witness-to-christ-pope-urges-blind-and-deaf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/03\/witness-to-christ-pope-urges-blind-and-deaf\/","title":{"rendered":"Witness to Christ, Pope urges blind and deaf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Vatican City, Mar 29, 2014 \/ 10:44 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis held an audience with the blind and deaf on Saturday, encouraging them to become witnesses of Christ and to build a culture of encounter rather than exclusion.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe think of the many whom Jesus wanted to meet, above all people marked by illness and disability, to heal them and to restore their full dignity to them. It is very important that such persons become witnesses of a new approach, that we could call a \u2018culture of encounter,\u2019\u201d the Pontiff said to those gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall March 29.<\/p>\n

\tHe recalled two gospel stories: Jesus\u2019 meeting with the Samaritan woman, who exemplifies \u201cthe type of person that Jesus loved to meet, to make his witness: people who were marginalized, excluded, despised,\u201d and Christ\u2019s healing of the man born blind.<\/p>\n

\tDespite the animosity of the Pharisees, Jesus heals the man who was blind from birth. This man, in turn, testifies to Christ\u2019s healing power.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe remarkable thing is that this man, starting from what had happened to him, became a witness of Jesus and of his work, that is the work of God, of life, of love, of mercy,\u201d reflected Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIn effect, only those who recognize their own fragility, their own limits, can build fraternal relations of solidarity, in the Church and in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThis culture of encounter exemplified by Christ stands in stark contrast to \u201cthe culture of exclusion, of prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSomeone who has met the Lord \u201cwho has known him, or better, has felt knowledge of him, recognition, respect, love, forgiveness,\u201d has had an encounter which \u201chas touched him profoundly, has filled him with a new joy, a new significance for life. And this shines through, communicates itself, is transmitted to others,\u201d explained Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe sick or disabled person, precisely from his fragility, from his limits, can become a witness to encounter: the encounter with Jesus that unfolds to life and to faith, and the encounter with others, with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Pope urged the blind and deaf who had gathered to meet with him, \u201clet yourselves encounter Jesus.\u201d He said only Jesus \u201ctruly knows the heart of man, only he can free us from shutting down and from fruitless pessimism and open us to life and to hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tJakob Badde, a deaf man who attended Saturday\u2019s audience, told CNA he was surprised at \u201chow many people came, how excited they were, and the emotion.\u201d He also noted \u201cthe patience of the Pope, how relaxed he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBadde expressed his hope that the Saturday meeting will be the start of something more in the future. \u201cI hope Pope Francis will improve relations with the deaf (community), and then he will also realize what technical needs there are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe young man from Germany added that the excitement of today\u2019s meeting was marred only by a lack of translators using sign language in various languages: only Italian sign language was used.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI have the feeling and the joy, but without the message,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n

\tNonetheless, he said, the audience was \u201ca beautiful encounter\u201d with \u201cthis excitement, this passion, and then this quiet, great person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI\u2019ve never seen something like this,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vatican City, Mar 29, 2014 \/ 10:44 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis held an audience with the blind and deaf on Saturday, encouraging them to become witnesses of Christ and to build a culture of encounter rather than exclusion.<\/p>\n

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