A life without striving
is a mediocre one, Pope Francis told a visiting circus at his
general audience Wednesday.
Francis greeted members of the American Circus, which
performed during his weekly general audience.
Speaking off the cuff, the pope thanked the performers, and
reiterated his remarks from last week, when another circus
performed in St. Peter's Square.
"I am going to repeat what I said a week ago, when there
was another performance such as this one," Pope Francis said.
"You make beauty, and beautiful things bring us closer to God.
Thank you for this."
However, Pope Francis said he wanted to emphasize another
point: Such a performance "cannot be improvised."
"Behind this beautiful show, there are hours and hours of
exhausting training," Pope Francis said.
"Training is hard work," continued the Holy Father. "The
Apostle Paul tells to get to cross the finish line and win, you
must train, and this is an example to us all - because the
seduction of an easy life, to seek a good outcome without
effort, it's a temptation."
Pope Francis concluded his remarks to the circus by
thanking them for their example.
"With what you have done today, and with the training
behind it, you give witness to the truth that a life without
constant striving is a life of mediocrity," he said.
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