Pope Benedict XVI Angelus Messages from
March 2011
On the Transfiguration
The Lord is Calling me to Scale the Mountain,
VATICAN CITY, February 24, 2013 -
Here is the translation of Pope Benedict XVI's final Angelus address
delivered on Sunday to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square
today
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Thank you for your affection!
Today, the second Sunday of Lent, we have
a particularly beautiful Gospel, that of the Lord’s transfiguration. The
evangelist Luke especially emphasizes the fact that Jesus is transfigured
while he prays: Jesus’ is a profound experience of relationship with the
Father during a kind of spiritual retreat on a high mountain together with
Peter, James, and John, the 3 disciples who are always present in the
moments of the Master’s divine manifestations (Luke 5:10, 8:51, 9:28). The
Lord, who a short time ago foretold his death and resurrection (Luke 9:22),
offers to his disciples an anticipation of his glory. And in the
transfiguration too, as in the baptism, the voice of the heavenly Father
resounds: “This is my Son, the chosen one. Listen to him!” (Luke 9:35). The
presence then of Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and the Prophets of
the Old Covenant, is of great significance: the whole history of covenant is
ordered to him, the Christ, who accomplishes a new “exodus” (Luke 9:31), not
toward the promised land as in the time of Moses, but toward heaven. Peter’s
words: “Master, how good it is for us to be here” (Luke 9:33), represent the
impossible attempt to freeze such a mystical experience. St. Augustine
comments: “[Peter] … on the mountain … had Christ as the food of his soul.
Why should he want to come down to return to toil and suffering while there
he was full of sentiments of a holy love for God that inspired him thus to
holy actions?” (Sermon 78,3: PL 38,491).
Meditating on this passage of the Gospel,
we can take from it a very important teaching. First of all, there is the
primacy of prayer, without which all of the work of the apostolate and
charity is reduced to activism. During Lent we learn to give the right
amount of time to both personal and communal prayer, which gives breath to
our spiritual life. Moreover, to pray is not to isolate oneself from the
world and its contradictions, as Peter wished to do on Tabor. Prayer,
rather, leads us back to the journey, to action. “The Christian life,” I
wrote in my Message for this Lent, “consists in continuously scaling the
mountain to meet God and then coming back down, bearing the love and
strength drawn from him, so as to serve our brothers and sisters with God’s
own love” (n. 3).
Dear brothers and sisters, I hear this
Word of God addressed to me in a special way during this moment of my life.
Thank you! The Lord is calling me to “scale the mountain,” to dedicate
myself still more to prayer and to meditation. But this does not mean
abandoning the Church – on the contrary, if God asks this of me, it is to
serve the Church with the same dedication and the same love with which I
have tried to do so hitherto, but in a way that is more adapted to my age
and my strength. Let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary: may she
help us always to follow the Lord Jesus in prayer and in active charity.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus,
the Holy Father greeted those present in different languages. In Italian he
said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Thank you! Let us thank the Lord for the
little bit of sun that he has given us!
[In English he said:]
I offer a warm greeting to all the
English-speaking visitors present for this Angelus prayer, especially the
Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School. I thank everyone for the many
expressions of gratitude, affection and closeness in prayer which I have
received in these days. As we continue our Lenten journey towards Easter,
may we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the Redeemer, whose glory was revealed
on the mount of the Transfiguration. Upon all of you I invoke God’s abundant
blessings!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
Finally, I offer a cordial greeting to all of you Italian speakers. I know
that many dioceses are present, representatives of parishes, associations,
movements, institutions, as well as many young people, elderly and families.
I thank you for the affection and for sharing, especially in prayer, this
important moment for me and for the Church. I wish everyone a good Sunday
and a good week. Thank you! We are always close in prayer. Thanks to all of
you!
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On the First Sunday of Lent
"We Join Him and We Ask Him to Give Us Strength to Fight our Weaknesses"
VATICAN CITY, February 17, 2013 - Dear brothers and sisters!
Last Wednesday, with the traditional distribution of ashes, we entered into Lent, a time of conversion and penance in preparation for Easter. The Church, who is mother and teacher, calls all of her members to renew themselves spiritually, to reorient themselves toward God, renouncing pride and egoism to live in love. In this Year of Faith Easter is a favorable time to rediscover faith in God as a basic criterion for our life and the life of the Church. This always means a struggle, a spiritual combat, because the evil spirit naturally opposes our sanctification and seeks to turn us away from the path to God. That is why each year on the first Sunday of Lent the Gospel narrative of Jesus’ temptation in the desert is proclaimed.
Jesus, in fact, after having received “investiture” as Messiah – “anointed” with the Spirit – at the baptism in the Jordan, was led by the same Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. At the beginning of his public ministry Jesus had to unmask and reject the false images of the Messiah that the tempter proposed to him. But these temptations are also false images of man, which always harass our conscience, disguising themselves as suitable, effective and even good proposals. The evangelists Matthew and Luke present 3 temptations of Jesus, differing in part only in the order. The nucleus of these temptations always consists in instrumentalizing God for our own interests, giving more importance to success or to material goods. The tempter is clever: he does not direct us immediately towar evil but toward a false good, making us believe that power and things that satiate primary needs are what is most real. In this manner God becomes secondary; he is reduced to a means, he becomes unreal, he no longer counts, he disappears. In the final analysis, faith is what is at stake in temptations because God is at stake. In the decisive moments of life and, in fact, in every moment of life, we are faced with a choice: do we want to follow the “I” or God? Do we want to follow individual interest or rather the true Good, that which is really good?
As the Fathers of the Church teach us, temptations are of Jesus’ “descent” into our human condition, into the abyss of sin and its consequences. A “descent” that Jesus undertook to the very end, to the point of death on the cross and the descent into the netherworld (inferi) of extreme distance from God. In this way he is the hand of God extended to man, to the lost sheep, to bring back him to safety. As St. Augustine teaches, Jesus has taken temptations from us to give us his victory (cf. Enarr. in Psalmos, 60,3: PL 36, 724). Therefore, we too are not afraid to face combat with the evil spirit: the important point is that we do it with him, with Christ, the Victor. And to stand with him we turn to the Mother, Mary: let us invoke her with filial confidence in the hour of trial, and she will make us feel the powerful presence her divine Son, to reject the temptations with the Word of Christ, and so to put God once again at the center of our life.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present for today’s Angelus. Today we contemplate Christ in the desert, fasting, praying, and being tempted. As we begin our Lenten journey, we join him and we ask him to give us strength to fight our weaknesses. Let me also thank you for the prayers and support you have shown me in these days. May God bless all of you!
[Concluding in Italian, the Holy Father said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good Lenten journey. This evening I will begin a week of retreat: let us be united in prayer. Have a good week everyone. Thank you!
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Angelus: On
Listening to the Lord's Call
VATICAN CITY, February 10, 2013
- Dear brothers and sisters! In
today’s liturgy the Gospel according
to Luke presents the account of the
calling of the first disciples. This
version is original with respect to
the other 2 synoptic Gospels,
Matthew and Mark (Matthew 4:18-22;
Mark 1:16-20). The call, in fact, is
preceded by Jesus’ teaching of the
crowds and of a miraculous catch of
fish, accomplished by the Lord’s
will (Luke 5:1-6). While the crowd
gathers on the shore of the Lake of
Genesaret to listen to Jesus he sees
Simon who is discouraged because he
had not caught anything all night.
First he asks Simon if he might get
into the boat to preach to the
people a little ways from the shore;
then when he finishes preaching he
commands him to set out into the
lake with his companions and cast
out the nets (5:5). Simon obeys and
they catch a great quantity of fish.
In this way the evangelist makes us
see how the first disciples followed
Jesus, entrusting themselves to him,
basing themselves on his word, which
is also accompanied by wondrous
signs. Let us observe that before
this sign, Simon speaks to Jesus
calling him “Master” (5:5), while
afterward he calls him “Lord” (5:7).
It is the pedagogy of God’s call,
which is not much concerned with the
qualities of the elect but with
their faith, like that of Simon, who
says: “At your word I will cast out
the nets” (5:5). The image of the
catch of fish points to the mission
of the Church. St. Augustine
comments on this: “Twice the
disciples fish at the Lord’s
command: once before the passions
and once after the resurrection. In
both cases we find a figure of the
whole Church: the Church as she is
now and as she will be after the
resurrection of the dead. Now she
contains a multitude impossible to
count, including the good and the
bad together; after the resurrection
she will only contain the good”
(Sermon 248, 1). Peter’s experience,
certainly singular, is also
representative of the call of every
apostle of the Gospel, who must
never be discouraged in proclaiming
Christ to all men, to the ends of
the earth. But the text of today’s
Gospel also brings us to reflect on
the vocation to the priesthood and
the consecrated. It is the work of
God. Man is not the author of his
own vocation, but he replies to the
divine proposal; and human weakness
must not trouble us if God calls. We
must have confidence in his
strength, which acts precisely in
our poverty; we must more and more
place our trust in the power of his
mercy, which transforms and renews.
Dear brothers and sisters, may this
Word of God revive in us too and in
our Christian communities the
courage, the confidence and the zeal
to proclaim and witness to the
Gospel. Failures and difficulties
must not lead to discouragement: we
are expected to cast out the nets
with faith, the Lord does the rest.
Let us trust in the intercession of
the Virgin Mary, Queen of the
Apostles. Quite aware of her
littleness, she responds to the
Lord’s call with total trust: “Here
I am.” With her maternal aid let us
renew our openness to follow Jesus,
Master and Lord.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted
those present in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Today, various peoples of the Far
East celebrate the lunar new year.
Peace, harmony and thanksgiving to
heaven are the universal values that
are celebrated on this joyous
occasion and they are desired by all
to build their own family, society
and nation. I hope the aspirations
of those peoples for a happy and
prosperous life may be realized. I
send out a special greeting to the
Catholics of those countries that in
this Year of Faith they let
themselves be guided by the wisdom
of Christ. Tomorrow, the liturgical
feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Lourdes, will also be the World Day
of the Sick. The solemn celebration
will take place in the Marian shrine
in Altötting in Bavaria. With prayer
and affection I am near to all the
sick and I spiritually join with
those who will be gathering at that
shrine, which is especially dear to
me. [In English he said:] I am
pleased to greet all the visitors
present at today’s Angelus,
especially the young people of Saint
Patrick’s Evangelisation School,
London. In today’s Gospel, the
crowds press round Jesus, "listening
to the word of God". May we too
listen attentively to Jesus’ words,
as he calls us, like Simon Peter, to
go out fearlessly and draw others to
Christ. God bless you and your loved
ones!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish you all a good
Sunday, a good week. Have a good
Sunday! Thank you!
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On the Truth of
God's Love
"Love and Truth are 2 Names of the Same Reality, 2 Names of God"
VATICAN CITY, February 03, 2013 - Here is
the translation of the Holy Father's Sunday Angelus address delivered to the
faithful gather in St. Peter's Square today.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today’s Gospel, taken from the
fourth chapter of St. Luke, is the continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel. We
find ourselves still in the synagogue of Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew
up and where everyone knows him and his family. Now, after a period of
absence, he has returned in a new way: during the sabbath liturgy he reads a
prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah and he announces its fulfillment,
letting it be understood that the words refer to him, that Isaiah had spoken
of him. This bewilders the Nazarenes: on the one hand, “all spoke highly of
him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth” (Luke
4:22); St. Mark reports that many said: “Where did he get these things? And
what is this wisdom that he has been given?” (6:2). On the other hand,
however, his fellow Nazarenes know him too well: He is one like us, they
say. His pretense can be nothing but presumption (cf. “Jesus of Nazareth:
The Infancy Narratives,” 11 [Italian edition]). “Is he not the son of
Joseph?” (Luke 4:22), they ask, as if to say, “What aspirations can a
carpenter from Nazareth have?”
Precisely seeing this
resistance, which confirms the proverb “No prophet is accepted in his own
land,” Jesus speaks words to the people in the synagogue that sound like a
provocation. He cites 2 miracles performed by the great prophets Elijah and
Elisha for non-Israelites, to show that sometimes there is greater faith
outside of Israel. At that point the reaction is unanimous: they all get up
and chase him out and even try to throw him over a precipice, but Jesus,
with masterly calm, passes through the midst of the infuriated people and
goes his way. At this point it is natural to ask: Why did Jesus wish to
provoke this rupture? At the beginning the people admired him and perhaps
they would have achieved a certain consensus... but this is exactly the
point: Jesus did not come to seek consensus among men, but – as he will say
in the end to Pilate – to “bear witness to truth” (John 18:37). The truth
prophet does not obey anyone but God and serves truth, ready to make
personal sacrifices if necessary. It is truth that Jesus is the prophet of
love, but love has its truth. Indeed, love and truth are 2 names of the same
reality, 2 names of God. In today’s liturgy, these words of St. Paul are
also heard: “Charity ... pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it
does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood
over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth
(1 Corinthians 13:4-6). Believing in God means giving up our own prejudices
and welcoming the concrete form in which he reveals himself: the man Jesus
of Nazareth. And this path also leads to recognizing and serving him in
others.
Mary’s attitude is
enlightening in this regard. Who more than she knew the humanity of Jesus?
But she was never scandalized like her fellow Nazarenes. She carried the
mystery in her heart and knew how to welcome it continually more and more on
the journey of faith to the night of the cross and the brilliance of the
resurrection. Mary also helps us to travel along this way with fidelity and
joy.
[Following the recitation of
the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In
Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
On the first Sunday of
February the “Day for Life” is observed. I join with the Italian bishops,
who in their message invite us to invest in life and the family, and to do
so also as an effective response to the current crisis. I greet the Movement
for Life and pray for the success of the “One of Us” project so that Europe
will always be a place where the dignity of every human being is protected.
I greet the representatives of the department of medicine and surgery of the
University of Rome, especially the professors of obstetrics and gynecology,
accompanied by the cardinal vicar, and I encourage them to train health care
workers in the culture of life.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the
English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Angelus.
In the Gospel of today’s liturgy, Jesus reminds us that being a prophet is
no easy task, even among those nearest to us. Let us ask the Lord to give
each of us a spirit of courage and wisdom, so that in our words and actions,
we may proclaim the saving truth of God’s love with boldness, humility and
coherence. God bless each of you!
[Concluding in Italian he
said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday,
a good week. Thank you. Have a good Sunday!
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On the Christian Sense of
'Carpe Diem'
"Every day can become the
today of salvation"
VATICAN CITY, January 28, 2013
- Here is a translation of the
address Benedict XVI gave Sunday,
before and after praying the midday
Angelus with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
*
* *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today’s liturgy brings together for
us two distinct passages of Luke’s
Gospel. The first (1:1-4) is the
prologue, addressed to a certain “Theophile”;
since this name in Greek means
“friend of God” we can see in him
every believer who opens himself up
to God and desires to know the
Gospel.
The second passage (4:14-21),
instead, presents Jesus who “with
the power of the Spirit” enters the
synagogue of Nazareth on the
Sabbath. As a devout believer the
Lord does not neglect the weekly
liturgical rhythm and joins the
assembly of the people of his town
in prayer and listening to the
Scriptures. Rite provides for a text
of the Torah or the Prophets,
followed by commentary. That day
Jesus stood up to read and found a
passage from the prophet Isaiah that
begins thus: “The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because the Lord has
anointed; he has sent me to bring
glad tidings to the poor” (61:1-2).
Origen comments: “It is not by
chance that he opened the scroll and
found the chapter of the reading
that prophesizes about him. This too
was the work of God’s providence”
(Homilies on the Gospel of Luke, 32,
3). In fact, Jesus, having concluded
the reading, breaks an attentive
silence saying: “Today this
Scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing” (Luke 4:21). St. Cyril of
Alexandria states that the “today,”
placed between the first and last
coming of Christ, is linked to the
believer’s capacity to listen and
reform his life (cf.PG 69, 1241).
But in a still more radical sense
Jesus himself is the “today” of
salvation in history because he
brings the fullness of redemption.
The term “today,” very dear to St.
Luke (cf. 19:9, 23:43), brings us to
the preferred Christological title
of the same evangelist, namely,
“savior” (soter). Already in the
infancy narratives, it is presented
in the words of the angel to the
shepherds: “Today, in the city of
David, there is born for you a
Savior, Christ the Lord” (Luke
2:11).
Dear friends, this passage also
addresses us “today.” Above all it
makes us think about the way we pass
our Sundays, a day of rest and of
the family, but first of all a day
to dedicate to the Lord,
participating in the Eucharist in
which we are nourished by the Body
and Blood of Christ and by his Word
of life. Secondly, in our dispersed
and distracted time this Gospel
invites us to ask ourselves about
our capacity to listen. Before
speaking about God and with God we
must listen to him, and the Church’s
liturgy is the “school” of this
listening to the Lord who speaks to
us. In the end he tells us that
every moment can become a “today”
that is propitious for our
conversion. Every day (“kathermeran”)
can become the today of salvation
because salvation is the story that
continues for the Church and for
each disciple of Christ. This is the
Christian sense of “carpe diem”
(seize the day): welcome the today
in which God calls you to grant you
salvation!
May the Virgin Mary always be our
model and our guide in knowing how
to recognize and welcome, each day
of our life, God’s presence, our
Savior and that Savior of all
humanity.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus the Holy Father greeted
those present in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today is the “Day of Memory” in
remembrance of the Holocaust of the
victims of Nazism. The memory of
this horrendous tragedy that so
profoundly struck the Jewish people
above all, should represent for all
a constant exhortation so that the
horrors of the past not be repeated,
every form of hatred and racism be
overcome and respect for the dignity
of the human person be promoted.
Today is also celebrated the 60th
World Day of those suffering from
leprosy. I express my nearness to
the persons afflicted with this evil
and I encourage researchers, health
care workers and volunteers,
especially those who are part of
Catholic organizations and of the
Association of the Friends of Raoul
Follereau. I invoke for everyone the
spiritual support of St. Damien de
Veuster and St. Marianne Cope, who
gave their lives for those suffering
from leprosy.
On
this 3rd Sunday there is also a
special day of prayer for peace in
the Holy Land. I thank those who
promote it in many parts of the
world and I greet in particular
those who are present here.
[In English he said:]
I
greet all the English-speaking
visitors present at this Angelus
prayer. In today’s Gospel Jesus
fulfils Isaiah’s prophecy in his own
person, as he proclaims new sight to
the blind and freedom to captives.
In this Year of Faith, especially
through the Sacraments, may we
deepen our confidence in Christ and
embrace his grace which sets us
free. May God bless you and your
loved ones!
[Again in Italian he said:]
In
a special way I greet the children
and young people of Catholic Action
of Rome. Welcome! Two of you, with
the diocesan leaders, are here with
me – see! Dear young people, your
“Caravan of Peace” is a beautiful
witness! May it be a sign also of
your daily commitment to build peace
where you live. Let us now listen to
your brief message.
[Reading of the message]
Thank you! And now we release the
doves, symbol of the Spirit of God,
who grants peace to those who
welcome his love. Let us try to
release these doves!
Well, it was a
success! Have a good Sunday
everyone, a good week too. Thank
you!
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On a Fault
Disfiguring the Countenance of the Church
"The injury to her visible unity"
VATICAN CITY, January 20, 2013 - Here is a
translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying
the midday angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today the liturgy proposes the Gospel
passage about the wedding at Cana, an episode narrated by John, an eye
witness of the event. This episode is part of this Sunday that immediately
follows the Christmas season because, together with the visit of the Magi
from the east and with Jesus' baptism, it forms the trilogy of the epiphany,
that is, of the manifestation of Christ. The manifestation at the wedding at
Cana is, in fact, "the first of the signs" (John 2:11), that is, the first
miracle performed by Jesus, with which he publicly manifested his glory,
awakening the faith of his disciples. Let us briefly recall what happened at
the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee. It happened that the wine had run out,
and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, pointed this out to her Son. He told her that
his hour had not yet come; but then followed Mary's intervention and, six
large stone jars being filled with water, he transformed the water into
wine, an excellent wine, better than the wine that had been served earlier.
With this "sign" Jesus revealed himself as the messianic bridegroom, come to
establish the new and eternal Covenant with his people, according to the
words of the prophets: "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your
God will rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5). And the wine is the symbol of this
joy of love; but it also alludes to the blood that Jesus will pour out at
the end to seal the nuptial pact with humanity.
The Church is the bride of Christ, who
makes her holy and beautiful with his grace. Nevertheless, this bride, made
up of human beings, is always in need of purification. And one of the
gravest faults that disfigures the countenance of the Church is the injury
to her visible unity, in particular the historical divisions that have
separated Christians and that have not yet been overcome. Precisely at this
time, from January 18 to 25, the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
is observed, a time that is always welcome to believers and to communities,
which reawakens in everyone the desire and spiritual commitment to full
communion. In this sense the prayer service that I was able to celebrate
with thousands of young people from all over Europe and with the ecumenical
community of Taizé in this piazza was very significant: it was a moment of
grace in which we experienced the beauty of being one in Christ. I encourage
everyone to pray together so that we can realize "what the Lord requires of
us" (Micah 6:8), which is the theme of this year's Week; it was a theme
proposed by some communities in India, which invites us to move decisively
toward visible unity and to overcome, as brothers of Christ, every type of
unjust discrimination. Next Friday at the conclusion of these days of
prayer, I will preside at Vespers in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the
Walls in the presence of representatives of other Churches and ecclesial
communities.
Dear friends, once more to the prayer for
Christian unity I would like to add a prayer for peace so that, in the
various conflicts now going on, the slaughter of civilians cease and all
violence end, and the courage for dialogue and negotiation be found. For
both of these intentions let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy,
the mediatrix of grace.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus
the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English he
said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims
and visitors present at today's Angelus. In these days, we are celebrating
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Let us join our prayers to those of
our brothers and sisters of all Churches and communities, that we may
dedicate ourselves ever more earnestly to working towards our visible unity
in Jesus Christ. God bless you and your loved ones!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday, a good
week. Thank you. Have a good Sunday!
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On the Baptism of
the Lord
"May every Christian, in this Year of Faith, Rediscover the
Beauty of being Reborn from Above"
VATICAN CITY, January 13, 2013
- Here is the translation of the Holy Father's address before and after the
recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square today.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this Sunday after Epiphany we conclude
the liturgical season of Christmas: a time of light, the light of Christ
that, as the new sun that appears on the horizon of humanity, disperses the
darkness of evil and ignorance. We celebrate today the feast of the Baptism
of Jesus: that Child, son of the Virgin, whom we contemplated in the mystery
of his birth, we see today as an adult immersing himself in the waters of
the Jordan River, and in this way sanctifying all water and the whole
cosmos, as the Eastern tradition emphasizes. But why did Jesus, in whom
there was no shadow of sin have himself baptized by John? Why did he wish to
perform that gesture of repentance and conversion together with many others
who wanted to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah? That
gesture, which marks the beginning of Christ’s public life, is situated in
the same line as the Incarnation, of God’s descent from the highest heaven
to the abyss of hell (“inferi”). The meaning of this movement of divine
abasement is summed up in a single word: love, which is the very name of
God. The apostle John writes: “In this way the love of God was revealed to
us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through
him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and
sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). This is why the
first act of Jesus was to receive the baptism of John, who, when he saw him
coming, said: “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”
(John 1:29).
The evangelist Luke writes that while
Jesus, after receiving the baptism, “was in prayer, the heavens opened and
there descended upon him the Holy Spirit in bodily form, as a dove, and
there came a voice from heaven: ‘You are my Son, the beloved: in you I am
well-pleased” (3:21-22). This Jesus is the Son of God, who is totally
immersed in the Father’s will of love. This Jesus is he who will die upon
the cross and rise up by the power of the same Spirit that now comes to rest
upon him and consecrates him. This Jesus is the new man who wishes to live
as a son of God, that is, in love; he is the man who, in the face of the
evil of the world, chooses the path of humility and responsibility, chooses
not to save himself but to offer his life for truth and for justice. Being
Christians means living in this way, but this way of life brings a rebirth:
being reborn from above, from God, by Grace. This rebirth is the Baptism
that Christ gave to the Church to regenerate men to new life. And ancient
text attributed to St. Hippolytus: “Whoever enters this bath of
regeneration, renounces the devil and aligns himself with Christ, renounces
the enemy and recognizes that Christ is God, puts off slavery and puts on
the filial adoption” (Sermon for Epiphany, 10: PG, 10 862).
Following tradition, this morning I had
the joy of baptizing a large group of children, who were born in the last 3
or 4 months. At this time I would like to extend my prayer and my
benediction to all newborns; but above all I would like to invite everyone
to recall their baptism, that spiritual rebirth that opened for us to the
path of eternal life. May every Christian, in this Year of Faith, rediscover
the beauty of being reborn from above, from the love of God, and live as a
child of God.
On the Epiphany
"Mary's Faith becomes the First Fruit and the Model of the Faith
of the Church"
VATICAN CITY, January 07, 2013 - Here is
the translation of the Holy Father's Angelus address delivered from the
window of the Apostolic Palace to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
I apologize for being late. I
ordained 4 new bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica and the rite lasted a little
while. But today we celebrate above all the Epiphany of the Lord, his
manifestation to the nations, while many Eastern Churches, according to the
Julian Calendar, celebrate Christmas. This slight difference, which
superimposes the 2 moments, makes us see that the Child, born in a grotto in
Bethlehem, is the light of the world, who directs the journey of all
peoples. It is a combination, which makes us reflect, also from the point of
view of faith: on the one hand, looking upon Jesus we see the faith of Mary,
of Joseph and the shepherds; today, the Epiphany, we see the faith of the 3
magi, who came from the East to worship the king of the Jews.
The Virgin Mary, together with
her husband, represent the “stump” of Israel, the “remnant” foretold by the
prophets, from which the Messiah was to come forth. The magi represent the
peoples, and, we can also say, the civilizations of the earth, the cultures,
the religions that are, so to say, on their way to God, in search of his
kingdom of peace, justice, truth and freedom. There was at first a nucleus,
personified above all by Mary, the “daughter of Zion”: a nucleus of Israel,
the people who knows and has faith in that God who is revealed to the
Patriarchs and along the path of history. This faith reaches its fulfillment
in Mary, in the fullness of time; in her, “blessed because she believed,”
the Word became flesh, God “appeared” in the world. Mary’s faith becomes the
first fruit and the model of the faith of the Church, the People of the New
Covenant. But this people is from the beginning universal, and this we see
today in the figures of the magi, who arrive in Bethlehem following the
light of a star and the instructions of the Sacred Scriptures.
St. Leo the Great says: “There
was once promised to Abraham countless descendants who would be begotten not
by the flesh but by the fecundity of faith” (Sermon 3 for Epiphany, 1: PL
54, 240). Mary’s faith can be joined with Abraham’s: it is the new beginning
of the same promise, of the same unchanging plan of God that now finds its
completion in Christ Jesus. And Christ’s light is so limpid and powerful
that it makes the language of the cosmos and that of the Scriptures
intelligible so that all those who, like the magi, are open to the truth can
recognize it and arrive at the contemplation of the Savior of the world. St.
Leo continues: “Let the great mass of the nations ... all peoples ... enter
in, indeed, let them enter into the family of the patriarchs, let them adore
the Creator of the universe, and may God be known not only in Judea but in
all the earth” (ibid.). We can also consider the episcopal ordinations that
I had the joy to confer this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica from this
perspective: 2 bishops will remain in the service of the Holy See and the
other 2 will depart to be pontifical representatives in 2 other countries.
Let us pray for each of them, for their ministry, and that the light of
Christ shine upon the whole world.
--------------------------------------------------------
On the Feast of St.
Stephen
"St. Stephen is a
Model for All Those Who Want to
Serve the New Evangelization"
VATICAN CITY,
December 27, 2012 - Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
Each year, on the
day after Christmas, the liturgy
celebrates the feast of St.
Stephen, deacon and first
martyr. The book of Acts
presents him as a man full of
faith and of the Holy Spirit
(cf. Acts 6.8 to 10, 7.55); in
him the full promise of Jesus
recounted in today's Gospel
passage is fulfilled, which is
that believers who are called to
bear witness in difficult and
dangerous circumstances will not
be abandoned or left
defenseless: the Spirit of God
will speak to them (cf. Mt
10:20).
The deacon
Stephen, in fact, worked, spoke
and died animated by the Holy
Spirit, bearing witness to the
love of Christ to the point of
extreme sacrifice. The first
martyr is described, in his
suffering, as a perfect
imitation of Christ, whose
passion is repeated even in the
details. The life of Saint
Stephen is entirely shaped by
God, conformed to Christ, whose
passion is repeated in him; in
the final moment of death, on
his knees, he takes up the
prayer of Jesus on the cross,
trusting in the Lord (cf. Acts
7.59 ) and forgiving his
enemies: " Lord, do not hold
this sin against them" (v. 60).
Filled with the Holy Spirit, as
his eyes are about to close, he
fixed his gaze on "Jesus
standing at the right hand of
God" (v. 55), the Lord of all,
who draws all to Him.
On St. Stephen’s
Day, we are called to fix our
gaze on the Son of God, who in
the joyful atmosphere of
Christmas we contemplate in the
mystery of His Incarnation. In
Baptism and Confirmation, with
the precious gift of faith
nourished by the Sacraments of
the Church, especially the
Eucharist, Jesus Christ has
bound us to Him and wants to
continue in us, through the
action of the Holy Spirit, his
work of salvation that redeems,
enhances, elevates and leads all
to fulfillment. Allowing
ourselves be drawn by Christ,
like St. Stephen, means opening
our lives to the light that
calls, directs and makes us walk
the path of good, the path of
humanity according to God’s
loving plan.
Finally, St.
Stephen is a model for all those
who want to serve the new
evangelization. He shows that
the novelty of proclamation does
not primarily consist in the use
of original methods or
techniques, which certainly have
their uses, but in being filled
with the Holy Spirit and
allowing ourselves to be guided
by Him. The novelty of
proclamation lies in immerging
ourselves deeply in the mystery
of Christ, the assimilation of
His Word and of His presence in
the Eucharist, so that He
Himself, the living Jesus, can
act and speak through His envoy.
In essence, the evangelizer
becomes able to bring Christ to
others effectively when he lives
of Christ, when the newness of
the Gospel manifests itself in
his own life. We pray to the
Virgin Mary, so that the Church,
in this Year of Faith, sees more
men and women who, like St.
Stephen, know how to give a
convinced and courageous witness
of the Lord Jesus.
[Translation by
Vatican Radio]
After the
Recitation of the Angelus, the
Holy Father greeted the pilgrims
present in various languages. In
English, the Holy Father said:
I am pleased to
welcome all those present for
this Angelus prayer. Today,
immediately after Christmas Day,
by tradition we celebrate the
feast of the first martyr, Saint
Stephen the Deacon. Like him,
may we be blessed by God’s grace
to have the courage to speak up
and to defend the truth of our
faith in public, with charity
and constancy. God bless all of
you and your loved ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Visitation
"Let us Strive Again
to Make Room in our Hearts to
Welcome the Christ Dhild with Love
and Humility"
VATICAN CITY,
December 23, 2012 - Here
is the translation of the Holy
Father's Angelus address to the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and
sisters!
On this fourth
Sunday of Advent, which precedes
the birth of the Lord, the
Gospel narrates Mary’s visit to
her relative Elizabeth. This is
not merely a polite gesture but,
with great simplicity, depicts
the meeting between the Old and
the New Testament. The 2 women,
both pregnant, in fact incarnate
expectation and the One
expected. The older Elizabeth
symbolizes Israel, who awaits
the Messiah, while the younger
Mary bears the fulfillment of
this expectation to the benefit
of all humanity. In the 2 women
we meet and recognize first of
all the fruit of their wombs,
John and Christ. The Christian
poet Prudentius comments: “The
child in the old womb greets,
through his mother’s mouth, the
Lord, son of the Virgin”
(Apotheosis, 590: PL 59, 970).
The elation of John in
Elizabeth’s womb is the sign of
the end of the waiting: God is
about to visit his people. At
the Annunciation the archangel
Gabriel spoke to Mary about
Elizabeth’s pregnancy (cf. Luke
1:36) as a proof of God’s power:
sterility, besides the advanced
age, was transformed into
fertility.
Elizabeth,
welcoming Mary, recognizes that
God’s promise to humanity is
being realized and exclaims:
“Blessed are you among women and
blessed is the fruit of your
womb! How is it that the mother
of my Lord should come to me?”
(Luke 1:42-43). The expression
“blessed are you among women” is
used in the Old Testament of
Jael (Judges 5:24) and Judith
(Judith 13:1), 2 women warriors
who strive to save Israel. Now
however, it is said of Mary, a
peaceful young woman who is
about to give birth to the
Savior of the world. Thus, also
John’s leap for joy (cf. Luke
1:44) recalls David’s dance when
he accompanied the entrance of
the Ark of the Covenant into
Jerusalem (cf. 1 Chronicles
15:29). The Ark, which contained
the tablets of the Law, the
manna and Aaron’s staff (cf.
Hebrews 9:4), it was the sign of
God’s presence among the people.
The soon-to-be-born John exults
with joy before Mary,the Ark of
the New Covenant, who bears
Jesus in her womb, the Son of
God made man.
The scene of the
Visitation also expresses the
beauty of hospitality: where
there is mutual welcome,
listening, making room for the
other, God is present with the
joy that comes from him. Let us
imitate Mary in the Christmas
season, visiting those who are
in difficulty, especially the
sick, prisoners, the elderly and
children. And let us also
imitate Elizabeth who welcomes
the guest as God himself: unless
we desire him we will never know
the Lord, unless we expect him,
we will never meet him, unless
we seek him, we will never find
him. With the same joy as Mary,
who hastens to Elizabeth (cf.
Luke 1:39), we too go out to
meet the Lord who comes. Let us
pray that all men seek God, that
it is God himself who first
comes to visit us. Let us
entrust our heart to Mary, the
Ark of the New and Eternal
Covenant, that she might make it
worthy to welcome the visit of
God in the mystery of Christmas.
[Following the
recitation of the Angelus, the
Holy Father greeted those
present in various languages. In
English he said:]
I greet all the
English-speaking visitors and
pilgrims present at this Angelus
prayer. Today, as we approach
the Solemnity of our Lord’s
Birth among us, let us strive
again to make room in our hearts
to welcome the Christ child with
love and humility before such a
great gift from on high. In
anticipation, let me already
wish you and your families a
holy and peaceful Christmas!
[Concluding in
Italian, he said:]
Finally, I
address a cordial greeting to
the Italian-speaking pilgrims. I
wish everyone a good Sunday and
much peace at Christmas. Happy
Sunday!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It
Is There, in Our Conduct, That We Must
Show That We Are Following His Will"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 16, 2012 - Here
is the translation of the Holy
Father's Sunday Angelus address in
St. Peter's Square.
*
* *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Gospel for this Sunday of Advent
again presents the figure of John
the Baptist, and it depicts him
speaking to the people who have come
to him at the Jordan River to be
baptized. Because John speaks to
them with tough words, exhorting
them to prepare themselves for the
coming of the Messiah, some ask him,
“What must we do?” (Luke 3:10, 12,
14). These dialogues are very
interesting and show themselves to
be of great contemporary relevance.
The first reply is addressed to the
crowd in general. The Baptist says:
“Whoever has 2 tunics, give 1 to
someone who has none, and whoever
has food to eat, do the same”
(3:11). Here we can see a criterion
of justice animated by charity.
Justice demands that the imbalance
between those who have more than
enough and those who lack the
necessities be overcome; charity
moves us to be attentive to others
and to meet their needs rather than
looking for justifications to defend
our interests. Justice and charity
are not opposed but both are
necessary and complete each other.
“There will always be situations of
material need where help in the form
of concrete love of neighbor is
indispensable” (“Deus caritas est,”
28).
And then there is the second reply,
which is directed toward some
“publicans,” those who collected
taxes for the Romans. Already for
this reason the publicans were
despised, but also because they
often took advantage of their
position to steal. The Baptist does
not tell them to change their job
but not to exact more than what is
required (3:13). The prophet, in
God’s name, does not ask for
exceptional actions, but first of
all the honest performance of one’s
duties. The first step toward
eternal life is always the
observance of the commandments, in
this case the seventh: “Do not
steal” (cf. Exodus 20:15).
The third reply regards the
soldiers, another category with a
certain power, and so with a
temptation to abuse it. To the
soldiers John says: “Do not mistreat
anyone or extort; be content with
your pay” (3:14). Here, too,
conversion begins with honesty and
with respect for others: an
instruction that holds good for
everyone, especially those with
greater responsibility.
Taking these dialogues together, the
very concrete words spoken by John
is striking: from the moment that
God will judge us according to our
deeds, it is there, in our conduct,
that we must show that we are
following his will. And precisely
for this reason the Baptist’s
instructions are always relevant:
even in our very complex world,
things would go much better if
everyone observed these rules of
conduct. So let us pray to the Lord,
through the intercession of Mary
Most Holy, that he help us to
prepare ourselves for Christmas
bearing the good fruits of
conversion (cf. Luke 3:8).
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted
those present in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
From December 28 to January 2 the
European meeting of young people
organized by the community of Taizé
will take place. I thank the
families, who, following the Roman
tradition of hospitality, have made
themselves available to host these
young people. Since, thanks be to
God, the requests are greater than
the space that has been made
available so far, I renew the
request already made in parishes,
that more families, with complete
simplicity, might open up to this
great experience of Christian
friendship.
[In English he said:]
I
greet all the English-speaking
pilgrims and visitors present at
today’s Angelus. I was deeply
saddened by Friday’s senseless
violence in Newtown, Connecticut. I
assure the families of the victims,
especially those who lost a child,
of my closeness in prayer. May the
God of consolation touch their
hearts and ease their pain. During
this Advent Season, let us dedicate
ourselves more fervently to prayer
and to acts of peace. Upon those
affected by this tragedy, and upon
each of you, I invoke God’s abundant
blessings!
[Again in Italian he said:]
Today I offer a special greeting to
the children of Rome! You have come
for the traditional blessing of the
statues of the baby Jesus. Dear
ones, as I bless the little statues
of Jesus that you will put in your
crèches, I bless each of you and
your families from my heart along
with teachers and the Center of the
Roman Oratories.
Lastly, I greet the Italian-speaking
pilgrims, especially the faithful of
Palazzo Adriano, Porto San Giorgio,
Grottammare, San Lorenzello, Atella,
Bucchianico and Valmontone. I greet
the group of students from the De
Merode Institute in Rome who are
also with some fellow Australian
students from Adelaide, as well as
representatives of ZENIT religious
news agency.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish every a good
Sunday and a good spiritual journey
toward Bethlehem! Have a good
Sunday! Greetings!
---------------------------------------------------------
Angelus: On Awaiting the Coming of
the Lord
"Let us Prepare to
See, with the Eyes of Faith, Gods
Salvation in the Humble Grotto of
Bethlehem"
Dear
brothers and sisters!
In
the season of Advent that liturgy
brings to the fore, in a special
way, 2 figures that prepare the way
of the Messiah: the Virgin Mary and
John the Baptist. Today St. Luke
presents the latter to us, and he
does so in a way that is different
from the other evangelists. “All 4
of the Gospels place the figure of
John the Baptist at the beginning of
Jesus activity and they present him
as his precursor. St. Luke moves the
connection between the 2 figures and
their respective missions back ...
Already in conception and birth,
Jesus and John are placed in
relationship to each other” (“Jesus
of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives”
[Italian ed.], 23). This perspective
helps us to understand that John,
insofar as he is the son of
Zachariah and Elizabeth, both of
whom are of priestly families, is
not only the last of the prophets,
but also represents the whole
priesthood of the Old Covenant and
thus prepares men for the spiritual
worship of the New Covenant,
inaugurated by Jesus (cf. ibid.,
27-28). Moreover, Luke dissolves
every mythological reading that is
often applied to the Gospels by
speaking of the historical context
of John’s life – “In the fifteenth
year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea ... under the high
priests Annas and Caiphas” (Luke
3:1-2). Within this historical
context there occurs the truly great
event of history, the birth of
Christ, which is not noted by others
at that time. For God, the great
ones of history are the frame for
the little ones!
John
the Baptist defines himself as “the
voice of one who calls out in the
desert: ‘Prepare the way of the
Lord, make straight his paths’”
(Luke 3:4). The voice proclaims the
word, but in this case the Word of
God precedes, insofar as it descends
upon John, the son of Zachariah, in
the desert (cf. Luke 3:2). He
therefore has a great role to play,
but always in function of Christ.
St. Augustine comments: “John is the
voice. Of the Lord however it is
said: ‘In the beginning was the
Word’ (John 1:1). John is the voice
that passes, Christ is the eternal
Word that was in the beginning. If
the word is taken from the voice,
what does it have left? A vague
sound. The voice without a word
affects our hearing but it does not
nourish the heart” (Sermon 293, 3:
PL 38, 1328). We have the task today
of listening to that voice to grant
space and welcome in our heart to
Jesus, the Word that saves. In this
season of Advent, let us prepare to
see, with the eyes of faith, God’s
salvation in the humble grotto of
Bethlehem (cf. Luke 3:6). In a
consumer society in which we are
tempted to find our joy in things,
the Baptist teaches us to live in an
essential way, so that Christmas is
lived not only as an external
celebration but as the celebration
of the Son of God who has come to
bring men peace, life and true joy.
To
the maternal intercession of Mary,
the Virgin of Advent, we entrust our
path to the Lord who is coming so
that we are ready to welcome
Emmanuel, God-with-us, in our heart
and in our entire life.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted
those who were present in different
languages. In English he said:]
I
would now like to offer a word of
greeting to all the English-speaking
visitors present at this Angelus
prayer. In today’s Gospel John the
Baptist reminds us of the need for
repentance and purification as we
prepare a way for the Lord and await
in hope his coming in glory. May God
abundantly bless you and your loved
ones!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I
wish you all a good Sunday, a good
week. Happy Advent. Have a good
Sunday everyone. Thank you!
Pope's Angelus Address on Feast of the
Immaculate Concepetion
VATICAN CITY,
DEC. 9, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is
the translation of the Holy Father's
words before and after the
recitation of the Angelus on
Saturday, December 8, Feast of the
Immaculate Conception.
--- --- ---
Dear
brothers and sisters!
I
wish you all a happy Feast of Mary
Immaculate! In this Year of Faith I
would like to emphasize that Mary is
Immaculate by a gratuitous gift of
the grace of God that, however, she
was perfectly open to and cooperated
with. In this sense she is “blessed”
because she “believed” (Luke 1:45),
because she had a firm faith in God.
Mary represents that “remnant of
Israel,” that holy root announced by
the prophets. The promises of the
Old Covenant are welcomed in her. In
Mary the Word of God finds an ear,
acceptance, response, he finds that
“yes” that allows him to take flesh
and to come dwell among us. In Mary
humanity, history truly open to God,
accept his grace, are ready to do
his will. Mary is the genuine
expression of grace. She is the new
Israel that the Scriptures of the
Old Testament describe with the
symbol of the bride. And St. Paul
takes this language up again in the
Letter to the Ephesians where he
speaks of matrimony and says that
“Christ loved the Church and gave
himself up for her, to make her
holy, purifying her with the bath of
water through the word, to present
the Church to himself, all glorious,
without a blemish or wrinkle or any
such thing, but holy and immaculate”
(5:25-27). The Fathers of the Church
developed this image and so the
doctrine of the Immaculate was first
born in reference to the Church as
virgin-mother, and then in reference
to Mary. Ephraim the Syrian
poetically wrote: “As bodies
themselves have sin and die, and the
land that is their mother is cursed
(cf. Genesis 3:17-19), so because of
this body that is the incorruptible
Church, her land is blessed from the
beginning. This land is the body of
Mary, the temple in which a seed has
been sown” (Diatessaron 4, 15:
SC 121, 102).
The
light that emanates from the figure
of Mary helps us also to understand
the true meaning of original sin. In
Mary, in fact, that relationship
with God that sin destroys is
totally alive and active. In her
there is no opposition between God
and her being: there is complete
communion, complete understanding.
There is a reciprocal “yes,” of God
to her and of her to God. Mary is
free from sin because she is wholly
of God, totally expropriated for
him. She is full of his grace of his
love.
In
conclusion, the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception of Mary
expresses the certainty of faith
that the promises of God are
realized: that his covenant does not
fail, but has produced a holy root,
from which sprung the Fruit that is
the most blessed of all the
universe, Jesus the Savior. Mary
Immaculate demonstrates that grace
is capable of bringing about a
response, that God’s fidelity is
capable of generating a true and
good faith.
Dear
friends, this afternoon, as is
customary, I will go to the Piazza
di Spagna, to pay homage to Mary
Immaculate. Let us follow the
example of the Mother of God so that
in us too the Lord’s grace might
find an answer in a genuine and
fruitful faith.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus the Holy Father greeted
those present in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear
brothers and sisters,
I
wish first of all to assure my
nearness to the people of the
Philippines have been struck
recently by a violent hurricane. I
pray for the victims, for their
families and for the many displaced
persons. May faith and charity be
the force to deal with this
difficult trial.
[In
English he said:]
I
greet all the English-speaking
visitors present at this Angelus
prayer. Today, with joyful hearts,
we celebrate the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Through her powerful
intercession, may the Lord grant us
the grace to reject sin and
persevere in the grace of baptism. I
wish you a happy feast day and
invoke upon you and your families
God’s abundant blessings!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
Happy
feast day to all of you. Thank you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Advent
"The Virgin Mary
Perfectly Incarnates the Spirit of
Advent"
VATICAN CITY,
DEC. 2, 2012 - Here is a translation
of the address Benedict XVI gave
Sunday before and after praying the
midday Angelus in St. Peter's
Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and
sisters!
Today the Church
begins a new liturgical year, a
journey that is subsequently
enriched by the Year of Faith, which
we observe 50 years after the
opening of the Second Vatican
Council. The first part of this
journey is Advent, constituted, in
the Roman Rite, by the 4 weeks that
precede the Christmas of the Lord,
that is, the mystery of the
Incarnation. The word “advent” means
“coming” or “presence.” In the
ancient world it indicated the visit
of the king or emperor to a
province; in the language of
Christianity it refers to the coming
of God, to his presence in the
world; a mystery that involves the
entire cosmos and all of history,
but that knows 2 culminating
moments: the first and the second
coming of Jesus Christ. The first is
precisely the Incarnation; the
second his glorious return at the
end of time. These 2 moments that
are chronologically distant – and it
is not given to us to know how
distant – touch each other in their
depths, because with his death and
resurrection Jesus has already
realized that transformation of man
and the cosmos that is the final
goal of creation. But before the
end, it is necessary that the Gospel
be preached to all nations, Jesus
says in the Gospel of St. Mark (cf.
Mark 13:10). The Lord’s coming
continues, the world must be
penetrated by his presence.
Our collaboration
is required in this permanent coming
of the Lord in the proclamation of
the Gospel; and the Church, which is
like the Bride to be, the Betrothed
of the crucified and risen Lamb of
God (cf. Apocalypse 21:9), in
communion with her Lord collaborates
in this coming of the Lord in which
his glorious return already begins.
The Word of God
reminds us of all this today,
describing the conduct that is
necessary to ready for the Lord’s
coming. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus
says to the disciples: “Do not let
your hearts be weighed by
dissipation, drunkenness and the
troubles of life ... be vigilant,
therefore, praying at all times”
(Luke 21:34, 36). So, sobriety and
prayer. And the apostle Paul also
invites us to “grow and superabound
in love” among ourselves and toward
others, to make our hearts strong
and blameless in sanctity (cf. 1
Thessalonians 3:12-13). In the midst
of the upheavals of the world, or in
the deserts of indifference and
materialism, Christians welcome the
salvation that comes from God and
bear witness to it with a different
way of living, like a city set on a
hill. “In those days,” the prophet
Jeremiah announces, “Jerusalem will
live in peace and be called ‘the
Lord our justice’” (33:16). The
community of believers is a sign of
God, of his justice, which is
already present and active in
history but is not yet fully
realized, and because of this is
always awaited, invoked, sought with
patience and courage.
The Virgin Mary
perfectly incarnates the spirit of
Advent; this spirit is one of
listening to God, of profound desire
to do his will, of joyous service to
our neighbor. Letting ourselves be
guided by her, so that the God who
comes does not find us closed and
distracted, but can, in each one of
us, extend a part of his kingdom of
love, of justice and of peace.
[Following the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted in
various languages those present in
St. Peter’s Square. In Italian he
said:]
Dear brothers and
sisters!
Today in Kottar,
India, Devasahayam Pillai, a
faithful layman, who lived in the
19th century and died a martyr, was
proclaimed blessed. Let us join in
the joy of the Church in India and
pray that this newly beatified son
of the Church sustain the faith of
the Christians of that great and
noble country. Tomorrow the
International Day of Rights of
Persons with Disabilities is
celebrated. Every person, even with
his physical and psychological
limits, also grave ones, is always
an inestimable value and is
considered as such. I encourage the
ecclesial community to be attentive
and welcoming toward these brothers
and sisters. I exhort legislators
and governments to safeguard persons
with disabilities and to promote
their full participation in the life
of society.
[In English he
said:]
I welcome all
gathered here today to pray with me.
I especially greet the people of
Kottar who celebrate today the
beatification of Devasahayam Pillai.
His witness to Christ is an example
of that attentiveness to the coming
of Christ recalled by this first
Sunday of Advent. May this holy
season help us to centre our lives
once more on Christ, our hope. God
bless all of you!
[Concluding in
Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a peaceful Sunday
and a good Advent journey. Happy
Advent, have a good Sunday,
everyone. Thank you.
--------------------------------------------------------------
On the Coming of the Son of Man
"He is the Central Event That,
in the Midst of the Troubles of the World, Remains the Firm and Stable Point"
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 18, 2012
(Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday
before and after praying the midday Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this last Sunday of the
liturgical year, Jesus’ discourse about the end times (in technical terms, his
“eschatological” discourse) is proclaimed at Mass (cf. Mark 13:24-32). This
discourse is also found, with some variations, in Matthew and Luke, and it is
probably the most difficult text in the Gospels.
This difficulty derives both
from the content and the language: Jesus speaks of a future that is beyond our
categories, and because of this Jesus uses images and words taken from the Old
Testament, but, importantly, he inserts a new center, namely, himself, the
mystery of his person and his death and resurrection. Today’s passage too opens
with some cosmic images of an apocalyptic nature: “The sun will be darkened, the
moon will no longer give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the
powers in the skies will be shaken” (Mark 13:24-25); but this element is
relativized by what follows: “Then the Son of Man will come upon the clouds in
the sky with great power and glory” (13:26). The “Son of Man” is Jesus himself,
who links the present with the future; the ancient words of the prophets have
finally found a center in the person of the Messiah of Nazareth: he is the
central event that, in the midst of the troubles of the world, remains the firm
and stable point.
Another passage from today’s
Gospel confirms. Jesus says: “The sky and the earth will pass away but my words
will not pass away” (13:31). In fact, we know that in the Bible the word of God
is at the origin of creation: all creatures, starting with the cosmic elements –
sun, moon, sky – obey God’s Word, they exist insofar as they are “called” by it.
This creative power of the divine Word (“Parola”) is concentrated in Jesus
Christ, the Word (“Verbo”) made flesh, and also passes through his human words,
which are the true “sky” that orients the thought and path of man on earth. For
this reason Jesus does not describe the end of the world and when he uses
apocalyptic images he does not conduct himself like a “visionary.” On the
contrary, he wants to take away the curiosity of his disciples in every age
about dates and predictions and wishes instead to give them a key to a deep,
essential reading, and above all to indicate the right path to take, today and
tomorrow, to enter into eternal life. Everything passes – the Lord tells us –
but God’s Word does not change, and before this Word each of us is responsible
for his conduct. It is on this basis that we will be judged.
Dear friends, even in our times
there is no lack of natural calamities, nor, unfortunately, of war and violence.
Today too we need a stable basis for our life and our hope, much more because of
the relativism in which we are immersed. May the Virgin help us to accept this
center in the Person of Christ and in his Word.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus the Holy Father greeted those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Yesterday in Pergamino,
Argentina María Crescencia Pérez of the Congregation the Figlie di Maria
Santissima dell’Orto (Daughters of Mary Most Holy of the Garden) was declared
blessed. She lived in the first half of last century and is a model of
evangelical sweetness animated by faith. Let us praise the Lord for her witness!
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors and pilgrims present for today’s Angelus. This Sunday, as the
liturgical year draws to a close, Jesus tells us that although heaven and earth
will pass away, his words will remain. Let us pledge ourselves to build our
lives more and more on the solid foundation of his holy word, the true source of
life and joy.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
Thank you. Have a good Sunday. Have a good week. Goodbye.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Trusting God
"No Act of Goodness is without
Value before God"
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 11, 2012
(Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday
before and after praying the midday Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Liturgy of the Word this
Sunday presents us the figures of 2 widows as models of faith. They are
presented in parallel: one in the first Book of Kings (17:10-16), the other in
the Gospel of Mark (12:41-44). Both of these women are desperately poor and
precisely in this situation demonstrate a great faith in God. The first appears
in the cycle of stories about the prophet Elijah. During a famine Elijah is
ordered by God to go to area near Sidon, that is, beyond Israel, into pagan
territory. There he meets the widow and asks her for water to drink and a little
bread. She tells him that she has only a bit of flour and a drop of oil, but,
because the prophet insists and promises her that, if she listens to him, she
will not lack flour and oil, she does what he asks and is recompensed. The
second widow, the one in the Gospel, is observed by Jesus in the Temple of
Jerusalem by the treasury, where the people were taking offerings. Jesus sees
this widow put 2 coins in the treasury; he then calls his disciples and explains
to them that her offering is greater than those of the rich because while they
gave from their excess, the widow gave “all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44).
From these 2 biblical episodes,
wisely approached, we can draw a precious teaching about faith. It is about the
interior attitude of those who base their lives on God, on his Word, and
completely entrust themselves to him. In antiquity widows lived in a condition
of grave need. For this reason in the Bible widows and orphans are people of
whom God takes special care: they have last their earthly support but God is
their Husband or their Father. Nevertheless, Scripture says that the objective
condition of need, in this case the fact of being a widow, is not sufficient:
God always asks for our adherence in faith, which is expressed in love of him
and neighbor. No one is ever so poor that he cannot give something. And in fact
both of our widows today demonstrate their faith through acts of charity: the
one towards the prophet and the other gives alms. In this way they attest to the
inseparability of faith and charity and love of God and love of neighbor – as
last Sunday’s Gospel reminded us. Pope St. Leo the Great, whose feast we
celebrated yesterday, says this: “On the scales of divine justice it is not the
quantity of gifts that has weight but the heart. The widow of the Gospel
deposited 2 coins in the Temple treasury and this surpassed the offerings of all
the rich. No act of goodness is without value before God, no act of mercy is
without fruit” (Sermo de jejunio dec. mens., 90, 3).
The Virgin Mary is the perfect
example of those who offer their whole self, entrusting themselves to God; with
this faith she speaks her “Here I am” to the Angel and accepts the will of God.
May Mary help each of us in this Year of Faith and strengthen confidence in God
and in his Word.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus the Holy Father greeted in various languages those present. In Italian
he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Yesterday, in Spoleto, Maria
Luisa Prosperi was proclaimed blessed. She lived in the first half of the
nineteenth century, was a nun and an abbess in the Benedictine monastery of
Trevi. Together with the whole Benedictine family and the diocesan community of
Spoleto-Norcia, we praise the Lord for this daughter of his, who desired to
associate herself with Christ’s Passion in a singular way. In Italy today we
celebrate the “Giornata del Ringraziamento” (Day of Thanksgiving). In the
context of the Year of Faith, the theme of Day “Trust in the Lord and do good
that you may dwell in the land” (Psalm 37:3) recalls the necessity of a way of
life rooted in faith for recognizing with gratitude the creative and provident
hand of God in feeding his children. I greet and offer my best wishes to all
farmers!
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors and pilgrims present at this Angelus prayer. In today’s Gospel, the
poor widow gives everything she possesses to the Temple. May her unconditional
offering inspire us to rely on God alone, while attributing to everything else
its due place and proper worth. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s
abundant blessings!
[Again in Italian he said:]
I am happy to greet the
participants in the conference on Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, which is being held
at the Gregorian University. [...] I wish everyone a good Sunday, a good week.
Thank you for your attention. Have a good Sunday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On God's Love
"Let us Love the Lord in this
way, and Our Neighbor as Ourselves"
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 4, 2012
(Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday
before and after praying the midday Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew
12:28-34) re-proposes Jesus teaching about the great commandment: the
commandment of love, which is twofold: we must love God and love our neighbor.
The saints, all of whom we celebrated a few days ago in a solemn feast, are
precisely those who, trusting in God’s grace, seek to live according to this
fundamental law.
The commandment of love can be
put fully into practice by those who live in a deep relationship with God,
precisely in the way that a child becomes capable of living through a good
relationship to his mother and father. St. Juan of Avila, who a short time ago I
proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, writes at the beginning of this “Treatise on
the Love of God”: “That which most moves our heart to love God is the profound
consideration of the love he had for us ... This, more than the benefits we
receive from him, moves the heart to love; because he who gives some good to
another gives him something that he has; but he who loves, gives himself with
everything he has, so that he has nothing else to give.” Before being a
commandment, love is a gift, a reality that God makes us know and experience in
such a way that like a seed, it can germinate within us and develop in our life.
If God’s love has sunk deep
roots in a person, he is able to love even those who do not merit this love,
just as God loves us. Fathers and mothers do not love their children only when
they merit it: they love them always, even if, of course, they make them
understand when they have made mistakes. From God we learn to will always and
only the good and never evil. We learn to look upon others not only with our own
eyes but with the gaze of God, which is the gaze of Jesus Christ. It is a look
that comes from the heart and does not stop at the surface; it goes beyond
appearances and succeeds in grasping the expectations of the other: of being
listened to, of being gratuitously attended to; in a word, of being loved. But
there is also the inverse path: opening myself to the other as he is, reaching
out to him, making myself available, I open myself also to knowing God, to
knowing that he exists and that he is good. Love of God and love of neighbor are
inseparable and reciprocally related. Jesus did not invent either of them, but
he revealed that they are, at bottom, a single commandment, and he did this not
only with words, but above all with his witness: the very Person of Jesus and
his whole mystery incarnate the unity of the love of God and neighbor, like the
2 lines of the cross, the vertical and the horizontal. In the Eucharist he
grants us a twofold love, giving us himself, so that, nourished by this Bread,
we love each other as he loved us.
Dear friends, through the
intercession of the Virgin Mary, let us pray that every Christian know how to
show his faith in the one true God with a clear witness of love of neighbor.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English
he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors, especially those from the London Oratory School, from Holy Rosary
Parish in Billingham-on-Tees, and from Saint Philip’s School, London. Jesus
teaches us that those who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and
strength are not far from the Kingdom. Let us love the Lord in this way, and our
neighbour as ourselves. May God bless all of you!
[Concluding in Italian, he
said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
Thanks for your attention. Have a good Sunday!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANGELUS
On the Conclusion of the Synod
of Bishops
"The Synod is Always a Moment of
Vibrant Ecclesial Communion"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 28, 2012
(Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday
before and after praying the midday Angelus before the end of the Mass of the
Closing of Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for the Transmission of
the Christian Faith.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The 13th Ordinary Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops was concluded with the Holy Mass celebrated in the Basilica
of St. Peter this morning. For 3 weeks we dealt with the reality of the new
evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith: the whole Church was
represented and, thus, involved in this work, with will not fail to bear its
fruits with the Lord’s grace. First of all, however, the Synod is always a
moment of vibrant ecclesial communion, and I would to thank God for this
together with all of you. He has once again made us experience the beauty of
being Church, and to be it precisely today, in this world as it is, in the midst
of this humanity with its toils and its hopes.
It was very significant that
this synodal assembly coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening of
Vatican Council II, and so with the beginning of the Year of Faith. Thinking
again of Bl. John XXIII, of the Servant of God Paul VI, of the conciliar season,
was quite helpful because it helped us to recognize that the new evangelization
is not our invention but a dynamism that developed in the Church in a special
way beginning in the 1950’s, when it appeared that even the countries with an
ancient Christian tradition had become, as is often said, “mission territory.”
Thus there emerged the need for s renewed proclamation of the Gospel in the
secularized societies, with the twofold certainty that, on the one hand, it is
only he, Jesus Christ, the one who is truly new, who answers to the expectations
of the men of every age, and, on the other hand, that his message must be
transmitted in changed social and cultural contexts.
What can we say at the end of
these days of intense work? For my part, I listened to and gathered many points
for reflection and many proposals that, with the help of the secretariat of the
Synod and my collaborators, I will try to order and elaborate so as to offer to
the whole Church an organic synthesis and coherent teaching. From this moment we
can say that there has emerged from this Synod a strengthened commitment to the
spiritual renewal of the Church herself so as to spiritually renew the
secularized world; and this renewal will come from the rediscovery of Jesus
Christ, of his truth and of his grace, of his “countenance” so human and so
divine upon which the mystery of God’s transcendence shines.
We entrust to the Virgin Mary
the fruits of the word of this synodal meeting just concluded. May she, Star of
the new evangelization, teach us an help us to bring all to Christ, with courage
and joy.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In Italian
he said:]
I begin with a request.
In recent days a devastating
hurricane, which struck Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas with particular
violence, has caused many deaths and severe damage, forcing many people to leave
their homes. I would like to assure those who have been affected by this natural
that I am near to you and that you are in my thoughts and I invite everyone to
prayer and solidarity, to alleviate the grief of the families of the victims and
to offer help to the thousands who have been injured.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors present for this Angelus prayer. In today’s Gospel, Jesus grants sight
to the blind man with the words: "Your faith has saved you". As we mark the end
of the Synod on the new evangelization, let us renew both our faith in Christ
and our commitment to the spread of his Gospel of healing and joy. God bless you
and your families!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday
and happy feast of All Saints. Have a good Sunday. Thank you!
--------------------------------------------------
On Wealth
"The Church's History is Full of
Examples of Rich People Who Used their Possessions in an Evangelical Way"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2012 (Zenit.org).-
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Wealth is the principal topic of
this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 10:17-30). Jesus teaches that it is very difficult
for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, but not impossible; in fact, God
can conquer the heart of a person who has many possessions and move him to
solidarity and sharing with the needy, with the poor, to enter into the logic of
the gift. This is how wealth presents itself in the life of Jesus Christ, who –
as the Apostle Paul writes – “rich though he was, he became poor for us so that
we might become rich though his poverty” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
As often happens in the Gospels,
everything begins from an encounter. In this case Jesus’ meeting with a man who
“had many possessions” (Mark 10:22). He was a person who from his youth had
faithfully observed the commandments of God’s Law, but he had not yet found true
happiness; this is why he asks Jesus what he must do to “inherit eternal life”
(10:17). On the one hand, like everyone else, he is after life in its fullness.
On the other hand, being used to depending on his wealth, he thinks that he
might be able to “buy” eternal life in some way, perhaps by observing some
special commandment. Jesus welcomes the profound desire that is in him and, the
evangelist notes, casts a gaze full of love upon him, God’s own gaze (cf.
10:21). But Jesus also understands what the man’s weakness is: it is precisely
his attachment to his many possessions, and this is why he invites him to give
everything to the poor, so that his treasure – and thus his heart – will no
longer be on earth but in heave, and adds: “Come! Follow me!” (10:22). That man,
instead of accepting Jesus’ invitation, goes away sad (10:23) since he is unable
to give up his wealth, which can never give him happiness and eternal life.
It is at this point that Jesus
offers his teaching to the disciples, and to us today: "How hard it is for those
who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (10:23). The disciples are
puzzled, and even more so when Jesus adds: “It is easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of
God." But seeing that the disciples are astonished he says: "For human beings it
is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God"
(10:24-27). St. Clement comments on the episode in this way: “The story teaches
the rich that they must not neglect their salvation as if they were already
condemned. They need not throw their wealth into the sea or condemn it as
insidious and hostile to life, but they must learn how to use their wealth and
obtain life” (“What rich person will be saved?” 27, 1-2). The Church’s history
is full of examples of rich people who used their possessions in an evangelical
way, achieving sanctity. We need only think of St. Francis, St. Elizabeth or St.
Charles Borromeo. May the Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom, help us to welcome Jesus’
invitation with joy so that we might enter into the fullness of life.
[After the Angelus the Holy
Father greeted those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in various languages. In
Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Yesterday in Prague Frederick
Bachstein and 13 of his confreres of the Order of Friars Minors were beatified.
They were killed in 1611 because of their faith. They are the first persons who
have been beatified in the Year of Faith, and they are martyrs: they remind us
that believing in Christ also means suffering with him and for him.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors present. During this Year of Faith may we, like the man in today’s
Gospel, have the courage to ask the Lord what more can we do, especially for the
poor, the lonely, the sick and the suffering, so as to be witnesses and heirs to
the eternal life God promises. Upon all of you, I invoke God’s abundant
blessings of peace.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
Have a good week. Thank you! Have a good Sunday everyone!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Holy Rosary
"We Let Ourselves be Guided by
Mary, the Model of Faith, in Meditating on the Mysteries of Christ"
VATICAN CITY,
OCT. 7, 2012 -
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before praying the
midday Angelus at the conclusion of the Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Square
for the proclamation of St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen as doctors
of the Church and for the opening of the 13th ordinary general assembly of the
Synod of Bishops.
* *
[In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us turn now in prayer to
Mary Most Holy, whom we venerate today as Queen of the Holy Rosary. At this time
at the shrine in Pompeii, the traditional “Supplication” is being prayed and
joined in by countless people around the world. As we too spiritually associate
ourselves with this choral invocation, I would like to propose that everyone
make a special effort to pray the Rosary during the upcoming Year of Faith. With
the Rosary, in fact, we let ourselves be guided by Mary, the model of faith, in
meditating on the mysteries of Christ, and day after day we are helped to
assimilate the Gospel so that it gives form to our whole life. Thus, following
the lead of my predecessors, especially Blessed John Paul II, who gave us the
apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” 10 years ago, I invite you to pray
the Rosary personally, in the family and in community, placing ourselves in the
school of Mary, who leads us to Christ, the living center of our faith.
[In English he said:]
I greet the English-speaking
pilgrims here today! I ask all of you to pray for the work of the Synod on the
New Evangelization, beginning today. Later this week, on the fiftieth
anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the Year of Faith
begins. May these events confirm us in the beauty and joy of our faith in Jesus
Christ which comes to us through the Church! Entrusting these intentions to our
Lady of the Rosary, I invoke upon all of you God’s abundant blessings!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Being 'in Synch' With God
"God's logic is always 'other'
with respect to ours"
VATICAN CITY,
SEPT. 24, 2012 -
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On our journey with St. Mark’s
Gospel last Sunday we entered into the second part, that is the last trip to
Jerusalem and toward the culmination of Jesus’ mission. After Peter, in the name
of the disciples, professed faith in him, recognizing him as the Messiah (cf.
Mark 8:29), Jesus began to speak openly of what would happen at the end. The
evangelist reports three successive predictions of the death and resurrection in
Chapters 8, 9 and 10: in them Jesus announces in an ever more clear manner the
destiny that awaits him and its intrinsic necessity. This Sunday’s passage
contains the second of these announcements. Jesus says: “The Son of man” – the
expression by which he designates himself – “will be handed over to men and they
will kill him; but, 3 days after his death he will rise again” (Mark 9:31). The
disciples “however, did not understand these words and were afraid to question
him” (9:32).
In fact, reading these words of
Mark’s account, it appears evident that there was a grat interior distance
between Jesus and his disciples; they were on, so to speak, two different
wavelengths, such that the Master’s discourses were not understood, or only
superficially. The Apostle Peter, immediately after having manifested his faith
in Jesus, reproaches him because Jesus predicted that he would be rejected and
killed. After the second announcement of the Passion, the disciples disputed
among themselves who was the greatest (cf. Mark 9:34); and, after the third
announcement, James and John ask to sit at his right and at his left, when he
will be in glory (cf. Mark 10:35-40). But there are various other signs of this
distance: for example, the disciples are unable to heal a boy with epilepsy,
whom Jesus then heals with the power of prayer (cf. Mark 9:14-29); or when some
children are brought to Jesus, and the disciples rebuke them, and Jesus instead,
indignant, makes them stay, and states that only those who are as they may enter
the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:13-16).
What does all of this tell us?
It reminds us that God’s logic is always “other” with respect to ours, as God
himself revealed through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: “My thoughts are not
your thoughts, / your ways are not my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). This is why following
the Lord always demands of man – of all of us – a profound conversion, a change
in our way of thinking and living, it demands that we open our hearts to listen,
to let ourselves be interiorly enlightened and transformed. A key point on which
God and man differ is pride: in God there is no pride, because he is the
complete fullness of love and is entirely disposed to love and give his life; in
us men, however, pride is deeply rooted and requires constant vigilance and
purification. We, who are little, aspire to appear big, to be the first, while
God, who is truly great, is not afraid to abase himself and become last. And the
Virgin Mary is perfectly in “synch” with God: let us invoke her with confidence
so that she might teach us how to faithfully follow Jesus on the path of love
and humility.
[Following the recitation of the
Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In Italian
he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Yesterday, in the French city of
Troyes, the priest Louis Brisson, who lived in the nineteenth century, was
beatified. He was the founder of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I join
with joy in the thanksgiving of the diocesan community of Troyes and all of the
spiritual sons and daughters of the newly beatified.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking
visitors present at today’s Angelus prayer. In the Gospel today, our Lord
reveals to his disciples that he will be delivered unto death and rise again for
our salvation. As we reflect on the call to be “last of all and servants of al,”
may Christ’s supreme act of love on Calvary always be our true measure of
greatness. God bless you and your loved ones!
[Concluding in Italian, he
said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday, a
good week. Thank you! A good Sunday to all of you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Law of God
"It leads man out of the slavery of egoism and brings him into the 'land' of
true freedom and life"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 3, 2012.- Here
is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave on Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus with those gathered at the papal summer residence.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
In the Liturgy of the Word this Sunday the
theme of God’s Law, of his commandment emerges. This is an essential element
both in the Jewish and Christian religions. In the latter the Law of God finds
its complete fulfillment in love (cf. Romans 13:10). God’s Law is his Word that
guides man on his life’s journey, it leads him out of the slavery of egoism and
brings him into the "land" of true freedom and life. For this reason in the
Bible the Law is not seen as a burden, an oppressive limitation, but as a
precious gift of the Lord, the witness of his paternal love, of his will to be
near his people, of being their ally and writing a history of love with them.
This is how the pious Israelite prays: "In your decrees is my delight, / I will
not forget your word. (...) Lead me in the way of your commandments, / because
in them is my happiness" (Psalms 119:16, 35). In the Old Testament, Moses is the
one who transmits the Law to the people in God’s name. After the long journey in
the desert, on the threshold of the Promised Land, Moses proclaimed: "Now,
Israel, listen to the laws and precepts that I shall teach you that you might
put them into practice so that you might live and enter into the possession of
the land that the Lord, God of your fathers, is going to give you" (Deuteronomy
4:1).
And here is the problem: when the people
establish themselves in the land and are the depository of the Law, they are
tempted to place their certainty and their joy in something that is no longer
the Word of the Lord: in possessions, in power, other "divinities" that are not
in fact real, that are idols. Certainly the Law of God remains, but it is no
longer the most important thing, the rule of life; it becomes rather a veneer, a
shell, while life follows others paths, other rules, interests that are often
the self-centered ones of the individual and group. And thus religion loses its
authentic meaning, which is to live a life of listening to God to do his will –
which is the truth of our being – and thus to live well, in true freedom.
Religion is reduced to practices of secondary importance that satisfy the human
need of feeling right with God. And this is a grave danger in every religion,
which Jesus encountered in his time, but which, unfortunately, is also a
phenomenon in Christianity. Thus, Jesus’ words against the scribes and Pharisees
in today’s Gospel must make us think too. Jesus made the words of the prophet
Isaiah his own: "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far
from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines that are the precepts of
men" (Mark 7:6-7; cf. Isaiah 29:13). He then concludes: "Neglecting God’s
commandment, you observe the traditions of men" (Mark 7:8).
Also in his Letter, the Apostle James warns
against the danger of false religiosity. He writes to the Christians: "Be those
who put the Word into practice and not only hearers of it, deceiving yourselves"
(James 1:22). May the Virgin Mary, to whom we now turn in prayer, help us to
listen with an open and sincere heart to the Word of God, so that it might
direct our thoughts, choices, actions every day.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus, the
Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and
visitors present for this Angelus. The Gospel of today’s liturgy spurs all of us
to a greater harmony between the faith we treasure in our hearts and our outward
behavior. By God’s grace, may we be purified inside and out, so as to live
integrally our commitment to Christ and to his message. God bless all of you!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
Have a good Sunday everyone!
-------------------------------------------------------------
On Believing in Jesus, Bread of Life
"In those words is foretold the paschal
mystery of Jesus"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 27, 2012 - Here
is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus with those gathered at the papal summer residence in
Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On recent Sundays we have meditated on the
"bread of life" sermon that Jesus gives in the synagogue at Capernaum after
having fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Today,
the Gospel presents the reaction of some of Jesus’ disciples to the sermon, a
reaction that Christ himself consciously provoked. First of all, John the
Evangelist – who was present with the other Apostles – reports that "for this
reason many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer
accompanied him" (John 6:66). Why? Because they did not believe in the words of
Jesus when he said: I am the bread that has come down from heaven, whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever (cf. John 6:51, 54). These are
words that are truly unacceptable, incomprehensible to them. This revelation
remains incomprehensible to them, as I said, because they understood it only in
a material way, while in those words is foretold the paschal mystery of Jesus in
which he would give himself up for the salvation of the world.
Seeing that many of his disciples left, Jesus
turns to the Apostles saying: "Do you also wish to go?" (John 6:67). As in other
cases, it is Peter who answers in the name of the Twelve: "Lord, to whom shall
we go?" – We too can repeat: "To whom shall we go?" – "You have the words of
eternal life and we have believed and have known that you are the Holy One of
God" (John 6:68-69). We have a beautiful commentary from Augustine on this
passage: "See how Peter, by the gift of God and the renewal of the Holy Spirit,
understood him. How else than because he believed? You have the words of eternal
life. For you have eternal life in the ministration of your body and blood. And
we have believed and have known. Not have known and believed, but believed and
known. For we believed in order to know; for if we wanted to know first, and
then to believe, we should not be able either to know or to believe. What have
we believed and known? That you are Christ, the Son of God; that is, that you
are that very eternal life, and that you give in your flesh and blood only that
which you are" (Tractates on the Gospel of John, 27, 9).
In the end, Jesus knew that even among the
Twelve there was one who did not believe: Judas. Judas too could have left like
the other disciples did; perhaps he should have left had he wanted to be honest.
Instead he stayed with Jesus. He stayed not because of faith, not because of
love, but with the secret plan to get back at the Master. Why? Because Judas
felt that Jesus had betrayed him and he decided to betray Jesus in turn. Judas
was a zealot and wanted a victorious Messiah who would lead a revolt against the
Romans. Jesus frustrated these expectations. The problem is that Judas did not
leave and his gravest fault was falsity, which is the sign of the devil. Because
of this Jesus said to the Twelve: "One among you is a devil!" (John 6:70). Let
us pray to the Virgin Mary, who helps us to believe in Jesus, as St. Peter did,
to be ever more sincere with him and with everyone.
------------------------------------------------------
On the Meaning of the Multiplication of
Loaves and Fish
"Let us allow ourselves once again to be
astonished by Christ's words"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 20, 2012 - Here
is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus with those gathered at the papal summer residence in
Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday's Gospel (cf. John 6:51-58) is the
concluding part and culmination of Jesus' discourse in the synagogue at
Capernaum, after he had the previous day fed thousands of people with only five
loaves and two fish. Jesus reveals the meaning of that miracle; namely, that the
time of the promise has been fulfilled: God the Father, who fed the Israelites
with manna in the desert, now sent him, the Son, as the true Bread of life, and
this bread is his flesh, his life, offered in sacrifice for us.
It is a matter, then, of receiving him in
faith, of not being scandalized by his humanity, and of "eating his flesh and
drinking his blood" (cf. John 6:54), in order to have the fullness of life. It
is clear that this discourse is not offered to draw approval. Jesus knows this
and he delivers it deliberately; and, in fact, it was a critical moment, a
turning point in his public mission. The people, and his own disciples, were
enthusiastic about him when he was performing miraculous signs; and even the
multiplication of the loaves and the fish was a clear revelation that he was the
Messiah, so much so that immediately afterward the crowd would have liked to
carry Jesus away in triumph and proclaim him king of Israel. But this was not
the will of Jesus, who precisely with this lengthy discourse, dampens the
enthusiasm of many and provokes much dissent.
Indeed, in explaining the image of the bread,
he states that he was sent to offer his very life, and that whoever wishes to
follow him must unite himself to him in a deep and personal way, by
participating in his sacrifice of love. For this reason, Jesus at the Last
Supper would institute the Sacrament of the Eucharist: so that his disciples
might have his charity within themselves -- this is decisive -- and as one body
with him, prolong in the world the mystery of salvation.
In listening to this discourse, the people
understood that Jesus was not a Messiah as they wanted, one who aspired to an
earthly throne. He did not look for a consensus to conquer Jerusalem: indeed, He
willed to go up to the Holy City in order to share the fate of the prophets: to
give His life for God and for the people. The loaves, broken for thousands of
people, would not result in a triumphal procession but would foreshadow the
sacrifice of the Cross, in which Jesus would become Bread, his body and blood
offered in expiation. Jesus offered the discourse in order to disillusion the
crowds and, above all, to provoke a decision in His disciples. In fact, many
among them, from that time on, no longer followed Him.
Dear friends, let us allow ourselves once
again to be astonished by Christ's words: He, the grain of wheat thrown into the
furrows of history, is the first fruits of a new humanity, freed from the
corruption of sin and death. And let us rediscover the beauty of the Sacrament
of the Eucharist, which expresses all of God's humility and holiness: He makes
himself little -- God becomes little -- a fragment of the universe, to reconcile
all things in His love. May the Virgin Mary, who gave the world the Bread of
life, teach us to always live in profound union with him.
[After the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted
the people in various languages. In English, he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and
visitors present for this Angelus. In the Gospel of today's liturgy, Jesus
presents himself as the living bread come down from heaven. May we always hunger
for the gift of his presence in the Eucharistic sacrifice, wherein Jesus gives
us his very self as food and drink to sustain us on our pilgrim journey to the
Father. God bless all of you!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pope Bendict XVIs Angelus Address on Feast
of the Assumption
"Marys Assumption Into Heaven is the Mystery
of the Passover of Christ Fully Realized in Her"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2012 - Here
is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave on Wednesday, Feast of the
Assumption of Mary, before and after praying the midday Angelus with crowds
gathered at Castel Gandolfo.
***
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the heart of the month of August the Church
in the East and the West celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Most
Holy into heaven. In the Catholic Church, the dogma of the Assumption – as we
know – was proclaimed during the Holy Year of 1950 by Venerable Pius XII. The
celebration of this mystery of Mary, however, has roots in the faith and worship
of the Church’s first centuries, in that deep devotion to the Mother of God that
progressively developed in the Christian community.
Already at the end of the fourth century and
the beginning of the fifth, we have the witness of various authors who affirm
that Mary is in God’s glory with her entire being, soul and body, but it is in
the fourth century that in Jerusalem the Feast of the Mother of God, the
Theotokos, consolidated with the Council of Ephesus in 431, was transformed into
the feast of the dormition, the passage, the transit, the assumption of Mary; it
became the celebration of the moment in which Mary left the scene of this world,
glorified in soul and body in heaven, in God.
To understand the Assumption we must look to
Easter, the great mystery of our salvation, which marks the passage of Jesus to
the glory of the Father through the passion, death, and resurrection. Mary, who
gave birth to the Son of God in the flesh, is the creature who is most deeply
inserted in this mystery, redeemed from the first moment of her life, and
associated in a special way with the passion and glory of her Son. Thus, Mary’s
Assumption into heaven is the mystery of the Passover (Pasqua) of Christ fully
realized in her. She is intimately united to her risen Son, victor over sin and
death, fully conformed to him. But the Assumption is a reality that touches us
too because it points to our destiny in a luminous way, the destiny of humanity
in history. In Mary, in fact, that reality of glory to which each of us and the
whole Church is called.
The passage of the Gospel of St. Luke that we
read in the liturgy of this solemnity shows us the journey that the Virgin of
Nazareth took to be in the glory of God. It is the account of Mary’s visit to
Elizabeth (cf. Luke 1:39-56), in which Our Lady is proclaimed blessed among all
women and blessed because she believed in the fulfillment of the words of the
Lord that were spoken to her. And in the song of the "Magnificat," which
elevates her to God in joy, the depth of her faith shines through. She places
herself among the "poor" and the "lowly," who do not trust in their own
strength, but give themselves over to God, who make room for his action, which
is capable of doing great things precisely in weakness. If the Assumption opens
us up to the bright future that awaits us, it also powerfully invites us to
entrust ourselves to God, to follow his Word, to seek and do his will every day:
this is the path that makes us "blessed" on our earthly pilgrimage and opens the
gates of heaven to us.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council states: "Mary, assumed into heaven ... by her constant
intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her
maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on
earth surrounded by dangers and worries, until they are led into the happiness
of their true home" (Lumen gentium, 62). Let us invoke the Holy Virgin, may she
be the star that guides our steps in meeting her Son on our journey to reach the
glory of heaven, the eternal joy.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus the
Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking
visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer, including the groups from Nigeria,
Ghana and Burkina Faso. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of
Our Lady. May the example and prayers of Mary, Queen of Heaven, inspire and
sustain us on our pilgrimage of faith, that we may rejoice with her in the glory
of the resurrection and the fulfillment of her Son’s promises. Upon you and your
families I invoke the Lord’s abundant blessings!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I hope that you will pass this solemn and
popular Marian feast in serenity and in faith.
---------------------------------------------------------------
On Man's Hunger for Jesus, The True Bread
From Heaven
"This bread requires the hunger of the inner
man."
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 12, 2012 - Here
is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after
praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The reading of the 6th chapter of the Gospel
of John, which accompanies us in the liturgy during these Sundays, led us last
Sunday to reflect on the multiplication of the loaves, with which the Lord
satisfied the hunger of a crowd of five thousand. And we reflected on Jesus’
invitation to all those whom he had fed, to labor for a food which endures to
eternal life.
Jesus wants to help them understand the
profound meaning of the miracle He worked: in miraculously satisfying their
physical hunger, He disposes them to receive the announcement that He is the
bread which came down from heaven (cf. John 6:41) that satisfies in a definitive
way. The Jewish people, too, during their lengthy sojourn in the desert,
experienced a bread that came down from heaven -- manna --, which kept them
alive until their arrival in the Promised Land. Now, Jesus speaks of himself as
the true bread which came down from heaven that is able to sustain life, not for
a moment or for a short while, but forever. He is the food that gives eternal
life, because He is the Only-begotten Son of God, who abides in the bosom of the
Father and has come to give man life in abundance, to introduce man into the
very life of God.
In Jewish thought, it was clear that the true
bread from heaven that nourished Israel was the Law, the word of God. The people
of Israel clearly recognized that the Torah was the fundamental and lasting gift
of Moses, and that the basic element that distinguished it from other peoples
consisted in their knowing the will of God and, therefore, the right path of
life. Now Jesus, in revealing himself as the bread of heaven, testifies that He
is God’s Word in Person, the Word incarnate, through whom man may make God’s
will his food (cf. John 4:34), which directs and sustains life.
To doubt Jesus’ divinity, then, as do the Jews
in today’s gospel passage, means placing oneself in opposition to the word of
God. Indeed, they affirm: He is the son of Joseph! We know his father and
mother! (John 6:42). They do not go beyond his earthly origins, and for this
reason they refuse to welcome Him as the Word of God made flesh. St. Augustine,
in his Tractates on the Gospel of John, comments thus: "They were far off from
that heavenly bread, and knew not how to hunger after it. They had the jaws of
their heart languid … this bread, indeed, requires hunger, the hunger of the
inner man" (26.1). And we have to ask ourselves if we really feel this hunger,
hunger for God’s Word, hunger to know the true meaning of life.
Only he who is drawn by God the Father, who
listens to Him and allows himself to be instructed by Him is able to believe in
Jesus, to encounter Him and to be nourished by Him, and thus find true life, the
path of life, justice, truth, love. St. Augustine adds: "The Lord … says that He
is the bread which came down from heaven, exhorting us to believe in Him. For,
to eat the living bread means to believe in Him. [To eat the living bread means
to believe in Him, and] he that believes, eats; he is sated invisibly, as
invisibly he is reborn [to a deeper, truer life], he is reborn from within, in
his innermost heart he becomes a new man" (ibid).
Invoking Most Holy Mary, let us ask her to
guide us to an encounter with Jesus, so that our friendship with Him may be ever
more intense; let us ask her to introduce us into the full communion of love
with her Son, the true bread which came down from heaven, so that we may be
renewed by Him in the intimate recesses of our being.
Appeal following the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
My thoughts go in this moment to the peoples
of Asia, especially to those of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of
China, who have been severely hit by violent rains, as well as to the people of
North-west Iran, who have been struck by a violent earthquake. These events have
caused numerous deaths and injuries, thousands of displaced persons and
extensive damage. I invite you to unite yourselves to my prayer for all those
who have lost their lives, and for all the people who are being tried by such
devastating calamities. May our solidarity and our support not be lacking to
these, our brothers and sisters.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Eucharist
"It Is Not the Eucharistic Food That is Changed Into
Us, But Rather We Who Are Mysteriously Transformed By It"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 30, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
This Sunday we begin the reading of chapter 6 of John’s Gospel. The chapter
opens with the episode of the multiplication of loaves, which Jesus then
comments on in the synagogue in Capernaum, indicating himself as the “bread”
that gives life. Jesus’ actions parallel those of the Last Supper: “He took the
bread and, after giving thanks, he gave them to those who were seated.” Thus it
is stated in the Gospel (John 6:11). The emphasis on the theme of “bread,” which
is then shared, and on giving thanks (6:11, in Greek – “eucharistesas”), recalls
the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the world.
The evangelist observes that the feast of Passover is near at this point (cf.
6:4). The focus turns to the cross, the gift of love, and to the Eucharist, the
perpetuation of this gift: Christ makes himself the bread of life for men. St.
Augustine comments on it in this wise: “Who, if not Christ, is the bread of
heaven? But so that men might eat the bread of angels, the Lord of the angels
became man. If he had not done this, we would not have his body; not having his
body, we would not eat the bread of the altar” (Sermon 130, 2). The Eucharist is
the permanent grand meeting of man with God, in which the Lord becomes our food,
gives himself to transform us into himself.
In the scene of the multiplication of the loaves a young boy is also depicted,
who, presented with the problem of feeding many people, puts what little he has
at the disposal of the others: 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (cf. John 6:8). The
miracle does not produce its effect out of nothing: God is able to multiply our
little gesture of love and make us participate in his gift. The crowd is struck
by the marvel: it sees in Jesus the new Moses, worthy of power, and in the new
manna, the future secured, but they stop at the material element, which they
have eaten, and the Lord, “knowing that they wanted to come to take him to make
him king, he retreated again to the mountain by himself” (John 6:15). Jesus is
not an earthly king who exercises dominion, but a king who serves, who
condescends to man to satisfy not only material hunger but above all the
profound hunger for direction, for meaning, for truth, the hunger for God.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord to make us rediscover the
importance of nourishing ourselves not only with bread, but with truth, with
love, with Christ, with the body of Christ, faithfully participating in the
Eucharist with keen understanding, to be ever more intimately united with him.
In fact, It is not the eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we
who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to
himself; he draws us into himself (Sacramentum caritatis, 70). At the same time,
we wish also to pray that no one ever lacks the bread that is necessary for a
worthy life, and inequalities be overcome, not with the weapons of violence but
with sharing and love.
We entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, while we invoke her maternal
intercession for us and our loved ones.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On Mary Magdalene
"In what consists this profound healing that God works through Jesus? It
consists in a true, complete peace"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 23, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Word of God this Sunday reproposes to us a fundamental and always
fascinating theme of the Bible: it reminds us that God is the Shepherd of
humanity. This means that God wants life for us, he wants to guide us to good
pastures, where we can be nourished and find repose; he does not want us to be
lost and die but to reach the goal of our journey, which is precisely the
fullness of life. This is what every father and mother wants for their own
children: goodness, happiness, completeness. In today’s Gospel Jesus presents
himself as the Shepherd of the lost sheep of the House of Israel. He sees the
people as a shepherd sees his sheep. For example, this Sunday’s Gospel says that
after Jesus "disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity
for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach
them many things" (Mark 6:34). Jesus incarnates God the Shepherd with his manner
of preaching and his deeds, caring for the sick and sinners, those who are
"lost" (cf. Luke 19:20), to bring them back to safety in the mercy of the
Father.
Among the lost sheep whom Jesus brought back to safety there is a woman named
Mary, who came from the town of Magdala (whence the surname Magdalene), which is
on the Sea of Galilee. Today is her liturgical memorial on the Church’s
calendar. The Evangelist Luke tells us that Jesus chased seven demons out of her
(cf. Luke 8:2), that is, he saved her from total enslavement to the evil one.
In what consists this profound healing that God works through Jesus? It consists
in a true, complete peace, the fruit of reconciliation of the person with
himself and in his relationships: with God, with other people, and with the
world. In effect, the evil one always seeks to ruin God’s work, sowing division
in the human heart between body and soul, between man and God, in interpersonal,
social and international relationships and also between man and creation. The
evil one sows war; God creates peace. Indeed, as St. Paul says, Christ "is our
peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through
his flesh" (Ephesians 2:14).
To accomplish this work of radical reconciliation Jesus, the Good Shepherd, had
to become the Lamb: "the Lamb of God ... who takes away the sins of the world"
(John 1:29). Only in this way was he able to realize the stupendous promise of
the Psalm: "Only goodness and kindness follow me / all the days of my life; /
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord / for years to come" (Psalm 22/23:6).
Dear friends, these words make our hearts vibrate, because they express our most
profound desire, they speak of that for which we are made: life, eternal life!
They are the words of those who, like Mary Magdalene, have experienced God in
their lives and know his peace. They are words that are true more than ever upon
the lips of the Virgin Mary, who already lives forever in the pastures of
heaven, where she has been led by the one who is the Lamb and the Shepherd.
Mary, Mother of Christ our peace, pray for us!
[Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present
in various languages. In Italian, he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
In a few days the 30th Olympic Games will take place. The Olympics are the
greatest sporting event in the world, in which athletes of many nations
participate and which, because of this, have great symbolic value. Thus, the
Catholic Church looks upon them with special sympathy and attention. Let us pray
that, according to God’s will, the London games be a true experience of
fraternity among the peoples of the earth.
[In English he said:]
I welcome all the English-speaking visitors present and I pray that your stay in
Rome will bring many blessings. I was deeply shocked by the senseless violence
which took place in Aurora, Denver, and saddened by the loss of life in the
recent ferry disaster near Zanzibar. I share the distress of the families and
friends of the victims and the injured, especially the children. Assuring all of
you of my closeness in prayer, I impart my blessing as a pledge of consolation
and strength in the risen Lord.
In a few days from now, the Olympic Games are due to begin in Great Britain. I
send greetings to the organizers, athletes and spectators alike, and I pray
that, in the spirit of the Olympic Truce, the good will generated by this
international sporting event may bear fruit, promoting peace and reconciliation
throughout the world. Upon all those attending the London Olympic Games, I
invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God.
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish all of you a good Sunday and a good week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On St. Bonaventure
"The work of Christ and of the Church never regresses but always progresses"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 16, 2012.- Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On the liturgical calendar, July 15 is the memorial of St. Bonaventure of
Bagnoregio, Franciscan, doctor of the Church, and successor to St. Francis of
Assisi in the leadership of the Order of Friars Minor. He wrote the first
official biography of the Little Poor Man (Poverello), and at the end of his
life he was also the bishop of this Diocese of Albano. In one of his letters
Bonaventure wrote: “I confess before God that what made me love the life of
blessed Francis the most was that it reflected the beginnings and growth of the
Church (Epistula de tribus quaestionibus, in Opere di San Bonaventura.
Introduzione generale, Roma 1990, p. 29). These words immediately send us back
to today’s Gospel, of this Sunday, that presents us with Jesus’ first sending of
the 12 Apostles on mission. “Jesus called the 12 to himself,” writes St. Mark,
“and sent them out two by two … and he instructed them to take nothing for the
journey but a staff – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were,
however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic” (Mark 6:7-9). Francis of
Assisi, after his conversion, practiced this Gospel to the letter, becoming a
most faithful witness to Jesus; and associated in a singular way with the
mystery of the cross, he was transformed into “another Jesus,” as Bonaventure,
in fact, presents him.
At the inspirational center of St. Bonaventure’s life and theology is Jesus
Christ. We find this centrality of Christ in the second reading of today’s Mass
(Ephesians 1:3-14), the celebrated hymn of St. Paul to the Ephesians, which
begins thus: “Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus, who has blessed us
with every spiritual benediction in heaven in Christ.” In four passages that
each begin with the phrase “in him,” referring to Jesus Christ, the Apostle then
shows how this plan of blessing is realized. “In him” the Father has chosen us
before the creation of the world; “in him” we have redemption through his blood;
“in him” we have become heirs, predestined to be “the praise of his glory”; “in
him” those who believe in the Gospel receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. This
hymn of St. Paul contains the vision of history that St. Bonaventure helped to
spread in the Church: all of history has Christ as its center, Christ, who also
guarantees newness and renewal in every age. In Jesus, God has said and given
everything, but since he is an inexhaustible treasure, the Holy Spirit never
ceases to reveal and actualize his mystery. Hence the work of Christ and of the
Church never regresses but always progresses.
Dear friends, let us invoke Mary Most Holy – who tomorrow we celebrate as the
Virgin of Mount Carmel – that she might help us, with St. Francis and St.
Bonaventure, to respond generously to the Lord’s call, to announce his Gospel of
salvation with words and, above all else, with our life.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present
in various languages. In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
this Angelus prayer. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives the twelve authority
to preach and cast out demons. Relying on his power alone, their efforts bear
fruit. Let us continue to strive to keep our lives rooted in Christ so that we
too may be effective instruments of the Gospel. May God bless you!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
-------------------------------------------------------
On a Prophet in His Own Land
"Christ's miracles are not exhibitions of power but signs of God's love"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 9, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
[Immediately following the Holy Father’s opening salutation, the Dresden Boys’
Choir began singing.]
We thank the children of Dresden who sang so well.
I would like briefly to reflect on the Gospel of this Sunday, a text in which we
find the celebrated dictum “Nemo propheta in patria,” that is, no prophet is
gladly accepted among his own people, who watched him grow up (cf. Mark 6:4). In
effect, after Jesus left Nazareth after about 30 years and had already for some
time been preaching and healing elsewhere, he returned to his town and began to
teach in the synagogue. His fellow townsmen “were stupefied” by his wisdom and,
knowing him as “Mary’s son,” the “carpenter” who had lived with them, instead of
welcoming him with faith they were scandalized by him (cf. Mark 6:2-3).
This is an understandable reaction since familiarity on a human level makes it
hard to go further and open up to the divine dimension. It is difficult for them
to believe that this carpenter would be the Son of God. Jesus himself brings up
the example of the prophets of Israel, who in their own country were objects of
scorn, and he identifies with them. Because of this spiritual closedness, in
Nazareth Jesus was “not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing
a few sick people by laying his hands on them (Mark 6:5). In fact, Christ’s
miracles are not exhibitions of power but signs of God’s love, which actualizes
itself where it meets man’s faith, it is a reciprocity. Origen writes: “In the
same way that some bodies are attracted to each other, as the magnet to iron …
so also faith exerts an attraction on divine power” (Commentary on Matthew’s
Gospel, 10, 19).
It seems therefore that Jesus is able to have some success in Nazareth despite
the poor reception he receives. However, at the end of the account, we find an
observation that states the contrary. The evangelist writes that Jesus “marveled
at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:6). Jesus’ surprise corresponds to the stupor of
his fellow townsmen, who are scandalized. Even Jesus is in a certain sense
scandalized! Although he knows that no prophet is gladly accepted in his
homeland, he regards the closure of his people’s hearts as strange, inscrutable:
how is it possible that they do not recognize the light of Truth? Why do they
not open themselves to the goodness of God who wanted to share our humanity? In
effect, the man Jesus of Nazareth is the transparency of God, in him God lives
fully. And while we, we too, always seek other signs, other mighty deeds, we do
not see that he is the true Lord, God made flesh, he is the greatest miracle of
the universe: all of God’s love enclosed within a human heart, in the
countenance of a man.
The Virgin Mary is she who truly understood this reality, blessed because she
believed (cf. Luke 1:45). Mary is not scandalized by her Son: her wonder over
him is full of faith, full of love and joy, in seeing him at the same time so
human and so divine. Let us therefore learn from her, our Mother in the faith,
to recognize the perfect revelation of God in the humanity of Christ.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father greeted in various
languages the pilgrims gathered at the apostolic palace at Castel Gandolfo. In
Italian he said:]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On Healing, Physical and Spiritual
'What we must ask for insistently is a more solid faith so that the Lord might
renew our life"
VATICAN CITY, JULY 2, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
On this Sunday the evangelist Mark presents us with the account of two
miraculous healings of women: the daughter of the synagogue leader and the woman
who suffered from a hemorrhage (cf. Mark 5:21-43). They are two episodes that
can be interpreted at two different levels; the purely physical level: Jesus
looks upon human suffering and heals the body; and the spiritual level: Jesus
has come to heal the human heart and to grant salvation to those who believe in
him. In the first episode, in fact, upon hearing that the little daughter of
Jarius is dead, Jesus tells the head of the synagogue: “Do not be afraid, just
have faith!” (5:36), brings him with him to the daughter and exclaims: “Little
girl, I say to you: get up!” (5:41). And she got up and began to walk. St.
Jerome comments on these words, underscoring Jesus’ salvific power: “Little
girl, stand up through me: not by your own merit but by my grace. Stand up
through me: the healing did not depend on your virtues” (Homilies on Mark, 3).
The second episode, that of the woman with the hemorrhage, again manifests how
Jesus came to liberate human beings in their totality. In fact, the miracle
takes place in two stages: first there is the physical healing but this is
closely linked to the deeper healing, that which grants God’s grace to those who
welcome him in faith. Jesus says to the woman: “Daughter, your faith has saved
you. Go in peace and be healed of the evil that afflicts you!” (Mark 5:34).
These two stories of healing are an invitation for us to overcome the purely
horizontal and materialistic vision of life. We rightly ask God for so many
healings from our problems, from concrete necessities. But what we must ask for
insistently is a more solid faith so that the Lord might renew our life, and a
firm trust in his love, in his providence that does not abandon us.
Jesus, who is attentive to human suffering, turns our thoughts also to all those
who help the sick to carry their cross, especially doctors, health care workers
and those who oversee religious assistance in places of care. They are
“resources of love,” who bring serenity and hope to the suffering. In the
encyclical “Deus caritas est” I observed that, in this precious service, first
of all there must be professional competence – it is a first fundamental
necessity – but is not enough by itself. In fact, we are dealing with human
beings here, who need humanity and the attentive heart. “Consequently, in
addition to their necessary professional training, these charity workers need a
‘formation of the heart’: they need to be led to that encounter with God in
Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to the other” (n. 31).
Let us ask the Virgin Mary to accompany us on our journey of faith and our
commitment of concrete love, especially those who are in need, as we invoke her
maternal intercession for our brothers who live with bodily and spiritual
suffering.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those gathered
in St. Peter’s Square in various languages. In English he said:]
I welcome the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer. In
today’s Gospel, Jesus restores life to a little girl in response to the
faith-filled prayer of her father. In this miracle may we see an invitation to
grow in our own faith, to trust in the Lord’s promise of abundant life, and to
pray for all those in need of his healing touch. Upon you and your families I
invoke God’s blessings of wisdom, joy and peace!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a peaceful month of July and a good vacation
to all. Have a good vacation and a good Sunday!
--------------------------------------------
On the Birth of St. John the Baptist
"Let us heed his voice today, and make room for the Lord in our hearts"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 25, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, June 24, we celebrate the solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist.
Apart from the Virgin Mary, the Baptist is the only saint whose birth is
celebrated by the liturgy and it does so because this birth is closely connected
with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. From his mother’s womb,
in fact, John is the precursor of Jesus: his miraculous conception, which is
announced to Mary by the angel as sign that “nothing is impossible with God”
(Luke 1:37), occurred six months before the great miracle that gives us
salvation, the union of God with man by the work of the Holy Spirit.
The four Gospels give great prominence to the figure of John the Baptist, who,
as the prophet who concludes the Old Testament and inaugurates the New one,
points to Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One of the Lord. In effect, it will
be the same Jesus to speak of John in these terms: “He is the one of whom it is
written: Behold, I send my messenger before you, before you to prepare the way.
In truth I say to you: among the men born of women there is none greater than
John the Baptist; but the smallest in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”
(Matthew 11:10-11).
John’s father, Zachariah – the husband of Elizabeth, Mary’s relative – was a
priest of the Old Testament worship. He did not immediately believe in the
announcement of a paternity that, by now, he could not hope for, and so remained
mute until the day of the child’s circumcision. He and his wife gave the child
the name indicated by God, John, which means “the Lord makes grace.” Animated by
the Holy Spirit, Zachariah spoke thus of his son’s mission: “And you, child,
will be called the prophet of the Most High before you will go before the Lord
and prepare his way, to give his people the knowledge of salvation in the
remission of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77). All this was manifested 30 years later,
when John began baptizing in the Jordan River, calling the people to prepare
themselves, with this gesture of penance, for the imminent coming of the
Messiah, whom God had revealed to him during his sojourn in the desert of Judea.
This was why he was called the “Baptist,” that is, the “Baptizer” (cf. Matthew
3:1-6).
When one day, Jesus came from Nazareth to be baptized himself, John refused at
first but then agreed and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus and heard the
voice of the heavenly Father that proclaimed him his Son (cf. Matthew 3:13-17).
But the Baptist’s mission was not yet complete: shortly afterward, he was also
asked to precede Jesus in violent death: John was decapitated in King Herod’s
prison, and in this way bore full witness to the Lamb of God, whom he was the
first to recognize and publicly point to.
Dear friends, the Virgin Mary helped her elderly relative Elizabeth to bring her
pregnancy with John to term. May she help all to follow Jesus, the Christ, the
Son of God, whom the Baptist announced with great prophetic humility and ardor.
[After reciting the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in St. Peter’s
Square in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today in Italy is the Pope’s Charity Day. I thank all of the parish communities,
families and individual faithful for their constant and generous support, which
helps many of our brothers in difficulty. In this regard, I remind you that the
day after tomorrow, if it please God, I will make a brief visit to the areas
struck by the recent earthquake in northern Italy. I wish it to be a sign of the
solidarity of the whole Church [with them] and so I invite everyone to accompany
me with prayer.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for today’s
Angelus. This Sunday, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, the great
saint who prepared the way for our Lord. John was a voice, crying in the
wilderness, calling God’s people to repentance. Let us heed his voice today, and
make room for the Lord in our hearts. May God bless all of you.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good feast day, a good Sunday, a good week. Thank you!
----------------------------------------------------
On the Lord's Kingdom
"Our diminutive power ... if it is joined to God's, fears no obstacle, because
the Lord's victory is certain"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 18, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today’s liturgy proposes two brief parables of Jesus: that of the seed that
grows by itself and that of the mustard seed (cf. Mark 4:26-34). Through images
taken from the agricultural world, the Lord presents the mystery of the Word and
Kingdom of God, and he indicates the reasons for our hope and our commitment.
In the first parable the attention is on the dynamism of planting seeds: the
seed that is put in the ground germinates and grows by itself while the farmer
sleeps and while he is awake. The man sows the seeds in the hope that his work
will not be without fruit. The farmer’s trust in the power of the seed and in
the goodness of the soil is what sustains him in his daily toils. This parable
recalls the mystery of creation and of the redemption, of God’s fecund work in
history. He is the Lord of the Kingdom, man is his humble collaborator, who
contemplates and rejoices God’s creative action and awaits its fruits with
patience. The final harvest turns our mind to God’s conclusive intervention at
the end of time, when he will fully realize his Kingdom. The present time is the
time of planting, and the growth of the seed is assured by the Lord. Every
Christian, then, knows well that he must do all that he can but that the final
result depends on God: this knowledge sustains him in daily toil, especially in
difficult situations. On this matter St. Ignatius writes: “Act as if everything
depended on you, knowing that in reality everything depends on God” (cf. Pedro
de Ribadeneira, “Vita di S. Ignazio di Loyola,” Milano 1998).
The second parable also uses the image of planting. Here, however, it is a
specific seed, the mustard seed, considered to be the smallest of all seeds.
Although it is so mall, it is full of life; as it breaks open a sprout emerges
that is able to break through the soil, enter into the light of the sun and grow
into “the largest of all the plants in the garden” (cf. Mark 4:32): the weakness
and the power of the seed, its destruction is its power. This is how the Kingdom
of God is: a reality that is small on a human scale, made up of those who are
poor in their hearts, those who do not rely on their own strength, but that of
the love of God; it is made up of those who are not important in the world’s
eyes. But it is precisely through such as these that Christ’s power shows forth
and transforms what is apparently insignificant.
The image of the seed is especially dear to Jesus, because it expresses the
mystery of the Kingdom of God well. In today’s two parables the seeds represent
a “growth” and a “contrast”: the growth occurs through a dynamism in the seed
itself and the contrast is between the littleness of the seed and the greatness
of what it produces. The message is clear: the Kingdom of God, even if it
demands our cooperation, is first of all a gift of the Lord, grace that precedes
man and his works. Our diminutive power, apparently impotent in the face of the
world’s problems, if it is joined to God’s, fears no obstacle, because the
Lord’s victory is certain. It is the miracle of God’s love that makes every good
seed cast upon the soil germinate and grow. And the experience of this love
makes us optimists, despite the difficulties, the suffering and evil that we
meet. The seed sprouts and grows, because it makes the love of God grow. May the
Virgin Mary, who welcomed the seed of the divine Word as “good soil,” strengthen
this faith and this hope in us.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present
in St. Peter’s Square in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Wednesday, June 20, is the United Nations World Refugee Day. Its purpose is to
draw the international community’s attention to the situations of so many
persons, especially families, who are forced to flee their homelands because of
armed conflicts and grave forms of violence. I assure my prayers and the
solicitude of the Holy See for these brothers and sisters who are so afflicted
while I desire that their rights always be respected and that they can reunite
soon with their loved ones.
Today in Ireland is the last day of the International Eucharistic Congress,
which, over the course of the past week, made Dublin into the city of the
Eucharist, where many persons were recollected in prayer in the presence of
Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus wished to remain with us in the
mystery of the Eucharist to bring us into communion with him and among
ourselves. Let us entrust to Mary Most Holy the fruits of these days of
reflection and prayer.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s
Angelus. In today’s Gospel, the Lord teaches us that God’s kingdom is like a
tiny mustard seed which becomes the largest of shrubs. Let us fervently pray
that God may take our weak but sincere desires and transform them into great
works of love for him and our neighbor. Upon each of you and your loved ones, I
invoke God’s abundant blessings.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday. A good Sunday, a good week to everyone.
------------------------------------------------------------------
On Corpus Christi
"No one knew more and better than Mary how to contemplate Jesus with the eyes of
faith"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 11, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, in Italy and in many other countries, Corpus Domini is celebrated, that
is, the solemn feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord, the Eucharist. It is an
ever living tradition on this day to hold solemn processions with the Most Holy
Sacrament along streets and in the piazzas. In Rome this procession already took
place at the diocesan level on Thursday, the exact date of this celebration,
which every year renews in Christians the joy and gratitude for the eucharistic
presence of Jesus in our midst.
The feast of Corpus Domini is a great act of public worship of the Eucharist,
the Sacrament in which the Lord remains present even outside the time of the
liturgy, to be with us always as the hours and days pass by. Already St. Justin,
who has left us one of the most ancient testimonies to the eucharistic liturgy,
states that after the distribution of communion to those present, the
consecrated bread was brought by the deacons to those who were absent (cf.
Apologia, 1, 65). Thus the most sacred place in churches is the place where the
Eucharist is reserved. I cannot in this regard not think without emotion of the
numerous churches that have been gravely damaged by the recent earthquake in
Emilia Romagna and of the fact that the eucharistic Body of Christ too, in the
tabernacle, has remained under the rubble. I pray for the communities with
affection who must gather with their priests for Holy Mass outdoors or in tents;
I thank them for their witness and for what they are doing for all those
affected by the disaster. It is a situation that once again brings to the fore
the importance of being united in the Lord’s name and the power that comes from
the eucharistic Bread, which is also called the “bread of pilgrims.” The
capacity to share life and goods, to bear each others’ burdens, to be hospitable
and welcoming are also born and renewed from the sharing of this Bread.
The solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord also reproposes the value of
eucharistic adoration to us. The Servant of God Paul VI observed that the
Catholic Church professes the worship of the Eucharist “not only during the Mass
but also outside of it by taking the greatest possible care of consecrated
Hosts, by exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and by
carrying them about in processions to the joy of great numbers of the people” (Mysterium
Fidei, 56). The prayer of adoration can be accomplished both personally, pausing
before the tabernacle in recollection, and communally, with Psalms and songs
too, but always privileging the silence in which we listen interiorly to the
Lord who is living and present in the Sacrament. The Virgin Mary is also the
teacher of this prayer, because no one knew more and better than her how to
contemplate Jesus with the eyes of faith and welcome the intimate resonances of
his human and divine presence in the heart. By her intercession may an authentic
and deep faith in the eucharistic Mystery spread and grow in every ecclesial
community.
[After praying the Angelus the Holy Father spoke to those present in St. Peter’s
Square in various languages.]
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present for this Angelus prayer.
Today’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ celebrates the Lord’s saving
presence in the Most Holy Eucharist. At the Last Supper, on the night before his
death on the Cross, Jesus instituted the Eucharist as the sacrament of the new
and eternal covenant between God and man. May this sacrifice of forgiveness and
reconciliation strengthen the Church in faith, unity and holiness. Upon all of
you I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
---------------------------------------------------------------
On the Feast of Pentecost
"The Spirit of the risen Lord continues to make his voice heard"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave on Pentecost Sunday before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli with
those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, which concludes the Easter
Season, 50 days after the Sunday of the Resurrection. By this solemnity we are
reminded and we relive the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and
the other disciples, gathered together in prayer with the Virgin Mary in the
cenacle (cf. Acts 2:1-11). Jesus, risen and ascended into heaven, sends his
Spirit to the Church, that every Christian might participate in his own divine
life and become his true witnesses in the world. The Holy Spirit, breaking into
history, overcomes its dryness, opens up hearts to hope, stimulates and fosters
in us interior growth in our relationship with God and neighbor.
The Spirit, who “spoke through the prophets,” with the gifts of wisdom and
knowledge, continues to inspire women and men who commit themselves to the
pursuit of truth, proposing original paths to known and understand the mystery
of God, man and the world. In this context I am happy to announce that on
October 7, at the beginning of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, I
will proclaim St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen doctors of the
universal Church. These 2 great witnesses of the faith lived in very different
historical periods and cultural environments. Hildegard was a Benedictine nun in
the heart of the German Middle Ages, an authentic teacher of theology and a
profound student of the natural sciences and music. John, a diocesan priest
during the years of the Spanish Renaissance, participated in the travail of the
cultural and religious renewal of the Church and of the social order at the dawn
of modernity. But the holiness of their lives and the profundity of their
doctrine makes them perennial relevant: the grace of the Holy Spirit, in fact,
cast them into that experience of the penetrating understanding of divine
revelation and intelligent dialogue with the world that constitute the permanent
horizon of the life and action of the Church. Above all in the light of the
project of a new evangelization, to which the just-mentioned Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops will be dedicated, and on the eve of the Year of Faith, these 2
figures of saints and doctors appear to have a relevant importance and
actuality. Even in our days, through their teaching, the Spirit of the risen
Lord continues to make his voice heard and to illumine the path that leads to
that Truth that alone can set us free and give complete meaning to our life.
Praying now together the Regina Caeli, we invoke the intercession of the Virgin
Mary, that she obtain for the Church to be powerfully animated by the Holy
Spirit, to bear witness to Christ with evangelical boldness and to open herself
more and more to the fullness of the truth.
[Following the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father addressed those present in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
This morning in Vannes, France, Mère Saint-Louise, who was born Élisabeth Molé,
was beatified. She was the foundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis and
lived between the 18th and 19th centuries. We thank God for this exemplary
witness to love for God and neighbor.
I also note that next Friday, June 1, I will travel to Milan, where the 7th
World Meeting of Families will take place. I invite everyone to follow this
event and to pray for its success.
[In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
this Regina Caeli on the Solemnity of Pentecost. Next Friday, I will go to Milan
to be with families from all over the world celebrating the 7th World Meeting of
Families. I ask you to join me in praying for the success of this important
event, and that families may be filled with the Holy Spirit, rediscover the joy
of their vocation in the Church and the world, and bear loving witness to the
faith. Upon all of you, I invoke God’s abundant blessings!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a happy feast day and a good Sunday. Happy feast day!
-----------------------------------------------------------
On the Ascension
"In his humanity, he brought humanity with him into the depths of the Father"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered
in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
According to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, 40 days after the
Resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven, that is, he returned to the Father, by
whom he had been sent into the world. In many countries this mystery is not
celebrated on Thursday but today, the Sunday that follows. The Ascension of the
Lord marks the completion of the salvation that began with the Incarnation.
After having instructed his disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven (cf. Mark
16:19). However, he “did not separate himself from our condition” (cf. Preface);
in fact, in his humanity, he brought humanity with him into the depths of the
Father and thus revealed the final destination of our earthly pilgrimage. Just
as he descended from heaven for us, and suffered and died for us on the cross,
so too he rose from the dead and ascended to God for us. And so God is no longer
distant but is “our God,” “our Father,” (cf. John 20:17).
The ascension is the last act of our liberation from sin; as St. Paul writes:
“he ascended on high and took prisoners captive” (Ephesians 4:8). St. Leo the
Great Explains that with this mystery “not only is there proclaimed the
immortality of the soul, but also that of the flesh. Today, in fact, we are not
only confirmed as possessors of paradise, but we have with Christ penetrated the
heights of heaven” (De Ascensione Domini, Tractatus 73, 2.4: CCL 138 A,
451.453). This is why, when the disciples saw the Master lifted up from the
earth and carried on high, they were not seized by discouragement, indeed, they
experienced a great joy and felt driven to proclaim Christ’s victory over death
(cf. Mark 16:20). And the risen Lord worked with them, distributing to each a
particular charism, so that the whole Christian community might reflect the
harmonious richness of the heavens. St. Paul continues: “he gave gifts to men
... he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others
as pastors and teachers ... for building up the body of Christ .... to the
extent of the full stature of Christ” (Ephesians 4:8, 11-13).
Dear friends, the Ascension tells us that in Christ our humanity is raised to
the heights of God; thus every time we pray, earth joins heaven. And like the
smoke of burning incense lifts high its sweet odor, when we then raise up to the
Lord our fervent and confident prayer in Christ, it passes through the heavens
and reaches the Throne of God it is heard and answered by God. In the celebrated
work by St. John of the Cross, “The Ascent of Mount Carmel,” we read that “to
see the desires of our heart realized, there is no better way than to direct the
energy of our prayer to the thing that most pleases God. For then not only will
he give that which we ask of Him, which is salvation, but also that which he
sees to be fitting and good for us, although we pray not for it” (Book III, ch.
4, 2).
We supplicate the Virgin Mary, that she help us to contemplate the heavenly
goods that the Lord has promised us and to become ever more credible witnesses
of the divine life.
[Following the Regina Caeli the Holy Father addressed those present in St.
Peter’s Square in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we observe the World Day of Social Communications, whose theme this year
is “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.” I invite all to pray that
communication, in all of its forms, always serve to establish authentic dialogue
with our neighbor based on mutual respect, listening and sharing. Silence is an
integral part of communication, it is a privileged place for the encounter with
the Word of God and our brothers and sisters.
Thursday, May 24 is a day dedicated to the liturgical memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary Help of Christians, venerated with great devotion at the shrine of
Sheshan in Shanghai. Let us join in prayer with all of the Catholics of China
that they might proclaim Christ dead and risen with humility and joy, that they
be faithful to his Church and to the Successor of Peter and live their everyday
lives in a way that is consistent with the faith that they profess. May Mary,
faithful Virgin, sustain Chinese Catholics on their journey, make their prayer
ever more intense and precious in the eyes of the Lord, and make the universal
Church’s affection for the Church in China grow along with her participation in
her path.
I address a cordial greeting to the thousands of members of the Italian Movement
for Life, who are gathered in Paul VI Hall. Dear friends, your movement has
always been engaged in defending human life in accordance with the teachings of
the Church. Along these lines you have announced a new initiative called “One of
Us,” to support the dignity and rights of every human being from the moment of
conception. I encourage and exhort you always to be witnesses and builders of
the culture of life.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors here today. Jesus tells
us in the Gospel that he has come so that his joy may be fulfilled in us. Let us
ask the Virgin Mary to obtain for us a deeper faith in her Son, so that we may
live to the full the spiritual joy which he wills for us. Upon all of you I
invoke God’s abundant blessings.
[In Italian he said:]
I greet the various school groups, and unfortunately today I must recall the
young people of the school in Brindisi who were affected by yesterday’s vile
attack. Let us pray together for those who were injured, some gravely, and
especially for the young woman Melissa, the innocent victim of a brutal act of
violence, and for her family, who are grieving. My affectionate thoughts also go
out to the dear people of Emilia Romagna who were struck a few hours ago by an
earthquake. I am spiritually near to the persons who have been tried in these
calamities: let us implore God for mercy on those who have died and relief from
suffering from those who were injured.
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
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On the Vine and the Branches
"Remaining always united to Jesus, relying on him, is indispensable"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered
in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today’s Gospel, for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, begins with the image of the
vine. “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I am the true vine and my Father is the
vinedresser’” (John 15:1). Often in the Bible, Israel is compared to the
fruitful vine when it is faithful to Israel; but if it turns away from God, it
becomes sterile, incapable of producing “that wine that gladdens the heart of
man,” as Psalm 104 (15) sings. The true vineyard of God, the true vine, is
Jesus, who with his sacrifice of love grants us salvation, opens to us the path
to becoming part of this vineyard. And as Jesus remains in the love of God the
Father, the disciples too, wisely pruned by the word of the Master (cf. John
15:2-4), if they remain profoundly united to him, become fruitful branches that
produce an abundant harvest. St. Francis de Sales writes: “The branch united and
joined to the trunk bears fruit not by its own virtue, but by virtue of the
trunk: now, by charity we have been united to the Redeemer, as members to the
head; this is why ... good works, taking their worth from him, merit eternal
life” (“Treatise on Divine Love,” XI, 6).
On the day of our baptism the Church grafts us like branches onto the Paschal
Mystery of Jesus; we are grafted onto his very Person. From this root we receive
the precious lifeblood to participate in divine life. As disciples, we too, with
the help of the Pastors of the Church, grow in the Lord’s vineyard, joined
together by his love. “If the fruit we are to bear is love, its prerequisite is
this ‘remaining,’ which is profoundly connected with the kind of faith that
holds on to the Lord and does not let go” (“Jesus of Nazareth,” 262, San
Francisco, 2008). Remaining always united to Jesus, relying on him, is
indispensable, because without him we can do nothing (cf. 15:5). In a letter
written to John the Prophet, a monk who lived in Gaza wilderness in the fifth
century, a Christian asks this question: How can man’s freedom and the
impossibility of doing anything without God go together? And John answers: If
man inclines his heart toward the good and asks God for help, he receives the
necessary help to do that which he does. Thus, man’s freedom and God’s power
proceed together. This is possible because goodness comes from the Lord, but it
is accomplished by his faithful (cf. Ep. 763, SC 468, Paris 2002, 206). The true
“remaining” in Christ guarantees the effectiveness of prayer, as the Cistercian
Blessed Guerric d’Igny says: “O Lord Jesus ... without you we can do nothing.
You in fact are the true gardener, creator, cultivator and protector of your
garden, which you sow with your word, water with your spirit, make grow with
your power” (Sermo ad excitandam devotionem in psalmodia, SC 202, 1973, 522).
Dear friends, each of us is as a branch that lives only if it is made to grow in
its union with the Lord every day by prayer, by participation in the Sacraments,
by charity. He who loves Jesus, the true vine, produces fruits of faith for an
abundant spiritual harvest. Let us supplicate the Mother of God that we might
remain firmly grafted onto Jesus and each of our actions have in him its sole
beginning and completion.
[After the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted those present in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
I would like first of all to recall that in less than a month the seventh
International Meeting of Families will take place in Milan. I thank the
Ambrosian diocese and the other Lombard dioceses who are working together for
this ecclesial event promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Family, presided
over by Cardinal Ennio Antonelli. I will also have the joy to participate, if it
pleases God, and so for this I travel to Milan June 1-3.
[In English he said:]
I extend warm greetings to the English-speaking visitors present for today’s
Regina Caeli, and especially to the large group of pilgrims from Indonesia. In
today’s Gospel Jesus speaks of himself as the true vine and he calls us to be
fruit-bearing branches. I pray that God’s children all over the world will grow
in unity and love, sustained and nourished by the divine life that he has
planted deep within us. May God bless all of you!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good month of May, in the spiritual company
of Our Lady. Thank you! Have a good Sunday. I wish you all a good week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Vocations
"The Lord always calls but often we do not hear him"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 30, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli on Sunday
with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
A short while ago there concluded in St. Peter’s Basilica the Eucharistic
celebration in which I ordained nine new priests for the Diocese of Rome. Let us
thank God for this gift, a sign of his faithful and provident love for the
Church! Let us spiritually gather around these new priests and pray that they
fully welcome the Sacrament that has conformed them to Jesus Christ Priest and
Shepherd. And let us pray that all young people be attentive to God’s voice that
speaks interiorly to them in their heart and calls them to detach themselves
from all things to serve him.
Today’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations is dedicated to this purpose. In fact,
the Lord always calls but often we do not hear him. We are distracted by many
things, by other more superficial voices; and then we fear hearing the Lord’s
voice, because we think that it could take away our freedom. In reality, each of
us is the fruit of love: certainly the love of our parents, but, more
profoundly, the love of God. The Bible says: if even your mother does not want
you, I want you, for I know you and love you (cf. 49:15). In the moment that I
realize this, my life changes: it becomes a response to this love, greater than
any other, and thus is my freedom fully realized.
The young men that I consecrated priests today are not different from other
young men, but have been deeply touched by the beauty of God’s love, and have
not been able to do less than answer with their whole lives. How did they
encounter God’s love? They met it in Jesus Christ: in his Gospel, in the
Eucharist and in the community of the Church. In the Church we discover that the
life of each man is a story of love. Sacred Scripture shows us this clearly and
the witness of the saints confirms it. St. Augustine’s expression, which in the
“Confessions” he addresses to God, is exemplary: “Late have I loved you, O
beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I
was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. You were within me, and I
without… You were with me, and I was not with you… You called me, and your cry
broke through my deafness” (X, 27.38).
Dear friends, let us pray for the Church, for every local community, that it may
be like a watered garden in which all the seeds of vocation that God has
abundantly sowed may germinate and grow. Let us pray that everywhere this garden
may be cultivated, in the joy of everyone hearing himself called, in the variety
of gifts; in particular that families be the first place in which God’s love
“breathes,” that they be given interior strength even in the midst of the
difficulties and trials of life. Those who experience God’s love in the family
receive a priceless gift, which bears fruit in its time. May the Blessed Virgin
Mary – model of free receptivity and obedience to the divine call, Mother of
every vocation in the Church – obtain all of this for us.
[Following the Regina Caeli the Holy Father greeted those present in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
I address a special greeting to the pilgrims gathered at St. Paul Outside the
Walls, where Giuseppe Toniolo was beatified this morning. He lived between the
19th and 20th centuries, was a husband and father of seven children, a
university professor and educator of young people, economist and sociologist,
passionate servant of the communion of the Church. He realized the teachings of
the encyclical “Rerum Novarum” of Pope Leo XIII; he promoted Catholic Action,
the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the Social Weeks of Italian Catholics
and an institute of international law for peace. His message is one of great
relevance, especially at this time: Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo indicated the way
of the primacy of the human person and of solidarity. He wrote: “Beyond the same
legitimate goods and interests of individual nations and states, there is an
indissoluble element that leads all into unity, that is, the duty of human
solidarity.”
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On Recognizing the Risen Jesus
"The Lord assures us of his real presence among us through the Word and the
Eucharist"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2012 .- Here is a translation of the address Benedict
XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli with those
gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, the third Sunday of Easter, we meet in Luke’s Gospel the risen Jesus, who
appears in the midst of the disciples (cf. Luke 24:36), who, incredulous and
afraid, think they see a ghost (cf. Luke 24:37). "Our Lord is changed. He no
longer lives as before. His existence ... is incomprehensible. And yet he is
bodily, he does not leave behind ... the whole life that he has lived, the
destiny that he has faced, his passion and his death. Everything is real.
Although he has changed, he is still a tangible reality" ("Il Signore:
Meditazioni sulla persona e vita di N.S. Gesù Cristo,” Milano: 1949, 433).
Because the resurrection does not eliminate the signs of the crucifixion Jesus
shows the Apostles his hands and feet. And to convince them, he asks for
something to eat. So, the disciples “offered him a piece of roasted fish; he
took it and ate it in their presence (Luke 24:42-43). St. Gregory the Great
comments that “the fish roasted over the fire signifies nothing other than the
passion of Jesus, the mediator between God and men. He, in fact, deigned to hide
himself in the waters of the human race, he allowed himself to be ensnared by
our death and was, so to speak, placed on the fire by the pains he endured in
the time of his passion” (Hom. in Evang. XXIV, 5: CCL141, Turnhout 1999, 201).
Thanks to these very real signs, the disciples overcame their initial doubt and
opened themselves to the gift of faith; this faith permitted them to understand
the things written about the Christ “in the law of Moses, in the Prophets and in
the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
We read, in fact, that Jesus “open their mind to understand the Scriptures and
said to them: ‘Thus it is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead
on the third day, and in his name conversion and forgiveness of sins will be
preached to all peoples…you are witnesses of this” (Luke 24:45-48). The Lord
assures us of his real presence among us through the Word and the Eucharist. As
the disciples of Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread (cf. Luke
24:35), we too encounter the Lord in the eucharistic celebration. St. Thomas
Aquinas explains in this regard that “it is necessary to recognize according to
the Catholic faith, that the whole Christ is present in this Sacrament… because
the divinity has never left the body that he has assumed” (S.Th. III, q. 76, a.
1).
Dear friends, it is usually during Eastertide that the Church administers First
Communion to children. Therefore, I exhort the parish priests, parents and
catechists to prepare well for this feast of faith, with great fervor but also
with sobriety. “This day remains rightly impressed on the memory as the first
moment in which… the importance of the first encounter with Jesus is perceived”
(Sacramentum caritatis, 19). May the Mother of God help us to listen attentively
to the Word of the Lord and to worthily participate at the Table of the
Eucharistic Sacrifice, to become witnesses of the new humanity.
[Following the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted those present in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am happy to say that yesterday in Mexico María Inés Teresa of the Most Holy
Sacrament, the foundress of the Congregation of Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of
the Most Holy Sacrament, was proclaimed blessed. We thank God for this exemplary
sister of the land of Mexico, which I had the joy to visit not long ago and that
I carry always in my heart.
Today in Italy we celebrate the special day of the Università Cattolica del
Sacro Cuore (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart), which this year has the
theme: “The Country’s Future is the Heart of Young People.” It is important that
young people are formed in values and not only in scientific and technical
knowledge. It was for this reason that Father Gemelli founded the Catholic
University, which I hope will always be in step with the times but every
faithful to its origins.
[In English he said:]
I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present for
this Easter prayer to Our Lady. In today’s Gospel, the risen Lord opens the
minds of the disciples to the meaning of his suffering and death, and sends them
out to preach repentance. With courage and joy, may we too be authentic
witnesses to Christ. God bless all of you!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good week. Thank you.
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REGINA CAELI
On Encountering the Risen Christ
"Let us welcome the gift of peace that the risen Jesus offers us"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 16, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered
in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Every year, celebrating Easter, we relive the experience of Jesus’ first
disciples, the experience of the encounter with the risen Christ: John’s Gospel
says that they saw him appear in their midst, in the cenacle, the evening of the
day itself of the resurrection, “the first of the week,” and then “eight days
later” (cf. John 20:19, 26). That day, eventually called “the Lord’s Day,” is
the day of the assembly, of the Christian community that reunites for its proper
worship, to wit, the Eucharist, the new worship that was distinct from Jewish
Sabbath worship from the very beginning. In fact, the celebration of the Lord’s
Day is powerful proof of Christ’s resurrection, because only an extraordinary
and shocking event could have induced the first Christians to found a form of
worship that was different from the Jewish Sabbath.
Then as now, Christian worship is not merely a commemoration of past events, nor
a special mystical interior experience, but it is essentially an encounter with
the risen Lord, who lives in God, beyond space and time, and who nevertheless
makes himself truly present in the midst of the community, speaks to us in
sacred Scriptures and breaks the Bread of eternal life for us. Through these
signs we live what the disciples experienced, that is, the fact of seeing Christ
and at the same time of not recognizing him; of touching his body, a true body,
free of every earthly bond.
What the Gospel says is important, namely, that Jesus, in the two appearances to
the apostles gathered in the cenacle, repeatedly says “Peace be with you!” (John
20:19; 21:26). The traditional greeting of “Shalom,” “peace,” becomes something
new here: it becomes that gift of peace that only Jesus can give, because it is
the fruit of his radical victory over evil. The “peace” that Jesus offers to his
disciples is the fruit of the love of God that led him to die on the cross, to
shed all of his blood, as the meek and humble Lamb, “full of grace and truth”
(John 1:14). This is why Blessed John Paul II wanted to call the Sunday after
Easter Divine Mercy Sunday, with a definite picture: the pierced side of Christ
from which blood and water flow according to the Apostle John’s eyewitness
testimony (cf. John 19:34-37). But Jesus has now risen and from him as living
there flow the Easter Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist: those who draw
near to him with faith receive the gift of eternal life.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us welcome the gift of peace that the risen Jesus
offers us, let us allow our heart to be filled with his mercy! In this way, with
the power of the Holy Spirit, who raised Christ from the dead, we too can bring
these Easter gifts to others. May Mary Most Holy, Mother of Mercy, obtain this
for us.
[Following the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father addressed those
present in St. Peter’s Square in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
I would like to greet the pilgrims who participated in the Holy Mass presided
over by the Cardinal Vicar Agostino Vallini in the church of Santo Spirito in
Sassia – welcome! This church is the privileged place of the worship of Divine
Mercy, where St. Faustina Kowalska and Blessed John Paul II are venerated in a
special way. I hope that all of you will be witnesses of the merciful love of
Christ. Thank you for your presence.
[Speaking in English, the Holy Father said:]
I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present
today. In today’s Gospel, Jesus appears to his disciples and overcomes the
doubts of Thomas. Through his Divine Mercy, may we always believe that Jesus is
the Christ and, believing, may we have life in his name. Upon you and your loved
ones, I invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
Have a good Sunday!
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On Palm Sunday
"May we be moved again by Christ's passion and death, (and) put our sins behind
us"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2012 - Immediately after concluding the Holy Mass for
Palm Sunday, Benedict XVI recited the Angelus with those present in St. Peter’s
Square. Here is a translation of his remarks prior to the Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
At the conclusion of this celebration I would like to address a greeting to all
of those present: to the lord cardinals, to my brother bishops, to the priests,
to the religious and to all of the faithful. I address a special greeting to the
organizing committee of the last Word Youth Day in Madrid and to the committee
that is organizing the next one in Rio de Janeiro; and to the delegates to the
international meeting on World Youth Days sponsored by the Pontifical Council
for the Laity, here represented by its president, Cardinale Ri?ko, and by its
secretary Monsignor Clemens.
[Following these opening remarks in Italian, the Holy Father greeted those
present in various languages. In English he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, today is Palm Sunday: as we remember Our Lord’s
welcome into Jerusalem, I am pleased to greet all of you, especially the many
young people who have come here to pray with me. This Holy Week, may we be moved
again by Christ’s passion and death, put our sins behind us and, with God’s
grace, choose a life of love and service to our brethren. God’s blessings upon
you!
[He finished his pre-Angelus remarks in Italian saying:]
Dear friends, I pray that the true joy inhabit your hearts, that joy that comes
from love and that does not disappear in the hour of sacrifice. I wish everyone
a good Holy Week and a good Easter! Thank you.
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On Journeying With Jesus Through the Desert
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 19, 2012.- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday
before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's
Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
In our journey toward Easter, we have arrived at the fourth Sunday of Lent. It
is a journey with Jesus through the “desert,” that is, a time in which to listen
carefully to God’s voice and also to unmask the temptations that speak within
us. The cross is outlined against the horizon of this desert. Jesus knows that
it is the culmination of his mission: in effect, the cross of Christ is the apex
of love, which bestows salvation upon us. Jesus himself tells us this in today’s
Gospel: “Just as Moses raised up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of
Man be raised up, that whoever believes in him might have eternal life” (John
3:14-15). The reference is to the episode in which, during the exodus from
Egypt, the Hebrews were attacked by poisonous serpents, and many died; so, God
commanded Moses to fashion a serpent of bronze and place it upon a pole: if
someone was bitten by a snake, looking upon the bronze serpent, he was healed
(cf. Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus too will be raised up on the cross so that whoever
is in danger of death because of sin, turning with faith toward him who died for
us, he might be saved. “God indeed,” writes St. John, “did not send the Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him”
(John 3:17).
St. Augustine comments: “The doctor, in what regards him, comes to heal the sick
person. If someone does not follow the doctor’s prescriptions, he is the one who
harms himself. The Savior came into the world … if you do not want to be saved
by him, it is you who will judge yourself” (“Tractates on the Gospel of John,”
12, 12: PL 35, 1190). Thus, if God’s merciful love is infinite, he who even sent
his only Son as a ransom for our life, [then] our responsibility is likewise
great: each of us, in fact, must recognize that we are sick so that we may be
healed; each of us must confess his sin so that God’s forgiveness, already given
upon the cross, might have an effect in our heart and our life. St. Augustine
further writes: God condemns your sins: and if you also condemn them, you are
united to God … And when your own deeds will begin to displease you, from that
time your good works begin, as you find fault with your wicked deeds” (ibid.,
13: PL 35, 1191). Sometimes man loves darkness more than light because he is
attached to his sins. But it is only in opening himself to the light, and only
in sincerely confessing his faults to God, that he finds true peace and truth
joy. It is thus important to approach the Sacrament of Penance regularly,
especially during Lent, to receive the Lord’s forgiveness and to intensify our
journey of conversion.
Dear friends, tomorrow we will celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. I thank from
my heart everyone who will remember me in prayer on my name day. In particular,
I ask you to pray for the apostolic voyage to Mexico and Cuba, which will begin
next Friday. We entrust it to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so
loved and venerated in these two countries that I am preparing to visit.
[Following the Angelus, the Holy Father addressed those gathered in St. Peter’s
Square in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Yesterday was the conclusion, in Marseilles, of the sixth World Water Forum and
next Thursday will be observed the World Water Day, which this year underscores
the fundamental link between such a precious and limited resource and food
security. I hope that these initiatives contribute to guaranteeing equal, secure
and adequate access to water for everyone, promoting in this way the rights to
life and nourishment of every human being, and a responsible and solidary use of
the goods of the earth, for the benefit of present and future generations.
[In English he said:]
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for today’s Angelus.
This Sunday, we reach the mid-way point of our Lenten journey. As we continue on
our way, we keep our eyes fixed upon our goal, when we will accompany our Lord
on the path to Calvary, so as to rise with him to new life. May Christ, the
light of the world, shine upon you and fill you with his blessings!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week. Have a good Sunday, everyone!
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On the Cleansing of the Temple
"Violence never serves humanity, but dehumanizes"
ROME, MARCH 12, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave
Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Gospel of this third Sunday of Lent refers – in the account given by John –
to the celebrated episode in which Jesus casts the animal merchants and money
changers out of the temple of Jerusalem (cf. John 2:13-25). The event, reported
by all of the evangelists, occurs around the time of the feast of Passover and
leaves a tremendous impression on both the crowds and the disciples. How should
we interpret this gesture of Jesus? First of all it must be noted that it does
not provoke any response from the guardians of public order because it was seen
as a typical prophetic action: the prophets, in fact, in the name of God, often
denounced abuses and sometimes they did this with symbolic acts. If there is a
problem, it is their authority. This is why the Jews asked Jesus: “What sign do
you give us to do these things?” (John 2:18). Show us that you truly act in
God’s name.
The casting of the merchants out of the temple has also been interpreted in a
political and revolutionary way, connecting Jesus to the movement of the
zealots. They were “zealous” for God’s law and ready to use violence to make it
respected. In Jesus’ time they were awaiting a Messiah that would liberate
Israel from Roman rule. But Jesus disappointed this hope, so much so that some
disciples abandoned him and Judas Iscariot betrayed him. In reality, it is
impossible to interpret Jesus as violent: violence is against the Kingdom of
God, it is an instrument of the antichrist. Violence never serves humanity, but
dehumanizes. Let us hear Jesus’ words as he performs this deed: “Take these
things away and do not make my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And the
disciples recall that in a Psalm it is written: “I am consumed by zeal for your
house” (69:10). This Psalm is a plea for help in a situation of extreme danger
when one is at the mercy of his enemies’ hatred: the situation that Jesus will
face in the passion. The zeal for the Father and his house will lead him to the
cross: his is a zeal of love that he will pay for personally, not a zeal that
serves God through violence. In fact, the “sign” that Jesus will give will be
precisely his death and resurrection. “Destroy this temple,” he says, “and in
three days I will raise it up.” And St. John observes: “He was speaking of the
temple of his body” (John 2:20-21). With Easter Jesus initiates a new form of
worship, the worship performed by love, and a new temple which he is himself,
the risen Christ, through whom every believer can worship God “in spirit and
truth” (John 4:23).
Dear friends, the Holy Spirit began building this temple in the womb of the
Virgin Mary. By her intercession, we pray that every Christian may become a
living stone in this spiritual edifice.
[In English he said:]
I greet the English-speaking visitors present for this Angelus prayer, including
the Neo-catechumenal Community from Bristol. In today’s Gospel Jesus foretells
his resurrection and points to the temple which is his body, the Church. May our
meditation on these mysteries deepen our union with the Lord and his Church.
Upon all of you I invoke God’s blessings!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On Preparing for the Passion
"We all have need of interior light to overcome life's trials"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 5, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday, the second of Lent, is the Sunday of the Transfiguration of Christ.
In fact, the Lenten itinerary, after having invited us to follow Jesus in the
desert, to face and conquer the temptations with him, proposes that we climb the
“mountain” of prayer, to contemplate the glorious light of God upon his human
face. The episode of Christ’s transfiguration is testified to in a unified way
by the evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are two essential elements:
first of all, Jesus ascends a high mountain with his disciples Peter, James and
John and there “he was transfigured before them" (Mark 9:2), his face and his
vesture radiate a glistening light while next to him appeared Moses and Elijah;
secondly, a cloud descended upon the top of the mountain and from it came a
voice that said: “This is my Son, my beloved; listen to him!” (Mark 9:7). So,
the light and the voice: the divine light that shone upon Jesus’ face, and the
voice of the heavenly Father that witnesses to him and commands that he be
heard.
The mystery of the Transfiguration must not be detached from the context of the
journey that Jesus is undertaking. He is now decisively set on the
accomplishment of his mission, knowing full well that to reach the resurrection
he must pass through the passion and death on the cross. He spoke about this
openly with the disciples, who did not understand it however; indeed, they
rejected this prospect, because they did not think as God thinks but as men do
(cf. Mark 16:23). This is why Jesus takes three of them with him up the mountain
and reveals his divine glory, the splendor of Truth and Love. Jesus wants this
light to illumine their hearts when they pass through the thick darkness of his
passion and death, when the scandal of the cross will be too much for them. God
is light, and Jesus wants to provide his most intimate friends with an
experience of this light that lives in him. Thus, after this event, he will be
an interior light in them, able to protect them from the assaults of darkness.
Even in the darkest night Jesus is the lamp that never goes out. St. Augustine,
summing up this mystery with a very beautiful expression, says: “That which is
for the eyes of our body the sun that we see, [Christ] is for the eyes of the
heart” (Sermo 78, 2: PL 38, 490).
Dear brothers and sisters, we all have need of interior light to overcome life’s
trials. This light comes from God, and it is Christ who bestows it, he, in whom
dwells the fullness of divinity (cf. Colossians 2:9). Let us climb the mountain
of prayer together with Jesus and, contemplating his countenance full of love
and truth, let ourselves be filled interiorly by his light. Let us ask the
Virgin Mary, our guide in the journey of faith, to help us to live this
experience in the time of Lent, finding every day some moment for silent prayer
and for listening to the Word of God.
[Following the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present in various
languages. In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at this Angelus
prayer, especially students from the United States of America. In today’s
Gospel, Jesus is transfigured, and shows his disciples that his Passion will
lead to the Resurrection. By God’s grace, may our Lenten observance lead to a
renewal of his radiance within us. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke God’s
abundant blessings!
[And concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday, a good week. Thank you for your presence. Have a
good Sunday!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Temptation
"It Is With Patience and With True Humility That We Become Stronger Than Every
Enemy"
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 27, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this Sunday of Lent we meet Jesus who, after having received baptism in the
Jordan River from John the Baptist (cf. Mark 1:9), undergoes temptation in the
desert (cf. Mark 1:12-13). St. Mark's narration is concise, lacking the details
that we read in the other two gospels of Matthew and Luke. The desert of which
he speaks has different meanings. It can indicate a condition of abandonment and
solitude, the "place" of man's weakness where there are no footholds or
certainties, where temptation is the strongest. But it can also mean a place of
refuge and rest, as it was for the people of Israel, who had escaped from
Egyptian slavery, where one can experience God's presence in a special way.
Jesus "remained in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan" (Mark 1:13). St.
Leo the Great comments that "the Lord wished to face the tempter's attack to
defend us with his help and to instruct us with his example" (Tractatus XXXIX, 3
De ieiunio quadragesimae: CCL 138/A, Turnholti 1973, 214-215).
What can this episode teach us? As we read in the book "The Imitation of
Christ," "as long as he lives man is never entirely free from temptation ... but
it is with patience and with true humility that we become stronger than every
enemy" (Liber I, c. XIII, Città del Vaticano 1982, 37), the patience and
humility of following the Lord every day, learning to build our life not apart
from him or as if he did not exist, but in him and with him, because he is the
font of true life. The temptation to remove God, to create order in ourselves
and the world by ourselves, counting on our own resources, is always present in
human history.
Jesus proclaims that "the time is accomplished and the kingdom of God is at
hand" (Mark 1:15), announces that in him something new is happening: God
addressed man in an unexpected way, with a unique and concrete nearness, full of
love; God becomes incarnate and enters into the world of man to take sin upon
himself, to conquer evil and being man and the world back to God. But this
announcement is accompanied by the request to correspond to a great gift. Jesus,
in fact, adds: "convert and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); it is the
invitation to have faith in God and every day to convert our life to his will,
orienting every action and thought of ours to the good. The time of Lent is the
propitious moment to renew and strengthen our relationship with God, through
daily prayer, gestures of penance, works of fraternal charity.
We supplicate Mary Most Holy with fervor that she accompany us on our Lenten
path with her protection and help us to impress in our heart and in our life the
words of Jesus Christ, to convert ourselves to him. I also entrust to your
prayers the week of retreat that I will be begin this evening with my
collaborators in the Roman Curia.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the faithful in various
languages. In English he said:]
I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present for
this moment of prayer. In these first days of Lent, I invite you to embrace the
spirit of this holy season, through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As we do so,
may the Lord accompany us, so that, at the end of Lent, we may worthily
celebrate his victory on the cross. God bless all of you abundantly!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good Lent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
On Peter's Mission
"To Feed the Flock of Christ, Keeping It United in Faith and Charity"
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square. He had just celebrated a Mass with the 22 new cardinals.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday is particularly festive here in the Vatican because of the
consistory that occurred yesterday in which I created 22 new cardinals. I had
the joy this morning to concelebrate the Eucharist in St. Peter's Basilica at
the tomb of the apostle whom Jesus called to be the "rock" on which he would
build the Church (cf. Matthew 16:18). I therefore invite all of you also to add
your prayer for these venerable brothers who are now more committed to
collaborate with me in leading the universal Church and to give testimony to the
Gospel even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. This is the meaning of
the red color of their garb: the color of blood and love. Some of them work in
Rome, in the service of the Holy See, others are shepherds of important diocesan
Churches; others are distinguished and appreciated for long years of study and
teaching. Now they are part of the College that assists the Pope most closely in
his office of communion and evangelization: We welcome them with joy, recalling
what Jesus said to his Apostles: "He who wishes to be first among you must be
the slave of all. Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and
to give his life for the ransom of many" (Mark 10:44-45).
This ecclesial event takes place against the background of the liturgical feast
of the Chair of St. Peter, anticipated today since Feb. 22, the date of that
feast, will be Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The chair reserved for the
bishop is the "cathedra," from which is derived the word "cathedral," the name
given to the church in which the bishop presides at the liturgy and teaches the
people. The Cathedra of St. Peter, represented in the apse of the Vatican
Basilica by a monumental sculpture of Bernini, is a symbol of the special
mission of Peter and his Successors to feed the flock of Christ, keeping it
united in faith and charity. Already at the beginning of the second century, St.
Ignatius of Antioch attributed to the Church in Rome a singular primacy,
greeting her, in his letter to the Romans, as she who "presides in charity."
This special task of service falls to the Roman community and its bishop because
of the fact that in this city the Apostles Peter and Paul spilled their blood
besides numerous other martyrs. We return thus to the witness of blood and of
charity. The Chair of Peter, therefore, is indeed a sign of authority, but that
of Christ, based on faith and love.
Dear friends, let us entrust the new cardinals to the maternal protection of
Mary Most Holy, that she might always assist them in their ecclesial service and
sustain them in trials. Mary, Mother of the Church, help me and those who
tirelessly work with me for the unity of the People of God and to proclaim to
all peoples the message of salvation, humbly and courageously accomplishing the
service of truth in charity.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father addressed those present in St. Peter's
Square in various languages. In English he said:]
I welcome all the English-speaking visitors present for this Angelus prayer,
especially those accompanying the new Cardinals. In today's Gospel, Jesus grants
healing and life in body and soul in response to faith. May we too believe and
trust in Christ, and seek from him both forgiveness of sin and the power to live
a new life of grace. Upon all of you I invoke God's blessings of joy and peace!
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday, a good week. Have a good Sunday everyone!
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On Jesus, the 'Leper'
"Every Barrier Between God and Human Impurity ... Is Torn Down"
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Last Sunday we saw that Jesus, in his public life, healed many sick people,
revealing that God wants man to live, that he wants him to have life in
abundance. The Gospel this Sunday (Mark 1:40-45) shows Jesus in contact with the
malady considered at that time to be the most grave; those who suffered from it
were considered "impure" and were excluded from social relationships. We are
speaking of leprosy. A special law (cf. Leviticus 13-14) reserved the task of
declaring persons with leprosy impure; and it was also the task of the priest to
certify a healing and to permit their re-entrance into normal life.
As Jesus was preaching among the villages of Galilee, a leper met him and said
to him: "If you wish it, you may heal me!" Jesus did not flee from contact with
him, rather, moved by intimate participation in his condition, he reaches out
his hand and touches him -- going beyond what the law permitted -- and said to
him. "I do wish it. Be healed!" In that gesture and in those words of Christ
there is the whole history of salvation, there is incarnated the will of God to
heal us of the evil that disfigures us and destroys our relationships. In that
contact between Jesus' hand and the leper, every barrier between God and human
impurity, between the Sacred and its opposite, is torn down, not to deny evil
and its negative power but to demonstrate that God's love is stronger than evil,
even the most contagious and horrible. Jesus took our infirmities upon himself,
he made himself a "leper" so that we might be healed.
A splendid existential comment on this Gospel is the celebrated experience of
St. Francis of Assisi, which he presents at the beginning of his Testament: "The
Lord told to me, Friar Francis of Assisi, to begin to do penance in this way:
when I was in my sins, seeing lepers seemed to me something too terrible; and
the Lord himself led me among them and had mercy on them. And after I left them,
what had seemed terrible to me became sweet to the soul and body. And then I
stayed and left the world behind." Jesus was present in those lepers whom
Francis met when he was still "in his sins," as he says; and when Francis drew
near to one of them and, overcoming his own disgust, embraced him, Jesus healed
Francis of his leprosy, that is, of his pride, and he converted him to the love
of God. This is the victory of Christ, who is our profound healing and our
resurrection and new life!
Dear friends, let us turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, whom we celebrated
yesterday, remembering her appearances at Lourdes. Our Lady entrusted to St.
Bernadette a message that is always relevant: the invitation to prayer and
penance. Through his Mother it is always Jesus who comes to meet us, to free us
from every sickness of body and soul. Let us allow ourselves to be touched and
purified by him, and let us be merciful with our brothers!
Dear brothers and sisters!
I am following with much apprehension the tragic episodes of growing violence in
Syria. In recent days they have claimed many victims. I remember the victims in
prayer, among whom there are children, the wounded and those who suffer the
consequences of a conflict that is becoming ever more worrisome. Moreover, I
renew the call to put an end to the violence and bloodshed. Finally, I invite
everyone -- and first of all the political authorities in Syria -- to prioritize
the path of dialogue, of reconciliation and of commitment to peace. It is urgent
to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the different groups within the
country as well as to the wishes of the international community, concerned with
the common good of the whole society and the region.
[After the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the crowds in
various languages. In English he said:]
I am pleased to welcome all of you to Saint Peter's Square on this cold morning,
especially the students and staff of Sion-Manning School from London. At Mass
today, the Gospel tells us of how our Lord willingly cured a leper. May we not
be afraid to go to Jesus, beg him to heal our sinfulness, and bring us safely to
eternal life. God bless you and your loved ones!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good week! Have a good week! I hope to see
you next Sunday without snow! Best wishes, have a good Sunday!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Paradox of Illness
"Jesus Christ Came to Conquer Evil at Its Root"
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 6, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday's Gospel presents to us Jesus who heals the sick: first Simon
Peter's mother-in-law, who was sick in bed with fever and he, taking her by the
hand, healed her and made her able to get up; then all the sick of Capernaum,
suffering in the body, mind and spirit and he "healed many … and drove out many
demons" (Mark 1:34). The four evangelists are in agreement in testifying that
freeing of people from sicknesses and infirmities of every type constituted,
together with preaching, Jesus's principal activity in his public life. In
effect, the sicknesses are a sign of the action of evil in the world and in man,
while the healings show that the Kingdom of God, God himself, is near. Jesus
Christ came to conquer evil at its root, and the healings are an anticipation of
his victory, obtained by his death and resurrection.
One day Jesus said: "The healthy have no need of a doctor but only the sick"
(Mark 2:17). He is speaking here of sinners, whom he came to save. It is
nevertheless true that sickness is a typically human condition in which we have
a powerful experience of our lack of self-sufficiency, that we need others. In
this sense we can say, with a paradox, that sickness becomes a salutary occasion
in which we can experience the attention of others and give attention to others!
Nevertheless, it is always a trial that can also become long and difficult. When
healing does not take place and the sufferings continue, we can be crushed,
isolated, and then our existence can sink into the depths and become
dehumanized. How should we respond to this attack of evil?
Certainly we can use the appropriate cures -- medicine has made gigantic strides
in these decades and we are grateful -- but the Word of God teaches us that
there is a decisive and basic attitude with which to face sickness and it is
that of faith in God, in his goodness. Jesus always repeats it to the people he
heals: your faith has saved you (cf. Mark 5:34, 36). Even in the face of death,
faith can make possible what is humanly impossible.
But faith in what? In the love of God. This is the true response that can
radically defeat evil. As Jesus confronted the evil one with the force of love
that came to him from the Father, so we too can confront and win out in the
trial of sickness, keeping our heart immersed in God's love. We all know people
who were able to endure terrible sufferings because God gave them a profound
serenity. I think of the recent example of Blessed Chiara Badano, cut down in
the flower of youth by an inescapable evil: those who went to visit her received
the light of confidence from her! Nevertheless, in sickness we all need human
warmth: serene and sincere nearness count more than words in helping a sick
person.
Dear friends, next Saturday, Feb. 11, the commemoration of the Blessed Virgin of
Lourdes, is the World Day of the Sick. Let us do what the people of Jesus' time
did: In a spiritual way let us bring all of the sick to him, confident that he
wants to and can heal them. And we invoke the intercession of the Madonna,
especially for situations of great suffering and isolation. Mary, Health of the
Sick, pray for us!
[After the Angelus the Holy Father greeted those present in several languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today in Italy the Day of Life is celebrated, which was started to defend
nascent life and was extended to all the phases and conditions of human
existence. This year the bishops' message proposes the theme: "Young People Open
to Life." I join with the bishops of the Church in Italy in affirming that true
youthfulness is realized in welcoming life in love and service. I am glad for
yesterday's gathering in Rome promoted by the schools of obstetrics and
gynecology of the Roman universities for reflecting on the "Promotion and
Protection of Nascent Human Life," and I greet Monsignor Lorenzo Leuzzi, the
instructors and the young people present today in St. Peter's Square. Welcome!
Thank you for your presence!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Authority as Service
God "Cannot Will Anything if Not Our Good"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 30, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday's Gospel (Mark 1:21-28) presents us Jesus, who on the Sabbath
preaches in the synagogue of Capernaum the little city on the Sea of Galilee
where Peter and his brother Andrew lived. His teaching, which caused the people
to wonder, was followed by the liberation of "a man possessed by an unclean
spirit" (1:23), who recognizes in Jesus the "Holy One of God," that is, the
Messiah. In a short time his fame spread through the whole region in which he
traveled proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing all types of sick people:
word and deed. St. John Chrysostom observes how the Lord "adapts his discourse
to what is beneficial to his listeners, proceeding from prodigies to words and
passing again from teaching his doctrine to miracles" (Hom. in Matthæum 25, 1:
PG 57, 328).
The word Jesus addresses to men immediately opens up access to the Father's will
and to the truth about themselves. This is not how it went with the scribes, who
had to make an effort to interpret the sacred Scriptures with countless
reflections. Moreover, Jesus joined the efficaciousness of the word to the signs
of liberation from evil. St. Augustine observed that "commanding demons and
casting them out is not a human but a divine work"; in fact, the Lord "relieved
men of all sickness and every infirmity. Who, seeing his power … would still
have doubted that he was the Son, the Wisdom and the Power of God?" (Oratio de
Incarnatione Verbi 18.19: PG 25, 128 BC.129 B). Divine authority is not a power
of nature. It is the power of God's love that creates the universe and,
incarnating itself in the Only Begotten Son, descending into our humanity, it
heals the world corrupted by sin. Romano Guardini writes: "Jesus' whole
existence is the translation of power into humility … it is sovereignty that
here abases itself in the form of servant" ("Power and Responsibility," Regnery,
1961).
Often for man authority means possession, power, dominance, success. For God,
instead, authority means service, humility, love; it means entering into the
logic of Jesus who stoops to wash the feet of his disciples (cf. John 13:5), who
seeks man's true good, who heals wounds, who is capable of a love so great that
he gives his life, because he is Love. In one of her letters, St. Catherine of
Siena writes: "It is necessary that we see and know, in truth, with the light of
faith, that God is the Supreme and Eternal Love, and he cannot will anything if
not our good" (Ep. 13 in: Le Lettere, vol. 3, Bologna 1999, 206).
Dear friends, next Thursday, Feb. 2, we will celebrate the feast of the
Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, the World Day of Consecrated Life. Let
us call with confidence upon Mary Most Holy, that she guide our hearts to draw
always upon divine mercy, which liberates and frees our humanity, filling it
with grace and benevolence, with the power of love.
[After the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father greeted the faithful in
various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today in Vienna, Hildegard Burjan will be beatified. She was a laywoman and a
mother, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries and is the foundress of
the Society of the Sisters of Caritas Socialis (Social Charity). Let us praise
the Lord for this beautiful witness of the Gospel!
This Sunday is World Leprosy Day. In greeting the Italian Association of the
Friends of Raoul Follereau, I would like to add my encouragement to all persons
affected by this disease and to all those who help them and those who in various
ways work to eliminate poverty and marginalization, true causes of the
persistence of this disease.
I would also like to mention the International Day of Intercession for Peace in
the Holy Land. In profound communion with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and
the Custody of the Holy Land, let us pray for the gift of peace for that land
blessed by God.
[In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
this Angelus prayer. In this Sunday's Gospel we hear how the unclean spirit
recognizes Jesus as the "Holy One of God". Let us pray that, despite the
distractions of life and the apparent progress of evil, we may continue to put
our faith in the Lord Jesus who is "the way, the truth and the life". I wish all
of you a good Sunday. May God bless you!
[Again in Italian he said:]
And I greet with affection the Italian speaking pilgrims, in particular the
faithful from Taranto, Bari and Civitavecchia, and the many young people of
Catholic Action of Rome with their teachers and families. Dear young people,
again this year you have participated in the "Caravan of Peace." I thank you and
I encourage you to bring the peace of Jesus everywhere. Two of you are here
beside me. Let us now listen to Noemi's message:
[Noemi read the message. The Holy Father responded:]
Thank you, Noemi, you did very well! And now we will release the doves that the
children brought with them, as a sign of peace for the City of Rome and for the
whole world.
[The Holy Father and one of the children released two doves. One returned to the
Pope's window sill while the other flew back inside the window of his apartment.
In Italian the Holy Father said:]
They want to stay in the Pope's house!
Have a good Sunday, everyone! Have a good Sunday!
-------------------------------------------------------
On Christian Unity
Unity "Demands Our Daily Commitment"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 23, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday falls in the middle of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which
is celebrated from the 18th to the 25th of January. I cordially invite everyone
to join themselves to the prayer that Jesus addressed to the Father on the eve
of his passion: "That they may be one so that the world may believe" (John
17:21).
This year in particular our meditation during the week of prayer for unity turns
to a passage from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians with which the
motto was formed: "We Will All Be Changed By the Victory of Our Lord Jesus
Christ" (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). We are called to contemplate the victory
of Christ over sin and over death, that is, his resurrection, as an event that
radically transforms those who believe in him and opens to them the way to an
incorruptible and immortal life. Recognizing and welcoming the transformative
power of faith in Jesus Christ sustains Christians even in the pursuit of full
unity with each other.
This year the aids for the week of prayer for unity were prepared by a Polish
group. In fact, Poland has known a long history of courageous struggles against
various adversities and has repeatedly given proof of great determination,
animated by faith. For this reason the words of the theme mentioned above [for
this week of prayer] have a resonance and special incisiveness for Poland. In
the course of the centuries the Polish Christians have spontaneously intuited a
spiritual dimension in their desire for freedom and understood that the true
victory can occur only if it is accompanied by a profound interior
transformation. They remind us that our search for unity can be conducted in a
realistic manner if change first of all happens in us and if we let God act, if
we let ourselves be transformed in Christ's image, if we enter into the new life
of Christ, which is the true victory. The visible unity of all Christians is
always a work that comes from above, from God, a work that requires the humility
to recognize our weakness and to accept the gift. However, to use the expression
that Blessed Pope John Paul II repeated often, every gift also becomes a task.
The unity that comes from God therefore demands our daily commitment to open
ourselves up to each other in charity.
For many decades, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has constituted a
central element in the Church's ecumenical activity. The time that we dedicate
to prayer for the full communion of Christ's disciples permits us to understand
more deeply how we will be transformed by his victory, by the power of his
resurrection. Next Wednesday, as is customary, we will conclude the week of
prayer with the solemn celebration of vespers for the Feast of the Conversion of
St. Paul, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, at which
representatives of the other Christian Churches and Communities will also be
present. Many people will attend the gathering to renew together our prayer to
the Lord, who is the source of unity. We entrust it now, with filial confidence,
to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the faithful in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
In these days various countries of the Far East celebrate with joy the lunar new
year. In the present situation of global financial and social crisis I wish for
all these peoples that the new year be concretely marked by justice and peace,
that it bring relief to those who are suffering, and that young people
especially, with their enthusiasm and idealistic drive, might offer a new hope
to the world.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's
Angelus. This week, Christians throughout the world mark the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity. We are confident that, as Saint Paul says, "We will all be
changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
Let us renew our prayer for the unity of all of Christ's followers, and deepen
our resolve to be one in him. Upon each of you and your loved ones at home, I
invoke God's blessings of peace and joy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Role of Spiritual Guides
Helping Those Called to "Recognize the Voice of God and Follow It"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 16, 2012.- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave before and after praying the midday Angelus on Sunday with those gathered
in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
In the biblical readings of this Sunday -- the second in Ordinary Time -- the
theme of vocation emerges: in the Gospel it is the call of the first disciples
by Jesus; in the first reading it is the call of the Prophet Samuel. In both
accounts there comes to the forefront the importance of the figure who plays the
role of mediator, helping the persons called to recognize the voice of God and
follow it.
In the case of Samuel, it is Eli, a priest of the temple of Silo, where in
ancient times the ark of the covenant was kept before it is was transported to
Jerusalem. One night Samuel, who was still a boy and had lived in the service of
the temple from the time that he was small, heard a call three times in a row
while he was sleeping, and ran to Eli. But Eli had not called him. The third
time Eli understood and told Samuel: if you are called again respond: "Speak,
Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:9). And so it happened and from
then on Samuel learned how to recognize God's words and became his faithful
prophet.
In the case of the disciples of Jesus, John the Baptist was the mediating
figure. In fact, John had a large circle of disciples, and among these were the
two pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew and John and James, fishermen from
Galilee. To two of them the Baptist points out Jesus the day after his baptism
in the Jordan River. He indicates him to them saying: "Behold the lamb of God!"
(John 1:36), which was the equivalent of saying: "Behold the Messiah!" And those
two followed Jesus, remained with him for some time and were convinced that he
was truly the Christ. Immediately they told the others this and thus was formed
the first nucleus of what would become the college of the apostles.
In the light of these two texts, I would like to underscore the decisive role of
the spiritual guide in the journey of faith and, in particular, in the response
to the vocation of special consecration for the service of God and his people.
The very Christian faith in itself presupposes proclamation and witness: in fact
they consist in adhering to the good news that Jesus of Nazareth is dead and
risen, that he is God. And thus the call to follow Jesus closely, renouncing a
family of one's own to dedicate oneself to the great family of the Church,
normally passes through the witness and the suggestion of an "older brother,"
usually a priest. But this is not to forget the fundamental role of parents, who
with their genuine and joyful faith and their marital love show their children
that it is beautiful and possible to build a whole life on the love of God.
Dear friends, let us pray to the Virgin Mary for all teachers, especially
priests and parents, that they have complete awareness of the importance of
their spiritual role to help young people not only in human growth but also in
answering God's call and saying: "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."
[After the Angelus the Holy Father spoke to the faithful in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we celebrate the World Day of the Migrant and the Refugee. Millions of
persons are involved in the phenomenon of migrations, but they are not numbers!
They are men and women, children, young people and old people who seek a place
where they can live in peace.
In my message for this World Day of the Migrant and the Refugee, I called
attention to the theme "Migrations and new evangelization," stressing that
migrants are not only recipients but also protagonists of the proclamation of
the Gospel in the contemporary world. In this context I am happy to welcome the
representatives of the migrant communities of Rome who are present in St.
Peter's Square today. Welcome!
I would also like to recall that from the 18th to the 25th of this month of
January there takes place the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I invite all,
at the personal and community level, to join spiritually and, where possible,
practically, in calling upon God for the gift of full unity among Christ's
disciples.
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On Being Children
"Each One of Us Is Willed, Is Loved by God"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 9, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This morning I
conferred the sacrament of baptism on 16 children, and in connection with this I
would like to propose a brief reflection on our being children ("figli") of God.
First of all let us begin with our simply being children: this is the
fundamental condition that we all have in common. Not all of us are parents but
we are all certainly children. Coming into the world is never a choice, we are
not asked if we want to be born. But during life, we can freely develop an
attitude toward this life: we can receive it as a gift and, in a certain sense,
"become" that which we already are: we can become children. This transformation
marks a point of maturity in our being and in our relationship with our parents,
which fills us with gratitude. It is a transformation that renders us, too,
capable of being parents ourselves, not biologically but morally.
We are children in our relationship to God also. God is at the origin of the
existence of every creature, and he is Father of every human being in a unique
way: God has with him or her a special, personal relationship. Each one of us is
willed, is loved by God. And in this relationship with God as well we can, so to
say, be "reborn," that is, become what we are. This happens through faith,
through a profound and personal "yes" to God as origin and foundation of our
existence. With this "yes" I receive life as a gift of the Father who is in
heaven, a Parent whom I do not see but in whom I believe and in the depths of my
heart feel to be my Father and the Father of all my brothers in humanity, an
immensely good and faithful Father.
Upon what is this faith in God the Father based? It is based upon Jesus Christ:
his person and his story reveal the Father to us, he makes him known to us,
insofar as this is possible in this world. Believing that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, leads us to be "reborn from above," that is, from God, who is
Love (cf. John 3:3). And let us recall again that no one makes himself a human
being: we are born without our doing anything, the passivity of our being born
precedes the activity of our doing. The same is true in regard to being
Christian: no one can make himself a Christian by his own will alone; being
Christian also precedes our doing: we must be reborn in a new birth. St. John:
"To those who received him he gave the power to become children of God" (John
1:12). This is the meaning of the sacrament of baptism; baptism is this new
birth that precedes our doing. With our faith we can encounter Christ, but only
he can make us Christians and give our will, our desire, an answer, the dignity,
the power -- which we do not have ourselves -- of becoming children of God.
Dear friends, this Sunday of the Lord's baptism concludes the Christmas season.
Let us give thanks to God for this great mystery, which is a source of
regeneration for the Church and the whole world. God made himself the son of man
so that man might become son of God. Let us restore, therefore, the joy of being
children: as men and as Christians; born and reborn to a new divine existence:
born from the love of a father and a mother, and reborn in the love of God,
through baptism. We ask the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and of all those who
believe in him, to help us live truly as children of God, not by words, or not
by words alone, but by deeds. St. John further writes: "This is his commandment:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one
another, according to the precept that he gave us" (1 John 3:23).
[After the Angelus the Holy Father greeted the faithful in various languages. In
English he said:]
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
this Angelus prayer. In today's feast, the Baptism of Jesus, God the Father
bears witness to his only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit anoints him for his
imminent public ministry. Let us ask for the courage to be always faithful to
the life of communion with the Holy Trinity which we received in Baptism. May
God bless all of you abundantly!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday and, again, every good thing for the year that has
just begun. Have a good Sunday and a happy New Year. Best wishes! Thank you!
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On the Light of the Gospel
"The Church, Thanks to the Word of God, Sees Through the Fog"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 6, 2012 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus on the feast of the
Epiphany. He also announced the names of 22 new cardinals.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, on the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, I ordained two new bishops
in St. Peter's Basilica. So, please forgive me for being late. This feast of
Epiphany is a very ancient feast, which has its origin in the Christian East and
underscores the mystery of Jesus Christ's manifestation to all peoples, who are
represented by the Magi who came to worship the King of the Jews newly born in
Bethlehem, as we are told by the Gospel of St. Matthew (cf. 2:1-12). That "new
light" that shone forth on Christmas night (cf. Preface for Christmas I), today
begins to cast its rays upon the world, as the image of the star suggests, a
celestial sign that drew the attention of the Magi and guided them on their
journey to Judea.
The whole period of Christmas and Epiphany is characterized by the theme of
light, linked also to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, after the
winter solstice the days begin to get longer and the nights shorter. But
Christ's word holds true for all peoples, regardless of geographical location:
"I am the light of the world; whoever follows me does not walk in darkness but
will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Jesus is the sun that has risen upon
the horizon of humanity to illuminate everyone's personal existence to lead us
all together to the goal of our pilgrimage, to the land of freedom and peace
where we will live in full communion with God and each other forever.
The proclamation of this mystery of salvation was entrusted to Christ and his
Church. As St. Paul writes: "It was revealed to his holy apostles and prophets
by the Holy Spirit that the nations are called in Christ Jesus to share in the
same inheritance, to form the same body and to be participants in the same
promise through the Gospel" (Ephesians 3:5-6). Isaiah's invitation to the holy
city of Jerusalem can be applied to the Church: "Arise, clothe yourself in light
for your light is coming, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. Behold,
darkness covers the earth, thick clouds envelop the nations; but the Lord shines
upon you, his glory will be upon you" (Isaiah 60:1-2). And it is thus, as the
prophet says, that the world with all of its resources is unable to give
humanity the light to guide it on its journey. We see this in our own day too:
Western civilization seems to have lost its orientation, it gropes about
blindly. But the Church, thanks to the Word of God, sees through the fog. She
does not have technological solutions, but keeps her gaze fixed on the goal and
offers the light of the Gospel to all men of good will, of all nations and
cultures.
This is the also the mission of the pontifical representatives to international
organizations. This morning, in fact, as I said, I had the joy of conferring
episcopal ordination on two new apostolic nuncios. Let us entrust their service
and work of evangelization to the Virgin Mary.
* * *
Announcement of the Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals
And now with great joy, I announce that on Feb. 18, I will hold a consistory in
which I create 22 new members of the College of Cardinals.
As is well known, the cardinals have the task of helping the Successor of Peter
in carrying out his ministry of confirming our brothers in the faith and in
being the principle and foundation of the unity of the communion of the Church.
Here are the names of the new cardinals:
1. Monsignor Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization
of Peoples;
2. Monsignor Manuel Monteiro de Castro, major penitentiary;
3. Monsignor Santos Abril y Castelló, archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Santa
Maria Maggiore;
4. Monsignor Antonio Maria Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People;
5. Monsignor Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Pontifical Commission for the
Vatican City State and President of the its Government;
6. Monsignor Franceso Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for
Legislative Texts;
7. Monsignor João Bráz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Religious
8. Monsignor Edwin Frederick O'Brien, grand master of the Order of the Holy
Sepulchre
9. Monsignor Domenico Calcagno, president of the Apostolic Patrimony of the Holy
See
10. Monsignor Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic
Affairs of the Holy See
11. His Beatitude George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church
(India)
12. Monsignor Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada);
13. Monsignor Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague (Czech Republic);
14. Wim Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht (Holland);
15. Monsignor Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence (Italy);
16. Monsignor Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States);
17. Thomas Woelki, Archbishop of Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany);
18. Monsignor John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong (People's Republic of China);
Furthermore, I decided to elevate to the dignity of the cardinalate a venerable
prelate, who is the shepherd and father of a Church, and three meritorious
ecclesiastics, who are distinguished by their service to the Church.
They are:
1. His Beatitude Lucian Mures,an, Major Archbishop of Fa(ga(ras, and Alba Iulia
(Romania);
2. Monsignor Julien Ries, priest of the Diocese of Namur (Belgium) and emeritus
professor of the history of religions at the Catholic University of Louvain;
3. Father Prosper Grech, O.S.A., emeritus professor at various Roman
universities and consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
4. Father Karl Becker, S.J., emeritus professor of the Pontifical Gregorian
University, consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The new cardinals come from various parts of the world, as you have heard, and
they carry out different ministries in service of the Holy See or in direct
contact with the faithful as fathers or shepherds of particular Churches.
I would like to invite everyone to pray for these men who have been newly
nominated to the College of Cardinals, imploring the intercession of the Virgin
Mary, Mother of the Church, that they might know how to bear witness with
courage and dedication to their love for Christ and for his Church.
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Dec. 26: On the Feast of St. Stephen
"The True Imitation of Christ Is Love"
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 1, 2012 - Here is a Vatican translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen, before and after praying
the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the day after the solemn liturgy of the Lord’s Birth, we are celebrating
the Feast of St Stephen, a deacon and the Church’s first martyr. The historian
Eusebius of Caesarea describes him as the “perfect martyr” (Die
Kirchengeschichte v. 2,5: GCS II, I, Lipsia 1903, 430), because in the Acts of
the Apostles it is written that “Stephen, full of grace and power, did great
wonders and signs among the people” (6:8). St Gregory of Nyssa commented: “he
was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit. He was sustained by the goodness of
his will to serve the poor and curbed enemies by the Spirit's power of the
truth” (Sermo in Sanctum Stephanum II: GNO X, 1, Leiden 1990, 98). A man of
prayer and of evangelization, Stephen, whose name means “crown”, received from
God the gift of martyrdom. Indeed, “full of the Holy Spirit ... he saw the glory
of God” (Acts 7:55) and while he was being stoned he prayed: “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Then, he fell to his knees and prayed for
forgiveness for those who accused him: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”
(Acts 7:60).
This is why the Eastern Church sings in her hymns: “The stones became steps for
you and ladders for the ascent to heaven... and you joyfully drew close to the
festive gathering of the angels” (MHNAIA t. II, Rome 1889, 694, 695).
After the generation of the Apostles, martyrs acquired an important place in the
esteem of the Christian community. At the height of their persecution, their
hymns of praise fortified the faithful on their difficult journey and encouraged
those in search of the truth to convert to the Lord. Therefore, by divine
disposition, the Church venerates the relics of martyrs and honours them with
epithets such as: “teachers of life”, “living witnesses”, “breathing trophies”
and “silent exhortations” (Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 43, 5: PG 36, 500 C).
Dear friends, the true imitation of Christ is love, which some Christian writers
have called the “secret martyrdom”. Concerning this St Clement of Alexandria
wrote: “those who perform the commandments of the Lord, in every action
‘testify’, by doing what he wishes, and consistently naming the Lord’s name; (Stromatum
IV, 7,43,4: SC 463, Paris 2001, 130). Today too, as in antiquity, sincere
adherence to the Gospel can require the sacrifice of life and many Christians in
various parts of the world are exposed to persecution and sometimes martyrdom.
However, the Lord reminds us: “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt
10:22).
To Mary Most Holy, Queen of Martyrs, let us address our supplication to preserve
the desire for good in its wholeness, especially the good of those who oppose
us. Today let us entrust the Church’s deacons in particular to divine mercy so
that, illuminated by St Stephen’s example, they may collaborate, in accordance
with their mission, in the task of evangelization (cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Verbum Domini, n. 94).
After the Angelus:
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
this Angelus prayer. Today we celebrate St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
May his example inspire us to be courageous in living our faith in Christ our
Saviour and ready to forgive those who harm us. I pray that your stay in Rome
may renew your love of Christ and his Church and I wish you all a blessed
Christmas Season!
I wish you all happy celebrations. Many thanks!
Appeal asking for an end to violence in the world:
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Holy Christmas awakens within us even more forcefully
the prayer to God that the hands of the violent who sow death may be prevented,
and that justice and peace may prevail throughout the world. Yet our earth
continues to be bathed in innocent blood. I learned with deep sorrow the news of
the attacks which this year too have brought mourning and grief to several
Churches in Nigeria on the Day of Jesus’ Birth. I would like to express my
sincere and affectionate closeness to the Christian community and to all who are
affected by this absurd act, and I ask you to pray the Lord for the many
victims. I appeal for the restoration of safety and serenity, with the joint
efforts of the various members of society. At this time I wish to say forcefully
once again: violence is a way that leads only to suffering, destruction and
death; respect, reconciliation and love are the only way to achieve peace.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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On Our Lady's Question to Gabriel
"The Virginity of Mary and the Divinity of Jesus are Reciprocally Guaranteed"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 19, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
On this Fourth and last Sunday of Advent this year the liturgy presents us with
the account of the angel's announcement to Mary. Contemplating the wondrous
image of the Holy Virgin in the moment in which she receives the divine message
and gives her answer, we are enlightened within by the always-new light of truth
that shines forth from that mystery. For a brief moment I would like to reflect
in particular on the importance of Mary's virginity, of the fact that she
conceived Jesus remaining a virgin.
In the background of the event of Nazareth there is the prophecy of Isaiah:
"Behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a son, who will be called Emmanuel"
(Isaiah 7:14). This ancient promise found an overflowing fulfillment in the
Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, not only did the virgin conceive but she
did so by the power of the Holy Spirit, that is, by the power of God himself.
The human being who begins to live in her womb takes flesh from Mary, but his
existence comes totally from God. He is fully man, made from the earth -- to use
a biblical symbol -- but comes from above, from heaven. That Mary conceives
while remaining a virgin is essential for knowing Jesus and for our faith,
because it shows that the initiative is God's and above all it reveals who it is
that is conceived. As the Gospel says: "For this reason he who will be born will
be holy and will be called Son of God" (Luke 1:35). In this sense, the virginity
of Mary and the divinity of Jesus are reciprocally guaranteed.
This is why the one question that Mary, "greatly disturbed," asks the angel is
so important: "How can this be since I do not know man?" (Luke 1:34). In her
simplicity Mary is very wise: She does not doubt God's power, but wants to
understand his will better so that she can completely conform to this will. Mary
is infinitely surpassed by the mystery and yet, she perfectly occupies the post
that she is assigned at its center. Her heart and her mind are completely
humble, and, precisely because of her singular humility, God awaits this young
woman's "yes" to realize his design. He respects her freedom. Mary's "yes"
implies both maternity and virginity, and it desires that everything in her is
for God's glory, and that the Son whom she will bear will be wholly the gift of
grace.
Dear friends, Mary's virginity is unique and unrepeatable, but its spiritual
significance regards every Christian. It, in substance, is linked to faith: In
fact, those who deeply trust in the love of God welcome Jesus within themselves,
his divine life, through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of
Christmas! I hope that you will all live it with profound joy.
----------------------------------------------------------
On True Joy
"Not a Mere Passing State of Soul"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 12, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The liturgical texts of this period of Advent renew the invitation to us to live
in expectation of Jesus and not to cease to await his coming and thus to
maintain in us an attitude of openness and availability for the encounter with
him. The vigilance of heart that the Christian is always called to exercise in
everyday life characterizes this time in which we prepare ourselves with joy for
the mystery of Christmas (cf. Advent Preface II). Elsewhere the usual commercial
messages are proposed even if perhaps in a diminished way because of the
economic crisis. The Christian is invited to live Advent without letting himself
get distracted by the lights so that he can fix his interior gaze upon Christ
and know how to assign things their proper value. If in fact we remain "vigilant
in prayer and exultant in praise" (ibid.), our eyes will be able to recognize in
him the true light of the world who comes to illuminate our darkness.
In particular this Sunday's liturgy, called "Gaudete," invites us to joy, to a
vigilance that is not sorrowful but joyful. "Gaudete in Domino semper," St. Paul
writes: "Rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 4:4). True joy does not come from
diversions, intended in the word's etymological sense: "di-vertere," being drawn
away from life and from its responsibilities. True joy is linked to something
much more profound. Naturally, in the daily round, which is often frenetic, it
is important to find moments for rest, for relaxation, but true joy is connected
with our relationship to God. Those who have met Jesus in their lives experience
a serenity and a joy in their hearts that no one and no situation can take away.
St. Augustine understood it quite well; in his search for truth, for peace, for
joy, after having sought it in vain in many things, he concludes with the
celebrated expression according to which man's heart is restless, does not find
serenity and peace, until it finds rest in God (cf. Confessions, I, 1, 1). True
joy is not a mere passing state of soul, nor something that is achieved by our
own power but is a gift; it is born from the encounter with the living person of
Jesus, from making space for him in us, from welcoming the Holy Spirit who
guides our life. It is the invitation that the Apostle Paul makes, who says:
"May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely,
spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). In this Advent season let us strengthen our
certainty that the Lord has come among us and continues to renew his presence of
consolation, love and joy. We trust in him; again as St. Augustine says in light
of his experience: the Lord is closer to us than we are to ourselves "interior
intimo meo et superior summo meo" (Confessions, III, 6, 11).
Let us entrust our journey to the Immaculate Virgin, whose spirit exulted in God
the Savior. May she be the one to guide our hearts in the joyous expectation of
the coming of Jesus, an expectation that is rich in prayer and good works.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father spoke to the faithful in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, today my first greeting is to the children of Rome,
who have come for the traditional blessing of the statues of the Christ child
that they will place in the crèche. This event was organized by the Centro
Oratori Romani. I thank all of you! Dear children, when you pray before your
crèche, remember me too as I will remember you. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
[In English he said:]
I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present
today for this Angelus prayer. In today's Gospel, we hear the voice of John the
Baptist crying in the wilderness, encouraging us to prepare the way of the Lord.
Through renewed faith, prayer and penance, may we too become authentic heralds
of the Lord's coming among us at Christmas. May God bless all of you!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week. Thank you. Have a good Sunday. "Gaudete"!
-------------------------------------------------
On Mary, Full of Grace
"With Her 'Yes,' She Brought Heaven Near to Earth"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 8, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus for the feast of the
Immaculate Conception.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today the Church solemnly celebrates the immaculate conception of Mary. As Pope
Pius IX declared in his apostolic letter "Ineffabilis Deus" of 1854, she "was
preserved from every stain of original sin by a special grace and privilege of
almighty God in view of the merits of Jesus Christ the Savior of the human
race." This truth of faith is contained in the Archangel Gabriel's words of
greeting: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee! (Luke 1:28). The
expression "full of grace" indicates the marvelous deed of the love of God, who
desired to give back to us -- through his only-begotten incarnate Son, who died
and rose again -- the life and freedom that we lost with sin. It was this that
led the Church in the East and West to invoke and celebrate the Virgin who, with
her "yes," brought heaven near to earth, becoming "the Mother of God and the
nurse of our life," as St. Romanos the Melodist writes in an ancient song (Canticum
XXV in Nativitatem B. Mariae Virginis, in J.B. Pitra, Analecta Sacra t. I,
Parigi 1876, 198). In the 7th century St. Sophronius of Jerusalem praises the
greatness of Mary since in her the Holy Spirit came to dwell: "You surpass all
the gifts that God's magnificence ever bestowed on any human being. More than
anyone you are made rich by God dwelling in you" (Oratio II, 25 in SS. Deiparæ
Annuntiationem: PG 87, 3, 3248 AB). And St. Bede the Venerable explains: "Mary
is blessed among women because with her virginity she enjoyed the grace of being
the mother of a son who is God" (Hom I, 3: CCL 122, 16).
Upon us too is bestowed the "fullness of grace" that we must make shine in our
life, because "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," St. Paul writes, "has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing ... and has chosen us before the
creation of the world to be holy and immaculate ... predestining us to be his
adopted sons" (Ephesians 1:3-5). We receive this filiation through the Church on
the day of baptism. In this regard St. Hildegard writes: "The Church is,
therefore, the virgin mother of all Christians. By the secret power of the Holy
Spirit she conceives them and gives them birth, offering them to God is such a
way that they are also called sons of God" (Scivias, visio III, 12: CCL
Continuatio Mediævalis XLIII, 1978, 142). And, finally, among the many who have
sung of the spiritual beauty of the Mother of God, there stands out St. Bernard
of Clairvaux, who says that the invocation "Hail, Mary, full of grace" is
"pleasing to God, the angels and men. To men because of her maternity, to Angels
because of her virginity and to God because of her humility" (Sermo XLVII, De
Annuntiatione Dominica: SBO VI, 1, Roma 1970, 266).
Dear friends, in anticipation of the customary homage that we will pay to Mary
in the Piazza di Spagna this afternoon, we offer our fervent prayer to her who
intercedes with God that she might help us to celebrate with faith the Birth of
the Lord, which is now drawing near.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father spoke to the faithful in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear friends!
I offer a special greeting to the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate,
recalling with devotion and affection the mourned Cardinal Andrzej Maria Deskur,
who led it for so many years. May the Virgin assist you always, dear friends, in
each of your activities.
[In English he said:]
I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking visitors on this great feast-day
when we honor the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In her
sinless perfection, Mary is a great sign of hope for the Church and for the
world, a sign of the marvels that God's grace can accomplish in us, his human
creatures. In these days of Advent, in company with the holy and immaculate
Mother of God, let us prepare to welcome her Son into our lives and into our
hearts. May God bestow his blessings of joy and peace upon all of you, and upon
your families and loved ones at home.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish for all of you the best spiritual fruits on this feast of the Virgin
Mary, of our Mother. Thank you. Happy feast day to all of you!
---------------------------------------------------------------
On Preparing for Christmas
"We Must Let Ourselves Be Illumined by the Ray of Light That Comes From
Bethlehem"
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday marks the second stage of Advent. This period of the liturgical year
highlights two figures who had a pre-eminent role in the preparation of Jesus
Christ’s entering into history: the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist.
Today’s text from the Gospel of Mark focuses precisely on the latter. In fact it
describes the personality and mission of the Precursor of Christ (cf. Mark
1:2-8). Beginning with externals, John is presented as a very ascetic figure: he
is clothed in camel skins, he eats locusts and wild honey and he lives in the
wilderness of Judea (cf. Mark 1:6). Jesus himself, once contrasted him with
those “who live in the palaces of kings” and “wear soft garments” (Matthew
11:8). John the Baptist’s style should recall all Christians to choose a sober
lifestyle, especially in preparation for the feast of Christmas in which the
Lord -- as St. Paul says -- “although he was rich, became poor for your sake,
that you might become rich through his poverty” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
In regard to John’s mission, it was an extraordinary call to conversion: his
baptism “is connected to an ardent call to a new way of thinking and acting, but
above all with the proclamation of God’s judgment” (“Jesus of Nazareth,”
Ignatius Press, 2008, p. 14) and of the imminent appearance of the Messiah,
defined as “he who is greater than me” and who “will baptize in the Holy Spirit”
(Mark 1:7, 8). John’s message thus goes further and deeper than a sober way of
life: it calls us to interior change, beginning with the acknowledgement and
confession of our sin. As we prepare ourselves for Christmas, it is important
that we look within ourselves and we sincerely reflect on our life. We must let
ourselves be illumined by the ray of light that comes from Bethlehem, the light
of him who is “the greater one” and made himself small, the “strongest one” and
made himself weak.
All four of the evangelists describe the preaching of John the Baptist making
reference to a passage of the prophet Isaiah: “A voice cries out: in the
wilderness prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wasteland a highway
for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). Mark also inserts a citation from another prophet,
Malachi, which says: “Behold, I send my messenger before you: he will prepare
your way” (Mark 1:2; cf. Malachi 3:1). These references to the scriptures of the
Old Testament “speak of a saving intervention of God, who emerges from his
hiddenness to judge and save; it is for this God that the door is to be opened
and the way made ready” (“Jesus of Nazareth,” p. 15).
To the maternal intercession of Mary, the Virgin of expectation, let us entrust
our path toward the Lord, while we continue our Advent itinerary of making our
heart and our life ready for the coming of Emmanuel, God-with-us.
[Following the recitation of the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the faithful
in various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters!
In the upcoming days in Geneva and in other cities the 50th anniversary of the
institution of the International Organization for Migration, the 60th
anniversary of the convention on the status of refugees and the 50th anniversary
of the convention on the reduction of cases of statelessness will be marked. I
entrust to the Lord those who must -- and often are forced -- to leave their own
country or are deprived of citizenship. While I encourage solidarity with them,
I pray for all those who expend themselves to protect and assist these brothers
in these emergency situations, even exposing themselves to great toil and
danger.
[In English he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s
Angelus. Today we mark the second Sunday of Advent by a Gospel passage where
John the Baptist calls us to conversion. May we heed his call to repentance and
ask the Lord to forgive us our sins, so that Emmanuel, God-with-us, may find us
ready when he comes. Upon each of you and your loved ones at home, I invoke
God’s abundant blessings.
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
A wish everyone a good Sunday. Have a good Sunday and a good week! Thank you!
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On the Master of the World
"Hearts Are Reawakened to the Expectation of Christ's Return"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 28, 2011 Here is a L'Osservatore Romano translation of
Benedict XVI's address Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with
crowds in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today the whole Church begins a new liturgical year: a journey of faith to be
lived together within Christian communities, but also, as always, within the
history of the world, to open it to the mystery of God, to the salvation that
comes from his love. The liturgical year begins with the period of Advent: a
wonderful time in which people's hearts are reawakened to the expectation of
Christ's return and to the memory of His first coming, when He divested Himself
of His divine glory to assume our mortal flesh.
"Stay awake!" This is Jesus' call in today's Gospel. He directs it not only to
his disciples, but to everyone: "Stay awake! (Mt, Mk 13:37). It is a timely
reminder that life has not only an earthly dimension, but is projected,
"beyond," like a small seedling whose shoots open from the earth towards heaven.
A small thinking seedling, man, gifted with freedom and responsibility, for
which each one of us will be called to render account of how he has lived, how
he has used his abilities: if he has kept them for himself or he has made them
bear fruit for the good of others.
"Isaiah, the prophet of Advent, also makes us think today with his heartfelt
prayer addressed to God in the name of his people. He dwells on the shortcomings
of his people and at a certain point says: 'There is no one who calls on your
name, or attempts to take hold of you; you have hidden your face from us, and
have delivered us into the hands of iniquity'. How can we not be struck by this
description? It seems to reflect certain aspects of the post-modern world:
cities where life has become anonymous and horizontal, where God seems to be
absent and only man is master, as if he were the universal architect. Building,
work, economy, transport, science, technology, everything seems to depend only
upon man. And at times, in this apparently perfect world, terrible things
happen, either in nature or society, which make us think that God has withdrawn
and has, so to say, left us to our own devices.
"In reality, the real 'master' of the world is not man but God. The Gospel says:
'stay awake for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the
evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you
asleep when he comes suddenly'. Advent comes every year to remind us of this
fact, that our lives might find their just orientation towards the face of God.
The face not of a 'master', but of a Father and a Friend".
With the Virgin Mary, who guides us on our Advent journey, let us make the words
of the prophet our own. "Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you our
potter: we are all the work of your hands." (Is 64:7)
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On the Talents Entrusted Us by God
"It Would be Foolish to Presume That These Gifts Are an Entitlement"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 14, 2011 - Here is the L'Osservatore Romano translation of
the address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday
Angelus.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The word of God of this Sunday -- the second to last Sunday of the liturgical
year -- warns us of the transience of our earthly existence and invites us to
live it as a pilgrimage, keeping our gaze fixed on the destination for which God
has created us. Moreover, since he made us for himself (cf. St Augustine,
Confessions 1, 1), he is our ultimate destination and the meaning of our
existence.
Death, followed by the Last Judgement, is an obligatory gate to pass through in
order to reach this definitive place. The Apostle Paul says: "the day of the
Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2), that is,
stealthily without warning. May knowledge of the glorious return of the Lord
Jesus spur us to live in an attitude of watchfulness, waiting for his
manifestation and in constant remembrance of his first coming.
In the well known Parable of the Talents -- recounted by the Evangelist Matthew
(cf. 25: 14-30) -- Jesus tells the story of three servants to whom their master
entrusted his property, before setting out on a long journey. Two of them
behaved impeccably, doubling the value of what they had received. On the
contrary, the third, buried the money he had received in a hole. On his return,
the master asked his servants to account for what he had entrusted to them and
while he was pleased with the first two he was disappointed with the third.
Indeed, the servant who had hidden his talent and failed to make it increase in
worth, had calculated badly. He behaved as if his master were never to return,
as if there would never be a day on which he would be asked to account for his
actions. With this parable Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to make good use
of their gifts: God calls every person and offers talents to all, at the same
time entrusting each one with a mission to carry out. It would be foolish to
presume that these gifts are an entitlement, just as failing to use them would
mean failing to achieve one's purpose in life.
In commenting on this Gospel passage St. Gregory the Great noted that the Lord
does not let anyone lack the gift of his charity, of his love. He wrote:
"brothers, it is necessary that you pay the utmost attention to preserving love
in everything you must do" (Homilies on the Gospel, 9, 6). After explaining that
true charity consists in loving enemies as well as friends, he added: "if
someone lacks this virtue, he loses every good he possesses, he is deprived of
the talent he received and is cast out into the darkness" (ibid.).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation to be watchful, of which
we are constantly reminded by the Scriptures! This is the attitude of those who
know that the Lord will return and that he will like to see the fruits of his
love in us. Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to
fruition and without which every other good is worthless. If Jesus loved us to
the point of giving his life for us (cf. 1 Jn 3:16), how can we not love God
with the whole of ourselves and love one another with real warmth? (cf. 1 Jn
4:11). It is only by practicing charity that we too will be able to share in the
joy of our Lord. May the Virgin Mary teach us active and joyful watchfulness on
our journey toward the encounter with God.
[After the Angelus the Pope greeted the faithful in various languages:]
Today is the World Day of Diabetes, a chronic disease that afflicts many, even
young people. I pray for all these brothers and sisters and for all who, every
day, share in their daily trials; as well as for health care workers and for the
volunteers who help them.
Today the Church in Italy is celebrating Thanksgiving Day. In looking at the
fruits of the earth which the Lord has given to us this year too, let us
acknowledge that human work would be fruitless if he did not make it fertile.
"Only with God is their a future in the land." While we give thanks, let us
engage to respect the earth that God has entrusted to our keeping.
Dear French-speaking pilgrims, today the Lord asks us to recognize the gifts he
has made for us. He entrusts to each one the responsibility for making them
fruitful, so that he or she may be the salt of the earth and the light of the
world. These words of Christ guided the Second Special Assembly for Africa of
the Synod of Bishops. I hope to impart them to all when I go to Benin to
strengthen the faith and hope of the Christians of Africa and of the adjacent
Islands. I entrust to your prayers this journey and the inhabitants of the
beloved continent of Africa, especially those who are experiencing the lack of
security and violence. May Our Lady of Africa accompany and sustain the efforts
of all who are working for reconciliation, justice and peace with my blessing!
[In English, he said:]
I welcome the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer,
especially the large group of Filipino pilgrims! In today's Gospel, the parable
of the talents, Jesus invites us to reflect with gratitude on the gifts we have
received and to use them wisely for the growth of God's Kingdom. May his words
summon us to an ever deeper conversion of mind and heart, and a more effective
solidarity in the service of all our brothers and sisters. Upon you and your
families I invoke the Lord's blessings of wisdom, joy and peace!
[To the German-speaking faithful the Holy Father spoke of the beatification that
afternoon at Dornbirn, Austria, of the priest-martyr, Carl Lampert, who was
guillotined in hatred of the faith on Nov. 13, 1944.]
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On Hope in Life
"If We Remove God, We Remove Christ and the World Falls Back Into Emptiness and
Darkness"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2011 - Here is a L'Osservatore Romano translation of the
address Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus
with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The biblical readings of this Sunday's liturgy invite us to extend the
reflection on eternal life that we began on the occasion of the commemoration of
the faithful departed. On this point there is a clear difference between those
who believe and those who do not believe or, one might likewise say, between
those who hope and those who do not hope.
Indeed St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: "But we would not have you ignorant,
brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do
who have no hope" (1 Thes 4:13). Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ in this sphere too is a crucial divide. St. Paul always reminded the
Christians of Ephesus that before accepting the Good News they had been
"separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world"
(Ephesians 2:12). Indeed the religion of the Greeks, the pagan cults and myths,
were unable to shed light on the mystery of death; thus an ancient inscription
said: "In nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidmus," which means: "How quickly we fall
back from nothing to nothing." If we remove God, we remove Christ and the world
falls back into emptiness and darkness. Moreover, this is also confirmed in the
expressions of contemporary nihilism that is often unconscious and,
unfortunately, infects a great many young people.
Today's Gospel is a famous parable that speaks of 10 maidens invited to a
wedding feast, a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven and of eternal life (Mt
25:1-13). It is a happy image with which, however, Jesus teaches a truth that
calls us into question. In fact five of those 10 maidens were admitted to the
feast because when the bridegroom arrived they had brought the oil to light
their lamps, whereas the other five were left outside because they had been
foolish enough not to bring any. What is represented by this "oil," an
indispensable prerequisite for being admitted to the nuptial banquet?
St. Augustine (cf. Discourses 93, 4), and other ancient authors interpreted it
as a symbol of love that one cannot purchase but receives as a gift, preserves
within oneself and uses in works. True wisdom is making the most of mortal life
in order to do works of mercy, for after death this will no longer be possible.
When we are reawakened for the Last Judgement, it will be made on the basis of
the love we have shown in our earthly life (cf. Mt 25:31-46). And this love is a
gift of Christ, poured out in us by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in
God-Love bear within them invincible hope, like a lamp to light them on their
way through the night beyond death to arrive at the great feast of life.
Let us ask Mary, Sedes Sapientiae, to teach us true wisdom, the wisdom that
became flesh in Jesus. He is the Way that leads from this life to God, to the
Eternal One. He enabled us to know the Father's face, and thus gave us hope full
of love. This is why the Church addresses the Mother of the Lord with these
words: "Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra" [our life, our sweetness and our hope].
Let us learn from her to live and die in the hope that never disappoints.
[After the Angelus the Pope said:]
I am following with concern the tragic episodes that have occurred in Nigeria in
the past few days and, as I pray for the victims, I ask people to put an end to
all violence, which does not solve problems but increases them, sowing hatred
and division also among believers.
[He said in English:]
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
this Angelus. In today's Gospel Jesus invites us to be prepared, like the wise
maidens, for the definitive encounter with him who will come to complete his
work of salvation at the end of time. May the light of faith always guide us and
may the gift of Christian love grow strong in our hearts and in our deeds as we
journey to the eternal wedding feast. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome,
and a blessed Sunday!
[He added in Italian:]
Lastly I address a cordial greeting to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially
to the group from Veruno with the Mayor and other administrators, as well as the
faithful from Rieti and from Piedmonte di Barano d'Ischia. Our thoughts today
cannot but turn to the city of Genoa, harshly affected by floods. I offer the
assurance of my prayers to the victims, their relatives and all who have
suffered serious damage. May the Madonna della Guardia sustain the beloved
Genoese people in their solidarity and commitment to overcoming this trial. Dear
pilgrims, I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week. A good Sunday to you
all!
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On All Saints Day
"We Are All Going to Another Life"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 3, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Tuesday, the feast of All Saints, before and after praying the midday
Angelus with those who had gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Solemnity of All Saints is a propitious occasion to lift our gaze from
earthly realities marked by time, to the dimension of God, the dimension of
eternity and of sanctity. The liturgy reminds us today that sanctity is the
original vocation of every baptized person (cf. Lumen Gentium, 40). Christ, in
fact, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is the only Holy One (cf.
Revelation 15:4) loved the Church as his Bride and gave himself for her, in
order to sanctify her (cf. Ephesians 5:25-26). Because of this, all the members
of the People of God are called to become saints, in keeping with the Apostle
Paul's affirmation: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1
Thessalonians 4:3). We are invited to consider the Church not only in her
temporal and human aspect, marked by fragility, but as Christ wished her to be,
that is "the communion of saints" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 946). In
the Creed we profess that the Church is "holy," holy because she is the Body of
Christ, she is the instrument of participation in the Holy Mysteries -- in the
first place the Eucharist -- and the family of the saints, to whose protection
we are entrusted on the day of our baptism.
Today we venerate this innumerable community of All the Saints, who, through
their diverse life journeys, point out to us different ways of sanctity,
gathered under a common denominator: to follow Christ and to conform ourselves
in Him up to the last of our human affairs. All the states of life, in fact, can
become, with the action of grace and with commitment and perseverance, ways of
sanctification.
The commemoration of the deceased faithful, to which tomorrow, Nov. 2, will be
dedicated, helps us to remember our dear ones who have left us, and all souls on
the way to the fullness of life, on the horizon of the heavenly Church, to which
today's Solemnity has elevated us. From the earliest times of the Christian
faith, the earthly Church, acknowledging the communion of the whole Mystical
Body of Jesus Christ, has cultivated with great piety the memory of the deceased
and has offered prayers for them. Our prayer for the dead is, therefore, not
only useful but also necessary, given that it not only can help them, but that
at the same time it makes effective their intercession in our favor (cf.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 958). Also the visit to cemeteries, while
protecting the bonds of affection with those who have loved us in our life,
reminds us that we are all going to another life, beyond death. May tears due to
the earthly distancing not prevail over the certainty of the resurrection, over
the hope of attaining the blessedness of eternity, "the supreme moment of
satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality" (Spe Salvi,
12). The object of our hope is the enjoyment of the presence of God in eternity.
Jesus promised it to his disciples, saying: "but I will see you again and your
hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22).
We entrust to the Virgin Mary, Queen of All Saints, our pilgrimage to our
heavenly homeland, while we invoke her intercession for our deceased brothers
and sisters.
[After the Angelus, the Pope greeted the people in several languages. In
English, he said:]
I am pleased to wish all of you a happy All Saints Day! This wonderful feast,
along with tomorrow’s commemoration of the faithful departed, speaks to us of
the beauty of our faith and of the joy that awaits us in heaven with our loved
ones who have fallen asleep in Christ. Let us therefore pray earnestly that we
may all be joyfully united one day in the Father’s house. God bless you all!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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On Practicing Our Preaching
Christ "Expresses the Truth of His Teaching Through Fidelity to the Father's
Will"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 2, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave last Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered
in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
In this Sunday's liturgy the Apostle Paul invites us to approach the Gospel "not
as the word of men, but as it truly is, the Word of God" (1 Titus 2:13). This is
how we can welcome Jesus' admonishments to our consciences in order to change
our conduct and conform to them. In today's [Gospel] passage he upbraids the
scribes and Pharisees, who had the role of teachers in their community, because
their conduct was openly contrary to the teaching that they insistently proposed
to others. Jesus points out that they "say but do not do" (Matthew 23:3);
rather, "they tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's
shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4). The
sound teaching should be accepted but it risks being betrayed by an inconsistent
way of life. For this reason Jesus says: "do and observe all things whatsoever
they tell you, but do not follow their example" (Matthew 23:3). Jesus' attitude
is exactly the opposite: He first practices the commandment of love, which he
teaches everyone, and he can say that it is a burden that is light and easy
since he helps us to bear it together with him (cf. Matthew 11:29-30).
Thinking of teachers who oppress others' freedom in the name of their own
authority, St. Bonaventure indicates who the true Teacher is: "No one can teach
or do or attain the truths that can be known unless the Son of God is present" (Sermo
I de Tempore, Dom. XXII post Pentecosten, Opera omnia, IX, Quaracchi, 1901,
442). Jesus sits on the "cathedra" as "the greater Moses, who broadens the
Covenant to include all nations" ("Jesus of Nazareth," Ignatius Press, 2007,
66). He is our true and only Master! We are thus called to follow the Son of
God, the Incarnate Word, who expresses the truth of his teaching through
fidelity to the Father's will, through the gift of himself. Blessed Antonio
Rosmini writes; "The first teacher forms all the other teachers, as he also
forms all of the disciples themselves because [both] exist only on account of
that first tacit but powerful teaching" ("Idea della Sapienza," 82, in: "Introduzione
alla filosofia," vol. II, Roma 1934, 143). Jesus also roundly condemns vainglory
and observes that acting "to be admired by people" (Matthew 23:5) puts one at
the mercy of human approval, threatening the values that constitute personal
authenticity.
Dear friends, the Lord Jesus presented himself to the world as a servant,
completely stripping himself, and lowered himself to the point of giving the
most eloquent lesson of humility and love on the cross. From his example there
flows the proposal of life: "Whoever wishes to be greatest among you will be
your servant" (Matthew 23:11). Let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy
and pray, in particular, for those in the Christian community who are called to
the service of teaching that they may always witness by deeds the truths that
they transmit with words.
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On the Newly Canonized
"Let Us Measure Our Actions Every Day by His Call to Love"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 24, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave on Sunday before praying the midday Angelus with crowds in St. Peter's
Square. He had just finished celebrating Mass for the canonization of three
saints.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before concluding this solemn celebration, I would like to cordially greet
everyone.
[In Italian, he said:]
I turn first to pilgrims who have come to pay homage to St. Guido Maria Conforti
and St. Luigi Guanella, with a thought of special affection and encouragement
for members of the Institutes founded by them: the Xavieran Missionaries, the
Daughters of Our Lady of Providence and the Servants of Charity. I greet the
bishops and civil authorities and thank each of them for their presence. Once
again, Italy has offered the Church and the world brilliant testimonies of the
Gospel; let us give glory to God and let us pray that in this nation the faith
may never cease to renew itself and bear good fruit.
[Translation by L'Osservatore Romano]
[In Spanish, he said:]
I very cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims who have come to Rome to
participate in the joyful celebration of the proclamation of these new saints.
Together with the archbishops and bishops who accompany you, the official
delegations and those devoted to those canonized today, following them in
spirit, I particularly greet the Servants of St. Joseph, who have the great joy
of seeing the holiness of their founder recognized for the universal Church. May
the example and intercession of these personalities honored in the Church
motivate everyone to renew their commitment to live their faith in Christ with
their whole heart, and give witness in the diverse spheres of society. Thank you
very much.
[In English, he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking
visitors and pilgrims present, especially those here for today’s canonizations.
In this Sunday's Gospel passage, Jesus urges us to love God above all things and
to love our neighbour as ourselves. Let us measure our actions every day by his
call to love, and live it with courage and joy. May almighty God bless all of
you!
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On the Year of
Faith
"It Would Be Opportune to Remember the Beauty and the Centrality of the Faith"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 17, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday and today there was an important event here at the Vatican regarding
the new evangelization, an event that concluded this morning with a Eucharistic
celebration over which I presided in St. Peter's Basilica. The initiative,
organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, had the
main objective of going deeper into the issues surrounding a renewed
proclamation of the Gospel in nations with an ancient Christian tradition, and
at the same time, it presented various testimonies and significant experiences.
Numerous people from around the world have responded to this invitation, people
committed to this mission, which Blessed John Paul II already clearly indicated
to the Church as an urgent and gripping challenge.
[John Paul II] -- in the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council, and those of
Paul VI, the one who put the council's implementation into motion -- was, in
fact, a tireless defender of the mission ad gentes, that is, to the peoples and
territories where the Gospel has not yet put down roots, as well as a herald of
the new evangelization.
These are aspects of the one mission of the Church, and it is therefore
meaningful to consider them together in this month of October, marked by the
celebration of World Mission Day, precisely next Sunday.
Just as I did a few minutes ago in the homily of the Mass, I happily take
advantage of this opportunity to announce that I have decided to convoke a
special "Year of Faith," which will begin Oct. 11, 2012 -- the 50th anniversary
of the opening of the Second Vatican Council -- and will conclude Nov. 24, 2013,
Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe.
I have explained the motives, goals and guidelines of this year in an apostolic
letter that will be published soon. The Servant of God Paul VI convoked a
similar "Year of Faith" in 1967, on the occasion of the 19th centenary of the
martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul, during a period of great cultural
changes. I believe that, now that a half century has passed since the opening of
the Council, and linked to the happy memory of Blessed John XXIII, it would be
opportune to remember the beauty and the centrality of the faith, the need to
strengthen and deepen it, both at the personal and the community level, and to
do this in a perspective that is not so much celebratory, but rather, missionary
-- precisely in the perspective of the mission ad gentes and the new
evangelization.
Dear friends, in the liturgy of this Sunday, we read what St. Paul wrote to the
Thessalonians: "For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in
power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction." May this word from the
Apostle of the Gentiles be the promise and the program for the missionaries of
today -- priests, religious and laity -- committed to proclaim Christ to those
who do not know him, or those who have reduced him to a mere historical figure.
May the Virgin Mary help each Christian to be an effective witness of the
Gospel.
[After praying the Angelus, the Pope greeted the crowds in several languages. In
English, he said:]
I extend heartfelt greetings to the English-speaking visitors here today. Jesus
reminds us in today’s Gospel that over and above our duties to one another and
to the civil authorities, we have obligations to Almighty God. We pray for the
wisdom always to recognize where our duty lies, and in all things to give due
praise and honour to our Creator and Redeemer. May God bless all of you!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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On Calabria, the Land of Marian Piety
"Have Always in Your Heart Ecclesial Communion and Missionary Commitment"
LAMEZIA TERME, Italy, OCT. 9, 2011- Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus after
celebrating Mass in an industrial site in Lamezia Terme, during his pastoral
visit to the Italian city.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we come to the end of our celebration, we turn with filial devotion to the
Virgin Mary, whom this month of October we venerate in particular with the title
Queen of the Holy Rosary.
I know that there are many Marian shrines present in this land of yours, and I
am happy to learn that here in Calabria popular piety is alive. I encourage you
to practice it constantly in the light of the teachings of Vatican Council II,
of the Apostolic See, and of your pastors. I entrust your diocesan community
affectionately to Mary, so that it will be united in faith, hope and charity.
May the Mother of the Church help you to have always in your heart ecclesial
communion and missionary commitment. May she support the priests in their
ministry, help parents and teachers in their educational task, console the sick
and the suffering, preserve in young people a pure and generous soul.
Let us also invoke Mary's intercession for the most serious social problems of
this territory and of the whole of Calabria, especially those of work, of youth,
of the care of handicapped people, who require increasing attention on the part
of everyone, in particular of the institutions.
In communion with your bishops, I exhort you in particular, lay faithful, not to
hold back the contribution of your competence and responsibility in the building
of the common good.
As you know, this afternoon I will go to Serra San Bruno to visit the Carthusian
Order. St. Bruno came to this land nine centuries ago, and he left a profound
sign, with the strength of his faith. The faith of the saints renews the world!
With the same faith, you too renew today your beloved Calabria!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Lord's Work in History
"God Gives Himself Into Our Hands"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday's Gospel closes with Jesus' warning addressed to the chief priests
and elders of the people that is particularly severe: "The Kingdom of God will
be taken away from you and given to a people that will bear its fruits" (Matthew
21:43). These are words that make us think of the great responsibility of those
who, in every age, are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord, especially
with the role of authority; they move us to complete fidelity to Christ. He is
the "stone that the builders rejected" (cf. Matthew 21:42), because they judged
him an enemy of the law and a threat to public order; but he himself, rejected
and crucified, is risen, becoming the "cornerstone" upon which every human
existence and the entire world can rest with absolute security.
The parable of the unfaithful tenants, to whom a man gave his vineyard to be
cultivated to bear fruit, speaks of this truth. The owner of the vineyard
represents God himself, while the vineyard symbolizes God's people as well as
the life that he has bestowed upon us to do good through our commitment and his
grace. St. Augustine says that "God cultivates us like a field to make us
better" (Sermo 87, 1, 2: PL 38, 531). God has a project for his friends but
unfortunately man's answer is often oriented to infidelity, which translates
into rejection. Pride and egoism impede the recognition and acceptance even of
God's most precious gift: his only begotten Son. When, in fact, "he sent them
his son," writes the Evangelist Matthew, "they seized him, threw him out of the
vineyard, and killed him" (Matthew 21:37, 39). God gives himself into our hands,
he allows himself to be an unfathomable mystery of weakness and manifests his
omnipotence in fidelity to a plan of love that, in the end, foresees also
punishment for the wicked (cf. Matthew 21:41).
Solidly anchored in faith in the cornerstone that is Christ, we remain in him as
a branch that cannot bear fruit on its own if it does not remain in the vine.
Only in him, through him and with him is the Church, the people of the New
Covenant, built up. In this connection the Servant of God Pope Paul VI wrote:
"The first benefit which we trust the Church will reap from a deepened
self-awareness, is a renewed discovery of its vital bond of union with Christ.
This is something which is perfectly well known, but it is supremely important
and absolutely essential. It can never be sufficiently understood, meditated
upon and preached" ("Ecclesiam Suam," August 6, 1964: AAS 56 [1964], 622).
Dear friends, the Lord is always near and working in human history, and he also
accompanies us with the unique presence of his angels, whom the Church venerates
today as "guardians," that is, ministers of the divine care for every man. From
the beginning until the hour of death, human life is surrounded by their
unceasing protection. And the angels are the crown of the august Queen of
Victories, the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary, who in the first Sunday of
October, precisely at this hour, receives the fervid plea, from the sanctuary in
Pompeii and from the whole world, that evil be defeated and the goodness of God
be revealed in its fullness.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, this afternoon, in Ivrea, Italy, Sister Antonia Maria
Verna, foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate
Conception of Ivrea, will be proclaimed blessed. The rite will be celebrated by
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my secretary of state. We thank God for the luminous
figure of this newly beatified woman, who lived between the 18th and 19th
centuries, a model for women who lead the consecrated life and those who are
teachers.
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On a New Sense of Life and Existence
"The Good News ... Is Destined to Reach All People and Nations"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 18, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered
at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
In today's liturgy we have the beginning of St. Paul's Letter to the
Philippians, that is, to the members of the community that the Apostle himself
established at Philippi, an important Roman colony in Macedonia, present day
northern Greece. Paul arrived in Philippi during his second missionary journey,
sailing from the coast of Anatolia and crossing the Aegean Sea. That was the
Gospel's first entrance into Europe. We are near the year 50, so about 20 years
after the death and resurrection of Jesus. And yet, in the Letter to the
Philippians there is a hymn to Christ that already presents a complete synthesis
of his mystery: incarnation, "kenosis," that is, humiliation unto death on the
cross, and glorification.
This mystery itself became one with the life of the Apostle Paul, who wrote this
letter while he was in prison, awaiting a sentence of life or death. He writes:
"For me to live is Christ and die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). It is a new sense
of life, of human existence, that consists in living communion with the living
Jesus Christ; not only with a historical person, a master of wisdom, a religious
leader, but with a man in whom God dwells personally. His death and resurrection
are the Good News that, starting from Jerusalem, is destined to reach all people
and nations, and to transform all cultures from within, opening them to the
fundamental truth: God is love; he became man in Jesus and with his sacrifice he
ransomed humanity from slavery to evil, giving it a trustworthy hope.
St. Paul was a man who brought together three worlds: the Jewish world and the
Greek and Roman worlds. It is not by chance that God entrusted to him the
mission of bringing the Gospel from Asia Minor to Greece and to Rome, building a
bridge that would take Christianity to the very ends of the earth. Today we live
in an epoch of new evangelization. Vast horizons open up to the Gospel, while
regions of ancient Christian tradition are called to rediscover the beauty of
the faith. The protagonists of this mission are the men and women who, like St.
Paul, can say: "For me to live is Christ " -- persons, families, communities,
who decide to work in the vineyard of the Lord, according to the image of this
Sunday's Gospel (cf. Matthew 20:1-16). Humble and generous workers, who do not
ask any other recompense than participating in the mission of Jesus and the
Church. "If living in the body," St. Paul continues, "means working and bearing
fruit, I do not know which to choose" (Philippians 1:22): full union with Christ
beyond death or service to his mystical body on earth.
Dear friends, the Gospel has transformed the world, and it is still transforming
it, like a river that waters a great field. Let us turn in prayer to the Virgin
Mary that in the whole Church priestly, religious and lay vocations ripen in
service to the new evangelization.
[After the Angelus the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in several languages. In
Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday in Turin, Monsignor Francesco Paleari of
the Society of Priests of St. Joseph of Cottolegno was proclaimed Blessed. He
was born in Pogliano Milanese in 1863 into a humble peasant family, he entered
the seminary at a young age and, immediately after ordination, he dedicated
himself to the poor and the sick in the Little House of Providence (Piccola Casa
della Divina Provvidenza), but also to teaching, distinguishing himself for his
affability and patience. Let us give thanks to God for this luminous witness of
his love!
[In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
this "Angelus" prayer, including those from the Acton Institute and the Diocese
of Allentown, Pennsylvania. In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear Jesus compare the
Kingdom of Heaven to the actions of a landowner who is generous to all the
workers in his vineyard. Perhaps at times we may feel envious of the success of
others or feel that we have not been sufficiently thanked for our service. May
we always strive to be humble servants of the Lord and rejoice when God bestows
abundant graces on those around us. I wish you a good Sunday. May God bless all
of you!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday!
---------------------------------------------
On the Virgin's "Fiat"
The Risen Christ Is the "Source of Hope and Comfort for Daily Life"
ANCONA, Italy, SEPT. 11, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict
XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus. The Holy Father had just
finished celebrating Mass during his visit to conclude the 25th Italian National
Eucharistic Congress in Ancona.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before ending this solemn Eucharistic celebration, the Angelus prayer invites us
to mirror ourselves in Mary Most Holy to contemplate the abyss of love from
which the Sacrament of the Eucharist comes. Thanks to the Virgin's "fiat," the
Word became flesh and came to dwell among us. Meditating on the mystery of the
Incarnation, we all turn with our minds and hearts to the Shrine of the Holy
House of Loreto, only a few kilometers from here. The Marche region is illumined
by the spiritual presence of Mary in her historic shrine, which makes these
hills still more beautiful and enjoyable! To her I entrust at this time the city
of Ancona, the diocese, the Marche and the whole of Italy, so that faith in the
Eucharistic mystery will always be alive in the Italian people, who in every
city and in every country, from the Alps to Sicily, render present the Risen
Christ, source of hope and comfort for daily life, especially in difficult
moments.
Today our thought goes to Sept. 11 ten years ago. In remembering to the Lord of
Life the victims of the attacks carried out that day and their families, I
invite the leaders of nations and men of good will to always reject violence as
a solution to problems, to resist the temptation to hatred and to act in
society, inspired by the principles of solidarity, justice and peace.
Finally, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy I pray that the Lord will
recompense all those who worked for the preparation and organization of this
National Eucharistic Congress, and to them I express my most heartfelt
gratitude!
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On Fraternal Correction
"There Is a Co-responsibility in the Journey of the
Christian Life"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 4, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus with crowds that
gathered at Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The biblical readings for the Mass this Sunday center on the theme of fraternal
charity in the community of believers, which has its source in the communion of
the Trinity. The apostle Paul affirms that the whole Law of God has its fullness
in love in such a way that in our relationships with others, the 10 Commandments
and every precept are summed up thus: "You will love your neighbor as yourself"
(cf. Romans 13:8-10). The Gospel text, taken from Matthew 18, which treats of
the life of the Christian community, tells us that brotherly love also includes
reciprocal responsibility, on account of which, if my brother sins against me, I
must be charitable to him and, first of all, speak with him personally, showing
him that that what he said or did is not good. This way of behaving is called
fraternal correction: it is not a reaction to the offense I have suffered but a
being moved by love for my brother. St. Augustine comments: "He who has offended
you, in offending you, he has caused himself a grave injury, and will you not
care for the wound of your brother? […] You must forget that you have been
offended but not your brother’s wound" (Sermon 82, 7).
And what if my brother does not listen to me? In today's Gospel, Jesus indicates
a gradual approach: first go back and talk to him with two or three other
persons so as to help him better grasp what he has done; if despite this he
rejects the observation, the community must be told; and if he does not listen
to the community either, it is necessary to make him see the rupture that he
himself has provoked, separating himself from the Church. All of this shows that
there is a co-responsibility in the journey of the Christian life: everyone,
conscious of his own limits and defects, is called to welcome fraternal
correction and to help others with this particular service.
Another fruit of charity in the community is unified prayer. Jesus says: "If two
of you on earth agree to ask for something, my Father who is in heaven will
grant it. Because wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in
their midst" (Matthew 18:19-20). Personal prayer is certainly important, indeed
indispensable, but the Lord assures his presence in the community that -- even
if it is very small -- is united and of one accord, because it reflects the
reality itself of God One-and-Three, perfect communion of love. Origen says that
"we must play in this symphony" (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 14:11),
that is, within this concord of the Christian community. We must participate
both in fraternal correction, which requires much humility and simplicity of
heart, and in prayer, that it might rise up to God from a community truly united
in Christ.
Let us plead for all of this through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Mother
of the Church, and of St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor, whom we
commemorated in yesterday’s liturgy.
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On Thinking Like God and Accepting the
Cross
"To Think According to the World Is to Put God Aside"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 28, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus with crowds that
gathered at Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In today's Gospel, Jesus explains to his disciples that he must "go to Jerusalem
and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised" (Matthew 16:21). Everything seems to be
turned upside down in the heart of the disciples! How is it possible that "the
Christ, the Son of the living God" (verse 16), can suffer to the point of death?
The Apostle Peter rebels, he does not accept this, so he spoke up and said to
the Master: "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you" (verse 22). What
appears evident is the difference between the loving design of the Father, which
goes so far as the gift of his only-begotten Son on the cross to save humanity,
and the expectations, the desires, the plans of the disciples.
And this discord occurs also today: when the fulfillment of one's life is
directed solely to social success, to physical and economic wellbeing, then one
no longer reasons according to God, but according to men (verse 23). To think
according to the world is to put God aside, not to accept his plan of love,
almost impeding the fulfillment of his wise will. Because of this, Jesus says
something particularly harsh to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a
hindrance to me" (ibid.).
The Lord shows that "the path of the disciples is to follow him, the Crucified.
In all three Gospels, however, he explains this following in the sign of the
cross ... as the way to 'lose oneself,' which is necessary for man and without
which it is not possible for him to find himself" (Gesù di Nazaret, Milan 2007,
333 [cf. Jesus of Nazareth, pg. 287]).
As with the disciples, Jesus also addresses the invitation to us. "If any man
would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me"
(Matthew 16:24). A Christian follows Christ when he accepts his cross with love,
which in the eyes of the world seems a defeat and a "loss of life" (cf. verses
25-26). But the Christian knows that he does not carry the cross alone but with
Jesus, sharing in his way of donation. The Servant of God Paul VI wrote: "In a
mysterious way, Christ Himself accepts death ... on the cross, in order to
eradicate from man's heart the sins of self-sufficiency and to manifest to the
Father a complete filial obedience" (Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete in Domino).
By willingly accepting the cross, Jesus carries the cross of all men and becomes
the source of salvation for the whole of humanity. St. Cyril of Alexandria
comments: "The victorious cross has illumined him who was blinded by ignorance,
has released him who was a prisoner of sin, has brought redemption to the whole
of humanity" (Catechesis Illuminandorum XIII, 1: de Christo crucifixo et sepulto:
PG 33, 772 B).
We entrust our prayer to the Virgin Mary and to St. Augustine, whose memorial is
today, so that each one of us will be able to follow the Lord on the way of the
cross and allow ourselves to be transformed by divine grace, renewing our way of
thinking, so that we "may prove what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
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On Nourishing Faith
"Our Heart Must Live the Experience of Conversion Every Day"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2011 Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Sunday before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
gathered at the pontifical summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The passage of this Sunday's Gospel begins with the indication of where Jesus
was going: Tyre and Sidon, in the northwest of Galilee, pagan land. And it is
here that he meets a Canaanite woman, who turns to him and asks him to heal her
daughter, tormented by a demon (cf. Matthew 15:22).
Now in this request we can perceive the beginning of the journey of faith that
grows and is reinforced in the dialogue with the divine Teacher. The woman is
not afraid to cry out to Jesus "Have mercy on me," an expression the recurs in
the Psalms (cf. 50:1). She calls him "Lord" and "Son of David" (cf. Matthew
15:22), thus manifesting firm hope of being heard. What is the Lord's attitude
in response to the pain of a pagan woman?
Jesus' silence might seem disconcerting, so much so that it arouses the
intervention of the disciples, but it is not a question of insensitivity to that
woman's pain. St. Augustine rightly comments: "Christ showed himself indifferent
to her, not to refuse mercy to her, but to inflame her desire" (Sermon 77, 1: P:
38, 483).
Jesus' seeming detachment, who says "I was sent only to the lost sheep of
Israel" (24), does not discourage the Canaanite woman, who insists: "Lord, help
me!" (25). And even when she receives an answer that seems to close all hope --
"It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs" (26) --
she does not desist. She does not want to take anything from anyone: in her
simplicity and humility she is content with little, she is satisfied with
crumbs, she is content with just a look, a good word from the Son of God. And
Jesus is in admiration of such a great response of faith and says to her: "Be it
done for you as you desire" (28).
Dear friends, we are also called to grow in faith, to open ourselves and to
receive freely the gift of God, and to trust and to also cry out to Jesus: give
us faith, help us to find the way!" It is the way that Jesus made his disciples,
the Canaanite woman and men of all times and nations follow, and each one of us.
Faith opens us to know and to accept Jesus' real identity, his novelty and
uniqueness, his Word, as source of life, to live a personal relationship with
him.
Knowledge of the faith grows, it grows with the desire to find the way, and it
is finally a gift of God, which is revealed to us not as something abstract
without a face and without a name, but faith responds to a Person, who wishes to
enter into a relationship of profound love with us and to involve our whole
life. That is why our heart must live the experience of conversion every day;
every day must see our passing from a man withdrawn into himself to a man open
to God's action, to a spiritual man (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:13-14), who allows
himself to be challenged by the Word of the Lord and opens his life to his Love.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us therefore nourish our faith every day, with
profound listening to the Word of God, with the celebration of the Sacraments,
with personal prayer as "cry" to Him and with charity for our neighbor. We
invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom tomorrow we will contemplate in
her glorious Assumption to heaven in soul and body, so that she will help us to
proclaim and to witness with our life the joy of having found the Lord.
-----------------------------------------------------------
On the Assumption
"Mary Was the 1st to Take Into Her Arms the Son of God ... Now She Is the 1st to
Be Next to Him"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 16, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Monday before and after praying the midday Angelus on the
feast of the Assumption.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
At the heart of the month of August, Christians of the East and West celebrate
jointly the Feast of the Assumption to Heaven of Mary Most Holy. In the Catholic
Church, the dogma of the Assumption -- as was noted -- was proclaimed during the
Holy Year of 1950 by my venerable predecessor the Servant of God Pope Pius XII.
This memorial, however, sinks its roots in the faith of the early centuries of
the Church.
In the East, the feast is still called today the "Dormition of the Virgin." In
an ancient mosaic of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, which is inspired
precisely in the Eastern icon of the"Dormition," the Apostles are pictured.
Alerted by the angels of the earthly end of the Mother of Jesus, they gather
around the Virgin's bed. At the center is Jesus who holds a little girl in his
arms: It is Mary, become "little" for the Kingdom, and led by the Lord to
Heaven.
In the passage of St. Luke's Gospel for today's liturgy, we read that "in those
days Mary rose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah"
(Luke 1:39). In those days Mary went in haste from Galilee to a small city near
Jerusalem, to go and meet her cousin Elizabeth. Today we contemplate her going
up to the mountain of God and entering into the heavenly Jerusalem, "clothed
with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars" (Revelation 12:1).
The biblical passage of Revelation, which we read in the liturgy of this
solemnity, speaks of a fight between the woman and the dragon, between good and
evil. St. John seems to propose to us the very first pages of the Book of
Genesis, which narrate the dark and dramatic event of Adam's and Eve's sin. Our
forefathers were defeated by the Evil One; in the fullness of time, Jesus, the
new Adam, and Mary, the new Eve, defeated the enemy definitively, and this is
the joy of this day! With Jesus' victory over evil, interior and physical death
was also defeated. Mary was the first to take into her arms the Son of God,
Jesus, who became a child; now she is the first to be next to him in the glory
of Heaven.
That which we celebrate today is a great mystery, and above all a mystery of
hope and of joy for all of us: In Mary we see the end toward which all those who
know how to link their lives to that of Jesus are journeying, those who know how
to follow him as Mary did. This feast, then, speaks of our future, it tells us
that we also will be next to Jesus in the joy of God and it invites us to have
courage, to believe that the power of the Resurrection of Christ can operate
also in us and make us men and women who every day seek to live as risen ones,
taking the light of goodness to the darkness of evil that is in the world.
------------------------------------------------------------------
On Storms and Tempests
"Bear Life's Adversities Courageously, Trusting in God"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 13, 2011 - Here is a Vatican translation of the
Italian-language address Benedict XVI delivered Aug. 7 before reciting the
midday Angelus together with those gathered at the Apostolic Palace of Castel
Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In this Sunday's Gospel we find Jesus who, after withdrawing to the mountain,
prays throughout the night. The Lord, having distanced himself from the people
and the disciples, manifests his communion with the Father and the need to pray
in solitude, far from the commotion of the world.
This distancing, however, must not be seen as a lack of interest in individuals
or trust in the Apostles. On the contrary, Matthew recounts, Jesus made the
disciples get into the boat, "and go before him to the other side" (Mt 14:22),
where he would see them again. In the meantime the boat "was many furlongs
distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them" (v.
24). And so in the fourth watch of the night [Jesus] came to them, walking on
the sea" (v. 25); the disciples were terrified, mistaking him for a ghost and
"cried out for fear" (v. 26). They did not recognize him, they did not realize
that it was the Lord.
Nonetheless Jesus reassured them: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear" (v. 27).
This is an episode from which the Fathers of the Church drew a great wealth of
meaning. The sea symbolizes this life and the instability of the visible world;
the storm points to every kind of trial or difficulty that oppresses human
beings. The boat, instead, represents the Church, built by Christ and steered by
the Apostles.
Jesus wanted to teach the disciples to bear life's adversities courageously,
trusting in God, in the One who revealed himself to the Prophet Elijah on Mount
Horeb "in a still small voice" [the whispering of a gentle breeze] (1 Kings
19:12).
The passage then continues with the action of the Apostle Peter, who, moved by
an impulse of love for the Teacher, asks him to bid him to come to him, walking
on the water. "But when he saw the wind [was strong], [Peter] was afraid, and
beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!'" (Mt 14:30).
St. Augustine, imagining that he was addressing the Apostle, commented: the Lord
"leaned down and took you by the hand. With your strength alone you cannot rise.
Hold tight to the hand of the One who reaches down to you" (En. in Ps. 95, 7: PL
36, 1233), and he did not say this to Peter alone but also to us.
Peter walks on the water, not by his own effort but rather through divine grace
in which he believes. And when he was smitten by doubt, when he no longer fixed
his gaze on Jesus but was frightened by the gale, when he failed to put full
trust in the Teacher's words, it means that he was interiorly distancing himself
from the Teacher and so risked sinking in the sea of life.
So it is also for us: if we look only at ourselves we become dependent on the
winds and can no longer pass through storms on the waters of life. The great
thinker Romano Guardini wrote that the Lord "is always close, being at the root
of our being. Yet we must experience our relationship with God between the poles
of distance and closeness. By closeness we are strengthened, by distance we are
put to the test" (Accettare se stessi, Brescia 1992, 71).
Dear friends, the experience of the Prophet Elijah who heard God passing and the
troubled faith of the Apostle Peter enable us to understand that even before we
seek the Lord or invoke him, it is he himself who comes to meet us, who lowers
Heaven to stretch out his hand to us and raise us to his heights; all he expects
of us is that we trust totally in him, that we really take hold of his hand.
Let us call on the Virgin Mary, model of total entrustment to God, so that
amidst the plethora of anxieties, problems and difficulties which churn up the
sea of our life, may our hearts resonate with the reassuring words of Jesus who
also says to us "Take heart, it is I; have no fear!"; and may our faith in him
grow.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
------------------------------------------------------------
On Compassion and Sharing
"Christ Is Attentive to Material Needs, But He Wished to Give More"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 13, 2011 - Here is a Vatican translation of the
Italian-language address Benedict XVI delivered July 31 before reciting the
midday Angelus together with those gathered at the Apostolic Palace of Castel
Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday’s Gospel describes the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves
that Jesus worked for a great throng of people who had followed him to listen to
him and to be healed of various illnesses (cf. Mt 14:14).
As evening fell the disciples suggested to Jesus that he send the crowds away so
that they might take some refreshment. But the Lord had something else in mind:
"You give them something to eat" (Mt 14:16). However they had "only five
loaves... and two fish." Jesus’ subsequent action evokes the sacrament of the
Eucharist: "He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves
to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds" (Mt 14:19).
The miracle consists in the brotherly sharing of a few loaves, which, entrusted
to the power of God, not only sufficed for everyone, but enough was left over to
fill 12 baskets. The Lord asked this of the disciples so that it would be they
who distributed the bread to the multitude; in this way he taught and prepared
them for their future apostolic mission: in fact, they were to bring to all the
nourishment of the Word of life and of the sacraments.
In this miraculous sign the incarnation of God and the work of redemption are
interwoven. Jesus, in fact, "went ashore" from the boat to meet the men and
women (cf. Mt 14:14). St Maximus the Confessor said that the Word of God made
himself present for our sake, by taking flesh, derived from us and conformed to
us in all things save sin, in order to expose us to his teaching with words and
examples suitable for us" (Ambigua 33: PG 91, 1285 C).
Here the Lord offers us an eloquent example of his compassion for people. We are
reminded of all our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa who in these days
are suffering the dramatic consequences of famine, exacerbated by war and by the
lack of solid institutions. Christ is attentive to material needs but he wished
to give more, because man always "hungers for more, he needs more" (Jesus of
Nazareth, Doubleday, New York 2007, p. 267 (English translation). God’s love is
present in the bread of Christ; in the encounter with him "we feed on the living
God himself, so to speak, we truly eat the ‘bread from Heaven’" (ibid. p. 268).
Dear friends, "in the Eucharist Jesus also makes us witnesses of God’s
compassion towards all our brothers and sisters. The Eucharistic mystery thus
gives rise to a service of charity towards neighbour" (Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, No. 88). St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder
of the Society of Jesus whom the Church is commemorating today, also bore
witness to this. Indeed Ignatius chose to live "finding God in all things,
loving him in all creatures" (cf. Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, III, 1,
26).
Let us entrust our prayers to the Virgin Mary, so that she may open our hearts
to compassion for our neighbor and to fraternal sharing.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Solomon's Heart
"The Capacity to Hear the Voice of Truth, to Be Docile to Its Instructions"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 24, 2011- Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
who had gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today in the Liturgy, the Old Testament reading presents to us the figure of
King Solomon, son and successor of David. He is presented to us at the beginning
of his reign, when he was still very young. Solomon inherited a demanding task
and the responsibility that weighed on him was great for a young sovereign. The
first thing that he did was offer a solemn sacrifice to God –- "1,000
holocausts," the Bible says. Then the Lord appeared to him in a vision at night
and promised him to grant him what he asked for in prayer. And here we see the
greatness of Solomon's soul: he did not ask for a long life, nor riches, nor the
elimination of his enemies; instead he said to the Lord: "Grant a docile heart
to your servant that he might know how to render justice to his people and know
how to distinguish good from evil" (1 Kings 3:9). And the Lord heard him, so
that Solomon became celebrated in all the world for his wisdom and his just
judgments.
Solomon asked God for "a docile heart." What does this expression mean? We know
that in the Bible the "heart" does not only mean a part of the body, but the
center of the person, the seat of his intentions and his judgments. We might say
that it is the conscience. "Docile heart" therefore means a conscience that
knows how to listen, which is sensitive to the voice of truth, and because of
this it is able to discern good from evil. In the case of Solomon, the request
is guided by the responsibility of leading a nation, Israel, the people through
whom God had chosen to manifest his plan of salvation to the world. For this
reason the king of Israel must seek to be in harmony with God, listening to his
Word, to lead his people in the ways of the Lord, the ways of justice and peace.
But Solomon's example is valid for every man. Each of us has a conscience to be
in a certain sense "king," that is, to exercise the great human dignity of
acting according to a properly formed conscience, doing good and avoiding evil.
Moral conscience presupposes the capacity to hear the voice of truth, to be
docile to its instructions. Persons who are called to the office of ruling of
course have a further responsibility, and therefore -- as Solomon says -- have
even more need of God. But each person has his own part to perform in the
concrete situation in which he finds himself. An erroneous mentality suggests
that we ask God for nice things and privileged situations; in fact, the true
quality of our life and social existence depends on each person's properly
formed conscience, on the capacity of each and every person to recognize the
good, separating it from evil, and to attempt patiently to realize it.
So, let us ask for the help of the Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom. Her "heart" is
perfectly "docile" to the Lord's will. Although she is a humble and simple
person, Mary is a queen in the eyes of God, and as such we venerate her. May the
Holy Virgin help us also to form, with God's grace, a conscience always open to
the truth and sensitive to justice, to serve the Kingdom of God.
[Following the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in several
languages. In Italian, he said:]
To our dismay once again news has arrived of death and violence. We all
experience a deep sorrow for the grave terroristic acts that occurred on Friday
in Norway. Let us pray for the victims, for the wounded and for their loved
ones. To all I wish to repeat the urgent call to abandon the way of hate forever
and to flee from the logic of evil.
[In English, he said:]
I am pleased to welcome the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus
prayer. In today's Gospel, the Lord urges us to see the Kingdom of God as the
most important thing in our lives, a treasure which will last to life eternal.
May we welcome Christ ever more fully into our hearts and allow his grace to
transform our lives. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke the joy and
peace of God's heavenly Kingdom!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Good and Great Father
"Where He Is Not, There Can Be No Good"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 17, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those
who had gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Gospel parables are brief narratives that Jesus uses to proclaim the
mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Using images and situations of daily life,
the Lord "wishes to indicate the true foundation of everything. He shows us ...
the God who acts, who enters our life and wants to take us by the hand" (Gesu di
Nazaret, I, Milan, 2007, 229).
With these reflections, the divine Teacher invites us to recognize first of all
the primacy of God the Father: Where he is not, there can be no good. He is a
decisive priority for everything. Kingdom of Heaven means, in fact, lordship of
God, and that means that his will must be assumed as the guiding criterion of
our existence.
The subject contained in this Sunday's Gospel is precisely the Kingdom of
Heaven. "Heaven" should not be understood only in the sense of some height that
is above us, because this infinite space also has the form of man's interiority.
Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a field of wheat, to make us understand
that within us is sown something small and hidden, which, nevertheless, has an
unrestrainable vital force. Despite all the obstacles, the seed will develop and
the fruit will mature. This fruit will only be good if the terrain of life has
been cultivated according to the divine will. Because of this, in the parable of
the good seed and the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30,) Jesus warns us that, after the
owner planted the seed, "while all were sleeping," "his enemy" came and sowed
weeds. This means that we must be ready to guard the grace received on the day
of our baptism, continuing to nourish faith in the Lord, which prevents evil
from taking root. Commenting on this parable, St. Augustine observed that "many
at first are weeds and then become good seed" and he added: "if the former, when
they were evil, were not endured with patience, they would not have attained the
praiseworthy change" (Quaest. septend. in Ev. sec. Matth., 12, 4:PL 35, 1371).
Dear friends, the Book of Wisdom -- from which today's first reading draws,
emphasizes this dimension of the divine being and states: "There is no god
besides you who have the care of all ... For your might is the source of
justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all." (Wisdom
12:13,16). And Psalm 85 [86] confirms it: "You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you" (verse 5).
Hence, if we are children of such a great and good Father, we must seek to
resemble him! This was the aim that Jesus set himself with his preaching; he
said, in fact, to those who listened to him: "Be perfect as your heavenly Father
is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Let us turn with confidence to Mary, whom we invoked
yesterday with the title of Most Holy Virgin of Mount Carmel, so that she will
help us to follow Jesus faithfully, and thus live as true children of God.
-----------------------------------------------------
Jesus, Himself a Parable
"God Does Not Force Us to Believe in Him, But He Draws Us to Himself"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 10, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus. It was the
first public Angelus address to be held this summer in Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
I thank you for having come for the Angelus here in Castel Gandolfo, where I
arrived a few days ago. I gladly welcome the occasion to address my cordial
greetings to all the inhabitants of this dear town with wishes for a good
summer.
In today's Sunday gospel (Matthew 13:1-23), Jesus tells the crowd the celebrated
parable of the sower. It is a passage that is in some sense "autobiographical"
because it reflects the experience itself of Jesus, of his preaching: He
identifies himself with the sower, who sows the good seed of the Word of God,
and sees the different effects that follow according to the type of reception
that is given to the proclamation. There are those who listen superficially but
do not accept it; there are those who take it in at the moment but lack
constancy and lose everything; there are those who are overcome by the worries
and seductions of the world; and there are those who listen in a receptive way
like good soil: Here the Word bears fruit in abundance.
But this Gospel also insists on the "method" of Jesus' preaching, that is,
precisely, the use of parables. "Why do you speak to them in parables?" the
disciples ask (Matthew 13:10). And Jesus answers by making a distinction between
them and the crowd: To the disciples, that is, to those who have already decided
for him, he can speak openly of the Kingdom of Heaven; but to others he must
speak in parables, precisely to awaken the decision, the conversion of the
heart; parables, in fact, by their nature require an effort at interpretation,
they engage one's reason but also freedom.
St. John Chrysostom explains: "Jesus pronounced these words with the intention
of drawing his listeners to him and to call them, assuring them that if they
turn to him, he will heal them (Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 45, 1-20).
Ultimately, the true "Parable" of God is Jesus himself, his Person who, through
the sign of humanity at the same time conceals and reveals the divinity. In this
way God does not force us to believe in him, but he draws us to himself with the
truth and goodness of his incarnate Son: love, in fact, always respects freedom.
Dear friends, tomorrow we will celebrate the feast of St. Benedict, abbot and
patron saint of Europe. In light of this Gospel we look to him as a master of
listening to the Word of God, a deep and persevering listening. We must always
learn from the great patriarch of Western monasticism to give God the place that
belongs to him, the first place, offering him, with morning and evening prayer,
our daily activities. May the Virgin Mary help us by her example to be "good
soil" where the seed of the word might bear fruit.
-----------------------------------------------------
On the Yoke of Christ
"The Force of Truth ... Is What Can Ensure a Future Worthy of Man"
VATICAN CITY, JULY 3, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
In today's Gospel the Lord Jesus repeats to us those words we know well, but
which always move us: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and
humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden light" (Matthew 11:28-30). When Jesus went about the roads of Galilee
proclaiming the Kingdom of God and curing many sick, he felt compassion for the
crowds "because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd"
(cf. Matthew 9:35-36).
That gaze of Jesus seems to extend to today, to our world. Even today it rests
on so many people oppressed by difficult conditions of life, but also deprived
of valid points of reference to find a meaning and aim to their existence. Many
of the weak are found in the poorest countries, tested by poverty; and even in
the richest countries there are so many dissatisfied men and women, in fact sick
with depression. Then we think of the numerous dispersed peoples and refugees,
and all those who emigrate putting their own life at risk. Christ's look pauses
on all these people, rather on each one of these children of the Father who is
in Heaven and repeats: "Come to me, all you ..."
Jesus promises to give all "rest," but he puts a condition: "Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." What is this "yoke,"
which instead of weighing is light, and instead of crushing lifts? The "yoke" of
Christ is the law of love, it is his commandment, which he left to his disciples
(cf. John 13:34; 15:12). The true remedy for the wounds of humanity -- whether
they are material, such as hunger and injustice, or psychological and moral,
caused by a false sense of well being -- is a rule of life based on fraternal
love, which has its source in the love of God.
It is therefore necessary to abandon the path of arrogance and violence that is
used to procure positions of greater power, so as to ensure success at any cost.
Also, out of respect for the environment, it is necessary to give up the
aggressive lifestyle that has become prevalent in the last centuries and to
adopt a reasonable "meekness." But above all in human, interpersonal and social
relations, the rule of respect and of nonviolence, that is, the force of truth
against any abuse is what can ensure a future worthy of man.
Dear friends, yesterday we celebrated the particular liturgical memorial of Mary
Most Holy praising God for her Immaculate Heart. May the Virgin help us to
"learn" from Jesus' true humility, to take up with determination his light yoke,
to experience interior peace and become in turn capable of consoling our
brothers and sisters who continue to work hard as they travel the path of life.
------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Eucharist as Antidote to Individualism
"Without the Eucharist the Church Simply Would Not Exist"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 26, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today in Italy and other countries Corpus Domini is celebrated, the feast of the
Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, which he instituted
with the Last Supper and which is the Church's most precious treasure. The
Eucharist is like the beating heart that gives life to the whole mystical body
of the Church: a social organism entirely founded on the spiritual but concrete
link with Christ. As the Apostle Paul states: "Because there is one bread, we,
although many, are one body: all of us in fact participate in the one bread" (1
Corinthians 10:17).
Without the Eucharist the Church simply would not exist. It is the Eucharist in
fact that makes a human community a mystery of communion, able to bring God to
the world and the world to God. The Holy Spirit, which transforms the bread and
wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, also transforms into members of the Body
of Christ those who receive it with faith, so that the Church is truly the
sacrament of the unity of men with God and of men with each other.
In a culture that is ever more individualistic -- like that in which Western
societies are immersed and which is spreading throughout the world -- the
Eucharist constitutes a kind of "antidote," which operates in the minds and
hearts of believers and continually sows in them the logic of communion, of
service, of sharing, in a word, the logic of the Gospel. The first Christians,
in Jerusalem, were an evident sign of this new way of life because they lived in
fraternity and held all of their goods in common so that no one should be
indigent (cf. Acts 2:42-47). Where did all of this come from? From the
Eucharist, that is, the risen Christ, really present with his disciples and
working with the power of the Holy Spirit. And in the succeeding generations,
through the centuries, the Church, despite human limits and errors, continued to
be a force for communion in the world. We think especially of the most difficult
periods, the periods of trial: What did it mean, for example, for countries that
were under the heal of totalitarian regimes to have the possibility to gather
for Sunday Mass! As the ancient martyrs of Abitene proclaimed: "Sine Dominico
non possumus" – without the "Dominicum," that is, the Sunday Eucharist, we
cannot live. But the void produced by false freedom can be dangerous, and so
communion with the Body of Christ is a medicine of the intellect and will to
rediscover taste for the truth and the common good.
Dear friends, let us call upon the Virgin Mary, whom my predecessor, Blessed
John Paul II defined as a "Eucharistic woman" ("Ecclesia de Eucharistia,"
53-58). In her school our life too becomes fully "Eucharistic," open to God and
to others, able to transform evil into good by the power of love, which fosters
unity, communion, fraternity.
[After the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in various languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, today too I have the joy to announce the proclamation
of some newly beatified persons. Yesterday, in Lübeck, Germany, Johannes Prassek,
Eduard Müller and Hermann Lange, who were killed by the Nazis in Hamburg in
1943, were beatified. Today there will be three beatifications in Milan: Don
Serafino Morazzone, an exemplary parish priest in Lecchese, who lived in the
18th and 19th centuries; Father Clement Vismara, heroic PIME missionary in
Burma; and Enrichetta Alfieri, a Sister of Charity, called the "angel" of the
Milanese prison of San Vittore. We praise the Lord for these luminous witnesses
to the Gospel!
In Italy on this Sunday that precedes the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul we
celebrate the Day for the Pope's Charity. I would like to thank warmly all those
who, with prayer and donations, offer their support to my apostolic and
charitable ministry. Thank you! May the Lord give you recompense!
[In English he said:]
I am happy to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors,
particularly the group from Saint Fidelis Parish in Toronto. In many places
today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. May
our hearts rejoice in the great gift of Jesus, the Bread of Life, who has given
himself for us and has come to nourish us. As we open our hearts to others and
walk the path of life, may he always sustain and guide us. God bless you all!
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday, a good week. Happy Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. I
wish you all a good Sunday!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Papal Address to Association of Sts. Peter and Paul
"Fidelity Is needed! We Live in a Society That Has Lost This Value"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 26, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear friends of the Association of Sts. Peter and Paul,
I greet you with joy and affection! I am glad to meet with you while you are
gathered for the occasion of the 40th anniversary of your founding: a happy
moment that invites thanksgiving, to the Lord first of all, and to the beloved
Servant of God Paul VI, who did so much to renovate the environment of the
Vatican according to contemporary exigencies. I greet your president in
particular, Dr. Calvino Gasparini, and I thank him for his courteous words; I
greet the spiritual assistant, Monsignor Joseph Murphy, the other officials and
all the members of the Association, as well as the former assistants, among whom
is Cardinal Coppa, who honors us with his presence, and Cardinal Bertone, who as
a young priest was a formator for the Palatine Guards of the time. At the altar
of the Lord and the tomb of St. Peter in this moment we especially remember all
of those who in these 40 years have led the Association and those who were
dedicated members. May the Lord grant the peace and beatitude of his Kingdom to
those among them who have left this world.
In this meeting with you in my heart the sentiment of gratitude dominates, and
it is directed to you for the service that you offer, above all for the love and
the spirit of faith with which you carry it out. You dedicate part of your time
-- harmonizing it with family duties, and often at the expense of your leisure
-- to coming to the Vatican to help with the good order of various celebrations.
Furthermore, you undertake various charitable projects in collaboration with the
Figlie della Carità Sisters and the Missionaries of Charity. Such efforts
require a profound motivation, which must always be renewed by an intense
spiritual life. To help others to pray, we must have our heart turned toward
God; to recall them to respect for holy places and holy things, it is necessary
for us to have in us the Christian sense of the sacred; to help our neighbor
with true Christian love, we must have a humble soul and the eyes of faith. Your
attitude, often without words, constitutes an indication, an example, a
reminder, and as such also has an educational value.
Your personal formation is naturally a presupposition for all of this; and I
would like to tell you that precisely because of this, as for everything that
you do, I am especially grateful. The Association of Sts. Peter and Paul, like
every authentic ecclesial association, pays special attention, first of all, to
the formation of its members, never as a substitute or alternative to parishes,
but always in a complementary way with respect to them. Thus, I am glad that you
are well inserted in your parish communities and that you educate your children
in the meaning of the parish. At the same time I am pleased that the Association
is in the appropriate measure demanding in planning specific periods of
formation for those who desire to be effective members and regularly offers
opportune moments to support perseverance. A special thought goes out precisely
to those who pronounced the solemn promise of fidelity this morning; I wish them
the joy of feeling like disciples of Christ in the Church, and I exhort them to
give a valid witness to the Gospel in every sphere of their life. Again from
this same perspective, I supported from the beginning the project of launching a
youth component. I greet the young people with special affection, and I
encourage them to follow the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, loving
God with their whole heart, tasting the beauty of Christian friendship and
serving Christ with great discretion in our poorest brothers.
Dear friends, I also thank you for the congratulations, and above all for the
prayers, on the occasion of my 60th anniversary of priesthood. The gift that you
gave me, a beautiful chasuble, is a reminder for me that I am always first of
all a priest of Christ, and it also invites me to remember you when I celebrate
the redemptive Sacrifice. I thank you from my heart!
Finally, I would like to entrust all of you to the Virgin Mary. I know that in
your Association she is venerated with the title of "Virgo Fidelis." Today more
than ever fidelity is needed! We live in a society that has lost this value.
Change, "mobility," "flexibility," are exalted for economic and organization
reasons that are sometimes legitimate. But the quality of a human relationship
is seen in fidelity! Sacred Scripture shows us that God is faithful. With his
grace and Mary's help, may you be faithful to Christ and to the Church, ready to
endure with humility and patience the price that this carries. May the Virgo
Fidelis obtain peace for your families and that authentic Christian vocations be
born in them to marriage, the priesthood and the consecrated life. For this I
assure you a special remembrance in my prayer, while I bless all of you and all
of your loved ones from my heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On World Refugee Day
"Guarantee a Welcome and Dignified Living Conditions for Refugees"
SERRAVALLE, San Marino, JUNE 19, 2011 - Here is the address Benedict XVI
delivered today in Italian and French before praying the Marian prayer of the
Angelus after celebrating Mass in the Olympic Stadium of Serravalle at the
beginning of his one-day trip to the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.
* * *
[In Italian, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we conclude this celebration, the midday hour invites us to turn in prayer to
the Virgin Mary. Also in this land, our Most Holy Mother is venerated in various
shrines, ancient and modern. To her I entrust all of you and the whole
Sammarinese and Montefeltrina population, in a particular way persons suffering
in body and spirit. At this moment I address a special thought of gratitude to
all those who cooperated in the preparation and organization of my visit. My
heartfelt thank you!
[In French, he said:]
I am happy to recall that today in Dax, France, Sister Marguerite Rutan,
Daughter of Charity, has been proclaimed blessed. In the second half of the 18th
century she worked with great commitment in the hospital in Dax, but in the
tragic persecution following the Revolution, she was sentenced to death for her
Catholic faith and fidelity to the Church.
I participate spiritually in the joy of the Daughters of Charity and of all the
faithful who, in Dax, are taking part in the beatification of Sister Marguerite
Rutan, luminous witness of the love of Christ for the poor.
[In Italian, he said:]
Finally, I wish to remind that tomorrow is World Refugee Day. On this occasion,
this year we mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the international
convention to protect those who are persecuted and forced to flee their own
countries. I urge civil authorities and all people of good will to guarantee a
welcome and dignified living conditions for refugees, until they can freely and
safely return to their homeland.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Church's Baptism Day
"The Breath of the Holy Spirit Fills the Universe"
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 12, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the Regina Caeli with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Solemnity of Pentecost that we are celebrating today concludes the
liturgical season of Easter. In effect, the paschal mystery -- the passion,
death and resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven -- finds its
fulfillment in the powerful effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
gathered together with Mary, the Mother of the Lord, and the other disciples. It
was the "baptism of the Church," a baptism in the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:5).
As recounted by the Acts of the Apostles, on the morning of Pentecost, a
roaring, as of wind, rolled through the cenacle and upon each of the disciples a
tongue like fire descended (cf. Acts 2:2-3). St. Gregory the Great comments:
"Today the Holy Spirit has descended with a sudden sound upon the disciples and
within his love has transformed the minds of beings of flesh, and while tongues
of fire appeared without, hearts became enflamed within so that, receiving God
in the vision of fire, they were ardent with love" (Hom. in Evang. XXX, 1: CCL
141, 256).
God's voice divinized the human language of the Apostles, who became able to
proclaim the one divine Word polyphonically. The breath of the Holy Spirit fills
the universe, generates faith, brings truth, preparing unity among the nations.
"At that sound the crowd came together and was disturbed, for each one heard in
his own language" of the "great deeds of God" (Acts 2: 6, 11).
Blessed Antonio Rosmini explains that "on the day of Christian Pentecost God
promulgated … his law of love, writing with the Holy Spirit, not on tablets of
stone but in the hearts of the Apostles, and through the Apostles communicated
it then to the whole Church" ("Catechismo disposto secondo l'ordine delle idée,"
no. 737, Torino, 1863). The Holy Spirit, "who is the Lord and giver life" -- as
we recite in the Creed -- is joined to the Father through the Son and completes
the revelation of the Most Holy Trinity. He comes from God as the breath of his
mouth and has the power to sanctify, to abolish divisions, to resolve the
confusion wrought by sin. He, incorporeal and immaterial, bestows the divine
goods, assisting living beings, so they act in conformity with the good. As
intelligible Light he gives meaning to prayer, he gives vigor to the
evangelizing mission, he makes the hearts of those who hear the glad tidings
burn, he inspires Christian art and liturgical melody.
Dear friends, the Holy Spirit, who creates faith in us in the moment of our
baptism, allows us to live as children of God, conscious and obliging, according
to the image of the Only Begotten Son. The power to remit sins is a gift of the
Holy Spirit too; in fact, appearing to the Apostles on Easter night, Jesus
breathes upon them and says: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Those whose sins you
forgive shall be forgiven" (John 20:23).
To the Virgin Mary, temple of the Holy Spirit, we entrust the Church, that she
might always live according to Jesus Christ, his Word, and his commandments, and
that through the perennial action of the Spirit Paraclete she might proclaim to
all that "Jesus is Lord" (1 Corinthians 12:3).
[After praying the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in
various languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, I am happy to recall that tomorrow in Dresden,
Germany, Alois Andritzki, priest and martyr, who was killed by the National
Socialists in 1943 at the age of 28, will be proclaimed blessed. Let us praise
the Lord for this heroic witness of the faith, who joins the ranks of those who
gave their lives in the name of Christ in the concentration camps.
This day of Pentecost I would like to entrust to your intercession the cause of
peace in the world. May the Holy Spirit inspire courageous proposals for peace
and support the effort to advance it, that dialogue might prevail over arms and
respect for man's dignity overcome party interests. May the Spirit, who is the
bond of communion, rectify hearts twisted by egoism and help the human family to
rediscover and carefully safeguard its fundamental unity.
The day after tomorrow, June 14, is World Blood Donor Day -- millions of persons
who in a silent way contribute to the help of brothers in difficulties. To all
blood donors I address a cordial greeting and invite young people to follow
their example.
[In English he said:]
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Regina
Caeli prayer. My particular greeting goes to the group of ringers from the
United States. On this Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit upon the Church. Let us pray that we may be confirmed in the grace of our
Baptism and share ever more actively in the Church's mission of proclaiming the
Good News of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Upon you and your families I
cordially invoke the Holy Spirit's gifts of wisdom, joy and peace.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[Concluding in Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday.
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The Joy the Gospel Brings
"It Is Possible for Humanity to Know True Joy"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 29, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the Regina Caeli with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Book of the Acts of the Apostles states that after a first violent
persecution, the Christian community of Jerusalem, except for the Apostles,
spread to the surrounding areas. Philip, one of the deacons, arrived in a city
of Samaria. There he preached the Risen Christ, and his proclamation was
supported by numerous healings, so that the outcome of the episode was very
positive: "There was great joy in that city." (Acts 8:8).
We are deeply impressed again and again by this expression, which in essence
communicates a sense of hope, as if saying: It is possible! It is possible for
humanity to know true joy, because wherever the Gospel arrives, life flourishes,
just as an arid terrain that, irrigated by rain, is immediately verdant.
With the strength of the Holy Spirit, Philip and the other disciples
accomplished in the villages of Palestine what Jesus had done: They preached the
Good News and worked miraculous signs. It was the Lord who acted through them.
As Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God, so the disciples
proclaimed the Risen Jesus, professing that he is the Christ, the Son of God,
baptizing in his name and driving out every illness from the body and the
spirit.
"There was great joy in that city." Reading this passage, one thinks
spontaneously of the healing power of the Gospel, which in the course of the
centuries has "irrigated" so many populations, like a beneficial river. Some
great men and women saints took hope and peace to whole cities -- we think of
Charles Borromeo in Milan at the time of the plague; of Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta, and of so many missionaries, whose names are known by God, who have
given their lives to take the proclamation of Christ and to make profound joy
flower among men. While the powerful of this world sought to conquer new
territories for political and economic interests, Christ's messengers went
everywhere for the purpose of taking Christ to men and men to Christ, knowing
that he alone can give true liberty and eternal life.
Also today the vocation of the Church is evangelization: whether to populations
which have not yet been "irrigated" by the living water of the Gospel, or those
that, though having ancient Christian roots, are in need of new sap to bear new
fruits, and rediscover the beauty and joy of the faith.
Dear friends, Blessed John Paul II was a great missionary, as an exhibition on
display now in Rome shows. He re-launched the mission ad gentes and, at the same
time, promoted the new evangelization. Let us entrust both to the intercession
of Mary Most Holy. May Christ's Mother accompany the proclamation of the Gospel
always and everywhere, so that the spaces where men rediscover the joy of living
as children of God will multiply and spread in the world.
[After praying the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted the people in various
languages. In Polish, he said:]
I address my greeting to all the Poles. Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of
the death of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, Primate of the Millennium. Invoking the
gift of his beatification, let us learn from him total abandonment to the Mother
of God. May his trust expressed in the words: "I have put everything in Mary" be
for us a particular model. We recall this at the end of the month of May
dedicated in a particular way to Our Lady. I bless you from my heart.
[In English, he said:]
I greet the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims at today’s Regina Cæli,
especially those from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In the Gospel today, our Lord
declares: "I will not leave you orphans", promising that the gift of the Holy
Spirit will make us adopted children of God. Let us pray that we may be faithful
to that gift and live fully the new life that Christ offers us. May God bless
you all!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
-------------------------------------------------------------
On the Way, the Truth and the Life
"To Proclaim Jesus Christ ... Is the Main Task of the Church
VATICAN CITY, MAY 22, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Gospel of this Sunday, the Fifth of Easter, proposes a twofold commandment
on faith: to believe in God and to believe in Jesus. In fact, the Lord said to
his disciples: "Believe in God and believe also in me" (John 14:1). They are not
two separate acts, but just one act of faith, full adherence to the salvation
wrought by God the Father through his Only-begotten Son.
The New Testament put an end to the Father's invisibility. God has shown his
face, as Jesus' answer to the Apostle Philip confirms: "He who has seen me has
seen the Father" (John 14:9). With his incarnation, death and resurrection, the
Son of God has freed us from the slavery of sin to give us the freedom of the
children of God and has shown us the face of God, which is love: God can be
seen, he is visible in Christ.
St. Teresa of Avila wrote: "We must not distance ourselves from what constitutes
all our good and our remedy, that is, the most holy humanity of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Interior Castle, 7, 6: "Opere Complete," Milan, 1998, 1001). Therefore,
only by believing in Christ, by remaining united to him, the disciples, among
whom we also are, can continue their permanent action in history: "Truly, truly
I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do" (John
14:12).
Faith in Jesus means to follow him daily, in the simple actions that make up our
day. "It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only
gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he
becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive
forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he
chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he
reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts
and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him" (Jesus of Nazareth II,
2011, 276).
St. Augustine says that "it was necessary for Jesus to say: 'I am the way, the
truth and the life' (John 14:6) because once the way was known, it remained to
know the goal" (Tractatus in Ioh,, 69, 2: CCL 36, 500), and the goal is the
Father. For Christians, for each one of us, hence, the way to the Father is to
allow ourselves to the guided by Jesus, by his word of truth, and to receive the
gift of his life. Let us make our own St. Bonaventure's invitation: "Open,
therefore, your eyes, lend your spiritual ear, open your lips and dispose your
heart, so that you will be able to see, hear, praise, love, venerate, glorify,
honor your God in all creatures" ("Itinerarium mentis in Deum," I. 15).
Dear friends, the commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ, "the way, the truth and
the life" (John14:6), is the main task of the Church. Let us invoke the Virgin
Mary so that she will always assist the pastors and those who in the different
ministries to proclaim the happy message of salvation, so that the Word of God
is diffused and the number of disciples multiplied (cf. Acts 6:7).
[Translation by ZENIT]
[After praying the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in various
languages. In English, he said:]
I welcome all the English-speaking visitors who join us for this Regina Caeli
prayer. In a special way I greet the participants in the leadership training
course offered by the St. Egidio community, assuring them of my prayers for
their efforts to proclaim the Gospel and serve the poor and needy in their
native countries. Also in these days the International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation, organized by the World Council of Churches, is meeting in Kingston,
Jamaica. The Convention is the culmination of a decade-long programme aimed at
combating all forms of violence. Let us join in prayer for this noble intention,
and recommit ourselves to eliminating violence in families, in society and in
the international community. Dear friends, in the joy of this Easter season, may
we be strengthened by the Risen Lord to follow him faithfully and to share in
his life. Upon you and your families I invoke God's abundant blessings.
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[In Italian, he said:]
I address my cordial greeting to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, in particular to
the numerous candidates for Confirmation of the diocese of Genoa, led by
cardinal Bagnasco. A thought then goes to the large group of the Pro-Life
Movement: dear friends, I congratulate you in particular for the commitment with
which you help women who face difficult pregnancies, engaged couples and spouses
who desire responsible procreation; thus you work concretely for the culture of
life. I pray to the Lord that, thanks also to your contribution, the "yes to
life" will be a motive of unity in Italy and in every country of the world. I
bless the children accompanied by UNITALSI, who overcoming the hardship of
illness make themselves witnesses of peace. I encourage the sick and volunteers
present on the occasion of the National Week of Multiple Sclerosis. I greet the
members of the Teresian Institution on the centenary of the Association; the
faithful from Saiano, from Montegranaro and from some parishes of Rome; the
schoolchildren of Verona and the youngsters of Torano Nuovo. I wish all a good
Sunday.
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On Workers for the Lord's Harvest
"There Will Always Be a Need for Shepherds Who Announce the Word"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 15, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Regina Caeli with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The liturgy of the Fourth Sunday of Easter presents us with one of the most
beautiful images that, from the first centuries of the Church, has portrayed the
Lord Jesus: that of the Good Shepherd. St. John’s Gospel, in the 10th chapter,
describes to us the particular traits of the relationship between Christ the
Shepherd and his flock, a relationship that is so close that no one can ever
steal the sheep from his hands. The sheep, in fact, are united to him by a bond
of love and mutual knowledge, which guarantees them the incommensurable gift of
eternal life. Also, the attitude of the flock toward the Good Shepherd, Christ,
is presented by the evangelist with two specific verbs: listening and following.
These terms designate the fundamental characteristics of those who live as
followers of the Lord. First of all, listening to his word from which faith is
born and nourished. Only those who are attentive to the Lord’s voice are able to
determine by their own conscience the right choices to act according to God.
From listening, then, is derived the following of Jesus: we act as disciples
after we have listened and internalized the Master’s teaching, to live it daily.
On this Sunday it is natural to remember the Shepherds of the Church of God, and
those who are being formed to become Shepherds. I therefore invite you to say a
special prayer for bishops -- including the Bishop of Rome! -- for parish
priests, for all those who have a responsibility in leading the flock of Christ,
that they might be faithful and wise in carrying out their office. In
particular, let us pray for vocations to the priesthood on this World Day of
Prayer for Vocations, that authentic workers for the Lord’s harvest never be
lacking.
Seventy years ago Venerable Pius XII instituted the Pontifical Work for Priestly
Vocations. The happy intuition of my predecessor was founded on the conviction
that vocations grow and mature in the particular Churches, facilitated by
healthy family contexts and strengthened by the spirit of faith, charity and
piety. In my message for this day I stressed that a vocation is followed when we
leave behind “our will that is closed in itself and our idea of
self-actualization, to immerse ourselves in another will, God’s, letting
ourselves be guided by it.” In this time too when the Lord’s voice risks being
submerged by so many other voices, every ecclesial community is called to
promote and safeguard vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Men,
in fact, always have need of God, even in our technological world, and there
will always be a need for Shepherds who announce the Word and help us to meet
the Lord in the sacraments.
Dear brothers and sisters, reinvigorated by Easter joy and faith in the Risen
Christ, let us entrust our proposals and our intentions to the Virgin Mary,
Mother of every vocation, that with her intercession she awaken and support
numerous holy vocations in service to the Church and the world.
[Before praying the Regina Caeli with the faithful, the Holy Father also made
the following remarks:]
I continue to follow the armed conflict in Libya with great attention. This
conflict has caused a great number of victims and suffering above all among the
civilian population. I renew a pressing call that the path of negotiation and
dialogue prevail over that of violence, with the help of international
organizations that are seeking a solution to the crisis. I assure, furthermore,
my prayerful and heartfelt participation in the local Church’s undertaking to
help the population, in particular through consecrated persons present in the
hospitals.
My thoughts also turn to Syria, where it is urgent that a coexistence marked by
concord and unity be restored. I ask God that there be no more bloodshed in that
homeland of great religions and civilization, and I invite the authorities and
all citizens to stop at nothing in seeking the common good and in accepting the
legitimate aspirations for a future of peace and stability.
[After praying the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, the beatification of Pope John Paul II had, as you
know, a global impact. There are other exemplary witnesses of Christ, much less
known, that the Church proposes with joy for the veneration of the faithful.
Today in Würzburg, Germany, Georg Häfner, a diocesan priest who died in the
concentration camp at Dachau is being proclaimed blessed. And last Saturday at
Pozzuoli another priest was beatified, Giustino Maria Russolillo, the founder of
the Society of the Divine Vocation. We thank the Lord that he does not allow the
Church to do without holy priests!
[In English he said:]
I greet with joy the English-speaking visitors gathered here today, and I pray
that your pilgrimage to Rome will strengthen your faith and your love for the
Lord Jesus. Today we pray especially for vocations to the priesthood and the
religious life, asking Christ our Lord to send shepherds to care for his flock,
so that God’s people may have life in abundance. Upon all of you I invoke the
peace and joy of the Risen Lord!
© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[Concluding in Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday, a good week. Thank you for your presence.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Mother, Present With the Son
"If We Follow Her ... the Virgin Will Lead Us to Him"
VENICE, Italy, MAY 8, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Regina Caeli. The Pope was in Venice for a
two-day trip to the region.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
At the end of this solemn Eucharistic Celebration, we turn our gaze to Mary,
Regina Caeli. With the dawn of Easter she became the Mother of the Risen One and
her union with him is so profound that there where the Son is present, the
Mother cannot fail to be present. In these beautiful surroundings, gifts and
signs of the beauty of God, how many shrines, churches and chapels are dedicated
to Mary! In her the luminous face of Christ is reflected. If we follow her with
docility, the Virgin will lead us to him.
In these days of the Easter season let us allow ourselves to be conquered by the
risen Christ. In him the new world of love and peace constitutes the profound
aspiration of every human heart. May the Lord grant to you the inhabitants of
these lands rich with a long Christian history, to live the Gospel on the model
of the nascent Church, in which “the multitude of those who had come to the
faith were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32).
Let us invoke Mary Most Holy, who supported the first witnesses of her Son in
preaching the Good News, that she might also today support the apostolic efforts
of priests; make the witness of those in religious life fruitful; animate the
daily work of parents in the first transmission of the faith to their children;
illuminate the path of young people so that they might walk confidently in the
way traced by their fathers; fill the hearts of the elderly with hope; comfort
the sick and all of the suffering with her nearness; assist the work of numerous
laypeople who actively collaborate in the new evangelization, in parishes, in
associations, such as Catholic Action, which is so deeply rooted and present in
these lands; in the movements, which, in the variety of their charisms and their
action, are a sign of the richness of the ecclesial fabric – I have in mind such
groups as Focolare, Communion and Liberation and the Neocatechumenal Way, to
mention but a few. I encourage everyone to work with the true spirit of
communion in this great vineyard in which the Lord has called us to work. Mary,
Mother of the Risen One and of the Church, pray for us!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Easter Monday
"The Lord’s Resurrection Marks the Renewal of Our Human Condition"
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, APRIL 29, 2010 - Here is a translation of the address
Benedict XVI gave Easter Monday, April 25, before praying the Regina Caeli in
Castel Gandolfo.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Surrexit Dominus vere! Alleluja! The Lord’s Resurrection marks the renewal of
our human condition. Christ triumphed over death, caused by our sin, and
restores us to immortal life. This event gave rise to the whole of the Church’s
life and to the very existence of Christians.
On this day, Easter Monday, we read in the first missionary discourse of the
nascent Church: "This Jesus", the Apostle Peter proclaimed, "God raised up, and
of that we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God,
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has
poured out this which you see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33).
One of the characteristic signs of faith in the Resurrection is the greeting
among Christians during Eastertide, inspired by the ancient liturgical hymn:
"Christ is risen! / He is truly risen!". It is a profession of faith and a
commitment of life, as it was for the women described in Matthew’s Gospel: "And
behold, Jesus met them and said: ‘Hail!’. And they came up and took hold of his
feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell
my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me’" (28: 9-10).
"The whole Church", the Servant of God Paul VI wrote, "receives the mission to
evangelize, and the work of each individual member is important for the whole….
She remains as a sign -- simultaneously obscure and luminous -- of a new
presence of Jesus, of his departure and of his permanent presence. She prolongs
and continues him" (Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Nuntiandi, 8 December 1975,
n. 15.
How can we encounter the Lord and increasingly become his authentic witnesses?
St Maximus of Turin stated: "Anyone who wishes to reach the Saviour must first,
in his own faith, seat him at the right hand of the Divinity, and place him with
heartfelt conviction in Heaven" (Sermon 39 a, 3: CCL 23, 157), in other words
one must learn to focus the gaze of one’s mind and heart constantly on the
heights of God, where the Risen Christ is. In this way God encounters man in
prayer and adoration.
The theologian Romano Guardini noted that "adoration is not something
additional, something secondary… it is a matter of the utmost importance, of
feeling and of being. In adoration man recognizes what is valid in the pure,
simple and holy sense" (cf. La Pasqua, Meditazioni, Brescia 1995, 62). Only if
we are able to turn to God, to pray him, do we discover the deepest meaning of
our life and the daily routine is illumined by the light of the Risen One.
Dear friends, today the Church in both the East and the West is celebrating St.
Mark the Evangelist, a wise herald of the Word and a writer of Christ’s teaching
-- as he was described in ancient times. He is also Patron of the city of
Venice, where, please God, I shall make a Pastoral Visit on 7 and 8 of May. Let
us now invoke the Virgin Mary, so that she may help us faithfully and joyfully
carry out the mission which the Risen Lord entrusts to each one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Resurrection of Lazarus
"It Is a Reality That Goes Beyond the Limits of Our Reason"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 10, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
There are only two weeks until Easter, and the biblical readings of this Sunday
all speak of resurrection. They do not yet speak of Jesus' resurrection -- which
will irrupt as something absolutely new -- but of our resurrection, the one to
which we aspire and that Christ himself granted to us, rising from the dead. In
effect, death is for us like a wall that keeps us from seeing what lies beyond;
and yet our heart desires to go beyond this wall, and even if we are unable to
know what it hides, we nevertheless think about it, we imagine it, we express
our yearning for eternity with symbols.
To the Hebrew people, in exile far from Israel, the prophet Ezekiel announces
that God will open the tombs of the deported people and bring them back to their
land, to lay them to rest in peace (cf. Ezekiel 37:12-14). This ancestral
aspiration of man to be buried together with his fathers is a longing for a
"fatherland" that will receive him at the end of his earthly toil. This notion
does not yet contain the idea of a personal resurrection from the dead, which
appears only toward the end of the Old Testament, and still at the time of Jesus
it was not accepted by all of the Jews. After all, even among Christians, faith
in the resurrection and eternal life is often accompanied by many doubts and
much confusion, because it is a reality that goes beyond the limits of our
reason, and requires an act of faith. In today's Gospel -- the resurrection of
Lazarus -- we hear the voice of faith speak from the lips of Martha, Lazarus'
sister. In reply to Jesus who says to her: "Your brother will rise again," she
says: "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day" (John
11:23-24). But Jesus responds: "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever
believes in me, even if he die, he will live" (John 11:25-26). Here is the
novelty that breaks and goes beyond every barrier! Christ destroys the wall of
death, in him there dwells the fullness of God, who is life, eternal life. For
this reason death did not have power over him; and Lazarus' resurrection is the
sign of his complete dominion over physical death, which before God is like a
dream (cf. John 11:11).
But there is another death, which cost Christ the most difficult struggle,
indeed the price of the cross: It is spiritual death, sin, which threatens to
ruin the existence of every man. Christ died to defeat this death, and his
resurrection is not a return to the previous life, but the opening to a new
reality, a "new earth," finally reconnected to God's heaven. This is why St.
Paul wrote: "If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies
also, through his Spirit dwelling in you" (Romans 8:11). Dear Brothers, let us
turn to the Virgin Mary, who already participates in this Resurrection, that she
might help us to declare with faith: "Yes, O Lord, I believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God" (John 11:27), to discover truly that he is our
salvation.
[After reciting the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in various
languages. In English he said:]
I offer a warm greeting to all the English-speaking visitors present for this
Lenten Angelus prayer, including those from the Cathedral School of Skara,
Sweden. In today's Gospel, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead as a sign that he
himself is "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Let us renew our faith
in Christ's promises as we prepare to unite ourselves to the Church's
celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Upon you and your families I invoke the
Lord's abundant blessings!
[In Italian he said:]
I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week. Thank you, have a good Sunday.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Laetare Sunday
"Let Us Revive in Ourselves the Gift Received in Baptism"
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 3, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in
St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
The Lenten journey that we are embarked upon is a special time of grace during
which we can experience the gift of the Lord’s benevolence in our regard. The
liturgy of this Sunday, which we call “Laetare Sunday,” invites us to rejoice
and be glad as the entrance antiphon of the Eucharistic celebration proclaims:
“Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you
who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts”
(cf. Isaiah 66:10-11).
What is the profound reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel, in which Jesus heals a
man blind from birth, tells us. The question that the Lord Jesus asks the man
who was blind constitutes the culmination of the account: “Do you believe in the
Son of man?” (John 9:35). That man recognizes the sign that Jesus works and
passes from the light of the eyes to the light of faith: “I believe, Lord” (John
9:38).
It is to be noted how a simple and sincere person, in a gradual way, sets out on
the journey of faith: In a first moment he meets Jesus as a “man” among others,
then he considers him a “prophet,” and in the end his eyes open and he proclaims
him “Lord.” In opposition to the faith of the blind man there is the hardening
of the hearts of the Pharisees who do not want to accept the miracle, because
they refuse to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The crowd, instead, stops to debate
about what happened and remains distant and indifferent. The parents themselves
of the blind man are overcome by fear of the judgment of others.
And we, what attitude do we assume toward Jesus? We too, because of the sin of
Adam, are born “blind,” but in the baptismal fount we were enlightened by the
grace of Christ. Sin wounded humanity, destining it to the obscurity of death,
but in Christ there shines the newness of life and the goal to which we are
called. In him, reinvigorated by the Holy Spirit, we receive the strength to
defeat evil and do good. In fact, the Christian life is a continually conforming
to Christ, the image of the new man, to attain full communion with God. The Lord
Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12), because in him “there shines the
knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6) that continues to reveal in
the complex plot of history the meaning of human existence.
In the rite of baptism, the candle that is presented, lit from the great paschal
candle, which is the symbol of the risen Christ, is a sign that helps us grasp
what happens in the sacrament. When we let our life be illumined by the light of
Christ, we experience the joy of being liberated from all that threatens our
life’s complete fulfillment. In these days that prepare us for Easter let us
revive in ourselves the gift received in baptism, that flame that is sometimes
in danger of being extinguished. We must make it burn brighter with prayer and
charity toward our neighbor.
We entrust the Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, that all
may encounter Christ, the Savior of the World.
[After the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in several languages.
In Italian he said:]
Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the death of
my beloved predecessor, Venerable John Paul II. Because of his upcoming
beatification, I did not celebrate the traditional Mass of suffrage for him, but
I recalled him affectionately in prayer, as I think all of you did. While
through the Lenten journey we prepare for the feast of Easter, we also draw near
with joy to the day in which we will be able to venerate this great Pontiff and
witness of Christ as Blessed, and entrust ourselves still more to his
intercession.
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Christ, Weary and Thirsty
"Jesus' Weariness ... Can Be Seen as a Prelude to the Passion"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 27, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This third Sunday of Lent is marked by the celebrated dialogue of Jesus with the
Samaritan woman, recounted by the Evangelist John. The woman goes every day to
get water from an ancient well put there by the patriarch Jacob, and that day
Jesus was sitting there, "tired from the journey" (John 4:6). St. Augustine
comments: "It is not for nothing that Jesus is tired … the power of Christ
created you, the weakness of Christ recreated you … With his power he created
us, with his weakness he has come to find us" (In Ioh. Ev., 15, 2). Jesus'
weariness, sign of his true humanity, can be seen as a prelude to the passion,
with which he brought the work of our redemption to completion.
The theme of "thirst" emerges in particular in the meeting with the Samaritan
woman at the well and it culminates with the cry on the cross: "I thirst" (John
19:28). Of course this thirst, like the weariness, has a physical basis. But
Jesus, as Augustine continues, "had thirst of the woman's faith" (In Ioh. Ev.
15, 11), as he has for the faith of all of us. God the Father sent him to quench
our thirst for eternal life, giving us his love, but asks our faith for
bestowing this gift. Love's omnipotence always respects man's freedom; it knocks
at his heart and awaits his answer with patience.
In the meeting with the Samaritan woman the symbol of water is prominent. It
clearly alludes to the sacrament of baptism, the source of new life through
faith in the grace of God. This Gospel, in fact -- as I pointed out in the
catechesis on Ash Wednesday -- is part of the ancient program of preparation of
the catechumens for Christian initiation, which took place in the great Vigil on
Easter night. "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give," Jesus says, "will
never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). This water represents the Holy Spirit,
the "gift" par excellence that Jesus has come to bring us from God the Father.
Whoever is reborn by the water of the Holy Spirit, that is, baptism, enters into
a real relation with God, a filial relation, and can worship "in spirit and
truth" (John 4:23, 24), as Jesus discloses to the Samaritan woman. Thanks to the
encounter with Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, man's faith comes
to its fulfillment, as an answer to God's revelation.
Each one of us can identify ourselves with the Samaritan woman: Jesus awaits us,
especially during this season of Lent, to speak to our hearts, to my heart. Let
us pause a moment in silence, in our room, or in a church, or in a place apart.
Let us listen to the voice that says: "If you knew the gift of God." May the
Virgin Mary help us not to miss this opportunity on which our true happiness
depends.
[After the Angelus the Pope made the following appeal in Italian:]
In the face of the ever more dramatic news that is coming from Libya, my
trepidation for the safety of the civil population grows as does my apprehension
for the developments of the situation, which is now marked by the use of arms.
In moments of great tension there is a greater urgency to the exigency to have
recourse to every means at the disposal of diplomatic action and to support even
the weakest signs of openness and desire for reconciliation among all the
parties involved, in the pursuit of peaceful and lasting solutions. In this
regard, as I lift up my prayer to the Lord for a return to concord in Libya and
the whole region of North Africa, I make a concerned appeal to international
organizations and to political and military leaders for the immediate launching
of dialogue and a suspension of the use of weapons.
I finally address the authorities and citizens of the Middle East, where in
recent days various episodes of violence have sprung up, asking that there too
the way of dialogue and reconciliation be privileged in the pursuit of just and
fraternal coexistence.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[He then greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In English, he said:]
I offer a warm greeting to all the English-speaking visitors present for this
Angelus prayer. In today's Gospel Jesus speaks to the Samaritan women of the
gift of the Holy Spirit, the water which wells up to eternal life in those who
believe. Through our Lenten observance may all of us be renewed in the grace of
our Baptism and prepare with hearts renewed to celebrate the gift of new life at
Easter. Upon you and your families I invoke God's blessings of joy and peace!
© Copyright 2011 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[In Italian, he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday!
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The Transfiguration
"It Is a Revelation of His Divinity"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 20, 2011 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI
gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I thank the Lord for having granted me the opportunity to make a retreat these
past several days, and I am grateful to those who were near to me with their
prayers. This Sunday, the second of Lent is called Transfiguration Sunday
because the Gospel reading recounts this mystery of the life of Christ. He,
after having foretold his passion to the disciples, "took Peter, James and John,
the brother of James, with him to a high mountain. He was transfigured before
them: his face shined like the sun and his garments became bright as light"
(Matthew 17:1-2). In the realm of the senses the light of the sun is the most
intense that there is in nature, but in the realm of the spirit the disciples
experience, for a brief time, a splendor that is still more intense, that of
Jesus' divine glory, which illumines the whole of salvation history. St. Maximus
the confessor says that "the garments having become white symbolized the words
of Sacred Scripture, which became clear and transparent and luminous" ("Ambiguum"
10: PG 91, 1128 B).
According to the Gospel, alongside the transfigured Jesus "there appeared Moses
and Elijah who conversed with him" (Matthew 17:3); Moses and Elijah, the figure
of the Law and the Prophets. It was then that Peter, in ecstasy, exclaimed:
"Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you wish, I will make three tents, one
for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4). But St. Augustine
comments saying that we have but one dwelling place: Christ. He is "the Word of
God, the Word of God in the Law, the Word of God in the Prophets" (Sermo De
Verbis Ev. 78,3: PL 38, 491). In fact, the Father himself proclaims: "This is my
Son, the Beloved, in whom I take delight. Listen to him" (Matthew 17:5). The
transfiguration did not change Jesus but it is a revelation of his divinity:
"the profound interpenetration of his being with God, which then becomes pure
light. In his oneness with the Father, Jesus is himself 'light from light'"
("Jesus of Nazareth," San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2008). Peter, James and
John, contemplating the divinity of the Lord, are prepared to face the scandal
of the cross, as is sung in an ancient hymn: "You were transfigured on the
mountain and your disciples, so far as they were able, contemplated your glory,
seeing you crucified, they understood that your passion was voluntary and they
proclaimed to the world that you are truly the splendor of the Father" ("Kontakion
eis ten Metamorphosein," in Menaia, t. 6, Roma 1901, 341).
Dear Friends, we also participate in this vision and this supernatural gift,
giving room to prayer and listening to the Word of God. Moreover, especially in
this time of Lent, I exhort you, as the Servant of God Paul VI writes, "to
respond to the divine precept of penance with some voluntary act beyond that
self-denial imposed by the burden of daily life" (apostolic Constitution "Pænitemini,"
Feb. 17, 1966, III, c: AAS 58 [1966], 182). We invoke the Virgin Mary so that
she might help us always to listen to and follow the Lord Jesus Christ even unto
the passion and the cross, to participate in his glory also.
[After reciting the Angelus the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
In recent days the troubling news that has come from Libya has also stirred
trepidation and fear in me. I prayed especially for this to the Lord during the
week of retreat. I follow the latest events with great apprehension. I pray for
those who are involved in the dramatic situation in the that country and I
address a pressing call to the political and military leaders that they take the
security of the citizens to heart and guarantee access to humanitarian aid. I
wish to assure the people of my affectionate nearness, as I ask God that peace
and concord dawn for Libya and the whole region of North Africa as soon as
possible.
[In English he said:]
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking pilgrims present at this Angelus
prayer. As we continue our journey through Lent, today at Mass we recall the
Transfiguration of the Lord and how it prepared the Apostles for the coming
scandal of the Cross. Strengthened by our faith in Jesus, true God and true man,
may we be inspired, not scandalized, by the Cross given to our Saviour and to
our fellow Christians who suffer with him throughout the world. Especially
during this holy season, I invoke upon you and your families God's abundant
blessings!
[In Italian he said:]
I wish everyone a good Sunday!
© Copyright 2011 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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On Sin and Evil
"God Is Determined to Deliver His Children From Slavery to
Lead Them to Freedom"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 13, 2011 - Here is a translation of the
address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with
those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This is the first Sunday of Lent, the 40-day liturgical
season in which the Church prepares spiritually for Easter. In substance it is a
matter of following Jesus who turns decisively toward the cross, the culmination
of this mission of salvation. If we ask: Why Lent? Why the cross? The answer, in
radical terms, is this: because evil exists, or rather, sin, which according to
Scripture is the deepest cause of every evil.
But this statement is not at all uncontroversial, and the
word "sin" is not accepted by many, for it presupposes a religious vision of the
world and of man. In effect this is correct: If we eliminate God from the
horizon of the world, we cannot speak of sin. Just as when the sun is hidden the
shadows disappear and the shadows appear only if the sun is there, so too the
eclipse of God necessarily brings the eclipse of sin. Thus the meaning of sin --
which is a different thing from "guilt feelings" as these are understood in
psychology -- is only grasped in discovering the meaning of God. The "Miserere"
Psalm, attributed to David in the context of his twofold sin of adultery and
homicide: "Against you," David says, turning to God, "against you alone I have
sinned" (Psalm 51:6).
God's response to moral evil is to oppose sin and save the
sinner. God does not tolerate evil because he is Love, Justice, Fidelity; and it
is precisely because of this that he does not wish the death of the sinner, but
desires that the sinner covert and live. God intervenes to save humanity: We see
this in the whole history of the Jewish people, beginning with their liberation
from Egypt. God is determined to deliver his children from slavery to lead them
to freedom. And the worst and most profound slavery is that of sin. This is why
God sent his Son into the world: to free men from the rule of Satan, "origin and
cause of every sin."
He sent him in our mortal flesh so that he might become the
sacrifice of expiation, dying for us upon the cross. The Devil sets himself with
all of his forces against this plan of definitive and universal salvation, which
is shown in particular by the Gospel of Jesus' temptations in the desert
proclaimed every year on the first Sunday of Lent. In fact, entering into this
liturgical season always means siding with Christ against sin, doing spiritual
battle -- as an individual and as the Church -- against the evil spirit (collect
prayer for Ash Wednesday).
We thus invoke the help of Mary Most Holy for the Lenten
journey just begun so that it be rich with the fruit of conversion. I ask a
special remembrance in prayer for me and my co-workers in the Roman Curia. This
evening we will start a week-long retreat.
[After the Angelus the Pope made the following appeal in
Italian:]
Dear brothers and sisters,
The images of the tragic earthquake and consequent tsunami
in Japan have deeply shaken us. I would like to renew my spiritual nearness to
the dear people of that country, who are dealing with the effects of these
calamities with dignity and courage. I pray for the victims and for their
families and for all those who are suffering because of these awful events. I
encourage those who with praiseworthy readiness are preparing to bring help. We
remain united in prayer. The Lord is near!
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On the Foundation of Rock
"Find Space Every Day for the Word of God"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 6, 2011 - Here is a translation of the
address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with
those gathered in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters!
This Sunday's Gospel presents the conclusion of the Sermon
on the Mount, where the Lord Jesus, through the parable of the two houses -- one
built on rock and the other on sand -- invites the disciples to listen to his
words and to put them into practice (cf. Matthew 7:24). In this way, he situates
the disciple and his journey of faith within the horizon of the covenant,
constituted by the relationship that God intends with man through the gift of
his Word, entering into communication with us.
The Second Vatican Council affirms: "The invisible God in
his great love speaks with men as with friends and he tarries with them to
invite and admit them to communion with him" ("Dei Verbum," No. 2). "In this
vision every man appears as the addressee of the Word of God, engaged and called
to enter into this dialogue of love with a free response" (Postsynodal apostolic
exhortation "Verbum Domini," No. 22). Jesus is the living Word of God. When he
taught, the people recognized in his words divine authority itself, the felt the
nearness of the Lord, his merciful love, and gave praise to God.
In every age and in every place, those who have the grace
to know Jesus -- especially through the reading of the holy Gospel -- are
fascinated, recognizing in his preaching, in his gestures, in his Person, the
One who reveals God's true face to us, and at the same time, he reveals us to
ourselves; he makes us feel the joy of being the children of the Father in
heaven, indicating to us the solid basis on which to build our life.
But often man does not base his actions, his existence, on
this identity, and prefers the sand of ideologies, power, success and money,
thinking that in these he will find stability and the answer to the
irrepressible question about happiness and fullness that he carries in his own
soul.
And what do we want to build our life on? Who can really
answer the restlessness of our heart? Christ is the rock of our life! He is the
eternal and definitive Word who keeps us from fearing any adversity, difficulty,
hardship (cf. "Verbum Domini," No. 10). May the Word of God permeate the whole
of our life, thought and action, as is proclaimed by the first reading of
today's liturgy, which is drawn for the Book of Deuteronomy: "Take these words
of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let
them be a pendant on your forehead" (11:18).
Dear brothers, I exhort you to find space every day for the
Word of God, to nourish yourselves from it, to meditate on it continually. It is
a precious help for distancing yourself from a superficial activism too, which
might satisfy our pride for a moment, but that, in the end, leaves one empty and
unsatisfied.
Let us invoke the help of the Virgin Mary, whose existence
was marked by fidelity to the Word of God. We contemplate her in the
Annunciation, at the foot of the cross and, now, participating in the glory of
the risen Christ. Like her, we want to renew our "yes" and entrust our journey
to God.
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