Representatives of Italy’s National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises (CNA) met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday to hear his message.
vatican city
Vatican City, Friday, November 15, 2024 (Rei, Vatican Radio), Italian National Confederation of Crafts And representatives of small and medium-sized businesses (CNA) met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday and listened to his message.
value of human labor
artisans federation And greeting the representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, Pope Francis said: I greatly appreciate craftsmanship because it expresses very well the value of human work. When we create with our hands, At the same time we activate our head and legs: doing something with our hands is always the result of a thought and a movement towards others.
He said craftsmanship is an appreciation of creativity., In fact, The craftsman is able to see a special shape in matter that others cannot recognize and this makes him a partner in God’s creative work. The Pope affirmed that the talents of artisans are absolutely essential to give meaning to human activities and put them at the service of projects that promote the common good.
The Pope told the members of the Confederation of Crafts, recalling the parable of the scribes contained in chapter 25 of the Gospel of Saint Matthew: A master gives scribes to three servants to use. The one who got five proved to be resourceful, he won five more. Similarly, the one who got two also got two more, Swami praised them both equally. For this reason, the Holy Father said that the amount does not matter, What matters is the commitment., Commitment to make the gifts received successful.
trust relationship
The Holy Father said that the third servant simply kept what he received, what exactly is the third servant missing?, Who kept his talent hidden out of fear and laziness. The Pope said he renounced material wealth because he did not respect his teacher., He did not develop a relationship of trust towards life and others.
The Pope said that this parable is a song of trust in God, and a healthy, There is an invitation to a positive “partnership” that trusts us and gives meaning to our responsibility.
The Holy Father said that if you want to move forward in life, you will have to abandon fear and have faith. Sometimes, especially when difficulties arise, That’s why we are tempted to think of God as a constant referee or controller rather than someone who encourages us to take life into our own hands. But the gospel urges us to always maintain the vision of faith.
result of history
The Pope said that we should never think that what we achieve is only the result of our abilities or abilities, but that it is also the fruit of the history of each one of us., This is also the result of many people who taught us to move forward in life., That started with our parents.
He said that if you are passionate about your job, And you probably sometimes complain because it’s not recognized enough., This is because you are aware of the value of what God has placed in your hands, not only for you but for everyone. For this reason, the Pope said, we must all overcome the fear that paralyzes and destroys creativity. We can do this even in our daily work., Realize that we are participants in a greater plan of God.
Make the world beautiful and peaceful.
The Pope said that the objective of work and the work of the hands should be to beautify the world and create peace in it, but this is not always the case. He said that today we hear everywhere about wars in which thousands of weapons are used to kill people. On the contrary, work related to crafts brings us comfort and contributes to beautifying the world and building peace.
He said that an economist once told him that the most profitable investment in Italy today is investment in weapons factories… while weapons do not make the world beautiful, they make it ugly. He said: What kind of logic is this that if you want to earn more and more you have to take the lives of others? Citing his encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’ on human fraternity, the Holy Father said: ‘Let us reflect on the fact that our goal must be to make the world beautiful, to create peace in the world.
