December 28, 2011

Pope Benedict: The importance of prayer in the family

    After a busy weekend of Christmas ceremonies Pope Benedict welcomed the faithful on Wednesday who had gathered in the Paul VI hall for his last General Audience of 2011. Continuing his catechesis on prayer, the Pope told those gathered that families should be schools of prayer. We must, he continued, follow the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
   “May the example of the Holy Family inspire all Christian families to be schools of prayer, where parents and children alike come to know that closeness to God which we joyfully celebrate in these days of Christmas.”The Holy Father explained that prayer is an inescapable model for Christians, because it is through prayer, “that we draw near to God with intimacy and depth”.
   Jesus’ unique relationship with his heavenly Father was reflected in the prayer life of the Holy Family and stands at the heart of all Christian prayer.
   The Pope went on to say that it is important that parents provide an example of prayerful meditation to their children just like Mary and Joseph did.
   “In the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we learn to contemplate the mystery of God’s presence and to grow as faithful disciples of Christ. The Gospels present Mary as the supreme model of prayerful mediation on the mysteries of Christ’s life; in praying the Rosary, in fact, we unite ourselves to her contemplation of those mysteries in faith and hope. Saint Joseph fulfilled his vocation as the father of the Holy Family by teaching Jesus the importance of quiet fidelity to work, prayer and observance of the precepts of the Law.”
Concluding his catechesis Pope Benedict urged the faithful to “rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family.
   Finally, the Holy Father had greetings for all those in the Paul VI Hall in various languages including English.
   “I offer a warm welcome to the students and teachers from the Oak International Academies. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present, including the pilgrimage groups from Ireland, and the United States, I cordially invoke an abundance of joy and peace in Christ our Newborn Saviour!”

December 26, 2011

Pope expresses his sadness at "senseless" violence in Nigeria

   Pope Benedict made a heart felt appeal this St Stephen’s Day for the people whose lands as he put it “are drenched with innocent blood. He spoke in particular about the violence that was wreaked on Christmas Day in Nigeria.

   A blast outside a St Theresa’s Church near the capital Abuja killed at least 35 people, and in the city of Jos another bomb went off near the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church.

   The Pope expressed his closeness to the Christian community in the country and all those who have been affected by what he called “this senseless act.”

   He also reinforced his call for peace, respect, reconciliation and love adding that violence is a path that only leads to pain, destruction and death.

   The Holy Father made the appeal at the Angelus this 26^th of December in St Peter’s Square. He also recalled St Stephen who was the first Christian martyr.

   “Today we celebrate Saint 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.”

   Speaking in Italian the Pope described how St Stephen gave his life for God adding that even as he was being stoned to death he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and begged forgiveness for his accusers.

   Pope Benedict went on to explain that after the generation of the Apostles, the martyrs gained a prominent place in the consideration of the Christian community.

   In times of increased persecution, he continued, their praise revives the arduous journey of the faithful and encourages those in search of the truth to be converted to the Lord.

   The Holy Father also underlined the importance of the martyrs as figures in the Church saying, that they are venerated and honoured as "teachers of virtue," "living witnesses," and "silent messengers."

   On this feast of St Stephen Pope Benedict greeted the faithful in St Peter’s Square in a number of languages including English and pray that Our Lady Queen of Martyrs would protect the faithful in times of adversity.

December 25, 2011

Urbi et Orbi: Christ come to save us

   Christ is born for us! Come to save us! Those were Pope Benedict’s words to the city and the World this Christmas Day.

   As the sun shone and the bands played, the Holy Father on the dot of 12 midday came out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica for the traditional Urbi et Orbi message.

   The Pope asked the faithful to repeat the words “Come to save us!” in spiritual union with the many people to are experience particularly difficult situations, people who have no voice.

   Those people included the many thousands affected by insecurity, hunger and food shortages in the Horn of Africa. The Pope appealed to the international community during his message to continue to offer assistance to those displaced from that region and as he put it “whose dignity has been sorely tried”. Staying on the continent of Africa, Pope Benedict prayed also that political stability would reign in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and South Sudan.

   The Holy Father during his message recalled the birthplace of the Christ Child and prayed that Prince of Peace would bring stability peace and dialogue between Israeli’s and Palestinians, an end to violence in Syria and reconciliation in Iraq and Afghanistan. May the Lord also grant, said the Pope, “renewed vigour to all elements of society in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East as they strive to advance the common good.”

   2011 saw a number of natural disasters occur in the world and Pope Benedict turned his attention to South East Asia, particularly Thailand and the Philippines and to those who have been stricken by severe floods.

   He also prayed that the birth of Saviour would bring about shared solutions in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

   This address focusing on peace, stability and reconciliation was followed by Christmas greetings given by the Pope given in over 65 languages including Italian, Tamil, Irish, Arabic and Hebrew.

   The Pope’s Urbi et Orbi message came less than 24 hours after the Holy Father celebrated the traditional Christmas Eve Mass in the splendour of St Peter’s Basilica.

   Those gathered including the faithful and members of the diplomatic corps listened as Pope Benedict told them that the Christmas celebration had become too commercial and there was a need for people to look to the simplicity of the occasion to discover true “joy and true light.”

December 25, 2011

Homily of Pope Benedict at Mass on Christmas Eve

   A celebration of light, colour and song. An event watched by millions of people across the world. But also an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
   The Mass presided over by Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican on Christmas Eve was all of this and more. St Peter’s Basilica was indeed a blaze of lights, illuminating the faces of pilgrims and visitors representing every corner of the earth – to which the ceremony itself was broadcast, via radio, television and on the internet. But it was the Pope’s homily that set the tone of the celebration by reminding us that Christmas is an “epiphany”, marking the appearance of God, and of His great light, in a Child that is born for us. Benedict XVI invited us to “dismount from the high-horse” of our “enlightened reason”, to “set aside our false certainties and intellectual pride”, in order to find and recognize the God who appeared as a Child…

Here follows the full text in English of the Holy Father’s homily:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
   The reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to Titus that we have just heard begins solemnly with the word “apparuit”, which then comes back again in the reading at the Dawn Mass: apparuit – “there has appeared”. This is a programmatic word, by which the Church seeks to express synthetically the essence of Christmas. Formerly, people had spoken of God and formed human images of him in all sorts of different ways. God himself had spoken in many and various ways to mankind (cf. Heb 1:1 – Mass during the Day). But now something new has happened: he has appeared. He has revealed himself. He has emerged from the inaccessible light in which he dwells. He himself has come into our midst. This was the great joy of Christmas for the early Church: God has appeared. No longer is he merely an idea, no longer do we have to form a picture of him on the basis of mere words. He has “appeared”. But now we ask: how has he appeared? Who is he in reality? The reading at the Dawn Mass goes on to say: “the kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” (Tit 3:4). For the people of pre-Christian times, whose response to the terrors and contradictions of the world was to fear that God himself might not be good either, that he too might well be cruel and arbitrary, this was a real “epiphany”, the great light that has appeared to us: God is pure goodness. Today too, people who are no longer able to recognize God through faith are asking whether the ultimate power that underpins and sustains the world is truly good, or whether evil is just as powerful and primordial as the good and the beautiful which we encounter in radiant moments in our world. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed”: this is the new, consoling certainty that is granted to us at Christmas.
   In all three Christmas Masses, the liturgy quotes a passage from the Prophet Isaiah, which describes the epiphany that took place at Christmas in greater detail: “A child is born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end” (Is 9:5f.). Whether the prophet had a particular child in mind, born during his own period of history, we do not know. But it seems impossible. This is the only text in the Old Testament in which it is said of a child, of a human being: his name will be Mighty-God, Eternal-Father. We are presented with a vision that extends far beyond the historical moment into the mysterious, into the future. A child, in all its weakness, is Mighty God. A child, in all its neediness and dependence, is Eternal Father. And his peace “has no end”. The prophet had previously described the child as “a great light” and had said of the peace he would usher in that the rod of the oppressor, the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood would be burned (Is 9:1, 3-4).
   God has appeared – as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love your childish estate, your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours. Christmas is an epiphany – the appearing of God and of his great light in a child that is born for us. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, not in the palaces of kings. In 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi celebrated Christmas in Greccio with an ox and an ass and a manger full of hay, a new dimension of the mystery of Christmas came to light. Saint Francis of Assisi called Christmas “the feast of feasts” – above all other feasts – and he celebrated it with “unutterable devotion” (2 Celano 199; Fonti Francescane, 787). He kissed images of the Christ-child with great devotion and he stammered tender words such as children say, so Thomas of Celano tells us (ibid.). For the early Church, the feast of feasts was Easter: in the Resurrection Christ had flung open the doors of death and in so doing had radically changed the world: he had made a place for man in God himself. Now, Francis neither changed nor intended to change this objective order of precedence among the feasts, the inner structure of the faith centred on the Paschal Mystery. And yet through him and the character of his faith, something new took place: Francis discovered Jesus’ humanity in an entirely new depth. This human existence of God became most visible to him at the moment when God’s Son, born of the Virgin Mary, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The Resurrection presupposes the Incarnation. For God’s Son to take the form of a child, a truly human child, made a profound impression on the heart of the Saint of Assisi, transforming faith into love. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” – this phrase of Saint Paul now acquired an entirely new depth. In the child born in the stable at Bethlehem, we can as it were touch and caress God. And so the liturgical year acquired a second focus in a feast that is above all a feast of the heart. This has nothing to do with sentimentality. It is right here, in this new experience of the reality of Jesus’ humanity that the great mystery of faith is revealed. Francis loved the child Jesus, because for him it was in this childish estate that God’s humility shone forth. God became poor. His Son was born in the poverty of the stable. In the child Jesus, God made himself dependent, in need of human love, he put himself in the position of asking for human love – our love.
   Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God’s humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity. Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light. Francis arranged for Mass to be celebrated on the manger that stood between the ox and the ass (cf. 1 Celano 85; Fonti 469). Later, an altar was built over this manger, so that where animals had once fed on hay, men could now receive the flesh of the spotless lamb Jesus Christ, for the salvation of soul and body, as Thomas of Celano tells us (cf. 1 Celano 87; Fonti 471). Francis himself, as a deacon, had sung the Christmas Gospel on the holy night in Greccio with resounding voice. Through the friars’ radiant Christmas singing, the whole celebration seemed to be a great outburst of joy (1 Celano 85.86; Fonti 469, 470). It was the encounter with God’s humility that caused this joy – his goodness creates the true feast. Today, anyone wishing to enter the Church of Jesus’ Nativity in Bethlehem will find that the doorway five and a half metres high, through which emperors and caliphs used to enter the building, is now largely walled up. Only a low opening of one and a half metres has remained. The intention was probably to provide the church with better protection from attack, but above all to prevent people from entering God’s house on horseback. Anyone wishing to enter the place of Jesus’ birth has to bend down. It seems to me that a deeper truth is revealed here, which should touch our hearts on this holy night: if we want to find the God who appeared as a child, then we must dismount from the high horse of our “enlightened” reason. We must set aside our false certainties, our intellectual pride, which prevents us from recognizing God’s closeness. We must follow the interior path of Saint Francis – the path leading to that ultimate outward and inward simplicity which enables the heart to see. We must bend down, spiritually we must as it were go on foot, in order to pass through the portal of faith and encounter the God who is so different from our prejudices and opinions – the God who conceals himself in the humility of a newborn baby. In this spirit let us celebrate the liturgy of the holy night, let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart. And let us also pray especially at this hour for all who have to celebrate Christmas in poverty, in suffering, as migrants, that a ray of God’s kindness may shine upon them, that they – and we – may be touched by the kindness that God chose to bring into the world through the birth of his Son in a stable. Amen.

December 18, 2011

Pope Benedict: Mary and the mystery of Christmas

    During his Angelus reflections Pope Benedict focused on the Gospel this fourth Sunday of Advent which recounts the Angel’s annunciation to Mary and in particular on the significance of her virginity in salvation history: “the virginity of Mary is unique and unrepeatable, but its spiritual significance concerns every Christian. It, in essence, is tied to faith: in fact, those who trust deeply in God, welcome Jesus and His divine life within them, through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of Christmas.”

   Speaking from the window of his study overlooking St Peter’s square, the Holy father spoke of his concern in the aftermath of the Typhoon Washi, which slammed ashore Mindanao island while people slept late on Friday and early Saturday. Rescuers are still searching for more than 800 people missing in the flash floods and landslides that swept houses into rivers and out to sea, killing more than 650 people.

   The Pope said: “I want to assure the populations of the southern Philippines, hit by a violent tropical storm, of my closeness. I pray for the victims, mostly children, the homeless and the many missing.”

Below a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Angelus reflections:

Dear brothers and sisters!
   In this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, the liturgy presents this year, the annunciation to Mary. Contemplating the beautiful icon of the Blessed Virgin, when she receives the divine message and gives her answer, we are internally illuminated by the light of truth which shines, always new, from that mystery. In particular, I would like to dwell briefly on the importance of the virginity of Mary, that is, the fact that she conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin.
   In the background of the event’s at Nazareth is the prophecy of Isaiah. "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). This age-old promise has found superabundant fulfillment in the Incarnation of the Son of God. In fact, not only did the Virgin Mary conceive, but she did so through the Holy Spirit, which is God himself. The human being that begins to live in her womb takes the flesh from Mary, but his existence is derived entirely from God 'fully human, made of earth - to use the biblical symbol - but he comes from above, from heaven. The fact that Mary conceived while remaining a virgin is, therefore, essential for the understanding of Jesus and our faith, because it witnesses that it was God’s initiative and above all it reveals who is conceived. As the Gospel says: " Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." (Luke 1.35). In this sense, the virginity of Mary and the divinity of Jesus reciprocally guarantee one another.
   This is why that one question that Mary, 'very upset', addresses to the Angel 'How can this be, since I have no relations with a man? '(Lk 1.34) is so important. In her simplicity, Mary is wise: She does not doubt the power of God, but wants to better understand his will, to fully comply with this will. Mary is infinitely surpassed by the mystery, yet perfectly occupies the place that, at the very heart of it, she was assigned. Her heart and mind are fully humble, and, because of her singular humility, God expects the "yes" of this young girl to achieve His purpose. He respects her dignity and freedom. Mary's "yes" means both motherhood and virginity, and her wish that her everything be for the glory of God and that the Son who will be born to Her may be a gift of grace for all.
   Dear friends, the virginity of Mary is unique and unrepeatable, but its spiritual significance concerns every Christian. It, in essence, is tied to faith: in fact, those who trust deeply in God, welcomes Jesus and his divine life within, through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of Christmas.
   I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at this Angelus prayer. The Gospel of today's liturgy recounts the Archangel Gabriel's Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, That She Would conceive and bear a son To Be Called Jesus. Just as the Immaculate Virgin Brought God to us, May we be not afraid to let her bring us to God. In this final week of Advent, let us intensify our efforts to prepare for His coming. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke the blessings of Almighty God!

December 14, 2011

Pope Benedict: Trusting in God’s answers to our prayers

    "When we pray we must not expect the immediate fulfillment of our petitions, of our will" instead, we must accept the will of God, who "is the God of life, who brings hope, capable of reversing humanly impossible situations", said Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday as he delivered the latest in his series of catecheses on prayer in the Paul VI Hall.

   Continuing his focus on Christ’s own prayer, with special attention to the context of his miracles of healing, Pope Benedict said: “Both the cure of the deaf man (Mk 7:32-37) and the raising of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-44) show us Jesus at prayer before cases of human suffering. His prayer on these occasions reveals not only his profound identification with the suffering but also his unique relationship with the Father. In the case of the deaf man, Jesus’ compassion leads him to introduce his prayer with a deep sigh (v. 34). In the case of Lazarus, he is deeply moved by the sorrow of Martha and Mary, and weeps before the tomb of his friend”.
   Pope Benedict went on to say that, at the same time, Christ sees the tragedy of Lazarus’ death in the light of the Father’s will and of his own identity and mission.
   “Jesus’ example teaches us that in our own prayers we must always trust in the Father’s will and strive to see all things in the light of his mysterious plan of love. We too must join petition, praise and thanksgiving in every prayer, knowing that the greatest gift God can give us is his friendship, and that our example of prayer can open our hearts to our brothers and sisters in need and point others to God’s saving presence in our world”.
   The Holy Father also had special greetings for English-speaking pilgrims:
   “I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors present, including the groups from Vietnam, Nigeria and the United States. As we prepare to celebrate the Saviour’s birth at Christmas, I cordially invoke upon you and your families his abundant blessings of joy and peace!”
   This Wednesday’s catechesis was the latest in a series of catechetical reflections on prayer and on the human person in prayer, which began in May of this year and has run to more than a dozen instalments.

December 11, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI: Look to the light of Christ
not the light of commercialism

   Pope Benedict began his Sunday at the Roman parish of Santa Maria delle Grazie where he celebrated Mass and underlined the importance of community spirit. He also referred to the season of Advent which was a theme he returned to back at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus.
   He told the faithful in St Peter’s Square that Christians were called to live this period before Christmas without being distracted by commercial messages and by the festive lights even if low key as a result of the economic crisis.
   Instead, he continued, they should look to Christ the “true light of the world”.
   In this season, he said “ we should live waiting for Jesus, and not stop waiting for his coming.”
   As is tradition on this particular Sunday of Advent, thousands of children with their parents gathered in St Peter’s Square for the traditional blessing of the “bambinelli” or little baby Jesus’ statuettes that are put in the crib.
   To the children the Holy Father had a special message. “Dear children,” he said, “when you pray in front of your Nativity scene, remember me as well, as I remember you. Thank you and Merry Christmas!”
   Reflecting on this Sunday’s liturgy called “Gaudete” the Pope said, it was an invitation to a joyful and not a sad watchfulness.
   The essence of true joy underlined the Pope is not having fun in order to divert ourselves from our responsibilities, which at times is important, but it is something much more, it is our ability to have a true relationship with God.
   Finally, before his greetings in a number of languages the Pope recalled the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and stressed that the first right is the right to life.
   He also welcomed the representatives of the Movement for Life, who are in Rome for the ‘Mother of Teresa prize’, which is awarded in memory of Chiara Lubich, founder of the ‘Focolari’ Movement.

December 8, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI marks Immaculate Conception in Rome

   The late afternoon Sun was brilliant in the cloudless blue sky over Rome Thursday afternoon, and the air was unseasonably warm when Pope Benedict XVI made his way through the streets of the city and to the packed quare just off the Spanish Steps, for one of the great traditional Roman appointments of the season: the homage to Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

   The Holy Father this year made a stop en route to receive the homage of the Merchants’ Association of via dei Condotti – the famous shopping street that runs to the base of the Steps.

   After a brief reading from the Book of Revelation, Pope Benedict spoke to the gathered faithful about the meaning of the Church’s constant faith conviction, according to which the Mother of God was conceived without the stain of Original Sin.

   “The only pitfall of which the Church can and should be afraid,” said Pope Benedict, is the sin of her members.”

   “Mary, on the other hand,” he continued, “is Immaculate, free from all stain of sin. The Church is holy, but at the same time marked by our sins.”

   “For this reason,” explained Pope Benedict, “the pilgrim people of God, turn in time to Christ’s celestial Mother and ask her help; they ask that she accompany their journey of faith; that she encourage their commitment to the Christian life and that she support their hope.

   “We need it,” said Pope Benedict, “especially at this difficult moment for Italy, for Europe, for so many parts of the world.”

   Although it has always been part of the Faith of the Church, the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined only in 1854 by Pope Pius IX in his Bull, Ineffabilis Deus, which states that “that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of Original Sin.”

   Earlier in the day, in remarks to the faithful gathered for the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father refered to the Gospel account of the Annunciation in which the angel Gabriel greets Mary as “full of grace.” He said that this expression indicates God’s marvellous work of love which wishes to restore to us our life and our freedom, lost through sin, through the figure of his only begotten Son.

   The Pope went on to say, “It is for this reason, that the Church has since the second century in both the East and the West invoked and celebrated the figure of the Blessed Virgin, who by saying “Yes” brought Heaven closer to Earth.”

   After the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in many languages, including English.

   I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking visitors on this great feast-day when we honour 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.

December 7, 2011

Pope: Jesus is the source and model of our prayer

   Pope Benedict XVI held his weekly General Audience today, during which he continued his focus on Christian prayer – especially the teaching and example given us by Jesus himself.
   In the “cry of exultation” recorded for us by the evangelists Matthew and Luke, Jesus gives thanks to the Father because he has willed to reveal the mystery of salvation not to the wise and learned, but to the “little ones” (cf. Mt 11:25-30; Lk 10:21-22). This magnificent prayer has its source in Jesus’ profound communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit; as the eternal Son, Jesus alone “knows” the Father and rejoices in complete openness to his will.
   “Indeed,” said Pope Benedict, “no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Lk 10:22).
   In this prayer, then, the Lord expresses his desire to share his knowledge of the Father with the “little ones”, the pure of heart and those open to the divine will. In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ cry of exultation is followed by his words: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest … for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28).    Pope Benedict concluded his English remarks, saying, “Jesus is the source and model of our prayer; through him, in the Holy Spirit, we can turn with trust to God our Father, confident that, in doing his will, we shall find true freedom and peace.”

December 4, 2011

Pope Benedict: Advent a time for honest self assessment

   “As we prepare for Christmas, it is important that we find time for self contemplation and carry out an honest assessment of our lives”, said Pope Benedict XVI Sunday, in his reflections before the midday Angelus prayer on this second Sunday of Advent.

   The Holy Father also drew attention to a series of upcoming anniversaries this week and in doing so to the plight of millions worldwide, without a country to call their own: “In the coming days, in Geneva and other cities, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the World Organization for Migration, the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 50 th anniversary of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. I entrust to the Lord all those who, often forcibly, must leave their homeland, or who are stateless. While I encourage solidarity for them, I pray for all those who are doing their utmost to protect and assist these brothers and sisters in emergency situations, even if it means exposing themselves to serious hardships and dangers”.

   Pilgrims and visitors to St Peter’s this Sunday huddled under umbrella’s as the mild December weather gave way to incessant rain. A decidedly Advent atmosphere permeated the square where the nativity scene is currently under construction. This year it will be dedicated Mary, the Mother of God, and as is tradition it will be inaugurated on 24 December. Waiting for midday and the Pope to appear, children gathered around an enormous Christmas tree, that will be hoisted into position next to the central obelisk by a crane on Monday. The gigantic spruce is a gift to the Holy Father from the Zakarpattia region in Ukraine and is a towering 30.5 metres high. The tree will be blessed and lit on 16 December in the presence of the bishops of Ukraine.

   With preparations for Christmas well underway at the Vatican, commenting on this Sunday’s Gospel Pope Benedict spoke of Advent as the season of inner preparation for the coming of the Lord:

Dear brothers and sisters!

   This Sunday marks the second stage of Advent. This period of the liturgical year highlights the two figures who played a prominent role in preparation for the historical coming of the Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. In fact today’s Gospel of Mark focuses on the figure of the Baptist. Indeed it describes the personality and mission of the Precursor of Christ (cf. Mk 1.2 to 8). Beginning with his outward appearance, John is presented as a very ascetic figure dressed in camel skin, he feeds on locusts and wild honey, found in the desert of Judea (cf. Mk 1.6). Jesus himself once held him in contrast to those who "wear fine clothing” in the “royal palaces " (Mt 11.8). The style of John the Baptist was meant to call all Christians to choose a sober lifestyle, especially in preparation for the feast of Christmas, when the Lord - as Saint Paul would say - "became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich"(2 Cor 8.9).

   With regard to the John’s mission, it was an extraordinary appeal to conversion: his baptism "is tied to a fiery invitation to a new way of thinking and acting, it is above all linked to the announcement of God's justice" (Jesus of Nazareth I, Milan 2007, p. 34) and the imminent appearance of the Messiah, defined as "he who is mightier than I" and who will "baptize with the Holy Spirit" (Mk 1,7.8). Therefore, John’s appeal goes far beyond and deeper than a call to a sober lifestyle: it is a call for inner change, starting with the recognition and confession of our sins. As we prepare for Christmas, it is important that we find time for self contemplation and carry out an honest assessment of our lives. May we be enlightened by a ray of the light that comes from Bethlehem, the light of He who is "the Greatest" and made himself small, he who is "the Strongest" but became weak.

   All four Evangelists describe the preaching of John the Baptist referring to a passage from the prophet Isaiah: "A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God"(Isaiah 40.3 ). Mark also adds a quote from another prophet, Malachi, who says: "Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me" (Mk 1.2, see Mal 3.1). These references to the Old Testament Scriptures "speak of the saving intervention of God, coming out of his inscrutability to judge and save, we must open the door to Him, preparing the way" (Jesus of Nazareth, I, p. 35).

   To the maternal intercession of Mary, the Virgin who awaits, we entrust our journey towards the Lord who comes, as we continue our journey of Advent to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Emmanuel, God-with-us.

December 2, 2011

Pope to ITC: Christian clarity for the good of society

   Pope Benedict XVI is asking Christians to render clearly present their religious motives when they work with non-believers to achieve common ends in society. The Holy Father was speaking to the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the International Theological Commission, which concluded its annual session today at the Vatican. The International Theological Commission was established in 1969 to examine questions of doctrinal importance - to act as a bridge between the Magisterial offices of the Roman Curia and the worldwide community of theologians.

   The commission consists of not more than 30 members, appointed for 5-year terms, during which a series of areas are established for special consideration. The current commission has been exploring the basic question of God and the understanding of monotheism, the importance of the Church’s social doctrine, and the place and role of theology itself in the life of the Church.

   Each of these three areas was an object of Pope Benedict XVI’s reflections on Friday, as he met with the participants in this year’s Plenary Assembly.

   “Christian theology,” said Pope Benedict, “together with the lives of all the faithful, must restore to happy and crystalline visibility the impact of Trinitarian revelation on the life of our community.” He went on to discuss the concrete ways in which this should inform Christians’ participation in broader society, saying, “In the necessary collaboration in faovr of the common good with those who do not share our faith, we must make present the true and profound religious motivations of our social commitment, just as we expect of others that they manifest their own motivations, so that our work together can be carried out in clarity.”

   “He, who has perceived the foundations of Christian social action,” said Pope Benedict, “may thus also discover a stimulus for taking faith in Jesus Christ into consideration.”