September 28, 2011

Pope Benedict: the Faith has a future in Germany

   “Faith in my native Germany has a young face, it is alive, it has a future”, said Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as he retraced the steps of his recent 4 day visit to his native land before 20 thousand pilgrims in St Peter’s Square for the General Audience.
   They included groups from the Church in Indonesia, accompanying their bishops at the beginning of their Ad Limina pilgrimage, from the Samoa Islands, from Kenya and a children’s choir from a South Korean Catholic school - who won a warm smile from Pope Benedict and applause from the crowds as they preformed a hymn and the traditional dance of the fans resplendent in their local dress.
   Young men embarking on their studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical Colleges, accompanied by their tutors were also present for whom the Holy Father had particular words of encouragement: “My affectionate greeting goes to the students of both the Venerable English College and the Pontifical Irish College as they take up their studies for the priesthood.”
   Speaking in Italian Pope Benedict began: “As you know, from Thursday to Sunday last I made a pastoral visit to Germany, I am pleased, therefore, as usual, to take the opportunity of today's audience with you to go over the intense and wonderful days spent in my native country. I crossed Germany from north to south, from east to west: from the capital Berlin to Erfurt and Eichsfeld and then Freiburg, a city near the border with France and Switzerland. First I thank the Lord for the opportunity offered me to meet people and speak about God, to pray together and strengthen brothers and sisters in faith, according to the particular mandate that the Lord has entrusted to Peter and his successors. This visit, which took place under the motto "Where God is, there is the future", was truly a great celebration of faith: in the various meetings and discussions, in the celebrations, especially in the solemn Masses with the people of God. These moments were a precious gift that helped us perceive once more how God is gives the deepest meaning, true fullness to our life indeed, that only He gives us, gives us all, a future.”
   “I remember with deep gratitude the warm and enthusiastic welcome as well as the attention and affection shown me in the various places I visited. I heartily thank the German bishops, especially those of the diocese which hosted me, for the invitation and for all they did, along with many collaborators, in preparing for this trip. A big thank you goes also to the Federal President and all civil and political authorities at federal and regional levels. I am deeply grateful to all who have contributed in various ways to the success of the visit, especially to the many volunteers. So it was a great gift for me and for all of us and has given rise to joy, hope and a new leap of faith and commitment to the future.”
   “In the federal capital Berlin, the Federal President welcomed me to his residence and welcomed me in his name and on the part of my countrymen, expressing esteem and affection for a Pope who is a native of German soil. For my part, I was able to trace a brief thought on the reciprocal relationship between religion and freedom, remembering a phrase of the great Bishop and social reformer Wilhelm von Ketteler,: "Just as religion requires freedom, freedom also needs religion."
   “I gladly accepted the invitation to go to the Bundestag, that was certainly one of the moments of major importance of my trip. For the first time a Pope gave a speech before members of the German Parliament. On this occasion I wanted to expose the foundation of law and free State of law, that is, the measure of all law, inscribed by the Creator in the very being of His creation. Therefore we must broaden our concept of nature, understanding it not only as a set of functions but beyond this as the language of the Creator to help us discern right from wrong. Then there was also a meeting with representatives of the Jewish community in Germany. Remembering our common roots in faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we highlighted the fruits achieved thus far in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and Judaism in Germany. I also had the opportunity to meet some members of the Muslim community, agreeing with them about the importance of religious freedom for the peaceful development of humanity.”
   “The Holy Mass in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, at the conclusion of the first day of the visit, was one of the great liturgical celebrations which gave me the opportunity to pray with the faithful and encourage them in the faith. I was very gladdened by the participation of people in large numbers! At that moment, festive and impressive , we meditated on the Gospel image of the vine and its branches, that is, on the importance of being united with Christ for our personal lives as believers and for our being Church, His mystical body.”
   “The second stage of my visit was to Thuringia. Germany, and Thuringia in particular, is the land of the Protestant Reformation. So, from the beginning I was eager to give particular emphasis to ecumenism in the context of this trip, and I strongly desired an ecumenical moment in Erfurt, because in that city Martin Luther entered the Augustinian community and there he was ordained priest. So I was very pleased with the meeting with members of the Council of the Reformed Protestant Churches in Germany in the former Convent of the Augustinians: a cordial meeting that, in dialogue and prayer, led us more profoundly to Christ. Once again we have seen the importance of our common witness of faith in Jesus Christ in today's world, which often ignores God or has no interest in Him. Our common efforts in the path towards full unity are necessary, but we are always well aware that neither the faith or unity so longed for are a product of our own. A faith created by ourselves is of no value, and true unity is rather a gift from God, who prayed and prayed for the unity of his disciples. Only Christ can give us this unity, and we will be ever more united than the extent to which we return to Him and allow ourselves to be transformed by Him.”
   Pope Benedict described the celebration of vespers at the Marian shrine of Etzelsbach as “particularly moving”, a region that "always remained Catholic throughout the various vicissitudes of history" whose inhabitants "have courageously opposed the dictatorships of Nazism and communism."
   In Erfurt, recalling the patrons saints of Thuringia and "the shining example of the faithful who witnessed to the Gospel during the totalitarian regimes, I invited the faithful to be the saints of today, good witnesses of Christ, and to help build our society . In fact, there have always been saints and people imbued with the love of Christ to really transform the world". During the visit to Erfurt, Pope Benedict also had occasion to "meet some victims of sexual abuse by clergymen, whom I wanted to assure of my sorrow and my closeness to their suffering."
   Moving onto the Freiburg stage of his visit, the Pope recalled the "very festive reception" and the prayer vigil with thousands of young people. "I was happy to see that faith in my native German has a young face, it is alive and has a future”. "I transmitted flame of the Paschal candle, symbol of light that is Christ, to the young people exhorting them: You are the light of the world. I repeated to them that the Pope is confident in the active collaboration of the youth; with the grace of Christ, they are able to bring the fire of God’s love to the world."
   Also in Freiburg, Pope Benedict met with the seminarians, "I wanted to show them the beauty and grandeur of their calling from the Lord" and with representatives of the Orthodox Churches "to whom we Catholics feel very close. In fact, it is from this broad commonality that the common task to be leaven for the renewal of our society is derived."
   And finally in the great Sunday Mass at the Freiburg airport his thanks to volunteers from the charitable initiatives of the German Church. "I recalled that their valuable service will always be fruitful when it is born of an authentic faith and lives in union with the bishops and the Pope, in union with the Church. Finally, before my return, I talked to a thousand Catholics involved in the Church and in society, suggesting some reflections on the action of the Church in a secularized society, on the invitation to be free from material and political burdens to reflect God more transparently."

September 25, 2011

Papal Mass in Freiburg: the Pope's Homily

 

    Pope Benedict XVI presided a big outdoor Mass at Freiburg's touristic airport just outside the south west German city. This is the final Mass of the Holy Father's four day visit to his homeland and comes on the last day of his trip. The following is the text of his Homily:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
   It is moving for me to be here once again to celebrate this Eucharist, this Thanksgiving, with so many people from different parts of Germany and the neighbouring countries. We offer our thanks above all to God, in whom we live and move. But I would also like to thank all of you for your prayers that the Successor of Peter may continue to carry out his ministry with joy and faithful hope, and that he may strengthen his brothers in faith.
   “Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness”, as we said in today’s Collect. In the first reading we heard how God manifested the power of his mercy in the history of Israel. The experience of the Babylonian Exile caused the people to fall into a crisis of faith: Why did this calamity happen? Perhaps God was not truly powerful?
   There are theologians who, in the face of all the terrible things that happen in the world today, say that God cannot be all-powerful. In response to this we profess God, the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth. We are glad and thankful that God is all-powerful. At the same time, we have to be aware that he exercises his power differently from the way we normally do. He has placed a limit on his power, by recognizing the freedom of his creatures. We are glad and thankful for the gift of freedom. However, when we see the terrible things that happen as a result of it, we are frightened. Let us put our trust in God, whose power manifests itself above all in mercy and forgiveness. Let us be certain, dear faithful, that God desires the salvation of his people. He desires our salvation. He is always close to us, especially in times of danger and radical change, his heart aches for us and he reaches out to us. We need to open ourselves to him so that the power of his mercy can touch our hearts. We have to be ready to abandon evil, to raise ourselves from indifference and make room for his word. God respects our freedom. He does not constrain us.
   In the Gospel Jesus takes up this fundamental theme of prophetic preaching. He recounts the parable of the two sons invited by their father to work in the vineyard. The first son responded: “‘I will not go’, but afterward he repented and went.” Instead the other son said to the father: “‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.” When asked by Jesus which of the two sons did the father’s will, those listening respond: “the first” (Mt 21:29-31). The message of the parable is clear: it is not words that matter, but deeds, deeds of conversion and faith. Jesus directs this message to the chief priests and elders of the people, that is, to the experts of religion for the people of Israel. At first they say “yes” to God’s will, but their piety becomes routine and God no longer matters to them. For this reason they find the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus disturbing. The Lord concludes his parable with harsh words: “Truly, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him, and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him” (Mt 21:32). Translated into the language of our time, this statement might sound something like this: agnostics, who are constantly exercised by the question of God, those who long for a pure heart but suffer on account of our sin, are closer to the Kingdom of God than believers whose life of faith is “routine” and who regard the Church merely as an institution, without letting their hearts be touched by faith.
   The words of Jesus should make us all pause, in fact they should disturb us. However, this is by no means to suggest that everyone who lives in the Church and works for her should be considered far from Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Absolutely not! On the contrary, this is a time to offer a word of profound gratitude to the many co-workers, employees and volunteers, without whom life in the parishes and in the entire Church would be hard to imagine. The Church in Germany has many social and charitable institutions through which the love of neighbour is practised in ways that bring social benefits and reach to the ends of the earth. I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those working in Caritas Germany and in other church organizations who give their time and effort generously in voluntary service to the Church. In the first place, such service requires objective and professional expertise. But in the spirit of Jesus’ teaching something more is needed – an open heart that allows itself to be touched by the love of Christ, and thus gives to our neighbour, who needs us, something more than a technical service: it gives love, in which the other person is able to see Christ, the loving God. So let us ask ourselves, how is my personal relationship with God: in prayer, in participation at Sunday Mass, in exploring my faith through meditation on sacred Scripture and study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Dear friends, in the last analysis, the renewal of the Church will only come about through openness to conversion and through renewed faith.
   The Gospel for this Sunday speaks of two sons, but behind them, in a mysterious way, there is a third son. The first son says “no,” but does the father’s will. The second son says “yes,” but does not do what he was asked. The third son both says “yes” and does what he was asked. This third son is the Only-begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who has gathered us all here. Jesus, on entering the world, said: “Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God” (Heb 10:7). He not only said “yes”, he acted on it. As the Christological hymn from the second reading says: “Though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross” (Phil. 2: 6-8). In humility and obedience, Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father and by dying on the Cross for his brothers and sisters, he saved us from our pride and obstinacy. Let us thank him for his sacrifice, let us bend our knees before his name and proclaim together with the disciples of the first generation: “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).
   The Christian life must continually measure itself by Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5), as Saint Paul says in the introduction to the Christological hymn. A few verses before, he exhorts his readers: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil 2:1-2). Just as Christ was totally united to the Father and obedient to him, so too the disciples must obey God and be of one mind among themselves. Dear friends, with Paul I dare to exhort you: complete my joy by being firmly united in Christ. The Church in Germany will overcome the great challenges of the present and future, and it will remain a leaven in society, if the priests, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful, in fidelity to their respective vocations, work together in unity, if the parishes, communities, and movements support and enrich each other, if the baptized and confirmed, in union with their bishop, lift high the torch of untarnished faith and allow it to enlighten their abundant knowledge and skills. The Church in Germany will continue to be a blessing for the entire Catholic world: if she remains faithfully united with the Successors of Saint Peter and the Apostles, if she fosters cooperation in various ways with mission countries and allows herself to be “infected” by the joy that marks the faith of these
young Churches.
   To his exhortation to unity, Paul adds a call to humility: “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3-4). Christian life is a life for others: existing for others, humble service of neighbour and of the common good. Dear friends, humility is a virtue that does not enjoy great esteem today. But the Lord’s disciples know that this virtue is, so to speak, the oil that makes the process of dialogue fruitful, cooperation simple and unity sincere. The Latin word for humility, humilitas, is derived from humus and indicates closeness to the earth. Those who are humble stand with their two feet on the ground, but above all they listen to Christ, the Word of God, who ceaselessly renews the Church and each of her members.
   Let us ask God for the courage and the humility to walk the path of faith, to draw from the riches of his mercy, and to fix our gaze on Christ, the Word, who makes all things new and is for us “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6): he is our future. Amen.

September 24, 2011

Pope's homily at Mass in Erfurt Cathedral Square

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
   “Praise the Lord at all times, for he is good.” These are the words that we sang just before the Gospel. Yes, we truly have reason to thank God with our whole hearts. If we think back thirty years to the Elizabeth Year 1981, when this city formed part of the German Democratic Republic, who would have thought that a few years later, the wall and the barbed wire at the border would have come down? And if we think even further back, some 70 years, to the year 1941, in the days of National Socialism, who could have predicted that the so-called “thousand-year Reich” would turn to dust and ashes just four years later?
   Dear Brothers and Sisters, here in Thuringia and in the former German Democratic Republic, you have had to endure first a brown and then a red dictatorship, which acted on the Christian faith like acid rain. Many late consequences of that period are still having to be worked through, above all in the intellectual and religious fields. Most people in this country since that time have spent their lives far removed from faith in Christ and from the communion of the Church. Yet the last two decades have also brought good experiences: a broader horizon, an exchange that reaches beyond borders, a faithful confidence that God does not abandon us and that he leads us along new paths. “Where God is, there is a future.”
   We are all convinced that the new freedom has helped bring about greater dignity and a great many new possibilities for people’s lives. On the part of the Church, we can point gratefully to many things that have become easier, whether it be new opportunities for parish activities, renovation and enlargement of churches and community centres, or diocesan initiatives of a pastoral or cultural nature. But have these opportunities led to an increase in faith? Are not the deep roots of faith and Christian life to be sought in something very different from social freedom? It was actually amid the hardships of pressure from without that many committed Catholics remained faithful to Christ and to the Church. They accepted personal disadvantages in order to live their faith. Here I should like to thank the priests and the men and women who assisted them during that period. I would like to remember especially the pastoral care of refugees immediately after the Second World War: many priests and laypersons achieved great things in order to relieve the plight of those driven from their homes, and to provide them with a new home. Sincere thanks go not least to the parents who brought up their children in the Catholic faith in the midst of the diaspora and in an anticlerical political environment. With gratitude we remember, for example, the Religious Weeks for Children during the holidays and the fruitful work of the Catholic youth centres “Saint Sebastian” in Erfurt and “Marcel Callo” in Heiligenstadt. Especially in Eichsfeld, many Catholic Christians resisted the Communist ideology. May God richly reward their tenacity in the faith. That courageous witness and that patient trust in God’s guidance are like a precious seed that promises rich fruit for the future.
   God’s presence is seen especially clearly in his saints. Their witness to the faith can also give us the courage to begin afresh today. Above all, we may think of the patron saints of the Diocese of Erfurt: Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, Saint Boniface and Saint Kilian. Elizabeth came from a foreign land, from Hungary, to the Wartburg here in Thuringia. She led an intense life of prayer, linked to the spirit of penance and evangelical poverty. She regularly went down from her castle into the town of Eisenach, in order to care personally for the poor and the sick. Her life on this earth was only short – she was just twenty-four years old when she died – but the fruit of her holiness was vast. Saint Elizabeth is greatly esteemed also by Protestant Christians. She can help us all to discover the fullness of the faith that has been handed down to us and to translate it into our everyday lives.
    The foundation of the diocese of Erfurt in 742 by Saint Boniface reminds us of the Christian roots of our country. This event at the same time forms the first recorded mention of the city of Erfurt. The missionary bishop Boniface had come from England and he worked in close association with the successor of Saint Peter. We honour him as the “Apostle of Germany”; he died as a martyr. Two of his companions, who also bore witness by shedding their blood for the Christian faith, are buried here in the Cathedral of Erfurt: Saints Eoban and Adelar.
   Even before the Anglo-Saxon missionaries, Saint Kilian, an itinerant missionary from Ireland, was at work in Thuringia. Together with two companions he died in Würzburg as a martyr, because he criticized the moral misconduct of the Duke of Thuringia whose seat was in that place. Nor must we forget Saint Severus, the patron saint of the Severus Church here on the Cathedral Square: he was Bishop of Ravenna in the fourth century and his remains were brought to Erfurt in 836, in order to anchor the Christian faith more firmly in this region.
   What do these saints have in common? How can we describe the particular qualities of their lives and make them fruitful for ourselves? The saints show us that it is truly possible and good to live our relationship with God in a radical way, to put him in first place, not as one concern among others. The saints help us to see that God first reached out to us, he revealed and continues to reveal himself to us in Jesus Christ. Christ comes towards us, he speaks to every individual with an invitation to follow him. This was an opportunity that the saints acted on, they as it were reached out to him from deep within themselves in the ongoing dialogue of prayer, and in return they received from him the light that shows where true life is to be found.
   Faith always includes as an essential element the fact that it is shared with others. In the first place I have God to thank for the fact that I can believe, for God approaches me and so to speak “ignites” my faith. But on a practical level, I also have to thank my fellow human beings for my faith, those who believed before me and who believe with me. This “with”, without which there can be no personal faith, is the Church. And this Church does not stop at national borders, as we can see from the nationalities of the saints I mentioned earlier: Hungary, England, Ireland and Italy. Here we see the importance of spiritual exchange, which encompasses the entire universal Church. If we open ourselves up to the whole of the faith in all of history and the testimony given to it in the whole Church, then the Catholic faith also has a future as a public force in Germany. At the same time the saints that I mentioned show us the great fruitfulness of a holy life, of this radical love for God and neighbour. Saints, even if there are only a few of them, change the world.
   Thus the political changes that swept through your country in 1989 were motivated not just by the demand for prosperity and freedom of movement, but also decisively by the longing for truthfulness. This longing was kept awake partly through people completely dedicated to serving God and neighbour and ready to sacrifice their lives. They and the saints I mentioned before give us courage to make good use of this new situation. We have no wish to hide in a purely private faith, but we want to shape this hard-won freedom responsibly. Like Saints Kilian, Boniface, Adelar, Eoban and Elizabeth of Thuringia, we want to engage with our fellow citizens as Christians and to invite them to discover with us the fullness of the Good News. Then we will resemble the famous bell of the Cathedral of Erfurt, which bears the name “Gloriosa”, the “glorious”. It is thought to be the largest free-swinging medieval bell in the world. It is a living sign of our deep rootedness in the Christian tradition, but also a summons to set out upon the mission. It will ring out once more at the end of today’s solemn Mass. May it inspire us, after the example of the saints, to ensure that witness to Christ is both seen and heard in the world in which we live. Amen

September 22, 2011

Pope Benedict: I have come to "speak about God"

   Pope Benedict XVI arrived in his homeland of Germany on Thursday morning. During the welcoming ceremony, the Holy Father said he had "not come [to Germany] primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals, ... but rather to meet people and to speak about God."

Pope Benedict XVI's remarks during Welcoming Ceremony in Berlin

Mr President of the Federal Republic,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
    I am honoured by the kind welcome which you have given to me here in Bellevue Castle. I am particularly grateful to you, President Wulff, for inviting me to make this official visit, which marks the third time I have come as Pope to the Federal Republic of Germany. I thank you most heartily for your cordial words of welcome. I am likewise grateful to the representatives of the Federal Government, the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, and the City of Berlin for their presence, which signifies their respect for the Pope as the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Last but not not least, I thank the three Bishops who are my hosts, Archbishop Woelki of Berlin, Bishop Wanke of Erfurt and Archbishop Zollitsch of Freiburg, and all those at the various ecclesial and civil levels who helped in preparing this visit to my native land and contributed to its happy outcome.
   Even though this journey is an official visit which will reinforce the good relations existing between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Holy See, I have not come here primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals, as other statesmen rightly do, but rather to meet people and to speak about God.
   We are witnessing a growing indifference to religion in society, which considers the issue of truth as something of an obstacle in its decision-making, and instead gives priority to utilitarian considerations.
   All the same, a binding basis for our coexistence is needed; otherwise people live in a purely individualistic way. Religion is one of these foundations for a successful social life. “Just as religion has need of freedom, so also freedom has need of religion.” These words of the great bishop and social reformer Wilhelm von Ketteler, the second centenary of whose birth is being celebrated this year, remain timely.
   Freedom requires a primordial link to a higher instance. The fact that there are values which are not absolutely open to manipulation is the true guarantee of our freedom. The man who feels a duty to truth and goodness will immediately agree with this: freedom develops only in responsibility to a greater good. Such a good exists only for all of us together; therefore I must always be concerned for my neighbours. Freedom cannot be lived in the absence of relationships
   In human coexistence, freedom is impossible without solidarity. What I do at the expense of others is not freedom but a culpable way of acting which is harmful to others and also to myself. I can truly develop as a free person only by using my powers also for the welfare of others. This holds true not only in private matters but also for society as a whole. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, society must give sufficient space for smaller structures to develop and, at the same time, must support them so that one day they will stand on their own.
   Here in Bellevue Castle, named for its splendid view of the banks of the Spree and situated close to the Victory Column, the Bundestag and the Brandenburg Gate, we are in the very heart of Berlin, the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. This castle, with its dramatic history – like many buildings of this city – is a testimony to the history of Germany. A clear look at the past, even at its dark pages, enables us to learn from it and to receive an impetus for the present. The Federal Republic of Germany has become what it is today thanks to the power of freedom shaped by responsibility before God and before one another. It needs this dynamism, which engages every human sector in order to continue developing now. It needs this in a world which requires a profound cultural renewal and the rediscovery of fundamental values upon which to build a better future (Caritas in Veritate, 21).
   I trust that my meetings throughout this visit – here in Berlin, in Erfurt, in Eichsfeld and in Freiburg – can make a small contribution in this regard. In these days may God grant all of us his blessing.

September 18, 2011

Pope Benedict and the "New Evangelisation"

   New evangelisation was at the heart of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Sunday before the recitation of the Angelus, his last before a visit to Germany. Speaking to the many people who had gathered in the courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence at Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father said that “Today we live in an epoch of new evangelisation. Vast horizons are opening to the Gospel, while traditionally Christian regions are called to rediscover once again the beauty of the faith”.

   The Holy Father then went on to praise the men and women, families, and communities “who accept, as he put it, to work in the vineyard of the Lord, an image taken from Sunday’s Gospel. These people, the Pope added, are “Humble, generous workers who ask no other recompense but to participate in the mission of Jesus and his Church.”

   “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.”

   Continuing on this theme of evangelisation Pope Benedict turned to the great figure of St Paul, a man who embodied the “new evangelisation.” St Paul the Pope recalled said “Life to me is Christ.” He said this, continued the Pope, because he understood that Jesus is a man in whom God himself lives” and not just a religious leader or master of wisdom.

   In concluding words on Sunday Pope Benedict asked the German people to pray for him during his upcoming visit to his homeland.

September 11, 2011

Pope's appeal to world’s leaders to reject violence

   From the Adriatic port city of Ancona this Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI raised an appeal to world leaders to always reject violence as a solution to problems. The Pope had flown into the eastern Italian city to preside at the conclusion of the 25^th Italian National Eucharistic Congress, but during the midday Angelus – for a second straight day – his thoughts went to the September 11^th of ten years ago and to the victims of the terrorist attacks on New York’s Twin Towers, on Washington and Pennsylvania: 

   "Today, our thoughts also go to September 11 ten years ago. In entrusting the victims of the terrorist attacks on that day and their families to the Lord of Life, I invite the leaders of nations and men of good will to always refuse violence as the solution to problems, to resist the temptation toward hatred and to work in society, inspired by the principles of solidarity, justice and peace."

   On Saturday in a letter to the President of the US bishops’ conference, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, the Holy Father had written about the brutality of the 9/11 attacks that killed almost 3, 000 people and said that nothing can justify terrorism and that what happened is further compounded by the perpetrators’ claim to be acting in the name of God.

   His latest appeal resounded across the deep blue of the Adriatic sea, a perfect backdrop to the Sunday liturgy which saw Italy’s biggest shipyard transformed into an open air cathedral. An estimated 100 thousand people drawn from the nations 42 Metropolitan Archdiocese had gathered for the week long congress in Ancona on the theme “The Eucharist for every day life” inspired by the passage from the Gospel of John on Christ’s sermon on the Bread of Life.

   In gifting Himself daily in the Eucharist – Pope Benedict said in his homily – God offers us "the path to avoid indifference to the fate of our brothers and sisters, to enter the same logic of love and gift of sacrifice of the Cross". He said: "Those who know how to kneel before the Eucharist, those who receive the body of Christ can not fail to be attentive, in the unfolding of the day, to situations unworthy of man and know firsthand how to bend over the needy, how to break bread with the hungry, how to share water with the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned."

   Commenting on the phrase that begins today's Gospel "This is a hard saying," Pope Benedict said that "it is hard because often we confuse freedom with the absence of constraints, in the belief that we can make it alone, without God, seen as a limit to freedom. This is an illusion which soon turns into disappointment, generating fear and anxiety and leading us, paradoxically, to regret the chains of the past: "If only we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt ..." - said the Jews in the desert (Ex 16.3), as we heard. In fact, only in openness to God, in welcoming His gift, do we become truly free, free from the bondage of sin which disfigures the face of man and able to serve the true good of our brothers."

   The Pope continued : "It is hard because man often falls into the illusion of being able to "turn stones into bread." After having put God aside, or having tolerated Him as a private choice that should not interfere with public life, certain ideologies have tried to organize society by the force of power and the economy. History dramatically shows us how the goal of ensuring development, material well-being and peace to all, excluding God and his revelation, resulted in people being given stone instead of bread. Bread, dear brothers and sisters, is the "fruit of human hands", and in this truth lies all the responsibilities entrusted to our hands and our ingenuity; but bread is also, and before that, "fruit of the earth ", which receives the sun and rain from above: it is a gift to be asked for, that takes away all of our pride and makes us cry out with the confidence of the humble:" Father (...), give us this day our daily bread "(Matt. 6:11)."

   "Man is incapable of giving life by himself, he can only be understood starting from God: it is our relationship with Him, that gives consistency to our humanity and makes our lives good and right. In the Our Father we ask that His name be hallowed, that His kingdom come, that His will is done. Above all else, we must recover the primacy of God in our world and our lives, because it is this very primacy that allows us to recover the truth of who we are, and it is in knowing and following the will of God that we find our true good. Give time and space to God, so that he is the vital centre of our existence. Where to start, as if from the source, to recover and reassert the primacy of God? From the Eucharist: there God draws so close that He becomes food for us, here He becomes strength in the often difficult journey, here He becomes a friendly presence that transforms."

   Pope Benedict concluded : "A Eucharistic spirituality, then, is the real antidote to the individualism and selfishness that often characterize daily life, it leads to the rediscovery of gratuity, of the centrality of relationships, starting from the family, with particular attention to healing the wounds of those that are broken. A Eucharistic spirituality is the soul of a church community that goes beyond divisions and conflicts and promotes the diversity of charisms and ministries by placing them in the service of the unity of the Church, its vitality and its mission. Eucharistic spirituality is a way to restore dignity to man’s everyday life and therefore to his work, in the search to reconcile it with times of celebration and family life and with a commitment to overcome the insecurity and uncertainty of the unemployment problem. A Eucharistic spirituality will also help us to draw close to the different forms of human frailty aware that they do not overshadow the value of the person, but require closeness, welcome and help. A renewed educational vitality can draw force from the Bread of life, attentive to witness the fundamental values ​​of existence, of knowledge, of our spiritual and cultural heritage, its vitality will help us live in the city of mankind with the willingness to spend ourselves for the horizon of the common good to build a more just and fraternal world."

September 7, 2011

Pope’s school of prayer: God is always near

   “God is always near - even in difficulties, problems, in the darkness of life - He listens, responds and saves us in His own way. But we must be able to recognize His presence and accept His ways”, said Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as he introduced Psalm no 3, also known as the Psalm of David as the subject of this his seventh general audience dedicated to the Christians school of prayer.
   To the joy of 20 thousand visitors and pilgrims to the Vatican, the Pope returned to St Peter’s square for his weekly catechesis, for the first time since the July break and the August sessions held in the cooler courtyard of his summer residence in the Roman hills. A gentle breeze brought some relief to those gathered in a stiflingly humid stone square beneath a hot midday sun, but even the unusually warm September weather failed to dampen their enthusiastic welcome to Pope Benedict as he toured the square in his pope-mobile.
    In his brief catechesis in English he said: “Dear Brothers and Sisters, We return today to our series of catecheses on prayer with a consideration of Psalm Three, in which the psalmist cries out to God to rescue him from the enemies who surround him. Traditionally the psalm is attributed to King David as he flees from the armies of his rebellious son Absalom. Assailed on every side by foes who seek his life, the psalmist calls on the name of the Lord, filled with faith in the presence and the power of God who alone can save him from the evils that threaten him.”
   Earlier in his lengthier comments in Italian the Pope developed on importance of remaining firm in our faith in the Lord even in the midst of desperation: “The aggression is not only physical, but it touches the spiritual dimension - the Lord can not save him, they say - the core of the soul of the Psalmist is attacked. It is the very temptation to which the believer is subjected: the temptation to lose faith, faith in the nearness of God."
    However "the just man overcomes the ultimate test," he "remains strong in the certainty of truth and complete trust in God, and hence finds life and truth, and it seems to me that here the psalm touches us very personally regarding many problems. We are tempted to think that maybe God will not save me, does not know me, perhaps he cannot. The temptation against faith is the last attack of the enemy and we must resist this, this is how we find God and find life."
   “We are reminded of the plight of the just man in the Book of Wisdom, condemned to a shameful death by the wicked, who taunt him by arguing that God will surely come to his rescue. Our thoughts move on to Calvary, where the passers-by mocked Jesus, saying that God would deliver him from death if he were really who he claimed to be. And yet, we know that God truly hears the prayers of those who call upon him in faith. He answers from his holy mountain. The unseen God responds with great power, and he becomes our shield and our glory. Even though Jesus appears to be abandoned by the Father as he dies on Calvary, yet for the eyes of faith this is the crowning moment of salvation, the triumph of the Cross, the hour of our Saviour’s glorification.”
   Pope Benedict concluded his lesson with a prayer: “May the Lord give us faith, come to the aid of our weakness and make us able to believe and pray in every distress, in the sorrowful nights of doubt and during the long days of pain, abandoning ourselves to Him with confidence, our 'shield' and our 'glory'”. And finally he greeted all the English speaking pilgrims present at the audience: I am pleased to welcome the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including the groups from Britain and Ireland, Denmark and the United States of America. I extend a special greeting to the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, who have come from Indonesia, and to the Ursuline Sisters. Commending all of you to the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, I invoke God’s blessings upon you.

September 4, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI on fraternal charity

   “We must give ourselves much exercise both in fraternal correction, which requires a great deal of humility and simplicity of heart, and in prayer, so that what we offer up to God in Heaven might be the prayer of a community truly united in Christ.” These were some of the words Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the faithful gathered in the courtyard of the Papal Summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, for the Sunday Angelus. Reflecting on the Sunday Gospel readings, which focus on fraternal charity in the life of the community, the Holy Father recalled how the brotherly love also involves a "sense of mutual responsibility," which includes calling a brother who has fallen into sin back to the right path - first personally and then, gradually, at the community level. Pope Benedict went on to note that, in the face of the stubbornness of a brother or sister, this can lead even to separation from the Church community. “All this,” he said, “indicates that there is a sharing of responsibility in the way of Christian life: all of us, aware of our limitations and defects, are called to welcome fraternal correction and to help others with this particular service.” After recalling the importance of communal prayer, the Pope turned to his upcoming visit to the Adriatic port city of Ancona in central Italy, where the XXV National Eucharistic Congress is already underway on the theme: "Lord, to whom shall we go? - The Eucharist in daily life. Pope Benedict offered greetings and blessing to all the participants, calling the Congress, “[an] event of grace, which adores and praises Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, source of life and hope for every man and for the whole world.”
    After the traditional noonday prayer of Marian devotion, Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in many languages, including English, during which he offered a special salute to the participants in the 8th international conference of Matercare International - an organization of Catholic health professionals dedicated to the care of mothers and babies, which held its gathering this past week in Rome.
    "I am pleased to welcome the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus prayer. I greet the doctors gathered for the Matercare International Conference on the Dignity of Mothers and Obstetricians, as well as students present from the University of Mary, Rome Campus. Today’s Gospel passage reminds us that God is present when the Church gathers to worship in his name. May we always draw grace and strength from our prayerful encounters with God in communion with our brothers and sisters in the faith. May God bless all of you!"