July 29, 2012

Pope appeals for Syria and Iraq

   Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace in Syria and in Iraq on Sunday. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father said that he continues, “To follow with concern the growing and tragic episodes of violence in Syria,” where as many as 20 thousand people have perished in more than a year of increasingly intense civil strife. Pope Benedict also decried the large number of refugees and internally displaced persons the conflict has caused to be driven from their homes. The Pope went on to ask that all those thus affected be ensured the necessary humanitarian assistance. After promising his continued prayer and spiritual closeness to all those suffering as a result of the conflict, Pope Benedict added an urgent call, “for an end to all violence and bloodshed,” and that, in the broader community of nations, “no effort be spared in the quest for peace, through dialogue and reconciliation, for the proper political settlement of the conflict.”
   The Holy Father also had prayerful thoughts for Iraq, where a series of deadly attacks took place in across the country last week, including coordinated bombings and terror strikes that claimed the lives of more than 100 people and wounded more than 200 on a single day. The Holy Father prayed, “That this great country find once again the path toward stability, reconciliation and peace.”

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

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
   This Sunday we began by reading Chapter six of John’s Gospel. The chapter opens with the scene of the multiplication of the loaves, which Jesus later comments on in the Synagogue of Capernaum, pointing to himself as the “bread” which gives life. Jesus’ actions are on a par with those of the Last Supper. He “took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated”, the Gospel says (Jn 6:11). The insistence on the topic of “bread”, which is shared out, and on thanksgiving (v. 11, in Greek eucharistesas), recall the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice for the world’s salvation.
   The Evangelist observes that the Feast of the Passover is already at hand (cf. v. 4). His gaze is turned to the Cross, the gift of love, and to the Eucharist, the perpetuation of this gift: Christ makes himself the Bread of Life for humankind. St Augustine comments: “Who is the Bread of heaven, but Christ? But in order that man might eat Angels' Bread, the Lord of Angels was made Man. For if he had not been made Man, we should not have his Flesh; if we had not his Flesh, we should not eat the Bread of the Altar” (Sermon 130, 2). The Eucharist is the human being’s ongoing, important encounter with God in which the Lord makes himself our food and gives himself to transform us into him.
   A boy’s presence is also mentioned in the scene of the multiplication. On perceiving the problem of of feeding so many hungry people, he shared the little he had brought with him: five loaves and two fish (cf. Jn 6:9). The miracle was not worked from nothing, but from a first modest sharing of what a simple lad had brought with him. Jesus does not ask us for what we do not have. Rather, he makes us see that if each person offers the little he has the miracle can always be repeated: God is capable of multiplying our small acts of love and making us share in his gift.
   The crowd was impressed by the miracle: it sees in Jesus the new Moses, worthy of power, and in the new manna, the future guaranteed. However the people stopped at the material element, which they had eaten, and the Lord “perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,... withdrew again to the hills by himself” (Jn 6:15). Jesus is not an earthly king who exercises dominion but a king who serves, who stoops down to human beings not only to satisfy their physical hunger, but above all their deeper hunger, the hunger for guidance, meaning and truth, the hunger for God.
   Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord to enable us to rediscover the importance of feeding ourselves not only on bread but also on truth, on love, on Christ, on Christ’s Body, taking part faithfully and with profound awareness in the Eucharist so as to be ever more closely united with him. Indeed, “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” (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 70).
   Let us pray at the same time that the bread necessary for a dignified life may never be lacking and that inequalities may be demolished, not with the weapons of violence but rather with sharing and with love.
   Let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, as we invoke her motherly intercession upon ourselves and upon our loved ones.

July 22, 2012

Pope's shock at "senseless violence" in Denver 

   Pope Benedict spoke of his shock on Sunday in what he called “the senseless violence” that took place in Aurora Denver in which twelve people were killed and dozens of others injured when a gunman opened fire during a film screening this week. The Holy Father also expressed his sadness at the loss of life in the recent ferry disaster near Zanzibar in which at least 68 people died.
   The Pope said he shared the distress of the families and friends of the victims and the injured, especially the children and he assured all of those affected by both tragedies his closeness in prayer.
   Pope Benedict was speaking after the recitation of the Angelus in the courtyard of the Papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo in the Roman hills, where he also had words of encouragement for those taking part in the upcoming Olympic Games in London.
   “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.”
   Before the Angelus Pope Benedict took time to reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel in which Jesus is depicted at the “The Good Shepherd”.
   The Holy Father explained to the faithful gathered, that God is the Shepherd of mankind who wants to guide us to good pasture, which he said is “the fullness of life.”
   The Pope went on to say that in today’s world, “that 's what every father and every mother wants for their children: a good life, happiness, achievement.
   Jesus, said Pope Benedict, presents himself as the Shepherd of the lost sheep of Israel. Among those lost sheep, continued the Pope, are the great Saints Mary of Magdala and Luke the Evangelist.
   The Holy Father explained that the deep healing of God works through Jesus, which consists of true peace and the fruit of reconciliation.
   Concluding his address the Pope said, that amidst the “evil seed of war, God creates peace.

July 15, 2012

Pope in Frascati: God calls, we need to listen

   On the eve of the Year of Faith and with one eye on the upcoming Synod on New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI launched a call to mission Sunday as he told the lay faithful of Frascati that they share respnsability for the Church and the formation of new generations of Christians. That God is calling them and they need to listen. That rediscovering the beauty of being Church means carrying on Christ’s work of “forming the formators”, clergy, religious and above all laity. That being missionaries - like the Apostles - can mean rejection and persecution, it means preaching "truth and justice" even if goes against applause and human power.

Below is a translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily in Mass at Frascati:

Dear brothers and sisters!
   I am very pleased to be among you today to celebrate this Eucharist and to share the joys and hopes, trials and efforts, ideals and aspirations of this diocesan community. I greet Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my Secretary of State and the titular of this diocese. I greet your pastor, Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, and the Mayor of Frascati, thanking them for the kind words of welcome with which they greeted me on your behalf. I am pleased to welcome the Minister, the Presidents of the Region and the Province, the Mayor of Rome, the other mayors present and all the distinguished authorities.
   And I am very happy today to celebrate this Mass with your bishop who for more than twenty years, as he already mentioned, was a very loyal and capable collaborator of mine in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Working primarily in the field of catechesis and catechism with great silence and discretion he contributed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Catechism. His voice is also very present in this great symphony of faith.
   In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to send the twelve Apostles on a mission (cf. Mk 6.7 to 13). In fact, the term "apostles" literally means "emissary, messenger." Their vocation is fully realized after the resurrection of Christ with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However, it is very important that from the outset Jesus wants to involve the Twelve in his action: it is a sort of "internship" in view of the great responsibility that awaits them. The fact that Jesus calls some disciples to collaborate directly in His mission, expresses an aspect of His love: He does not disdain the help that other men can contribute to his work, He knows their limits, their weaknesses, but does not despise them, indeed, He confers on them the dignity of being His emissaries. Jesus sends them out two by two and gives them instructions, which the Evangelist summarizes in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the apostles must not be attached to money and comforts. Then Jesus warns the disciples that they will not always receive a favorable welcome: at times they will be rejected, and indeed may also be persecuted. But that should not affect them: they must speak in the name of Jesus and preach the Kingdom of God, without worrying about their success. They must leave the success in God's hands.
   The first reading, presents us the same perspective, showing us that often God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the prophet Amos, sent out by God to prophesize in the sanctuary of Bethel, a sanctuary of the kingdom of Israel (cf. 7.12 to 15 Am). Amos preached with great energy against injustice, especially denouncing the abuses of the king and chiefs, abuses that offend the Lord, and render acts of worship vain. Thus Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, orders Amos to leave. He replies that he did not choose this mission, but the Lord made him a prophet and sent him there, to the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, whether accepted or rejected, he will continue to prophesize, preaching what God says and not what people want to hear. And this remains the mandate of the Church: She does not preach what the powerful want to hear. The criterion is truth and justice even if it goes against applause and against human power.
   Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus warns the Twelve that they may encounter rejection in some places. In this case they must go elsewhere, after having carried out the gesture of shaking the dust from their feet in front of the people, a sign that expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment - as if to say: the announcement was given to you, you are the ones who refuse it - and material detachment - we did not and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6.11). The other very important indication of the Gospel is that the Twelve can not be content to preach conversion: their preaching must be accompanied, according to the instructions and example given by Jesus, by the healing of the sick. Care of the sick bodily and spiritually. He speaks of the concrete curing of diseases, but he also speaks of casting out demons that is, purifying the human mind, cleaning, cleaning the eyes of the soul that are obscured by ideology and therefore can not see God, can not see the truth and justice. This dual physical and spiritual healing is always the mandate of the disciples of Christ. The Apostolic mission must always include both aspects of preaching the word of God and the manifestation of His goodness with acts of charity, service and dedication.
   Dear brothers and sisters, I give thanks to God who sent me here today to re-announce to you this Word of salvation! A Word that is at the foundation of the life and action of the Church, this Church in Frascati. Your bishop has informed me of his most heartfelt pastoral commitment, which is essentially a commitment to formation, aimed primarily at educators: forming the formators. This is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples: He taught them, prepared them, formed them also through missionary "training", so they were capable of taking on Apostolic responsibility in the Church. It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation! In the Christian community, this is always the first service offered by those in roles of responsibility: starting with parents, who in the family accomplish the mission of educating children, we think of parish priests, who are responsible for formation in the community, of all priests, in different fields of work: priority is always given to the educational dimension, and the lay faithful who, in addition to their role as parents, are involved in the formation of young people or adults, as leaders in Apostolic Action and other church movements, or engaged in civil and social spheres, always with a strong focus on forming people.
   The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed, especially by young people: that they may feel the joy of responding to God with their whole heart, gifting it on the path of priesthood and consecrated life or on the path of marriage, two complementary paths that illuminate each other, enrich each other and together enrich the community. Virginity for the Kingdom of God and marriage are both vocations, calls by God to be answered with and for our entire life. God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond. Like Mary: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word (Lk 1.38).
   Even here, in the diocesan community of Frascati, the Lord bountifully sows his gifts, he calls you to follow Him and to extend His mission today. Even here there is need for a new evangelization, which is why I propose you intensely live the Year of Faith, which will begin in October, 50 years from the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The Council documents contain an enormous wealth for the formation of new generations of Christians, for the formation of our consciousness. So read them, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and rediscover the beauty of being Christians, of being Church to enjoy the great "we" that Jesus has formed around him, to evangelize the world: the "we" of the Church, never closed, but always open and projected towards the proclamation of the Gospel.
   Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati! Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries. Stand firm in faith, rooted in Christ through the Word and the Eucharist; be people of prayer, to always remain bound to Christ, as branches to the vine, and at the same time go out, bring His message to everyone, especially the small, to the poor, the suffering. In every community, love each other, do not be divided but live as brothers and sisters, so that the world may believe that Jesus is alive in his Church and the Kingdom of God is near. The Patrons of the Diocese of Frascati are two Apostles, Philip and James, two of the Twelve. To their intercession we commend your community’s journey, that it may be renewed in faith and give clear witness in works of charity. Amen. 

Below is a translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Angelus reflections at Castel Gandolfo:

   “In the liturgical calendar, July 15 is the memory Franciscan Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Doctor of the Church, the successor of St. Francis of Assisi at the head of the Order of Friars Minor. He wrote the first biography of Francis, and at the end of his life was also bishop of this diocese of Albano. In one of his letters, Bonaventure writes: "I confess before God that the reason that made me love the life of Blessed Francis most, is that it is similar to the origin and growth of the Church" (Epistula de tribus quaestionibus, in Collected Works of St. Bonaventure. General Introduction, Rome 1990, p. 29). These words refer directly to this Sunday’s Gospel, which presents us with the first sending forth of the Twelve Apostles by Jesus, "Jesus called the Twelve - St. Mark tells us - and began to send them out two by two ... He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick--no food, no sack, no money in their belts "(Mk 6.7 to 9). Francis of Assisi, after his conversion, put this Gospel into practice, becoming a faithful witness of Jesus, and bound in a special way to the mystery of the Cross, was transformed into "another Christ", as St. Bonaventure presents him.
   The whole life of St. Bonaventure, as well as his theology, have Jesus Christ as their core inspiration. This centrality of Christ is found in the second reading at today’s Mass (Eph. 1:3-14), the famous hymn of the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, which begins: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens." The Apostle then goes on to show us how this design of blessing is realized in four steps, which begin with the same expression "in Him", referring to Jesus Christ. "In Him" the Father chose us before the foundation 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 contains the Pauline view of history that St. Bonaventure has helped to spread in the Church: all of history is centered on Christ, who guarantees novelty and renewal in every age. In Jesus, God has spoken and given everything, but because He is an inexhaustible treasure, the Holy Spirit never ceases to reveal and actualize His mystery. Therefore, the work of Christ and the Church never regresses, but always progresses.
   Dear friends, let us invoke Mary Most Holy, whom tomorrow we celebrate as the Virgin of Mount Carmel, to help us, like St. Francis and St. Bonaventure, to respond generously to God's call to proclaim his Gospel of salvation with our words and above all with our lives.
   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!”

July 8, 2012

Angelus: Jesus the greatest miracle in the universe

   Speaking from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Sunday’s Gospel, which tells how Jesus, when He had returned to His hometown of Nazareth, was rejected by His own people. “This fact is understandable,” the Pope said, “because familiarity at the human level makes it difficult to go beyond that and to be open to the divine dimension.”
   Jesus was not able to work any miracles in Nazareth – “apart from curing a few sick people by laying His hands on them” – because the people were closed off to the spiritual dimension. The Holy Father explained “the miracles of Christ are not a display of power, but signs of the love of God, which is made present where it encounters the faith of man.”
   And so, the Pope says, Jesus is “amazed” at the lack of faith among his own people: “How is it possible that they do not recognise the light of Truth? Why are they not open to the goodness of God, who has willed to share our humanity?” Pope Benedict says, “In fact, the man Jesus of Nazareth is God made visible; in Him, God dwells fully. And while we too always seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that the He is the real sign, God made flesh; He is the greatest miracle of the universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human face.”
   After his explanation of the Gospel, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims and visitors from around the world. In his remarks to English-speaking pilgrims, he said, “In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us that if we live with an open and simple heart, nourished by true faith, we can recognize the presence of God in our lives and follow his holy will.”
   Finally, speaking to pilgrims from Poland, Pope Benedict noted an inter-religious prayer service to be held Sunday evening at the former Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek. Representatives of the Greek and Latin Catholic Church, from the Orthodox Church, from the Protestant ecclesial communities and from the Jewish community will offer prayers for peace throughout the world. “I unite myself spiritually to these events,” the Pope said, “and I pray for goodness and peace for the world, for Poland, and for each of you.” He concluded his remarks with a heartfelt blessing.

July 1, 2012

Pope's Sunday Angelus: Jesus came to heal people's hearts

   Pope Benedict XVI in his weekly Angelus address spoke about the two miracles performed by Jesus in today’s Gospel. After the prayer, the Holy Father greeted visitors from around the world.
   Speaking to English-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father 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!"

Below is a complete text of Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Angelus address:

   This Sunday, the evangelist Mark presents us with a tale of two miraculous healings that Jesus performs in favour of two women: the daughter of Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue; and a woman who suffered from haemorrhage (cf. Mk 5. 21 to 43). Here are two episodes in which there are two levels of interpretation – the purely physical: Jesus bends down to meet human suffering and heals the body; and the spiritual: Jesus came to heal the human heart and to give salvation, and He asks for faith in Him.
   In the first episode, in fact, at the news that the daughter of Jairus was dead, Jesus says to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid, but have faith!” (v. 36). Jesus takes him with Him to the place where the girl was, and exclaims: “Little girl, I say to you: Get up!” (v. 41). And she got up and walked. St. Jerome comments on these words, emphasizing the saving power of Jesus: “Little girl, get up through Me: not on account of your own merits, but through My grace. Rise, therefore, through Me: being cured does not depend on your virtue” (Homilies on the Gospel of Mark, 3).
   The second episode, about the woman suffering from a haemorrhage, re-emphasizes how Jesus came to liberate the human being in its totality. Indeed, the miracle takes place in two phases: the first is the physical healing, but this is closely tied to deeper healing, that which bestows the grace of God to those who are open to Him in faith. Jesus tells her: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mk 5. 34).
    These two stories of healing are an invitation for us to overcome a purely horizontal and materialistic view of life. So often we ask God to cure our problems, to relieve our concrete needs – and this is right. But what we should ask for even more is an ever stronger faith, because the Lord renews our lives; and a firm trust in His love, in His providence that does not abandon us.
   Jesus who is attentive to human suffering makes us think also of all those who help the sick to carry their crosses, and in particular physicians, health care professionals and those who provide pastoral care in nursing homes. They are the “reserves of love,” which bring peace and hope to the suffering. In the Encyclical Deus Caritas est, I noted that, in this invaluable service, one must first be professionally competent - it is a primary, fundamental requirement - but this alone is not enough. This service, in fact, is first and foremost about human beings who need humanity and heartfelt attention. “Therefore, in addition to professional training, a certain ‘formation of the heart’ is necessary above all for such workers: This should lead them to that encounter with God in Christ that sustains that love in them, and opens their soul to others” (n. 31).
   We call upon the Virgin Mary to accompany our journey of faith and our commitment to practical love, especially to those in need, as we invoke her maternal intercession for our brothers who live with suffering in body or spirit.