The Risen Christ, who is, in fact, our future, was at the center of Pope Francis' Friday address to Hungarian Church leaders which included consecrated women and men, bishops, pastoral workers, priests, seminarians, and deacons.

Prophetic Openness
The Pope issued a warning against the opposing temptations of "worldly conformism" and "bleak defeatism" in light of the difficulties facing modern society.

He argued that the Church is instead called to a "prophetic receptivity" grounded in the Gospel, which endows us with the grace of discernment and empowers us to face today's circumstances with openness but also a prophetic spirit.

Pope Francis cited Jesus's parable of the fig tree to illustrate that we are obligated to be alert to the indications of the times and to view the problems and changes in the modern world "as a fruitful plant pointing to the time of the Lord's future coming."

God is Communion; Bear Witness
In Hungary, he stated that some of these difficulties include secularism, consumerism, hedonism, and polarization, all of which endanger families and the young.

The Pope cited Benedict XVI in saying that despite these difficulties, the Church can benefit from them because they present chances to deepen understanding of current issues and to increase one's faith.

Pope Francis continued by highlighting the difficulties the Church is currently facing, such as the vocations issue and internal strife. Because God is communion and is present wherever there is fraternal charity, the Holy Father emphasized the importance of bearing witness to communion as the first pastoral priority concerning the latter.

The Church We Must Strive To Be
Pope Francis concluded by outlining the kind of church that we should strive to be: one that is able to listen to one another, engage in conversation, and take care of the weakest members of society. A Church that is brave in spreading the Gospel's prophetic message to everyone while also being friendly to all.

And he asked Hungary's Church leaders and all of the country's believers to be hospitable, to share the Gospel's prophetic message, and, above all, to be men and women of prayer since the future depends on it.

He prayed that they would always be strong and full of joy, never letting their spirits waver.