When the Word became flesh in Mary's womb, God united himself in a wonderful and mysterious way with all humanity. He became one of us in order to save us. And becoming one of us and one like us, Jesus Christ established a fraternity and family bond among all human beings. In a real sense, every human being is my brother and sister. This is the truth that Pope Francis spells out in his latest encyclical 'FRATELLI TUTTI' (All Brothers and Sisters: On Fraternity and Social Freindship) that was released on the feast day of St Francis of Assisi on 4th October. Here is a wonderful extract from near the end of the document:
'For these reasons, the Church, while respecting the autonomy of political life, does not restrict her mission to the private sphere. On the contrary, she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the building of a better world, or fail to reawaken the spiritual energy that can contribute to the betterment of society. It is true that religious ministers must not engage in the party politics that are the proper domain of the laity, but neither can they renounce the political dimension of life itself, which involves a constant attention to the common good and a concern for integral human development. The Church has a public role over and above her charitable and educational activities. She works for the advancement of humanity and of universal fraternity. She does not claim to compete with earthly powers, but to offer herself as a family among families, this is the Church, open to bearing witness in today’s world, open to faith hope and love for the Lord and for those whom he loves with a preferential love. A home with open doors. The Church is a home with open doors, because she is a mother. And in imitation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, we want to be a Church that serves, that leaves home and goes forth from its places of worship, goes forth from its sacristies, in order to accompany life, to sustain hope, to be the sign of unity… to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of reconciliation' (Fratelli Tutti, 276).