Share, listen to people's encounter with Jesus, pope says

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must share their faith in the risen Jesus, Pope Francis said.

They also should "talk about the good inspirations that have guided us in life, the good thoughts and feelings that help us so much to go forward, and also about our efforts and labors to understand and to progress in the life of faith, perhaps even to repent and retrace our steps," the pope said April 14 before leading the midday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer.

Greeting visitors in St. Peter's Square, the pope said it is good and important to share one's faith in Jesus.

"Every day we are bombarded with a thousand messages. Many of them are superficial and useless, others reveal an indiscreet curiosity or, worse still, arise from gossip and malice," he said.

"But there is also good news, positive and constructive, and we all know how good it is for us to hear good things, and how much better we are when this happens," he said.

"It is also good to share the realities that, for better or worse, have touched our lives, so as to help others," he said, including "the most beautiful thing we have to tell: our encounter with Jesus."

"Each one of us could say so much about this: seeing how the Lord has touched us, and sharing this, not by being a lecturer to others, but by sharing the unique moments in which we perceived the Lord alive and close," he said.

Pope Francis asked Catholics to reflect on a "powerful moment of our life of faith" when they found the Lord and when they felt him near, and to also remember to listen to others when they share about their encounter with Jesus.