SOME SHORT
HOMILIES BY POPE BENEDICT XVI
(From May 15,
2005 to October 19, 2005)
The translation
of Pope Benedict's homilies is provided by
Zenit.org unless otherwise noted.
Please click on
the following links to read homilies:
Commentary on Psalm 129
(130): Canticle of Divine Mercy
(19 October 2005)
On Migration (18 October
2005)
On the Anniversary of John
Paul II's Election as Pope: A Pope Totally
Consecrated to Jesus and Mary
(16 October 2005)
Commentary on Psalm
121(122): Religion as the Basis of
Justice, Support, Peace, Good, and Love
(12 October 2005)
Faith Cannot Be Reduced to
Private Sentiment
(9 October 2005)
Papal Message for
Centenary of Swiss Theologian Hans Urs von
Balthasar's Birth
(6 October 2005)
Commentary on Second Part
of Psalm 134 (135): Two Different
Religious Visions
(5 October 2005)
Divine Love Becomes
Concrete
(28 September 2005)
On the Eucharist and Love
(25 September 2005)
Commentary on Psalm 131
(132), Part 2: God's Promise to David
Fulfilled
(21 September 2005)
Priests in Love with the
Eucharist
(18 September 2005)
Lectio Divina: New
Springtime for the Church (16 September 2005)
Commentary on Psalm 131
(132)
(14 September 2005)
On the Eucharist and the
Cross (10
September 2005)
Christ, the Lord of Glory
(7 September
2005)
Pope John Paul II
Sustained by Eucharist
(4 September 2005)
Unless the Lord Build the
House
(31 August 05)
God Must Be in First Place
(28 August
2005)
The Canannite Woman:
Never Lose Heart (14 August 2005)
Commentary on Psalm 130
(131): The Lord Is Always with Us
(10 August 2005)
The Magi as Unique Models
of People Seeking Christ (7 August
2005)
Commentary on Psalm 124
(125): Spiritual Childhood (3
August 2005)
On Europe's Christian
Roots (24 July 2005)
On the Value of Vacation
(17 July 2005)
On St. Benedict of Norcia:
Prefer Nothing to the Love of Christ
(10 July
2005)
From Eternity We Are
Before the Eyes of God (6 July 2005)
Witnesses to the Hope Held
Out by the Gospel (3 July 2005)
On the Proper Formation of
Priests and Religious
(26 June 2005)
On Protection for
Travelers (26 June 2005)
God's Will Engraved in the
Human Creature 24 June 2005
The Lord Watches over and
Save the Just Man
(22 June 2005)
The Church Is a Homeland
Where No One Is a Stranger (19 June
2005)
That Religious Freedom …
Be Sanctioned as a Fundamental Civil Right
(16
June 2005)
The Urgent Need for 'a
Responsible and Accountable Leadership'
(16 June
2005)
Mutual Relationship
Between Civil Law and Moral Law
(16 June 2005)
Church's Commitment to
Search for Christian Unity Is Irreversible
(16
June 2005)
An Exchange of Glances
between Man and God
(15 June 2005)
Karol, a Man Who Became
Pope (12 June 2005)
On the Importance of
Sunday Mass (12 June 2005)
To the Bishops of Southern
Africa (10 June 2005)
God Is Not Indifferent to
His Creatures' Pain
(25 May 2005)
Image of God, Fulfilled In
Love: Trinity Sunday
(22 May 2005)
Address to the Ambassador
of the Balkan Nations
(19 May 2005)
Reflection on Psalm 113
(112) (18 May 2005)
On Priestly Ordinations
and Pentecost
(15 May 2005)
On Priestly Ordinations and Pentecost
Without Holy Spirit, Church Is "Merely Human"
UPON ORDAINING
TWENTY ONE NEW PRIESTS, MAY 15, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The eucharistic celebration just concluded in
St. Peter's Basilica, in which I had the joy of
ordaining 21 new priests, is an event that marks
an important moment of growth for our community.
From the ordained ministers it receives life,
especially through the service of the Word of
God and the sacraments. Therefore, it is a day
of celebration for the Church of Rome. And for
the new priests this is, in a special way, their
Pentecost. I renew my greetings to them and I
pray that the Holy Spirit will accompany them
always in their ministry. Let us thank God for
the gift of the new presbyters, and let us pray
that in Rome, as well as in the whole world,
numerous and holy priestly vocations will flower
and mature.
The happy coincidence between Pentecost and the
priestly ordinations allows me to highlight the
indissoluble bond that exists in the Church
between the Spirit and the institution. I
already mentioned it last Saturday, when taking
possession of the chair of the Bishop of Rome in
St. John Lateran. The chair and the Spirit are
profoundly united realities, as are the charism
and ordained ministry.
Without the Holy Spirit, the Church would be
reduced to a merely human organization, with the
weight of its very structures. For its part,
moreover, in God's plans, the Spirit habitually
makes use of human mediations to act in history.
Precisely for this reason, Christ, who
constituted his Church on the foundation of the
Apostles united around Peter, enriched her with
the gift of the Spirit, so that he would console
her (cf. John 14:16) and guide her to all the
truth (cf. John 16:13). May the ecclesial
community remain always open and docile to the
action of the Holy Spirit, in order to be a
credible sign and effective instrument of God's
action among men.
We commend this hope to the intercession of the
Virgin Mary, whom we contemplate today in the
glorious mystery of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit,
who descended on her in Nazareth to have her
become the mother of the Word Incarnate (cf.
Luke 1:35), descended today on the nascent
Church gathered around her in the cenacle (cf.
Acts 1:14). With confidence, let us invoke Mary
Most Holy that she may obtain a renewed effusion
of the Spirit on the Church of our days.
[Translation by ZENIT]
On Psalm 113(112)
"God Bends Over Needy and Suffering to Console"
MAY 18,
2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before we begin a brief interpretation of the
Psalm we just heard, I would like to remind you
that today is the birthday of our beloved John
Paul II. He would have been 85 years old and we
are certain that he sees us from on high and is
with us. On this occasion we wish to say a
profound thank you to the Lord for the gift of
this Pope, and we wish to say thank you to the
Pope himself for all that he did and suffered.
1. Psalm 112 has resounded in its simplicity and
beauty, which serves as an introduction to the
small collection of Psalms that goes from 112 to
117, conventionally called "the Egyptian Hallel."
It is the alleluia, that is, the song of praise,
which exalts the liberation from Pharaoh's
slavery and the joy of Israel in serving the
Lord in freedom in the Promised Land (cf. Psalm
112 (113)).
It was no accident that the Jewish tradition
linked this series of Psalms to the paschal
liturgy. The celebration of that event,
according to its socio-historical and above all
its spiritual dimensions, was regarded as a sign
of liberation from evil in the multiplicity of
its manifestations.
Psalm 112 is a brief hymn, which in the Hebrew
original is made up of some sixty words, all
suffused with sentiments of trust, praise, and
joy.
2. The first stanza (cf. 1-3) exalts "the name
of the Lord" that -- as is known -- in biblical
language indicates the person of God himself,
his living and acting presence in human history.
Thrice, with passionate intensity, resounds "the
name of the Lord" at the heart of the prayer of
adoration. All being and all time -- "from the
rising of the sun to its setting," says the
Psalmist (verse 3) -- is united in one act of
thanksgiving. It is as if an incessant breath
rises from the earth to heaven to exalt the
Lord, creator of the cosmos and king of history.
3. Precisely through this movement toward the
heavens, the Psalm leads us to the divine
mystery. The second part (cf. 4-6) in fact,
celebrates the Lord's transcendence, described
with vertical images that go beyond the simple
human horizon. It proclaims: the Lord "High
above all nations," "enthroned on high," and no
one can be his equal; he must even look "down"
upon the heavens, because "his glory" is "above
the heavens!" (4).
The divine gaze looks upon the whole of reality,
on earthly and heavenly beings. Yet his look is
not haughty and detached, as that of a cold
emperor. The Lord -- says the Psalmist -- looks
"down" (6).
4. We thus come to the Psalm's last movement
(cf. 7-9), which shifts our attention from the
heavenly heights to our earthly horizon. The
Lord lowers himself with solicitude to our
littleness and indigence which would impel us to
withdraw in fear. He directs his loving gaze and
efficacious commitment towards the least and
miserable of the world: "The Lord raises the
needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash
heap" (7).
Thus God bends over the needy and the suffering
to console them. And this expression finds its
ultimate meaning, its greatest realism at the
moment that God bends down to the point of
becoming incarnate, to become like one of us,
like one of the poor of the world. He confers
the greatest honor on the poor, he "sits them
with princes"; yes, "with the princes of the
people" (8). To the lonely barren woman,
humiliated by ancient society as if she were a
dry and useless branch, God gives the honor and
great joy of having several children (cf. 9).
Therefore, the Psalmist praises a God who is
very different from us in his greatness, but at
the same time very close to his suffering
creatures.
It is easy to intuit in these last verses of
Psalm 112 the prefiguration of Mary's words in
the "Magnificat," the canticle of God's chosen
one who "regards the lowliness of his handmaid."
More radical than our Psalm, Mary proclaims that
God "has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly" (cf. Luke 1:48,52,
Psalm 112:6-8).
5. A very ancient "Evening Hymn," preserved in
the "Constitutions of the Apostles" (VII, 48),
takes up and develops our Psalm's joyful
beginning. We recall it here, at the end of our
reflection, to shed light on the Christian
rereading that the early community made of the
Psalms:
"Praise, children, the Lord, praise the name of
the Lord.
We praise you, we sing to you, we bless you for
your immense glory.
Lord king, Father of Christ spotless lamb, who
takes away the sin of the world.
To you becomes praise, hymn, glory, to God the
Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit now
and forever. Amen" (S. Pricoco and M. Simonetti,
"La Preghiera dei Cristiani," (The Prayer of
Christians), Milan, 2000, p. 97).
[Translation by ZENIT]
Pope's Address to Ambassador of Macedonia
"Europe Needs the Balkan Nations, and They Need
Europe!"
MAY 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address
Benedict XVI delivered in English today to
Bartolomej Kajtazi, the new ambassador of the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the
Holy See, when receiving his letters of
credence.
* * *
Your Excellency,
I am pleased to welcome you today and to accept
the letters of credence by which you are
appointed ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary of the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia to the Holy See. I am grateful for
the warm words of greeting which you have
conveyed from President Crvenkovski. I gladly
reciprocate them and assure the government and
citizens of your nation of my prayers for the
country's peace and well-being.
The feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius who, along
with Sts. Benedict, Bridget of Sweden, Catherine
of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, are
the great patrons of Europe, is marked by an
annual visit to Rome of a delegation from your
country. This richly symbolic event recalls the
close interest Popes Nicholas I, Hadrian II and
John VIII showed in the apostles of the Slavs,
by encouraging them to fulfill their missionary
activity with fidelity and creativity. Just as
Cyril and Methodius recognized the acute need to
correctly transpose Biblical notions and Greek
theological concepts into a very different
context of thought and historical experience, so
today the primary task facing Christians in
Europe is that of casting the ennobling light of
Revelation on all that is good, true and
beautiful. In this way all peoples and nations
are drawn toward that peace and freedom which
God the creator intends for everyone.
I recognize with sentiments of thanksgiving that
your nation has reaffirmed its commitment to
forge a path of peace and reconciliation. By
doing so, it can become an example to others in
the Balkan region. Tragically, cultural
differences have often been a source of
misunderstanding between peoples and even the
cause of senseless conflicts and wars. In fact
dialogue between cultures is an indispensable
building stone of the universal civilization of
love for which every man and woman longs. I
encourage you and your citizens therefore to
affirm the fundamental values common to all
cultures; common because they find their source
in the very nature of the human person. In this
way the quest for peace is consolidated allowing
you to dedicate every human and spiritual
resource to the material and moral progress of
your people, in a spirit of fruitful cooperation
with neighboring countries.
Mr. Ambassador, you have noted that the goal of
social integration which your government is
courageously pursuing legitimately brings you
closer to the rest of Europe. Indeed your
traditions and your culture find a natural
resonance there and belong to the spirit that
permeates this continent. As my beloved
predecessor said on a number of occasions:
Europe needs the Balkan nations, and they need
Europe! Entry into the European Community should
not, however, be understood merely as a panacea
to overcome economic adversity. In the process
of the European Union's expansion it is "of
capital importance" to remember that it "will
lack substance if it is reduced to merely
geographic and economic dimensions." Rather, the
union must "consist above all in an agreement
about values which ... find expression in its
law and in its life" ("Ecclesia in Europa,"
110). This rightly demands of each state a
proper ordering of society that creatively
reclaims the soul of Europe, acquired through
the decisive contribution of Christianity,
affirming the transcendent dignity of the human
person and the values of reason, freedom,
democracy and the constitutional state (cf.
ibid., 109).
The people of your land have already achieved
much in the difficult but rewarding task of
ensuring social coherence and stability.
Authentic development requires a coordinated
national plan of progress which honors the
legitimate aspirations of all sectors of society
and to which political and civic leaders can be
held accountable. Human history teaches us
repeatedly that if such programs are to effect a
lasting positive change, they must be based on
the protection of human rights including those
of ethnic and religious minorities, the practice
of responsible and transparent governance, and
the maintenance of law and order by an impartial
judiciary system and an honorable police force.
Without these foundations, the hope for true
progress remains elusive.
Mr. Ambassador, your government's commitment to
improving the social and economic prosperity of
its citizens presents the young generation with
a vision of confidence and optimism. Central to
this promise is the creation of educational
opportunities. Where schools function in a
professional manner and are staffed by people of
personal integrity, hope is offered to all and
most especially the youth. Integral to such
formation is religious instruction. This assists
the young to discover the full meaning of human
existence, especially the fundamentally
important relationship of freedom to truth (cf.
"Fides et Ratio," 90). Indeed, knowledge
enlightened by faith, far from dividing
communities, binds peoples together in the
common search for truth which defines every
human as one who lives by belief (cf. ibid.,
31). I strongly encourage the government,
therefore, to pursue its intention to permit the
teaching of religion in primary schools.
The Catholic Church in your nation, though
numerically small, desires to reach out in
cooperation with other religious communities to
all members of Macedonian society without
distinction. Her charitable mission,
particularly to the poor and suffering, forms
part of her "commitment to practical and
concrete love for every human being" ("Novo
Millennio Ineunte," 49) and is much appreciated
in your country. I am confident that the Church
is willing to contribute even more extensively
to the country's human development programs,
promoting the values of peace, justice,
solidarity and freedom.
Your excellency, the diplomatic mission which
you begin today will further strengthen the
bonds of understanding and cooperation existing
between your country and the Holy See. I assure
you that the various offices of the Roman Curia
are ready to assist you in the fulfillment of
your duties. With my sincere good wishes, I
invoke upon you, your family and all the people
of your nation God's abundant blessings.
ZE05051920
Trinity-Sunday Reflection on the Human Person
"Image of God, Fulfilled In Love"
MAY 22, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Today the liturgy celebrates the solemnity of
the Most Holy Trinity, to emphasize that in the
light of the paschal mystery the center of the
cosmos and of history is fully revealed: God
himself, eternal and infinite Love. This is the
word that summarizes the whole of revelation:
"God is love" (1 John 4:8,16). And love is
always a mystery, a reality that surpasses
reason without contradicting it; what is more,
it exalts its potentialities.
Jesus has revealed to us the mystery of God. He,
the Son, has made us know the Father who is in
heaven, and has given us the Holy Spirit, the
Love of the Father and of the Son. Christian
theology summarizes the truth about God with
this expression: only one substance in three
persons. God is not solitude but perfect
communion. For this reason, the human person,
image of God, is fulfilled in love, which is the
sincere gift of oneself.
We contemplate the mystery of God's love by
participating in a sublime way in the most holy
Eucharist, sacrament of the Body and Blood of
Christ, representation of his redemptive
sacrifice. Because of this, I greet with joy
today, feast of the Most Holy Trinity, the
participants in the Eucharistic congress of the
Italian Church, which opened yesterday in Bari.
At the heart of this year dedicated to the
Eucharist, the Christian people gather around
Christ, present in the Most Holy Sacrament,
source and summit of their life and mission. In
particular, each parish is called to rediscover
the beauty of Sunday, day of the Lord, in which
Christ's disciples renew, in the Eucharist,
communion with the One who gives meaning to
their joys and exhaustions of each day. "We
cannot live without Sunday," professed the first
Christians, even if it cost their lives, and
this is what we are called to repeat today.
In the hope of going personally to Bari next
Sunday for the Eucharistic celebration, I now
already unite myself spiritually to this
important ecclesial event. Together we invoke
the intercession of the Virgin Mary so that
these days of such intense prayer and adoration
of the Eucharistic Christ will kindle in the
Italian Church a renewed ardor of faith, hope
and charity.
I would also like to entrust to Mary all the
children, adolescents and young people who at
this time are making their first Communion or
receiving the sacrament of confirmation. With
this intention, we now pray the Angelus,
reliving with Mary the mystery of the
Annunciation.
[Translation by ZENIT]
----------------------
Commentary on Psalm 115(116)
"God Is Not Indifferent to His Creature's Drama"
VATICAN CITY, MAY 25, 2005
* * *
1. Psalm 115(116), which we just prayed, has
always been in use in the Christian tradition,
beginning with St. Paul who, quoting the
introduction, following the Greek translation of
the Seventy, writes to the Christians of
Corinth: "Since, then, we have the same spirit
of faith, according to what is written, "I
believed, therefore I spoke," we too believe and
therefore speak" (2 Corinthians 4:13).
The Apostle is in spiritual agreement with the
Psalmist, in serene trust and sincere testimony,
despite human sufferings and weaknesses. Writing
to the Romans, Paul takes up verse 2 of the
Psalm and delineates the contrast between the
faithfulness of God and the inconsistency of
man: "God must be true, though every human being
is a liar" (Romans 3:4).
Subsequent tradition would transform this song
into a celebration of martyrdom (see Origen,
"Exhortation to Martyrdom," 18: "Testi di
Spiritualità," Milan, 1985, pp. 127-129) because
of the affirmation "precious is the death of his
saints" (see Psalm 115[116]:15), or it would
make it a Eucharistic text because of the
reference to the "cup of salvation" which the
Psalmist lifts invoking the name of the Lord
(see verse 13). Christian tradition identifies
this cup with the "cup of blessing" (see 1
Corinthians 10:16), the "cup of the New
Covenant" (see 1 Corinthians 11:25; Luke 22:20):
expressions which, in the New Testament, refer
specifically to the Eucharist.
2. In the Hebrew original, Psalm 115(116)
constitutes a single composition with the
preceding Psalm 114(115). Both are a unitary
thanksgiving addressed to the Lord who liberates
from the nightmare of death.
In our text appears the memory of an anguished
past: The Psalmist has held high the flame of
faith, even when on his lips there was the
bitterness of despair and unhappiness (see Psalm
115(116):10). All around him, in fact, an icy
curtain of hatred and deceit was raised, because
his fellowman showed himself to be false and
unfaithful (see verse 11). Now, however, the
prayer is transformed into gratitude because the
Lord has raised his faithful one from the dark
vortex of falsehood (see verse 12).
Therefore, the Psalmist prepares to offer a
sacrifice of thanksgiving, in which the ritual
cup will be drunk, the cup of the sacred
libation, which is the sign of acknowledgment of
the liberation (see verse 13). The liturgy,
therefore, is the privileged place from which to
raise grateful praise to the Savior God.
3. In fact, in addition to the sacrificial rite,
explicit reference is also made to the assembly
of "all the people," before whom the Psalmist
pays his vow and witnesses his faith (see verse
14). It is in this circumstance that he renders
public his thanksgiving, well aware that, even
when death is imminent, the Lord bends over him
with his love. God is not indifferent to his
creature's drama, but breaks his chains (see
verse 16).
Saved from death, the Psalmist feels himself
"servant" of the Lord, "son of his handmaid"
(ibid.), a beautiful Eastern expression to
indicate the one who is born in the master's
house. The Psalmist professes humbly and with
joy his belonging to the house of God, to the
family of creatures united to him in love and
faithfulness.
4. Always with the words of the one praying, the
Psalm ends by evoking again the rite of
thanksgiving that will be celebrated in the
context of the temple (see verses 17-19). Thus
his prayer will be placed in the ambit of the
community. His personal story is narrated so
that it can be a stimulus for all to believe and
love the Lord. In the background, therefore, we
can perceive the whole people of God while they
thank the Lord of life, who does not abandon the
righteous in the dark realm of pain and death,
but leads him to hope and life.
5. Let us conclude our reflection commending
ourselves to the words of St. Basil the Great
who, in his Homily on Psalm 115(116), comments
thus on the question and answer present in the
Psalm: "What shall I render to the Lord for all
his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of
salvation. The Psalmist has understood the very
many gifts received from God: from nonbeing he
was brought into being, he was made from the
earth and gifted with reason ... he then
perceived the economy of salvation in favor of
the human race, recognizing that the Lord gave
himself in redemption in place of us all; and,
searching through all his belongings, he is
uncertain about what gift he can ever find that
is worthy of the Lord. What then, shall I render
to the Lord? Not sacrifices or holocausts ...
but the whole of my life. This is why he says:
'I will lift up the cup of salvation,' calling a
'cup' the suffering in the spiritual combat, the
resisting of sin till death. Moreover, it is
what our Savior taught in the Gospel: 'Father,
if thou art willing, remove this cup from me';
and when he said to the disciples: 'Are you able
to drink the cup that I shall drink?' referring
clearly to the death he accepted for the
salvation of the world" (PG XXX, 109).
Translation by Zenit.org
----------------------------
To
the Bishops of Southern Africa
JUNE 10, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address
Benedict XVI delivered today to the bishops of
South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and
Lesotho at the conclusion of their five-yearly
visit to Rome.
* * *
Dear Brother Bishops,
1. "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when
brothers dwell in unity" (Psalm 133:1). In this
spirit of harmony I welcome you, the Bishops of
South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and
Lesotho, with joy and affection. Through you I
extend my warm greetings to the clergy,
religious and laity in your countries. In this
year dedicated to the Eucharist you are blessed
to make your solemn visit "ad limina apostolorum."
"The Eucharist, the heart of Christian life and
the source of the Church's evangelizing mission,
cannot but constitute the permanent center and
source of the Petrine Ministry" (Message at the
Missa Pro Ecclesia, April 20, 2005, 4).
Likewise, it must always be at the heart of your
Episcopal ministry and an inspiration to those
who assist you in your sacred task.
2. Communion with Christ is the unfailing source
of every element of ecclesial life -- "first of
all communion among all the faithful, the
commitment to proclaiming and witnessing to the
Gospel, the ardor of love for all, especially
the poorest and lowliest" (ibid). Catholics in
your region constitute a minority. This presents
many challenges which require dedication on the
part of the Church to tend the flock effectively
and, at the same time, remain faithful to her
missionary commitment. For this reason it is
essential that the bishops promote the crucial
work of catechesis in order to ensure that God's
people are truly prepared to witness by word and
deed to the authentic teaching of the Gospel. As
I look at the Church in Africa, and at all that
has been accomplished there over the last
century, I give thanks to our Heavenly Father
for the many priests, religious and lay men and
women who have given their lives to this noble
task. Bishops have a particular responsibility
to ensure that these "irreplaceable
evangelizers" are provided with the necessary
spiritual, doctrinal and moral preparation (cf.
"Ecclesia in Africa," 91).
3. Even though your region still needs more
priests, one cannot help but thank God for the
large number of vocations to the priesthood you
are currently witnessing in Sub-Saharan Africa.
As Shepherds of Christ's flock, it is your grave
responsibility to help them develop into men of
the Eucharist. Priests are called to leave
everything and become ever more devoted to the
Blessed Sacrament, leading men and women to this
mystery and the peace it brings (cf. Homily
Pentecost Sunday 2005). I encourage you,
therefore, in your ongoing efforts to select
conscientiously candidates for the priesthood.
Likewise these young men should be formed with
great concern to guarantee that they are
prepared for the many challenges they will face,
helping them manifest in word and deed the peace
and joy of our Lord and Savior. A world filled
with temptations needs priests who are totally
dedicated to their mission. Accordingly, they
are asked in a very special way to open
themselves fully to serving others as Christ did
by embracing the gift of celibacy. Bishops
should assist them by ensuring that this gift
never becomes a burden but always remains
life-giving. One of the ways this can be
achieved is by bringing ministers of word and
sacrament together for continuing education,
retreats and days of recollection.
4. Family life has always been a unifying
characteristic of African society. In fact, it
is within the "domestic Church," "built on the
solid cultural pillar and noble values of the
African tradition of the family," that children
first learn of the centrality of the Eucharist
in Christian life (cf. "Ecclesia in Africa,"
92). It is of great concern that the fabric of
African life, its very source of hope and
stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion,
prostitution, human trafficking and a
contraceptive mentality, all of which contribute
to a breakdown in sexual morality. Brother
Bishops, I share your deep concern over the
devastation caused by AIDS and related diseases.
I especially pray for the widows, the orphans,
the young mothers and all those whose lives have
been shattered by this cruel epidemic. I urge
you to continue your efforts to fight this virus
which not only kills but seriously threatens the
economic and social stability of the Continent.
The Catholic Church has always been at the
forefront both in prevention and in treatment of
this illness. The traditional teaching of the
Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to
prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. For this reason,
"the companionship, joy, happiness and peace
which Christian marriage and fidelity provide,
and the safeguard which chastity gives, must be
continuously presented to the faithful,
particularly the young" ("Ecclesia in Africa,"
116).
5. Dear Brothers, as we continue to celebrate a
year devoted to the Holy Eucharist, I pray that
you will be sustained by the Lord's promise "I
am with you always" (Matthew 28:19). May your
witness as men filled with Eucharistic hope help
your flocks to arrive at an ever-greater
appreciation of this Mystery. To each of you and
to all those under your pastoral care, I
cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
[Original text: English]
ZE05061020
----------------------------------------
On
the Importance of Sunday Mass
"Not an Imposition, But a Joy"
JUNE 12, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Year of the Eucharist continues, called by
our beloved Pope John Paul II, to reawaken ever
more, in the consciences of believers, wonder
toward this great Sacrament. In this singular
Eucharistic time, one of the recurring topics is
Sunday, the Day of the Lord, a topic that was
also at the center of the recent Italian
Eucharistic Congress, held in Bari. During the
conclusive celebration, I also underlined how
participation at Sunday Mass must be seen by a
Catholic not as an imposition or a weight, but
as a need and joy. To meet with brothers, to
listen to the Word of God and to be nourished of
Christ, immolated for us, is an experience that
gives meaning to life, which infuses peace in
the heart. Without Sunday, we Catholics cannot
live.
For this reason parents are called to make their
children discover the value and importance of
the response to Christ's invitation, who calls
the whole Christian family to Sunday Mass. In
this educational endeavor, a particularly
significant stage is the first Communion, a real
celebration for the parish community, which
receives for the first time its smallest
children at the Lord's Table.
To underline the importance of this event for
the family and the parish, next October 15, God
willing, I will have in the Vatican a special
meeting of catechesis for children, in
particular of Rome and Latium, who during this
year have received their first Communion. This
festive gathering will fall almost at the end of
the Year of the Eucharist, while the Ordinary
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is under way,
centered on the Eucharistic mystery. It will be
an opportune and beautiful circumstance to
confirm the essential role that the sacrament of
the Eucharist has in the formation and spiritual
growth of children.
From now on I entrust this meeting to the Virgin
Mary, that she may teach us to love Jesus ever
more, in constant meditation of his Word and
adoration of his Eucharistic presence, and help
us to make young generations discover the
"precious pearl" of the Eucharist, which gives
true and full meaning to life.
[Translation by ZENIT]
ZE05061201
----------------------
Karol, a
Man Who Became Pope
Benedict XVI's Address on a Film About John Paul
II
"Karol, a Man Who Became Pope"
JUNE 12, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican
translation of an address Benedict XVI gave May
19 at the viewing of a film on the life of Pope
John Paul II.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am certain to interpret the common sentiments
and express living gratitude to those who wanted
to offer me and all of you the opportunity to
view this moving film tonight; it traces the
life of young Karol Wojtyla, leading to his
election as the Pontiff known as "John Paul II."
I greet and thank Cardinal Roberto Tucci for his
introduction to the film. I then address a word
of admiration to the director and writer,
Giacomo Battiato, and to the actors, especially
Piotr Adamczyk who played the part of John Paul
II, to the producer Pietro Valsecchi and to the
networks Taodue and Mediaset.
I cordially greet the other Cardinals, Bishops,
priests, Authorities and all those who wanted to
take part in this viewing in honor of the
beloved Pontiff, recently deceased. We all
remember him with deep affection and heartfelt
gratitude. Yesterday, he would have celebrated
his 85th birthday.
"Karol, un uomo diventato Papa" [Karol, a Man
Who Became Pope] is the title of the drama,
taken from a text by Gian Franco Svidercoschi.
The first segment, as we have seen, highlights
the situation in Poland under the Nazi regime,
with emphasis -- now and then very emotionally
strong -- given to the repression of the Polish
people and to the genocide of the Jews. These
are atrocious crimes that show all of the evil
that was contained in the Nazi ideology.
Young Karol, shocked by so much suffering and
violence, decided to do something about it in
his own life, answering the divine call to the
priesthood. The film presents scenes and
episodes that, in their severity, awaken in the
viewers an instinctive "turning away" in horror
and stimulates them to consider the abyss of
iniquity that can be hidden in the human soul.
At the same time, calling to the fore such
aberration revives in every right-minded person
the duty to do what he or she can so that such
inhuman barbarism never happens again.
Today's viewing takes place just some days after
the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second
World War. On 8 May 1945 the conclusion was
marked of that frightful tragedy which sowed
destruction and death, in a measure never-before
heard of, in Europe and in the world.
Ten years ago, John Paul II wrote that World War
II appears with evermore clarity as a "suicide
of humanity." Each time a totalitarian ideology
crushes man, humanity as a whole is seriously
threatened. With the passing of time, memories
do not have to fade; rather, they must be a
stern lesson for this and future generations. We
have the responsibility of reminding especially
youth of the forms of unprecedented violence
that can lead to contempt for men and women and
the violation of their rights.
Under the light of Providence, how can we not
read as a divine plan the fact that on the Chair
of Peter, a Polish Pope is succeeded by a
citizen of that Country, Germany, where the Nazi
regime was the most vicious, attacking the
nearby nations, Poland among them?
In their youth, both of these Popes -- even if
on opposing fronts and in different situations
-- knew the cruelty of the Second World War and
of the senseless violence of men fighting men,
people fighting people.
During the final days of the Second Vatican
Council held here in Rome, the Polish Bishops
consigned the "letter of reconciliation" to the
German Bishops; the letter contained those
famous words that today too resound in our
souls: "We forgive and we ask forgiveness."
In last Sunday's homily I reminded the newly
ordained priests that "nothing can improve the
world if evil is not overcome. Evil can be
overcome only by forgiveness" (L'Osservatore
Romano English Edition, 18 May, p. 7). May the
mutual and sincere condemnation of Nazism, as
with atheistic communism, be everyone's duty for
the building of reconciliation and peace on
forgiveness.
"To forgive," our beloved John Paul II again
reminds us, "does not mean to forget," adding
that "if memory is the law of history,
forgiveness is the power of God, the power of
Christ that works in the vicissitudes of man"
(cf. "Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II," XVII/2
[1994], p. 250). Peace is, in the first place, a
gift of God, who makes sentiments of love and
solidarity arise in the heart of the person who
welcomes it.
I hope that, thanks also to this witness of Pope
John Paul II commemorated in this meaningful
film, there will be a revival on the part of
each person in the proposal to work -- each in
his or her own field and according to one's
means -- at the service of a definite action for
peace in Europe and in the entire world.
I entrust the hope of peace that all of us carry
in our heart to the maternal intercession of the
Virgin Mary, who is venerated especially in this
month of May. May she, Queen of Peace, encourage
the generous contribution of those who intend to
put their efforts toward the building of true
peace on the solid pillars of truth, justice,
freedom and love. With these sentiments, I
extend to all my Apostolic Blessing.
[Translation from the Italian original
distributed by the Holy See]
ZE05061222
------------------
An Exchange of Glances between Man and God
Commentary on Psalm 122(123)
"An Exchange of Glances"
JUNE 15, 2005
Pope Benedict XVI's reflection on Psalm
122(123).
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Unfortunately, you have suffered under the rain.
Let's hope the weather will improve.
1. In a very incisive way, Jesus affirms in the
Gospel that the eyes are an expressive symbol of
the innermost self, a mirror of the soul (see
Matthew 6:22-23). Well, Psalm 122(123), which
was just proclaimed, is summarized in an
exchange of glances: The faithful one lifts his
eyes to the Lord and waits for a divine
reaction, to perceive a gesture of love, a look
of benevolence.
Not rarely, there is talk in the Psalter of the
gaze of the Most High who "looks down from
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there
are any that act wisely, that seek after God"
(Psalm 13[14]:2). The Psalmist, as we heard,
makes use of an image, that of the slave and
maid who look to their master for a liberating
decision.
Although the scene is linked to the ancient
world and its social structures, the idea is
clear and significant: This image taken from the
world of the ancient East, is used to exalt the
adherence of the poor, the hope of the
oppressed, and the availability of the just to
the Lord.
2. The Psalmist is waiting for the divine hands
to move, as they will act according to justice,
destroying evil. For this reason, often in the
Psalter the one praying lifts his eyes full of
hope toward the Lord: "My eyes are ever toward
the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the
net" (Psalm 24[25]:15), while "my eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God" (Psalm 68[69]:4).
Psalm 122(123) is a plea in which the voice of a
faithful one is united with that of the whole
community: In fact, the Psalm goes from the
first person singular -- "I lift up my eyes" --
to the plural -- "our eyes" and "mercy upon us"
(see verses 1-3). The hope is expressed that the
Lord's hands will open to shower gifts of
justice and freedom. The just man waits for
God's gaze to reveal itself in all its
tenderness and goodness, as one reads in the
ancient priestly blessing of the Book of
Numbers: "The Lord make his face to shine upon
you, and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up
his countenance upon you, and give you peace"
(Numbers 6:25-26).
3. The importance of God's loving glance is
revealed in the second part of the Psalm,
characterized by the invocation: "Have mercy
upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us" (Psalm
122[123]:3). It is in continuity with the end of
the first part, where confident expectation is
confirmed, "our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he have mercy upon us" (verse 2).
The faithful are in need of God's intervention
because they are in a painful situation of
contempt and derision by proud people. The image
the Psalmist now uses is that of satiety: "We
have had more than enough of contempt. Too long
our soul has been sated with the scorn of those
who are at ease, the contempt of the proud"
(verses 3-4).
To the traditional biblical satiety of food and
years, regarded as a sign of divine blessing, is
now opposed an intolerable satiety composed of
an excessive load of humiliations. And we know
that today many nations, many individuals are
full of worries; they are too satiated with the
worries of the satisfied, the contempt of the
arrogant. Let us pray for them and let us help
these humiliated brothers of ours.
For this reason, the just have entrusted their
cause to the Lord, and he is not indifferent to
those imploring eyes, he does not ignore their
invocation or ours, nor does he disappoint their
hope.
4. At the end, we give way to the voice of St.
Ambrose, the great archbishop of Milan, who,
with the spirit of the Psalmist, articulates
poetically the work of God, which is achieved in
Jesus Savior: "Christ is everything for us. If
you wish to cure a wound, he is doctor; if you
burn with fever, he is fountain; if you are
oppressed by iniquity, he is justice; if you are
in need of help, he is strength; if you fear
death, he is life; if you desire heaven, he is
the way; if you flee from darkness, he is light;
if you seek food, he is nourishment" ("La
Verginità" [Virginity], 99: SAEMO, XIV/2,
Milan-Rome, 1989, p. 81).
[Translation by ZENIT]
-------------------------------
Church's Commitment to the Search for Christian
Unity is Irreversible (excerpt)
June 16, 2005: Papal Address to
Secretary-General of World Council of Churches
In the very first days of my Pontificate I
stated that my "primary task is the duty to work
tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity
of all Christ's followers." This requires, in
addition to good intentions, "concrete gestures
which enter hearts and stir consciences …
inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that
is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress"
("Missa pro ecclesia," 5).
Pope John Paul II often recalled that the heart
of the search for Christian unity is "spiritual
ecumenism." He saw its core in terms of being in
Christ: "To believe in Christ means to desire
unity; to desire unity means to desire the
Church; to desire the Church means to desire the
communion of grace which corresponds to the
Father's plan from all eternity. Such is the
meaning of Christ's prayer: 'Ut unum sint'"
(Encyclical Letter "Ut Unum Sint," 9).
The commitment of the Catholic Church to the
search for Christian unity is irreversible.
[Original text: English]
ZE05061624
---------------------------
Mutual Relationship Between Civil Law and Moral
Law (excerpt)
June 16, 2005: Pope's Address to New
Zealand's Ambassador, June 16, 2005
* * *
The desire to uphold the common good is founded
on the belief that man comes into the world as a
gift of the Creator. It is from God that all men
and women -- made in his image -- receive their
common inviolable dignity and their summons to
responsibility. Today, when individuals often
forget their origin and thus lose sight of their
goal, they easily fall prey to whimsical social
trends, the distortion of reason by particular
interest groups, and exaggerated individualism.
Confronted with this "crisis of meaning" (cf.
Encyclical Letter "Fides et Ratio," 81), civic
and religious authorities are called to work
together encouraging everyone, including the
young, to "direct their steps towards a truth
which transcends them" (ibid., 5). Sundered from
that universal truth, which is the only
guarantee of freedom and happiness, individuals
are at the mercy of caprice and slowly lose the
capacity to discover the profoundly satisfying
meaning of human life.
New Zealanders traditionally have recognized and
celebrated the place of marriage and stable
domestic life at the heart of their society and
indeed continue to expect social and political
forces to support families and to protect the
dignity of women, especially the most
vulnerable. They appreciate that secular
distortions of marriage can never overshadow the
splendor of a life-long covenant based on
generous self-giving and unconditional love.
Correct reason tells them that "the future of
humanity passes by way of the family" (Apostolic
Exhortation "Familiaris Consortio," 86) which
offers society a secure foundation for its
aspirations.
The disquieting process of secularization is
occurring in many parts of the world. Where the
Christian foundations of society risk being
forgotten, the task of preserving the
transcendent dimension present in every culture
and of strengthening the authentic exercise of
individual freedom against relativism becomes
increasingly difficult. Such a predicament calls
for both Church and civil leaders to ensure that
the question of morality is given ample
discussion in the public forum. In this regard,
there is a great need today to recover a vision
of the mutual relationship between civil law and
moral law which, as well as being proposed by
the Christian tradition, is also part of the
patrimony of the great juridical traditions of
humanity (cf. Encyclical Letter "Evangelium
Vitae," 71). Only in this way can the multiple
claims to "rights" be linked to truth and the
nature of authentic freedom be correctly
understood in relation to that truth which sets
its limits and reveals its goals.
[Original text: English]
ZE05061621
-------------------------
The Urgent Need for 'a Responsible and
Accountable Leadership' (excerpt)
June 16, 2005: Benedict XVI's Address to
Zimbabwe's Ambassador
At this important hour in the history of your
country, particular concern must be shown for
the poor, the disenfranchised and the young, who
have been most affected by the political and
economic instability and who demand genuine
reforms aimed at meeting their basic needs and
opening before them a future of hope. The great
challenge of national reconciliation also
demands that while past injustices be recognized
and addressed, every effort must be made in the
future to act with justice and respect for the
dignity and rights of others.
In this regard, I can only second the
observations made by Zimbabwe's Bishops on the
eve of the recent elections about the urgent
need for "a responsible and accountable
leadership" marked by truthfulness, a spirit of
service to others, honest management of public
goods, commitment to the rule of law and the
promotion of the right and duty of all citizens
to participate in the life of society. The noble
goal of attaining the common good through an
ordered social life can only be attained if
political leaders are devoted to ensuring the
welfare of individuals and groups in a spirit of
integrity and fairness. Looking towards Africa's
future role in the international community, my
predecessor, Pope John Paul II, insisted that "a
better world will come about only if it is built
on the foundation of sound ethical and spiritual
principles" ("Ecclesia in Africa," 114).
Through her network of educational institutions,
hospitals, dispensaries and orphanages the
Church stands at the service of people of all
religions. She seeks to offer a specific
contribution to the future of the nation by
educating people in the practical skills and the
spiritual values which will serve as the
foundation for social renewal. For her part, the
Church asks only for the freedom to carry out
her proper mission, which serves the coming of
God's Kingdom through her prophetic witness to
the Gospel and her inculcation of its moral
teaching. The Church thus works for the building
of a harmonious and just society, while at the
same time respecting and encouraging the freedom
and responsibility of citizens to participate in
the political process and in the pursuit of the
common good.
[Original text: English]
ZE05061623
-----------------------------
That Religious Freedom … Be Sanctioned as a
Fundamental Civil Right (except)
June 16, 2005: Papal Address to
Azerbaijan's Ambassador
The Church's diplomatic relations form a part of
her mission of service to the international
community. Her engagement with civil society is
anchored in the conviction that the task of
building a more just world must acknowledge and
consider man's supernatural vocation. The Holy
See strives therefore to promote an
understanding of the human person who "receives
from God his essential dignity and with it the
capacity to transcend every social order so as
to move towards truth and goodness" (Encyclical
Letter "Centesimus Annus," 38). From this
foundation the Church applies the universal
values which safeguard the dignity of every
person and serve the common good to the vast
array of cultures and nations that constitute
our world.
The people of Azerbaijan know only too well
that, if the spiritual dimension of persons is
repressed or even denied, the soul of a nation
is crushed. During the tragic epoch of
intimidation in eastern European history, while
the supremacy of force prevailed, the
monotheistic faith communities present for
centuries in your country preserved a hope for
justice and freedom, a future in which the
supremacy of truth would prevail. Today, they
propose this anew.
As Azerbaijan continues to engage in the
delicate task of forging its national character,
it is to faith communities that political and
civic authorities can turn for a determined
commitment to shaping the social order in
accordance with the common good. Such commitment
demands that religious freedom, which preserves
the singularity of each faith community, be
sanctioned as a fundamental civil right and
afforded protection by a robust framework of
juridical norms which respect the laws and
duties proper to religious communities (cf.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration
on Religious Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 2).
Such practical support of religious freedom by
political leaders becomes a sure means for
authentic social progress and peace.
Only in respecting the inviolable dignity of the
human person and promoting the corresponding
individual liberties can a civil society be
constructed which contributes to the prosperity
of all its citizens.
[Original text: English]
ZE05061622
----------------------------
The Church Is "a Homeland Where No One Is a
Stranger"
JUNE 19, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Tomorrow, June 20, World Refugee Day will be
observed, promoted by the United Nations to keep
alive attention on the problems of those who
must forcibly abandon their homeland. The theme
this year, "The Courage to Be a Refugee,"
underlines the strength of spirit needed by
those who must leave everything, at times even
their families, to escape from grave
difficulties and dangers. The Christian
community feels close to those who live this
painful condition; it exerts itself to support
them and manifests in different ways its
interest and love, which is translated into
concrete gestures of solidarity so that whoever
finds himself far from his country, feels the
Church as a homeland where no one is a stranger.
Christians' loving attention to those in
difficulty and their commitment in favor of a
more solidaristic society are continually
nourished by active and conscious participation
in the Eucharist. Whoever is nourished with the
faith of Christ at the Eucharistic table
assimilates his same style of life, which is the
style of attentive service, especially to weaker
and less favored people (see apostolic letter
"Mane Nobiscum Domine," No. 28). May the Year of
the Eucharist, which we are living, help
diocesan and parish communities to revive this
capacity to go out to meet the numerous
poverties of our world.
Today we wish to entrust especially the men,
women and children who live the condition of
refugees to the maternal protection of Mary Most
Holy, who, together with her husband St. Joseph
and the Child Jesus, experienced the suffering
of exile. At that time, the Holy Family had to
flee to Egypt, due to the absurd persecution of
Herod (Matthew 2:13-23). Let us pray to the
Virgin Most Holy that these brothers and sisters
of ours may find acceptance and understanding on
their journey.
[Translation by ZENIT]
ZE05061906
-----------------------
The Lord Watches Over and Saves the Just Man
Commentary on Psalm 123(124)
JUNE 22, 2005
* * *
1. We have before us Psalm 123(124), a canticle
of thanksgiving intoned by the whole praying
community, which raises praise to God for the
gift of deliverance. At the beginning, the
Psalmist proclaims this invitation: "Let Israel
say" (verse 1), stimulating all the people to
raise a lively and sincere thanksgiving to God
the Savior. If the Lord had not been on the side
of the victims, they, with their limited forces,
would have been powerless to free themselves and
their adversaries, like monsters, would have
torn and shattered them to pieces.
Although thought has been given to a particular
historical event, such as the end of the
Babylonian exile, it is more probable that the
psalm is an intense hymn to thank the Lord for
having overcome the dangers and to implore him
for deliverance from all evil.
2. After the initial reference to some "men" who
assailed the faithful and were capable of
"swallowing them up alive" (see verses 2-3), the
song has two passages. In the first part, the
raging waters dominate, symbol in the Bible for
devastating chaos, of evil and of death: "the
waters would have engulfed us, the torrent
overwhelmed us; seething waters would have
drowned us" (verses 4-5). The Psalmist now feels
the sensation of being on a beach, having been
miraculously saved from the impetuous fury of
the sea.
Man's life is surrounded by the ambushes of the
wicked who not only attack his life, but also
want to destroy all human values. However, the
Lord intervenes and watches over and saves the
just man, as sung in Psalm 17(18): "He reached
down from on high and seized me; drew me out of
the deep waters. He rescued me from my mighty
enemy, and foes too powerful for me ... the Lord
came to my support. He set me free in the open;
he rescued me because he loves me" (verses
17-20).
3. In the second part of our song of
thanksgiving we move from the marine image to a
hunting scene, typical of many Psalms of
supplication (see Psalm 123[124]:6-8). It evokes
a beast which has its prey between its teeth, or
a snare of fowlers that captures a bird. But the
blessing expressed by the psalm leads us to
understand that the fate of the faithful, which
was a fate of death, has changed radically
thanks to a saving intervention: "Blessed be the
Lord, who did not leave us to be torn by their
fangs. We escaped with our lives like a bird
from the fowler's snare; the snare was broken
and we escaped" (verses 6-7).
At this point the prayer becomes a sigh of
relief that rises from the depth of the soul:
Even when all human hopes are destroyed, the
divine liberating power can appear. The psalm
ends with a profession of faith, which centuries
ago entered the Christian liturgy as an ideal
premise of all prayer: "Adiutorium nostrum in
nomine Domini, qui fecit caelum et terram -- Our
help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven
and earth" (verse 8). The Almighty places
himself in particular on the side of the victims
and the persecuted "who cry to him day and
night" and "will vindicate them speedily" (see
Luke 18:7-8).
4. St. Augustine offers an articulated
commentary to the psalm. In the first place, he
observes that this psalm is properly sung by the
"members of Christ, who have reached
blessedness." In particular, "it has been sung
by the holy martyrs, who having left this world,
are with Christ in happiness, ready to take up
incorrupt again those same bodies that before
were corruptible. In life, they suffered
torments in the body, but in eternity these
torments will be transformed into adornments of
justice."
However, in a second instance the bishop of
Hippo tells us that we can also sing this psalm
with hope. He states: We, too, animated by a
sure hope, will sing exulting. The singers of
this psalm are not strangers to us. Therefore,
let us all sing with only one heart: both the
saints who already possess the crown as well as
ourselves, who with affection unite ourselves to
their crown. Together we desire that life which
we do not have down here, but which we will
never be able to have if we have not first
desired it."
St. Augustine then returns to the first
perspective and explains: "The saints recall the
sufferings they faced and from the place of
happiness and tranquility in which they find
themselves look at the road traveled; and, given
that it would have been difficult to attain
deliverance if the hand of the Liberator had not
intervened to help them, full of joy, they
exclaim: 'If the Lord had not been on our side.'
So begins their song. They do not even speak of
that from which they have been delivered because
of the joy of their jubilation" ("Esposizione
sul Salmo 123" [Commentary to Psalm 123], 3: "Nuova
Biblioteca Agostiniana," XXVIII, Rome, 1977, p.
65).
[Translation by ZENIT]
------------------------
On Protection of Travelers (Excerpt)
JUNE 26, 2005
The end of June marks for countries of the north
of the world the beginning of the summer season
and for many people the time of vacation begins.
While I wish everyone to be able to live
serenely a few days of merited rest and
relaxation, I wish to make an appeal to prudence
to those who set out for different holiday
places. Every day, unfortunately, especially on
weekends, incidents occur on the roads with so
many human lives tragically cut short, and more
than half of the victims are young people.
In recent years much has been done to prevent
such tragic events, but there can be and must be
more done with the contribution and commitment
of all. Distraction and superficiality must be
combated, which in an instant can ruin one's own
future and that of others. Life is precious and
unique: It must always be respected and
protected, including with correct and prudent
conduct on the roads.
May the Virgin Mary, who accompanies us in our
daily journey of life, watch over those who are
traveling and obtain mercy for road victims. To
her, heavenly Queen of the Apostles, on the
imminent feast of the holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, we entrust the Church and her missionary
action in the whole world.
[Translation by ZENIT]
---------------------
On the Proper Formation of Priests and
Religious: Papal Address to Bishops of
Papua New Guinea and Solomons (Excerpt)
June 26, 2005
3. As you know, priests are and must be a
Bishop's closest cooperators (cf. "Pastores
Gregis," 47). The particular significance of the
"communion" between a Bishop and his presbyters
demands that your interest in their well-being
be of the utmost importance to you. This special
relationship is expressed most effectively
through your assiduous care to uphold the unique
identity of your priests, to encourage their
personal sanctification in the ministry, and to
foster a deepening of their pastoral commitment.
Priestly identity must never be likened to any
secular title or confused with civic or
political office. Rather, configured to Christ
who emptied himself taking the form of a servant
(cf. Philippians 2:7-8), the priest lives a life
of simplicity, chastity and humble service,
which inspires others by example. At the heart
of the priesthood is the daily, devout
celebration of Holy Mass. In this Year of the
Eucharist I appeal to your priests: be faithful
to this commitment which is the center and
mission of the life of each one of you (Message
at the Missa Pro Ecclesia, 20 April 2005, 4).
The proper formation of Priests and Religious is
absolutely integral to successful evangelization
(cf. "Pastores Dabo Vobis," 2). I know you have
been addressing this matter with due attention
for quite some time. Your concern for the human,
spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral
development of your seminarians, as well as men
and women Religious in training, will bear much
fruit in your Dioceses. I encourage you
therefore to ensure careful selection of
candidates, to supervise your seminaries
personally and to provide regular programs of
ongoing formation so necessary for deepening
priestly and religious identity and enriching
joyful commitment to celibacy. Finally in this
regard, I offer my prayers of deep gratitude for
those who serve in seminaries and houses of
formation. Please let them know that the Holy
Father thanks them for their generosity.
4. Dear Brothers, your Catechists have embraced
with great zeal the burning conviction of Saint
Paul: "woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel"
(1 Corinthians 9:16). During the Synod for
Oceania many of you noted with satisfaction that
an increasing number of the lay faithful are
coming to a deeper appreciation of their duty to
participate in the Church's mission of
evangelization (cf. "Ecclesia in Oceania," 19).
If this zeal is to succeed in convincing an ever
greater number of believers that "faith in fact
has the force to shape culture itself by
penetrating it to its very core" (ibid., 20)
then the pastoral priorities which you have
identified -- especially that of marriage and
stable family life -- will require
corresponding, appropriate adult catechetical
programs. In this way, I am confident that your
people will deepen their understanding of the
faith, grow in their ability to express its
liberating truth, and account for the hope that
is in them! (cf. 1 Peter 3:15).
5. With fraternal affection I offer these
reflections wishing to affirm you in your desire
to embrace the summons to testimony and
evangelization which ensue from the encounter
with Christ, constantly intensified and deepened
in the Eucharist (cf. "Mane Nobiscum Domine,"
24). United in your proclamation of the Good
News of Jesus Christ, go forward in hope!
Invoking upon you the intercession of Blessed
Peter To Rot, I cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing to you and the priests, Religious, and
lay faithful of your Dioceses.
-----------------------
GOD'S WILL ENGRAVED IN THE HUMAN CREATURE:
ADDRESS TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC
June 24, 2005
Mr. President,
I have the joy today of reciprocating the most
cordial visit that you were pleased to pay me as
Head of the Italian State last 3 May on the
occasion of the new pastoral service to which
the Lord has called me. First of all, therefore,
I would like to thank you and through you, to
thank the Italian People for the warm welcome
they have accorded me from the very first day of
my pastoral service as Bishop of Rome and Pastor
of the universal Church.
For my part, I assure the citizens of Rome and
then the whole Italian Nation of my commitment
to do my utmost for the religious and civil good
of those whom the Lord has entrusted to my
pastoral care.
The proclamation of the Gospel which, in
communion with the Italian Bishops, I am called
to make to Rome and to Italy, is not only at the
service of the Italian people's growth in faith
and in the Christian life but also of its
progress on the paths of concord and peace.
Christ is the Savior of the whole person, spirit
and body, his spiritual and eternal destiny and
his temporal and earthly life. Thus, when his
message is heard, the civil community also
becomes more responsible and attentive to the
needs of the common good and shows greater
solidarity with the poor, the abandoned and the
marginalized.
Reviewing Italian history, one is struck by the
innumerable works of charity that the Church,
with great sacrifices, set up for the relief of
all kinds of suffering. Today the Church intends
to journey on along this same path, without any
ambition for power and without requesting social
or financial privileges. The example of Jesus
Christ, who "went about doing good works and
healing all" (Acts 10:38), remains the Church's
supreme norm of conduct among the peoples.
Relations between the Church and the Italian
State are founded on the principle spelled out
by the Second Vatican Council, which says: "The
political community and the Church are
autonomous and independent of each other in
their own fields. Nevertheless, both are devoted
to the personal vocation of man, though under
different titles" ("Gaudium et Spes," 76).
This principle was already present in the
Lateran Pacts and was subsequently confirmed in
the Agreements that modified the Concordat.
Therefore, a healthy secularism of the State, by
virtue of which temporal realities are governed
according to their own norms but which does not
exclude those ethical references that are
ultimately founded in religion, is legitimate.
The autonomy of the temporal sphere does not
exclude close harmony with the superior and
complex requirements that derive from an
integral vision of man and his eternal destiny.
I am eager to assure you, Mr. President, and all
the Italian People, that the Church desires to
maintain and to foster a cordial spirit of
collaboration and understanding at the service
of the spiritual and moral growth of the
Country; it would be seriously harmful, not only
for her but also for Italy, to attempt to weaken
or to break these very special ties that bind
her to the Country. The Italian culture is
deeply imbued with Christian values, as can be
seen in the splendid masterpieces that the
Nation has produced in all fields of thought and
art.
My hope is that the Italian People will not only
not deny the Christian heritage that is part of
their history but will guard it jealously and
make it produce new fruits worthy of the past. I
am confident that Italy, under the wise and
exemplary guidance of those who are called to
govern it, will continue to carry out in the
world its civilizing mission in which it has so
distinguished itself down the centuries. By
virtue of its history and its culture, Italy can
make a very worthwhile contribution,
particularly to Europe, helping it to rediscover
the Christian roots that enabled it to achieve
greatness in the past and can still serve to
deepen the profound unity of the Continent.
Mr. President, as you can easily understand, I
have many concerns at the beginning of my
pastoral service on the Chair of Peter. I would
like to point out some of them which, because of
their universally human character, cannot but
also concern those who are responsible for
government. I am alluding to the problem of the
protection of the family founded on marriage, as
it is recognized also in the Italian
Constitution (n. 29), the problem of the defense
of human life from conception to its natural end
and lastly, the problem of education and
consequently of school, an indispensable
training ground for the formation of the new
generations.
The Church, accustomed as she is to scrutinizing
God's will engraved in the very nature of the
human creature, sees in the family a most
important value that must be defended from any
attack that aims to undermine its solidity and
call its very existence into question.
The Church recognizes human life as a primary
good, the premise for all other goods. She
therefore asks that it be respected both at its
initial and its final stages and stresses the
duty to provide adequate palliative treatment
that makes death more human.
As for schools, her role is connected with the
family as a natural expansion of its task of
formation. In this regard, save the competence
of the State to dictate the general norms of
instruction, I cannot but express the hope that
the right of parents to choose education freely
will be respected, and that in so doing they
will not have to bear the additional burden of
further expenses. I trust that Italian
legislators, in their wisdom, will be able to
find "human" solutions to the problems mentioned
here, in other words, solutions that respect the
inviolable values implicit in them.
Lastly, expressing my hope that the Nation will
continue to advance on the path of spiritual and
material well being, I join you, Mr. President,
in urging all the citizens and all the members
of society always to live and work in a spirit
of genuine harmony, in a context of open
dialogue and mutual trust, in the commitment to
serve and promote the common good and the
dignity of every person. I would like to
conclude, Mr. President, by recalling the esteem
and affection that the Italian People feel for
you, as well as its full confidence in
fulfilling the duties inherent in your exalted
office.
I have the joy of joining in this affectionate
esteem and trust, as I entrust you and your
Consort, Mrs. Franca Ciampi, the leaders of the
life of the Nation and the entire Italian People
to the protection of the Virgin Mary, so
intensely venerated in the countless shrines
dedicated to her. With these sentiments, I
invoke upon you all the Blessing of God, a
pledge of every desired good.
[Translation of Italian original issued by the
Holy See]
--------------------------
Pope's Address to Bishops of Zimbabwe
"Witnesses to the Hope Held Out by the Gospel"
(Excerpt)
JULY 3, 2005 * * *
My Brother Bishops,
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ!" (Ephesians 1:2).
.. . . responsibility for the common good
demands that all members of the body politic
work together in laying firm moral and spiritual
foundations for the future of the nation.
. . . I encourage you to continue to provide
clear and united leadership, grounded in an
unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and obedience
to "the word of truth, the Gospel of salvation"
(Ephesians 1:13). In your preaching and teaching
the faithful should be able to hear the voice of
the Lord himself, a voice that speaks with
authority of what is right and true, of peace
and justice, of love and reconciliation, a voice
that can console them in the midst of their
troubles and show them the way forward in hope.
. . . . "In all areas of Church life, formation
is of primary importance" for the future of the
Church in Africa ("Ecclesia in Africa," 75). . .
..Future priests, for their part, should be
helped to present the fullness of the Catholic
faith in a way which truly addresses and
responds to people's difficulties, questions and
problems. The national seminaries require
practical support in their challenging task of
providing seminarians with an adequate human,
spiritual, doctrinal and pastoral formation,
while the younger clergy would greatly benefit,
in the first years of their priestly ministry,
from a program of spiritual, pastoral and human
accompaniment guided by experienced and
exemplary priests. Your concern for sound
catechesis and an integral religious education
must also extend to the system of Catholic
schools, whose religious identity needs to be
strengthened, for the good not only of their
students, but of the entire Catholic community
in your country.
Dear Brother Bishops, in union with the
Successor of Peter and the College of Bishops,
you have been sent forth as witnesses to the
hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus Christ (cf.
"Pastores Gregis," 5). As you return to your
native land strengthened in faith and in the
bond of ecclesial communion, I ask you to
cooperate generously in the service of the
Gospel, so that the light of God's word will
shine ever more brightly in the minds and hearts
of Zimbabwe's Catholics, inspiring in them a
deeper love of Christ and a more firm commitment
to the spread of his Kingdom of holiness,
justice and truth.
With great affection I commend you and the
clergy, religious and laity of your Dioceses to
the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the
Church, and cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in the
Lord.
[Original text: English]
ZE05070320
-----------------------
Commentary on Canticle in Ephesians 1:3-14
"From Eternity We Are Before the Eyes of God"
JULY 6, 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
1. Today we did not hear a Psalm but a canticle
taken from the Letter to the Ephesians (see
1:3-14), which appears in the Liturgy of Vespers
of each of the four weeks. This canticle is a
prayer of blessing addressed to God the Father.
As it unfolds, it delineates the various stages
of the plan of salvation which is realized
through the action of Christ.
At the heart of the blessing resounds the Greek
word "mysterion," a term usually associated with
the verbs of revelation ("to reveal," "to know,"
"to manifest"). This is, in fact, the great
secret plan that the Father had kept to himself
from eternity (see verse 9) and that he decided
to act on and reveal "for the fullness of times"
(see verse 10) in Jesus Christ, his Son.
The stages of this plan are articulated in the
canticle by the saving actions of God through
Christ in the Spirit. First of all, the Father
-- this is the first act -- chooses us from
eternity so that we will be holy and blameless
in love (see verse 4), then he predestines us to
be his children (see verses 5-6), in addition he
redeems us and forgives us our sins (see verses
7-8), he unveils fully to us the mystery of
salvation in Christ (see verses 9-10), finally,
he gives us our eternal inheritance (see verses
11-12) offering us already as pledge the gift of
the Holy Spirit in view of the final
resurrection (see verses 13-14).
2. Many, therefore, are the saving events that
succeeded one another in the unfolding of the
canticle. They involve the three Persons of the
Most Holy Trinity: beginning with the Father,
who is the initiator and supreme author of the
plan of salvation; fixing the gaze on the Son
who realizes the plan in history; coming to the
Holy Spirit who imprints his "seal" on the whole
work of salvation. Let us now reflect briefly on
the two first stages, that of holiness and of
filiation (see verses 4-6).
The first divine gesture, revealed and acted in
Christ, is the election of believers, fruit of a
free and gratuitous initiative of God. In the
beginning, therefore, "before the foundation of
the world" (verse 4), in the eternity of God,
divine grace was disposed to enter into action.
I am moved meditating on this truth: From
eternity we are before the eyes of God and he
has decided to save us. This call has our
"holiness" -- a great word -- as content.
Holiness is participation in the transcendent
purity of the divine Being. And we know that God
is charity. Therefore, to participate in divine
purity means to participate in the "charity" of
God, conforming ourselves with God who is
"charity."
"God is love" (1 John 4:8,16). This is the
consoling truth that enables us also to
understand that "holiness" is not a reality
removed from our life, but instead, in the
measure in which we can become persons who love
God, we enter into the mystery of "holiness."
Thus the agape becomes our daily reality. We are
led, therefore, to the sacred and vital horizon
of God himself.
3. In this line we move to the other stage, also
contemplated in the divine plan from eternity:
our "predestination" as children of God. Not
only human creatures, but really belonging to
God as his children.
Elsewhere Paul exalts (see Galatians 4:5; Romans
8:15,23) this sublime condition of children
implied and derived from fraternity with Christ,
the Son par excellence, "the firstborn among
many brothers" (Romans 8:29) and from intimacy
with the heavenly Father who can now be invoked
as Abba, whom we can call "beloved Father," with
a genuine sense of familiarity with God, in a
relationship of spontaneity and love. We are,
therefore, in the presence of an immense gift,
made possible by "pure" divine "initiative" and
by "grace," luminous expression of saving love.
4. In concluding, we commend ourselves to the
great bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, who in one
of his letters comments on the words of the
Apostle Paul to the Ephesians, reflecting
precisely on the rich content of our
Christological canticle. He underlines above all
the superabundant grace with which God has made
us his adopted children in Christ Jesus. "There
is no need to doubt, therefore, that the members
are united to their head, in particular because
since the beginning we have been predestined to
the adoption of children of God, through Jesus
Christ" ("Lettera XVI ad Ireneo" [Letter XVI to
Irenaeus] 4: SAEMO, XIX, Milan-Rome, 1988, p.
161).
The holy bishop of Milan continues his
reflection observing: "Who is rich, if not God
alone, creator of all things?" And he concludes:
"But he is much more rich in mercy, because he
has redeemed and transformed us, who according
to the nature of flesh, were children of wrath
and subject to punishment, so that we would be
children of peace and charity" (No. 7: Ibid., p.
163).
[Translation by ZENIT]
---------------------------
On St. Benedict of Norcia: Prefer Nothing to the
Love of Christ
10 July 2005
*
* *
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Tomorrow the feast of St. Benedict of Norcia is
celebrated, patron of Europe, a saint who is
particularly dear to me, as can be intuited from
my choice of his name.
Born in Norcia about 480, Benedict's first
studies were in Rome but, disappointed with city
life, he retired to Subiaco, where he stayed for
about three years in a cave -- the famous "sacro
speco" -- dedicating himself wholly to God.
In Subiaco, making use of the ruins of a
cyclopean villa of the emperor Nero, he built
some monasteries, together with his first
disciples, giving life to a fraternal community
founded on the primacy of the love of Christ, in
which prayer and work were alternated
harmoniously in praise of God.
Years later, he completed this project in Monte
Cassino, and put it in writing in his Rule, the
only work of his that has come down to us. Amid
the ashes of the Roman Empire, Benedict, seeking
first of all the kingdom of God, sowed, perhaps
even without realizing it, the seed of a new
civilization which would develop, integrating
Christian values with classical heritage, on one
hand, and the Germanic and Slav cultures on the
other.
There is a particular aspect of his
spirituality, which today I would particularly
like to underline. Benedict did not found a
monastic institution oriented primarily to the
evangelization of barbarian peoples, as other
great missionary monks of the time, but
indicated to his followers that the fundamental,
and even more, the sole objective of existence
is the search for God: "Quaerere Deum."
He knew, however, that when the believer enters
into a profound relationship with God he cannot
be content with living in a mediocre way, with a
minimalist ethic and superficial religiosity. In
this light, one understands better the
expression that Benedict took from St. Cyprian
and that is summarized in his Rule (IV, 21) --
the monks' program of life: "Nihil amori Christi
praeponere." "Prefer nothing to the love of
Christ."
Holiness consists in this valid proposal for
every Christian that has become a true pastoral
imperative in our time, in which one perceives
the need to anchor life and history in solid
spiritual references.
A Sublime and perfect model of sanctity is Mary
Most Holy, who lived in constant and profound
communion with Christ. Let us invoke her
intercession, together with that of St.
Benedict, so that the Lord will multiply also in
our time men and women who, through an
enlightened faith, witnessed in life, will be in
this new millennium salt of the earth and light
of the world.
[After the Angelus the Holy Father said:]
We all feel profound sorrow for the atrocious
terrorist attacks in London last Thursday. Let
us pray for the people who were killed, for
those who were wounded and for their dear ones.
But let us also pray for the attackers: That the
Lord will touch their hearts. To all those who
foment sentiments of hatred and to all those who
carry out such repugnant terrorist attacks, I
say: God loves life, which he has created, not
death. Stop, In the name of God.
--------------------------------
On the Value
of Vacation (excerpt)
"Days in
Which More Time Can Be Dedicated to Prayer"
17 July 2005
*
* *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
I have been here for a few days, in the
marvelous mountains of Val d'Aosta, where the
memory is still alive of my beloved predecessor
John Paul II, who for several years spent brief
relaxing and invigorating stays here.
This summer pause is a truly providential gift
of God, after the first months of the demanding
pastoral service that Divine Providence has
entrusted to me. . . .
In the world in which we live, it is almost a
necessity to be able to regain one's strength of
body and spirit, especially for those who live
in the city, where the conditions of life, often
feverish, leave little room for silence,
reflection and relaxed contact with nature.
Holidays are, moreover, days in which more time
can be dedicated to prayer, reading and
meditation on the profound meaning of life, in
the peaceful context of one's family and loved
ones.
Vacation time offers the unique opportunity to
pause before the thought-provoking spectacles of
nature, a wonderful "book" within reach of
everyone, adults and children. In contact with
nature, a person rediscovers his correct
dimension, rediscovers himself as a creature,
small but at the same time unique, with a
"capacity for God" because interiorly he is open
to the Infinite. Driven by his heartfelt urgent
search for meaning, he perceives in the
surrounding world the mark of goodness and
Divine Providence and opens almost naturally to
praise and prayer.
Reciting the Angelus together in this pleasant
Alpine locality, let us ask the Virgin Mary to
teach us the secret of the silence that becomes
praise, of recollection that disposes to
meditation, of love of nature that blossoms in
thanksgiving to God. We will thus be able to
receive more easily in our hearts the light of
Truth and practice it in freedom and love.
[Translation by ZENIT]
---------------------------
On Europe's
Christian Roots (excerpt)
"Return to Yourself"
24 July 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Tomorrow is the feast of the Apostle St. James,
John's brother, whose relics are venerated in
the famous shrine of Santiago de Compostela in
Galicia, destination of innumerable pilgrims
from all over Europe. Yesterday we remembered
St. Bridget of Sweden, patroness of Europe. Last
July 11, St. Benedict was celebrated, another
great patron of the "Old World." When
contemplating these saints, one pauses
spontaneously to reflect on the contribution
that Christianity has offered and continues to
offer to the making of Europe.
I would like to do so by recalling the
pilgrimage that the Servant of God John Paul II
made in 1982 to Santiago de Compostela where he
carried out a solemn "European Act," in the
course of which he pronounced these memorable
words: "I, Bishop of Rome and pastor of the
universal Church, from Santiago, send to you,
age-old Europe, a cry full of love: Return to
yourself. Be yourself. Discover your origins.
Revive your roots. Revive those authentic values
that made your history glorious and your
presence beneficial among the other continents."
John Paul II then launched the project of a
Europe conscious of its own spiritual unity,
based on the foundation of Christian values. He
returned to this them on the occasion of World
Youth Day of 1989, which took place precisely in
Santiago de Compostela. He expressed the desire
of a Europe without borders, which does not
disavow the Christian roots from which it sprang
and does not renounce the authentic humanism of
Christ's Gospel! How timely this appeal still
is, in the light of the recent events of the
European continent!
. . . Let us pray that the new generations,
drawing their vital sap from Christ, will be
able to be in European society the leaven of a
renewed humanism, in which faith and reason
cooperate in fruitful dialogue in the promotion
of man and the making of authentic peace. We
pray for this to God, through the intercession
of Mary Most Holy, who, as Mother and Queen,
watches over the path of all nations.
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father
added:]
These days of peace and rest have also been
disturbed by the tragic news of the execrable
terrorist attacks, which have caused death,
destruction and suffering in several countries,
such as Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Great Britain.
While entrusting to divine goodness the
deceased, the wounded and their loved ones,
victims of such gestures that offend God and
man, we invoke the Almighty to stop the
murderous hand of those who, moved by fanaticism
and hatred, have committed them and to convert
their hearts to thoughts of reconciliation and
peace.
-------------------------------
Commentary on Psalm 124(125): "The Lord Is
Always With Us"
August 3, 2005
* * *
Brothers and Sisters,
1. After my holidays spent in the Aosta Valley,
our journey in the Liturgy of Vespers continues
at this meeting. Psalm 124(125) is now our
focus; it is part of that intense and evocative
collection known as the "Songs of Ascents," an
ideal little prayer book for the pilgrimage to
Zion with a view to the encounter with the Lord
in the temple (cf. Psalm 119[120]-133[134]).
We shall now meditate briefly on a sapiential
text that gives rise to trust in the Lord and
contains a short prayer (cf. Psalm 124[125]:4).
The first sentence proclaims the stability of
"those who put their trust in the Lord,"
comparing it to the safety and firmness of
"Mount Zion," which "cannot be shaken." This is
obviously due to the presence of God, "rock,
fortress, savior ... refuge, shield, mighty
help, stronghold," as another Psalm says (cf.
17[18]:3).
Even when the believer feels lonely and is
surrounded by risks and hostility, his faith
must be serene because the Lord is always with
us; his power surrounds us and protects us.
The prophet Isaiah also testifies to hearing God
speak these words, destined for the faithful:
"See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that
has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a
sure foundation; he who puts his faith in it
shall not be shaken" (Isaiah 28:16).
2. However, the Psalmist continues, the trust
that is the atmosphere of faith of the faithful
has a further support: the Lord is, as it were,
encamped to defend his people, just as the
mountains that surround Jerusalem make it a
naturally fortified city (cf. Psalm 124[125]:2).
In a prophecy by Zechariah, God says of
Jerusalem: "I will be for her an encircling wall
of fire ... and I will be the glory in her
midst" (Zechariah 2:9).
In this atmosphere of deeply rooted trust, which
is the atmosphere of faith, the Psalmist
reassures "the upright of heart," the believers.
Their situation in itself can be worrying
because of the tyranny of the wicked, who wish
to impose their domination.
There might also be a temptation for the just to
make themselves accomplices of evil to avoid
serious difficulties, but the Lord protects them
from oppression: "For the scepter of the wicked
shall not rest over the land of the just" (Psalm
124[125]:3); at the same time, he preserves them
from the temptation to turn their hands to evil
(cf. ibid.).
Thus, the psalm instills deep trust in the soul.
This is a powerful help in facing difficult
situations when the external crisis of
loneliness, irony and contempt of believers is
associated with the interior crisis that
consists of discouragement, mediocrity and
weariness. We know this situation, but the psalm
tells us that if we have trust, we are stronger
than these evils.
3. The finale of the psalm contains the prayer
addressed to the Lord for the "good" and the
"upright of heart" (cf. verse 4), and an
announcement of misfortune to "the crooked and
those who do evil" (verse 5).
On the one hand, the Psalmist asks the Lord to
manifest himself as a loving father to the just
and the faithful who bear aloft the torch of a
righteous life and a clear conscience.
On the other hand, the hope is expressed that he
will prove to be a just judge to those who have
taken the winding path of evil, which leads
ultimately to death.
The psalm is sealed by the traditional greeting,
"shalom," "On Israel, peace," a greeting that by
assonance rhymes with "Jerushalajim," "on
Jerusalem" (cf. verse 2), the city that is a
symbol of peace and holiness.
This greeting becomes a wish of hope: We can
explain it in St. Paul's words: "Peace and mercy
on all who follow this rule of life, and on the
Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16).
4. In his commentary on this psalm, St.
Augustine compares "the crooked and those who do
evil" with "the upright of heart," who never
stray from God. If the former are to find
themselves associated with the destiny of "those
who do evil," what will be the destiny of the
"upright of heart"? In the hope that together
with his listeners he too will share in their
happy destiny, the Bishop of Hippo wonders:
"What will we possess? What will be our
inheritance? What will be our homeland? What
will it be called?"
And he answers himself, pointing out its name. I
make these words my own: "Peace. We greet you
with the wish of peace; I proclaim peace to you;
may the mountains receive peace, while justice
spreads over the hills (cf. Psalm 71[72]:3).
Now, our peace is Christ: Indeed, 'It is he who
is our peace' (Ephesians 2:14)" ("Esposizioni
sui Salmi," IV, Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana,
XXVIII, Rome, 1977, p. 105).
St. Augustine concludes with an exhortation
which at the same time is a wish: "We are the
Israel of God and let us cling tightly to peace,
for Jerusalem means a vision of peace and we are
Israel: the Israel on which is peace" (ibid., p.
107), and peace is Christ.
"The Magi as Unique Models of People Seeking
Christ"
August 7, 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thousands of young people are about to leave or
have already set out for Cologne for the 20th
World Youth Day, whose theme, as you know, is:
"We have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2).
One might say that the whole Church has been
spiritually mobilized to live this extraordinary
event, looking to the Magi as unique models of
people seeking Christ, before whom to kneel in
adoration. But what does "worship" mean? Might
it be an expression of past times, meaningless
to our contemporaries? No! A well-known prayer
that many recite in the morning and the evening
begins precisely with these words: "I adore you,
my God, and I love you with all my heart. ..."
Every day, at sunrise and sunset, believers
renew their "adoration" or acknowledgment of the
presence of God, Creator and Lord of the
Universe. This recognition is full of gratitude
that wells up from the depths of their heart and
floods their entire being, for it is only by
adoring and loving God above all things that
human beings can totally fulfill themselves.
The Magi adored the Child of Bethlehem,
recognizing him as the promised Messiah, the
Only-begotten Son of the Father in whom, as St.
Paul says, "the fullness of the deity resides in
bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). The disciples
Peter, James and John, to whom Jesus revealed
his divine glory -- as the feast of the
Transfiguration celebrated yesterday reminds us
-- predicting his definitive victory over death,
experienced something similar on Mount Tabor.
Subsequently, with Easter, the crucified and
Risen Christ was fully to manifest his divinity
and offer to all men and women the gift of his
redeeming love. Saints are those who accepted
this gift and became true worshippers of the
living God, loving him without reserve at every
moment of their lives. With the forthcoming
meeting in Cologne, the Church wants once again
to present this holiness, the peak of love, to
all the young people of the third millennium.
Who can accompany us better on this demanding
journey of holiness than Mary? Who can teach us
to adore Christ better than she? May she help
especially the new generations to recognize the
true face of God in Christ and to worship, love
and serve him with total dedication.
Commentary on
Psalm 130(131): "Spiritual Childhood"
August 10, 2005
* * *
1. We have listened to only a few words, about
30 in the original Hebrew, of Psalm 130(131).
Yet they are intense words that convey a topic
dear to all religious literature: spiritual
childhood. Our thoughts turn spontaneously to
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, to her "Little Way," her
"remaining little" in order to be held in Jesus'
arms (cf. "Story of a Soul," Manuscript "C," p.
208).
Indeed, the clear-cut image of a mother and
child in the middle of the psalm is a sign of
God's tender and maternal love, as the prophet
Hosea formerly expressed it: "When Israel was a
child I loved him. ... I drew [him] with human
cords, with bands of love; I fostered [him] like
one who raises an infant to his cheeks ... I
stooped to feed my child" (Hosea 11:1,4).
2. The psalm begins by describing an attitude
quite the opposite of infancy, which, well aware
of its own frailty, trusts in the help of
others. In the foreground of this psalm,
instead, are pride of heart, haughty eyes and
"great things" that are "too sublime for me"
(cf. Psalm 130[131]:1). This is an illustration
of the proud person who is described by Hebrew
words that suggest "pride" and "haughtiness,"
the arrogant attitude of those who look down on
others, considering them inferior.
The great temptation of the proud, who want to
be like God, the arbiter of good and evil (cf.
Genesis 3:5), is decisively rejected by the
person of prayer who chooses humble and
spontaneous trust in the One Lord.
3. Thus, we move on to the unforgettable image
of the mother and child. The original Hebrew
text does not speak of a newborn child but of a
child that has been "weaned" (Psalm 130[131]:2).
Now, it is known that in the ancient Near East a
special celebration marked the official weaning
of a child, usually at about the age of 3 (cf.
Genesis 21:8; 1 Samuel 1:20-23; 2 Maccabees
7:27).
The child to which the Psalmist refers is now
bound to the mother by a most personal and
intimate bond, hence, not merely by physical
contact and the need for food. It is a more
conscious tie, although nonetheless immediate
and spontaneous. This is the ideal parable of
the true "childhood" of the spirit that does not
abandon itself to God blindly and automatically,
but serenely and responsibly.
4. At this point, the praying person's
profession of trust is extended to the entire
community: "O Israel, hope in the Lord both now
and for ever" (Psalm 130[131]:3). In the entire
people which receives security, life and peace
from God, hope now blossoms and extends from the
present to the future, "now and for ever."
It is easy to continue the prayer by making
other voices in the Psalms ring out, inspired by
this same trust in God: "To you I was committed
at birth, from my mother's womb you are my God"
(Psalm 21[22]:11). "Though my father and mother
forsake me, yet will the Lord receive me" (Ps
26[27]:10). "For you are my hope, O Lord; my
trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend
from birth; from my mother's womb you are my
strength" (Ps 70[71]:5-6).
5. Humble trust, as we have seen, is opposed by
pride. John Cassian, a fourth-fifth century
Christian writer, warned the faithful of the
danger of this vice that "destroys all the
virtues overall and does not only attack the
tepid and the weak, but principally those who
have forced their way to the top."
He continues: "This is the reason why Blessed
David preserved his heart with such great
circumspection, to the point that he dared
proclaim before the One whom none of the secrets
of his conscience escaped: "Lord, may my heart
not grow proud, nor my gaze be raised with
haughtiness; let me not seek great things that
are beyond my strength.' ... Yet, knowing well
how difficult such custody is even for those who
are perfect, he does not presume to rely solely
on his own abilities, but implores the Lord with
prayers to help him succeed in avoiding the
darts of the enemy and in not being injured by
them: 'Let not the foot of the proud overtake
me' (Psalm 35[36]:12)" ("Le Istituzioni
Cenobitiche," XII, 6, Abbey of Praglia, Bresseo
di Teolo, Padua, 1989, p. 289).
Likewise, an anonymous elderly Desert Father has
handed down to us this saying that echoes Psalm
130(131): "I have never overstepped my rank to
walk higher, nor have I ever been troubled in
the case of humiliation, for I concentrated my
every thought on this: praying the Lord to strip
me of the old man" ("I Padri del Deserto," Detti,
Rome, 1980, p. 287).
The Canaanite Woman: Never Lose Heart
August 14, 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the
liturgy presents a rare example of faith to us:
a Canaanite woman who asks Jesus to heal her
daughter who was "terribly troubled by a demon."
The Lord resisted her insistent entreaties and
seemed impervious to them even when the
disciples themselves interceded for her, as the
Evangelist Matthew relates.
In the end, however, confronted by the
perseverance and humility of this unknown woman,
Jesus consented: "Woman, you have great faith!
Your wish will come to pass" (cf. Matthew
15:21-28).
"Woman, you have great faith!" Jesus singles out
this humble woman as an example of indomitable
faith. Her insistence in imploring Christ's
intervention is an encouragement to us never to
lose heart and not to despair, even in the
harshest trials of life. The Lord does not close
his eyes to the needs of his children, and if he
seems at times insensitive to their requests, it
is only in order to test them and to temper
their faith.
This is the witness of saints, this is
especially the witness of martyrs, closely
associated with the redeeming sacrifice of
Christ. In recent days, we have commemorated
some of them: the Pontiffs, Pontianus and Sixtus
II, the priest Hippolytus, Lawrence the Deacon
with his companions, killed in Rome at the dawn
of Christianity.
We have also commemorated a martyr of our time,
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein,
co-patroness of Europe, who died in a
concentration camp; and on this very day the
liturgy presents to us a martyr of charity who
sealed his witness of love for Christ in the
bunker of starvation at Auschwitz: St.
Maximilian Maria Kolbe, who willingly sacrificed
himself in place of a father with a family.
I invite every baptized person and especially
the young people who will be taking part in
World Youth Day to look at this shining example
of Gospel heroism. I invoke upon them all their
protection and in particular, that of St. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross, who spent several years
of her life at the Carmelite convent in Cologne.
May Mary, Queen of Martyrs, whom we will
contemplate tomorrow in her glorious assumption
into heaven, watch over each one.
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father said
to the English-speaking pilgrims present:]
I greet all the English-speaking visitors
present today. I hope that your visit to Castel
Gandolfo and Rome will be a source of physical
and spiritual renewal, so that you return home
strengthened in faith and Christian love. I
invite you to join me during these days in
praying for the success of the coming World
Youth Day in Cologne, Germany. May the Lord
bless you and your families!
God Must
Be in First Place
AUG. 28, 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
It was truly an extraordinary ecclesial
experience lived last week in Cologne, on the
occasion of World Youth Day, with the
participation of a very great number of young
people from all parts of the world, accompanied
by many bishops, priests and men and women
religious. It was a providential event of grace
for the whole Church.
Speaking with bishops of Germany, shortly before
returning to Italy, I said that young people
have given their pastors, and in a certain way
all believers, a message which is at the same
time a request: "Help us to be disciples and
witnesses of Christ. As the Magi, we came to
find him and to worship him." Young people left
Cologne for their cities and nations animated by
a great hope, without however losing sight of
the not few difficulties, obstacles and problems
that in our time accompany the authentic search
for Christ and faithful adherence to his Gospel.
Not only young people, but also communities and
pastors themselves must be ever more aware of a
fundamental fact of evangelization: Wherever God
is not in the first place, wherever he is not
acknowledged and worshipped as the Supreme Good,
man's dignity is endangered. It is therefore
urgent to lead the man of today to "discover"
the true face of God, which has been revealed to
us in Jesus Christ. Also humanity of our time,
like the Magi, will be able to prostrate itself
before him and worship him.
Speaking with the German bishops, I recalled
that adoration is not "a luxury, but a
priority." To seek Christ must be the incessant
longing of believers, of youths and adults, of
the faithful and their pastors. This search is
encouraged, supported and guided. Faith is not
simply the adherence to an ensemble of dogmas
complete in itself, that would slake the thirst
for God present in the human spirit. On the
contrary, it projects for man a path in time
toward a God ever new in his infinitude. The
Christian is therefore at the same time one who
seeks and one who finds. It is precisely this
that makes the Church young, open to the future,
rich in hope for the whole of humanity.
Saint Augustine, whom we remember today, has
wonderful reflections on the invitation of Psalm
104 "Quaerite faciem eius simper" -- Seek his
face continually. He notes that that invitation
does not hold good just for this life but also
for eternity. The discovery of "God's face" is
never exhausted. The more we enter into the
splendor of divine love, the more beautiful it
is to go forward in the search, so that "amore
crescente inquisitio crescat inventi" -- To the
degree that love grows, so grows the search for
him who is found" (Psalm 104:3; "Corpus
Christianorum," Series Latina (CCL) 40, 1537).
This is the experience to which we also aspire
from the depth of our hearts. May it be obtained
for us by the intercession of the great bishop
of Hippo; may it be obtained by the maternal
help of Mary, star of evangelization, whom we
now invoke with the Angelus prayer.
------------------------------
Unless the Lord Build the House (Commentary on
Psalm 126(127)
AUG. 31, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
* * *
1. Psalm 126(127), just proclaimed, presents
before our eyes a spectacle in movement: a house
under construction, the city with its watchmen,
family life, night watches, daily work, the
little and great secrets of life. However, over
all rises a decisive presence: that of the Lord
who watches over the works of man, as the
incisive beginning of the psalm suggests:
"Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in
vain who build" (verse 1).
A solid society is born, indeed, from the
commitment of all its members, but it has need
of the blessing and support of that God who,
unfortunately, is often excluded and ignored.
The Book of Proverbs underlines the primacy of
divine action for the well-being of a community
and it does so in a radical way, affirming that
"the blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he
adds no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22).
2. This sapiential psalm, fruit of meditation on
the reality of everyday life, is built
essentially on a contrast: without the Lord, in
vain does one seek to erect a stable house, to
build a secure city, to have one's labor
fructify (see Psalm 126[127]:1-2). With the
Lord, instead, one has prosperity and
fruitfulness, a family rich in children and
serene, a city well supplied and defended, free
of constant worry and insecurity (see verses
3-5).
The text begins with a reference to the Lord,
portrayed as the builder of the house and
watchman who watches over the city (see Psalm
120[121]:1-8). Man goes out in the morning to be
diligent in his work to support his family and
to serve the development of society. It is work
that consumes his energies, making his brow
sweat (see Genesis 3:19) the whole day (see
Psalm 126[127]:2).
3. Well, the psalmist does not hesitate to
affirm that all this labor is useless if God is
not beside the one who labors. And he affirms,
on the contrary, that God even rewards his
friends' sleep. So the psalmist wishes to exalt
the primacy of divine grace, which gives
consistency and value to human action, even
though characterized by limitations and
transience. In serene and faithful abandonment
of our freedom to the Lord, our works also
become solid, capable of lasting fruit. So our
"sleep" becomes a blessed, God-given rest,
destined to seal an activity that has meaning
and consistency.
4. At this point we move to the other scene
outlined by our psalm. The Lord gives the gift
of children, seen as a blessing and grace, a
sign of life that continues and of the history
of salvation moving toward new stages (see verse
3). The psalmist exalts, in particular, "the
children born in one's youth": The father who
has had children in his youth not only will see
them in all their vigor, but they will also be
his support in old age. So he will be able to
face the future with security, having become
like a warrior, armed with those sharp and
victorious "arrows" that are his sons.
The purpose of the image, taken from the culture
of the time, is to celebrate security,
stability, the strength of a numerous family, as
is repeated in the subsequent Psalm 127(128), in
which the portrait of a happy family is
sketched.
The last image portrays a father surrounded by
his children, who is greeted with respect at the
gate of the city, seat of public life.
Procreation is, therefore, a gift bearing life
and well-being for society. We are aware of it
in our days in the face of nations that are
deprived, by the demographic loss, of freshness,
vitality and the future incarnated in children.
Over all, however, rises the blessed presence of
God, source of life and hope.
5. Psalm 126(127) was often used by spiritual
authors precisely to exalt this divine presence,
decisive to proceed on the path of goodness and
of the Kingdom of God. Thus the monk Isaiah (who
died in Gaza in 491), recalling in his "Asceticon"
(Logos 4,118) the example of the ancient
patriarchs and prophets, teaches: "They placed
themselves under the protection of God,
imploring his assistance, without placing their
trust in some work they accomplished. And God's
protection was for them a fortified city,
because they knew that without God's help they
were impotent and their humility made them say
with the Psalmist: 'Unless the Lord builds the
house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless
the Lord watches over the city, the watchman
stays awake in vain'" ("Recueil Ascétique,"
Abbey of Bellefontaine, 1976, pp. 74-75).
[Translation by ZENIT]
Pope John Paul II Sustained by Eucharist
SEPT. 4, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The Year of the Eucharist is now approaching its
final phase. It will close this coming month of
October, with the holding of the ordinary
assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican,
which will have as its theme: "The Eucharist:
Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the
Church."
This year especially dedicated to the
Eucharistic mystery was called by Pope John Paul
II to reawaken in Christian people, faith,
wonder and love for this great sacrament which
is the authentic treasure of the Church. With
how much devotion he celebrated Holy Mass, the
center of each one of his days! How much time he
spent in adoring and silent prayer before the
tabernacle!
In the last months, his illness assimilated him
ever more with the suffering Christ. It is
moving to know that at the hour of his death he
united the giving up of his life with that of
Christ in the Mass that was being celebrated
next to his bed. His earthly existence closed in
the Easter octave, precisely in the heart of
this Eucharistic Year, in which the passing of
his great pontificate to mine took place. With
joy, therefore, from the beginning of this
service that the Lord has asked of me, I
reaffirm the central character of the sacrament
of the real presence of Christ in the life of
the Church and of every Christian.
In view of the October synodal assembly, the
bishops who will attend are studying the
"working document" prepared for this occasion. I
request, however, that the whole ecclesial
community feel involved in this phase of
immediate preparation, and that it participate
with prayer and reflection, taking advantage of
every occasion, event and meeting. Also in the
recent World Youth Day there were many
references to the mystery of the Eucharist. I
remember, for example, the thought-provoking
Saturday night vigil, on August 20, in
Marienfeld, which had its culminating moment in
Eucharistic adoration: a courageous choice,
which made the glance and hearts of young people
converge on Jesus, present in the Most Holy
Sacrament. I remember, moreover, that during
those memorable days, in some churches of
Cologne, Bonn and Duesseldorf there was
continuous adoration, day and night, with the
attendance of many young people, which in this
way were able to discover together the beauty of
contemplative prayer.
I trust that, thanks to the commitment of
pastors and faithful, participation in the
Eucharist will be ever more assiduous and
fervent in every community. Today, in
particular, I would like to urge sanctifying
with joy the "Lord's Day," Sunday, a sacred day
for Christians. In this context, I am happy to
recall the figure of St. Gregory the Great,
whose liturgical memorial we celebrated
yesterday. That great Pope made a contribution
of historical importance to the promotion of the
liturgy in its different aspects, in particular,
to the appropriate celebration of the Eucharist.
May his intercession, together with that of Mary
Most Holy, help us to live in fullness every
Sunday the joy of Easter and the encounter with
the risen Lord.
---------------------------
"Christ ,
the Lord of Glory"
7 September 2005
A Reflection on the canticle found in Colossians
1:1,3,12,15,17-18.
* * *
1. In the past we already reflected on the
grandiose portrait of Christ, Lord of the
universe and of history, which dominates the
hymn at the beginning of the Letter of St. Paul
to the Colossians. This canticle, in fact, dots
all the four weeks in which the Liturgy of
Vespers is articulated.
The heart of the hymn is composed of verses
15-20, where Christ, described as "image" of the
"invisible God," appears in a direct and solemn
manner (verse 15). The Greek term "eikon," icon,
is dear to the Apostle: He uses it nine times in
his Letter, applying it either to Christ,
perfect icon of God (see 2 Corinthians 4:4), or
to man, image and glory of God (see 1
Corinthians 11:7). The latter, however, with sin
"exchanged the glory of the immortal God for
images resembling mortal man" (Romans 1:23),
choosing to adore idols and becoming like them.
We must, therefore, constantly model our image
on that of the Son of God (see 2 Corinthians
3:18), as we have been "delivered from the
dominion of darkness and transferred to the
kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).
2. Christ is, then, proclaimed "firstborn of all
creation" (verse 15). Christ precedes the whole
of creation (see verse 17), having been begotten
from all eternity: because of this "all things
were created through him and for him" (verse
16). Also in the ancient Jewish tradition it was
affirmed that "the whole world was created in
view of the Messiah" (Sanhedrin 98b).
For the Apostle, Christ is the principle of
cohesion ("in him all things hold together"),
the mediator ("through him"), and the final
destiny toward which the whole of creation
converges. He is "the firstborn among many
brethren" (Romans 8:29), namely, the Son par
excellence in the great family of the children
of God, in which baptism inserts us.
3. At this point our gaze moves from the world
of creation to that of history: Christ is "the
head of the body, the Church" (Colossians 1:18)
and he is so already through his Incarnation. In
fact, he entered the human community, to rule it
and constitute it in one "body," namely in a
harmonious and fruitful unity. The consistency
and growth of humanity have their root in
Christ, the vital pivot, "the principle."
Precisely with this primacy Christ can become
the principle of the resurrection of all, the
"firstborn from the dead," because "in Christ
shall all be made alive ... Christ the first
fruits, then at his coming those who belong to
Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).
4. The hymn moves to the conclusion celebrating
the "fullness," in Greek, "pleroma," which
Christ has in himself as gift of love of the
Father. It is the fullness of the divinity which
shines whether in the universe or in humanity,
becoming source of peace, unity and perfect
harmony (Colossians 1:19-20).
This "reconciliation" and "pacification" is
effected through "the blood of the cross," by
which we are justified and sanctified. By
shedding his blood and giving himself, Christ
has diffused peace that, in biblical language,
is synthesis of messianic goods and salvific
fullness extended to the whole of created
reality.
The hymn ends, therefore, with a luminous
horizon of reconciliation, unity, harmony and
peace, on which arises solemnly the figure of
its author, Christ, "beloved Son" of the Father.
5. The writers of the ancient Christian
tradition have reflected on this profound hymn.
In his dialogue, St. Cyril of Jerusalem quotes
the canticle of the Letter to the Colossians to
respond to an anonymous interlocutor who asked
him: "We say then that the Word begotten by God
the Father suffered for us in his flesh?"
The answer, following the line of the canticle,
is affirmative. In fact, Cyril affirms, "the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creatures, visible and invisible, by whom and in
whom everything exists, was given -- Paul says
-- as head to the Church: He is moreover the
firstborn from the dead," namely, the first in
the series of dead who rise again. He, Cyril
continues, "made his own all that is proper to
man's flesh and 'endured the cross, despising
the shame' (Hebrews 12:2). We do not say that a
simple man, full of honors, I know not how, by
his union with Him was sacrificed for us, but it
is the very Lord of glory who was crucified" ("Perché
Cristo è uno: Collana di testi Patristici" [Why
Christ is One: Collection of Patristic Texts],
XXXVII, Rome, 1983, p. 101).
Before this Lord of glory, sign of the supreme
love of the Father, we also raise our song of
praise and prostrate ourselves to adore and
thank him.
[Translation by ZENIT]
---------------------------
On the
Eucharist and the Cross
11 Sepetember 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Next Wednesday, Sept. 14, we celebrate the
liturgical feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. In the year dedicated to the Eucharist,
this celebration has a particular significance:
It invites us to meditate on the profound and
indissoluble bond that unites the Eucharistic
celebration with the mystery of the cross. Each
holy Mass, in fact, actualizes Christ's
redeeming sacrifice. To Golgotha and to the
"hour" of the death on the cross -- wrote our
beloved John Paul II in the encyclical "Ecclesia
de Eucharistia," returns "[e]very priest who
celebrates Holy Mass, together with the
Christian community which takes part in it" (No.
4).
The Eucharist is therefore the memorial of the
whole paschal mystery: passion, death, descent
into hell, resurrection and ascension to heaven,
and the cross is the tangible manifestation of
the infinite act of love with which the Son of
God has saved man and the world from sin and
death. Because of this the sign of the cross is
the fundamental gesture of the Christian's
prayer. To make the sign of the cross is to
pronounce a visible and public yes to him who
died for us and who is risen, to the God who in
the humility and weakness of his love is
omnipotent, stronger than all the power and
intelligence of the world.
After the consecration, the assembly of
faithful, conscious of being in the real
presence of the crucified and risen Christ,
acclaims thus: "We proclaim your death, Lord
Jesus, until you come in glory." With the eyes
of faith the community acknowledges the living
Jesus with the signs of his passion and,
together with Thomas, full of wonder, can
repeat: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). Like
the cross, the Eucharist is mystery of death and
glory, which is not a passing incident, but the
passage through which Christ entered into his
glory (see Luke 24:26) and reconciled the whole
of humanity, overcoming all enmity. Because of
this the liturgy invites us to pray with
confident hope: "Mane nobiscum Domine!" Stay
with us, Lord, who by your holy cross have
redeemed the world!
Mary, present on Calvary by the cross, is
equally present with the Church and as Mother of
the Church, in each of our Eucharistic
celebrations (see "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," No.
57). Because of this, no one better than she can
teach us to understand and live with faith the
holy Mass, uniting us to Christ's redeeming
sacrifice. When we receive holy Communion we
also, as Mary and united to her, embrace the
wood, which Jesus with his love has transformed
into instrument of salvation, and pronounce our
"Amen," our "yes" to crucified and risen Love.
----------------------------------
Commentary on Psalm 131(132):1-10
"God and Man Walk Together in History"
September 14, 2005
* * *
1. We heard the first part of Psalm 131(132), a
hymn that the Liturgy of Vespers offers us at
two different times. Not a few scholars think
that this song was heard in the solemn
celebration of the transfer of the Lord's ark,
sign of the divine presence in the midst of the
People of Israel, to Jerusalem, the new capital
chosen by David.
In the account of this event, as referred to us
by the Bible, we read that King David "girt with
a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with
abandon, as he and all the Israelites were
bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of
joy and to the sound of the horn" (2 Samuel
6:14-15).
Other scholars, instead, relate Psalm 131(132)
to a commemorative celebration of that ancient
event, after the institution of worship in the
sanctuary of Zion, in fact, the work of David.
2. Our hymn seems to imply a liturgical
dimension: It was probably used during the
course of a procession, with the presence of
priests and faithful and the involvement of a
choir.
Following the Liturgy of Vespers, we shall pause
on the first 10 verses of the Psalm, those now
proclaimed. In the heart of this section is the
solemn oath of David. It is said, in fact, that
he -- leaving behind the sharp disagreement with
his predecessor, King Saul -- "swore an oath to
the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob"
(Psalm 131[132]:2). The content of this solemn
commitment, expressed in verses 3-5, is clear:
The sovereign will not step into the royal
palace of Jerusalem, will not go calmly to rest,
unless he has first found a dwelling place for
the ark of the Lord.
At the very center of social life there must be,
therefore, a presence that evokes the mystery of
the transcendent God. God and man walk together
in history, and the temple has the task to point
out this communion in a visible way.
3. At this point, after David's words, is
introduced, perhaps through the words of a
liturgical choir, the memory of the past.
Re-evoked, in fact, is the rediscovery of the
ark in the country of Jaar, in the region of
Ephrata (see verse 6): It remained there for a
long time, after being restored by the
Philistines to Israel, which had lost it during
a battle (see 1 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 6:2,11).
For this reason, it was taken from the province
to the future holy city and our passage ends
with a festive celebration that shows, on one
hand, the worshipping people (see Psalm
131[132]:7,9), that is the liturgical assembly
and, on the other hand, the Lord who makes
himself present and acting with the sign of the
ark placed in Zion (see verse 8).
The soul of the liturgy is in this crossing
between priests and faithful, on one hand, and
the Lord with his power, on the other.
4. To seal the first part of Psalm 131(132) a
prayerful acclamation is heard in favor of the
king-successors of David: "For the sake of David
your servant, do not reject your anointed"
(verse 10).
It is easy to intuit a messianic dimension in
this prayer, initially destined to implore
support for the Jewish sovereign in life's
trials. The term "anointed" translates in fact
the Hebrew term "Messiah": the Psalmist's gaze
thus extends to other events of the kingdom of
Judah and is projected toward the great
expectation of the perfect "Anointed One," the
Messiah who will always be pleasing to God,
loved and blessed by him.
5. This messianic interpretation will prevail in
the Christian rereading and will be extended to
the whole psalm.
Significant, for example, is the application
that Ezechias of Jerusalem, a priest of the
first half of the fifth century, makes of verse
8, to the Incarnation of Christ. In his Second
Homily on the Mother of God, he addresses the
Virgin thus: "Of you and of Him who was born of
you, David does not cease to sing on the zither:
'Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place,
thou and the ark of thy might' (Psalm
131[132]:8)." Who is 'the ark of thy might'?
Ezechias responds: "Obviously the Virgin, the
Mother of God. Because, if you are the pearl,
she in good right is the ark; if you are the
sun, the Virgin will necessarily be called
heaven; and if you are the uncontaminated
Flower, the Virgin will then be the plant of
incorruption, paradise of immortality" ("Testi
Mariani del Primo Millennio" [Marian Texts of
the First Millennium] I, Rome, 1988, pp.
532-533).
[Translation by ZENIT]
--------------------
"'Lectio
Divina' Will Bring to the Church a New Spiritual
Springtime"
16 September 2005
* * *
Your Eminences,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the
Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I offer my most cordial greeting to all of you
who are taking part in the Congress on "Sacred
Scripture in the Life of the Church," an event
organized by the Catholic Biblical Federation
and the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of the promulgation of "Dei Verbum,"
the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.
I congratulate you on this initiative, connected
with one of the most important Documents of the
Second Vatican Council.
I greet the Cardinals and Bishops, who are the
first witnesses of the Word of God, the
theologians who investigate, explain and
translate it into today's language, the Pastors
who seek in it appropriate solutions for the
problems of our time.
I warmly thank all who work in the service of
the translation and circulation of the Bible,
providing the means for explaining, teaching and
interpreting its message. In this regard, my
special thanks go to the Catholic Biblical
Federation for its activity, the biblical
ministry it promotes and its faithful support of
the directives of the Magisterium as well as to
its spirit of openness to ecumenical
collaboration in the biblical context.
I express my deepest joy at the presence at this
Congress of "Fraternal Delegates" of the
Churches and Ecclesial Communities of East and
West, and I greet with cordial respect the
representatives who have spoken on behalf of the
great world Religions.
The Dogmatic Constitution "Dei Verbum," whose
drafting I personally witnessed as a young
theologian, taking part in the lively
discussions that went with it, begins with a
deeply meaningful sentence: "Dei Verbum
religiose audiens et fidenter proclamans,
Sacrosancta Synodus ..." ["Hearing the Word of
God with reverence, and proclaiming it with
faith, the Sacred Synod ..."] (n. 1).
With these words the Council points out a
descriptive aspect of the Church: she is a
community that listens to and proclaims the Word
of God.
The Church does not live on herself but on the
Gospel, and in the Gospel always and ever anew
finds the directions for her journey. This is a
point that every Christian must understand and
apply to himself or herself: only those who
first listen to the Word can become preachers of
it.
Indeed, they must not teach their own wisdom but
the wisdom of God, which often appears to be
foolishness in the eyes of the world (cf. 1
Corinthians 1:23).
The Church knows well that Christ lives in the
Sacred Scriptures. For this very reason -- as
the Constitution stresses -- she has always
venerated the divine Scriptures in the same way
as she venerates the Body of the Lord (cf. "Dei
Verbum," n. 21).
In view of this, St. Jerome, cited by the
conciliar Document, said that ignorance of the
Scriptures is ignorance of Christ (cf. "Dei
Verbum," n. 25).
The Church and the Word of God are inseparably
linked. The Church lives on the Word of God and
the Word of God echoes through the Church, in
her teaching and throughout her life (cf. "Dei
Verbum," n. 8). The Apostle Peter, therefore,
reminds us that no prophecy contained in
Scripture can be subjected to a personal
interpretation. "Prophecy has never been put
forward by man's willing it. It is rather that
men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken
under God's influence" (2 Peter 1:20).
We are grateful to God that in recent times, and
thanks to the impact made by the Dogmatic
Constitution "Dei Verbum" the fundamental
importance of the Word of God has been deeply
re-evaluated. From this has derived a renewal of
the Church's life, especially in her preaching,
catechesis, theology and spirituality, and even
in the ecumenical process. The Church must be
constantly renewed and rejuvenated and the Word
of God, which never ages and is never depleted,
is a privileged means to achieve this goal.
Indeed, it is the Word of God, through the Holy
Spirit, which always guides us to the whole
truth (cf. John 16:13).
In this context, I would like in particular to
recall and recommend the ancient tradition of "Lectio
divina": "the diligent reading of Sacred
Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about
that intimate dialogue in which the person
reading hears God who is speaking, and in
praying, responds to him with trusting openness
of heart" (cf. "Dei Verbum," n. 25). If it is
effectively promoted, this practice will bring
to the Church -- I am convinced of it -- a new
spiritual springtime.
As a strong point of biblical ministry, "Lectio
divina" should therefore be increasingly
encouraged, also through the use of new methods,
carefully thought through and in step with the
times. It should never be forgotten that the
Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light
for our path (cf. Psalm 119[118]:105).
In invoking God's Blessing upon your work, your
projects and the Congress in which you are
taking part, I join in the hope that enlivens
you: "May the Word of the Lord make progress"
(cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:1) to the very ends of
the earth, so that through the proclamation of
salvation the whole world through hearing it may
believe, through belief it may hope, and through
hope it may come to love (cf. "Dei Verbum," n.
1). I thank you with all my heart!
[Translation issued by the Holy See]
ZE05110820
---------------------------
Priests in Love With the Eucharist
18 September 2005
Dear brothers and sisters:
As the Year of the Eucharist comes to an end, I
would like to take up again a particularly
important topic, one which was dear to the heart
of my predecessor, Pope John Paul II: the
relationship between holiness, the path and
destination of the Church and of every
Christian, and the Eucharist.
In particular, my words today are directed to
priests in order to underline that in the
Eucharist is precisely the secret to their
sanctification. In virtue of holy orders, the
priest receives the gift and the commitment to
repeat sacramentally the gestures and words with
which Jesus, in the Last Supper, instituted the
memorial of his Pasch.
In his hands this great miracle of love is
renewed, from which he is called to convert
himself into witness and herald, every day more
faithful ("Mane Nobiscum Domine," No. 30).
For this reason the priest must be, before all
else, one who adores and contemplates the
Eucharist, from the moment he celebrates the
sacrament.
We know well that the validity of the sacrament
does not depend on the holiness of the
celebrant, but the effectiveness of the
sacrament for him and for others would be
greater in the measure that he lives with a
profound faith, an ardent love and a fervent
spirit of prayer.
During the year, the liturgy presents us as
examples holy ministers of the altar, which from
daily intimacy with Christ in the celebration
and adoration of the Eucharist, have found the
strength to imitate him.
A few days ago we celebrated the feast of St.
John Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople at
the end of the fourth century. It was said that
he had a "golden mouth" due to his extraordinary
eloquence, but he was also called a "Eucharistic
doctor" for the magnitude and profundity of his
doctrine on the Blessed Sacrament.
The Divine Liturgy, which is more celebrated in
Eastern Churches [and] carries his name and his
motto -- "A man full of zeal is enough to
transform an entire people" -- demonstrates the
effectiveness of the action of Christ through
his sacraments.
In our time, the figure of St. Pio of
Pietrelcina stands out, whom we will remember
next Friday. Celebrating the holy Mass, he
relived with such fervor the mystery of Calvary
and the faith and devotion of all. Even the
stigmata that God gave to him were expressions
of his intimate conformity with Jesus crucified.
Thinking of the priests who are in love with the
Eucharist, it is not possible to forget St. John
Mary Vianney, humble parish priest of Ars in the
time of the French Revolution. With a holy life
and pastoral zeal he managed to make the small
town of Ars into a model Christian community
animated by the Word of God and the sacraments.
We will direct ourselves now to Mary, praying in
a special way for all priests of the world so
that they take from this Year of the Eucharist
the fruit of renewed love for the sacrament that
they celebrate.
May they, through the intercession of the Virgin
Mother of God, be able to always live and give
testimony to the mystery that has been place in
their hands for the salvation of the world.
--------------------
Commentary on Psalm 131(132)11-18: God's
Promise to David Fulfilled
21 September 2005
* * *
1. The second part of Psalm 131(132) has just
resounded. It is a song that evokes an important
event in the history of Israel: the transfer of
the Ark of the Covenant to the city of
Jerusalem.
David was the author of this transfer, as is
testified by the first part of the psalm which
we have already commented. The king had already
made his oath to not install himself in the
royal palace until he had found a proper place
for the ark of God, the sign of the Lord's
presence among his people (cfr. vv. 3-5).
Now God himself responds to the vow made by the
king, "The Lord swore an oath to David, a pledge
never to be broken" (v. 11). This solemn promise
is substantially the same that the prophet
Nathan had already made in God's name regarding
the David's future descendants, destined to
stable reign (see 2 Samuel 7:8-16).
2. The divine oath implies human commitment, in
such a way that it is conditioned by an "if";
"If your sons observe my covenant, the laws I
shall teach them" (v. 12). To God's promise and
gift, which has nothing magical about it, there
must be a response of faithful and active
adherence on the part of man in a dialogue that
weaves two freedoms, the divine and human.
From here the psalm is transformed into a hymn
that exalts the incredible effects of both the
Lord's gift and the fidelity of Israel. The
presence of God will be felt among the people
(see vv. 13-14). He will become like an
inhabitant among the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
like a citizen who lives the events of history
with the other citizens, but offering the might
of his blessing.
3. God will bless the harvests, taking care that
the poor have their fill (see v.15); he will
cover the priests with his protective cloak,
offering them his salvation; he will make all of
the faithful live in peace and joy (see v. 16).
His most intense blessing is once again reserved
for David and his descendants: "There I will
make a horn sprout for David's line; I will set
a lamp for my anointed. His foes I will clothe
with shame, but on him my crown shall gleam."
Once again, as happened in the first part of the
psalm (see v. 10), the figure of the "anointed"
enters the scene, in Hebrew, "Messiah," tying
David's lineage to the Messiah, which in the
Christian rereading finds its fulfillment in the
figure of Christ. The images used here are
lively: David is represented as a horn sprout
that grows vigorously. God illuminates David's
lineage with a brilliant lamp, symbol of
vitality and glory; a splendid crown will mark
his triumph over his enemies and thus the
victory over evil.
4. The double presence of the Lord in a place
and in history is brought about through
Jerusalem, in the temple that holds the ark, and
in the dynasty of David. Thus Psalm 131(132)
becomes a celebration of God -- Emmanuel who is
with his creatures, lives among them and makes
them good because they remain united to him in
justice and truth. The spiritual center of this
hymn thus become a prelude to John's
proclamation, "And the Word became flesh and
lived among us" (John 1:14).
We conclude remembering that the beginning of
this second part of Psalm 131(132) has been
habitually used by the Fathers of the Church to
describe the Incarnation of the Word in the womb
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As early as St. Irenaeus, referring to Isaiah's
prophecy concerning the virgin giving birth,
explained, "The words, 'Listen, therefore, O
house of David' (Isaiah 7:13) indicate that the
eternal king that God had promised to David to
rise up from 'the fruit of his womb,' an
expression that indicates a pregnant virgin.
Therefore Scripture … proposes and affirms that
the birth of the proclaimed 'one who was to
come' would come from the Virgin. Exactly as
Elizabeth, full of the Holy Spirit confirmed
saying to Mary, 'Blessed are you among all women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb' (Luke
1:42). Thus the Holy Spirit indicates to those
who want to listen that in the birth of the
Virgin, in other words, of Mary, the promise
made by God to David to bring forth a king from
the fruit of his womb, is fulfilled" ("Contro le
eresie," 3,21,5: Già e Non Ancora, CCCXX, Milan
1997, p. 285).
In this way, we see God's truthfulness and
fidelity in the great span that goes from the
ancient psalm to the incarnation of the Lord. In
this Psalm, the mystery of God who lives among
us appears and shines forth as he becomes one of
us in the Incarnation. God's fidelity and our
trust in the turns of history become a source of
joy for us.
----------------------
On the
Eucharist and Love
SEPT. 25, 2005 (Zenit.org).
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In this last Sunday that I spend in Castel
Gandolfo, I wish to greet all the townspeople,
renewing to all my heartfelt gratitude for the
reception they have given me.
Continuing with the reflection on the
Eucharistic mystery, heart of Christian life,
today I would like to emphasize the bond between
the Eucharist and charity. Love -- "agape" in
Greek, "caritas" in Latin -- does not mean first
of all a charitable act or sentiment, but the
spiritual gift, the love of God that the Holy
Spirit infuses in the human heart and that leads
in turn to giving oneself to God himself and to
one's neighbor.
The whole of Jesus earthly existence, from his
conception until his death on the cross, was an
act of love, to the point that we can summarize
our faith in these words: "Jesus, caritas" --
Jesus, love. In the Last Supper, knowing that
his hour had come, the divine Master gave his
disciples the supreme example of love, washing
their feet, and entrusted to them his precious
legacy, the Eucharist, in which the whole
paschal mystery is centered, as the venerated
Pope John Paul II wrote in the encyclical
"Ecclesia de Eucharistia." Take and eat, all of
you, because this is my Body," "Take and drink
all of you, because this is the cup of my
Blood."
Jesus' words in the cenacle anticipated his
death and manifested the consciousness with
which he faced it, transforming it into a gift
of himself, in the act of love that gives itself
totally. In the Eucharist, the Lord gives
himself to us with his body, with his soul and
with his divinity, and we become one with him
and among ourselves.
Our response to his love therefore must be
concrete, and must be expressed in a genuine
conversion to love, in forgiveness, in
reciprocal acceptance and in attention for the
needs of all. Many and varied are the forms of
service that we can offer our neighbor in
everyday life, if we pay a little attention. The
Eucharist becomes in this way the source of the
spiritual energy that renews our life every day
and, in this way, renews the love of Christ to
the world.
Exemplary witnesses of this love are the saints,
who drew from the Eucharist the strength of an
operative and often heroic charity. Now I am
thinking in particular of St. Vincent de Paul,
whose liturgical memorial we will celebrate day
after tomorrow, who said: "What joy to serve the
person of Jesus in his poor members!" and he did
so with his life. I am also thinking of Blessed
Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaries of
Charity, who, in the poorest of the poor, loved
Jesus, received and contemplated every day in
the consecrated Host.
Divine charity transformed the heart of the
Virgin Mary before and more than that of all the
saints. After the Annunciation, moved by the one
she bore in her womb, the Mother of the Word
incarnate went to visit and help her cousin
Elizabeth. Let us pray so that every Christian,
nourished by the Body and Blood of the Lord,
will grow ever more in the love of God and in
the generous service of his brothers.
--------------------------
"Divine
Love Becomes Concrete"
Commentary on Psalm 134 (135)
28 September 2005
* * *
1. We have before us the first part of Psalm
134(135), a hymn of a liturgical nature,
interlaced with allusions, reminiscences and
references to other biblical texts. The liturgy,
in fact, often constructs its text taking
recourse to the great patrimony of the Bible,
rich repertoire of topics and prayers that
support the faithful's journey.
We follow the prayerful line of this first
section (see Psalm 134[135]:1-12), which opens
with a broad and impassioned invitation to
praise the Lord (see verses 1-3). The appeal is
addressed to the "servants of the Lord, who
stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of
the house of our God" (verses 1-2).
We are, therefore, in the living atmosphere of
worship that unfolds in the Temple, the
privileged and communal place of prayer.
Experienced there in an effective way is the
presence of "our God," a "good" and "gracious"
God, the God of the chosen and of the covenant
(verses 3-4).
After the invitation to praise, a soloist voice
proclaims the profession of faith, which begins
with the formula "I know" (verse 5). This creed
will constitute the substance of the whole hymn,
which becomes a proclamation of the greatness of
the Lord (ibid.), manifested in his wonderful
works.
2. The divine omnipotence is manifested
continually in the whole world "in heaven and on
earth, in the seas and the oceans." He it is who
produces the clouds, lightning and winds,
imagined as kept in "stocks" or storehouses (see
verses 6-7).
But it is above all another aspect of the divine
activity that is celebrated in this profession
of faith. It is the amazing intervention in
history, where the Creator shows his face as
Redeemer of his people and sovereign of the
world. The great events of the Exodus are made
to pass before the eyes of Israel recollected in
prayer.
Mentioned first of all is the synthetic and
essential commemoration of the "plagues" of
Egypt, the scourges inflicted by the Lord to
subdue the oppressor (see verses 8-9). It is
followed afterward with the evocation of the
victories of Israel after the long march in the
desert. They are attributed to the powerful
intervention of God, who "smote many nations and
slew mighty kings" (verse 10). Finally, there is
the much longed for and awaited end, the
promised land: [He] "made their land a heritage,
a heritage for Israel his people" (verse 12).
Divine love becomes concrete and can almost be
experienced in history with all its harsh and
glorious vicissitudes. The liturgy has the task
of making the divine gifts always present and
effective, above all in the great paschal
celebration which is the root of every other
solemnity and constitutes the supreme emblem of
freedom and salvation.
3. Let us take up the spirit of the psalm and of
its praise of God, reproposing it through the
voice of St. Clement of Rome as it resounds in
the long conclusive prayer of his Letter to the
Corinthians. He notes that, as in Psalm
134(135), the face of the Redeemer God appears,
in the same way his protection, already granted
to the ancient fathers, is now presented to us
in Christ: "O Lord, make your face shine on us,
for goodness in peace, to protect us with your
powerful hand and save us from all sin with your
most high arm and save us from those who hate us
unjustly. Grant concord and peace to us and to
all the inhabitants of the earth, as you gave it
to our fathers when they invoked you in
holiness, faith and truth. ... To you, who are
the only one capable of doing these and other
greater goods for us, we give you thanks through
the great priest and protector of our souls,
Jesus Christ, by whom you are glorified from
generation to generation and for ever and ever.
Amen" (60,3-4;61,3: "Collana di Testi Patristici"
[Collection of Patristic Texts], V, Rome, 1984,
pp. 90-91).
[Translation by ZENIT]
ZE05092802
------------------
Commentary on Second Part of Psalm 134(135)
"Two Different Religious Visions"
5 October 2005
* * *
1. Psalm 134, a song of paschal tone, is offered
to us by the liturgy of Vespers in two distinct
passages. We have just heard the second part
(see verses 13-21), sealed by the alleluia, the
exclamation of praise to the Lord which opened
the psalm.
After having commemorated in the first part of
the hymn the event of Exodus, heart of Israel's
paschal celebration, the psalmist now contrasts
in a decisive way two different religious
visions. On one hand, rises the figure of the
living and personal God who is at the center of
authentic faith (see verses 13-14). His presence
is effective and salvific; the Lord is not an
immobile and absent reality, but a living person
who "guides" his faithful," "having compassion"
on them, sustaining them with his power and
love.
2. On the other hand, there is idolatry (see
verses 15-18), expression of a deviant and
deceitful religiosity. In fact, the idol is
nothing other than a "work of men's hands," a
product of human desires and, therefore,
impotent to exceed creaturely limits. It does
have a human form with a mouth, eyes, ears,
throat, but it is inert, lifeless, as is the
case, precisely, of an inanimate statue (see
Psalm 113B:4-8).
The destiny of one who worships these dead
realities is to become like them, impotent,
fragile, inert. In these verses is clearly
represented man's eternal temptation to seek
salvation in the "work of his hands," placing
hope in wealth, in power, in success, in matter.
Unfortunately, what happens to him is what the
prophet Isaiah already described effectively:
"He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him
astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say,
'Is there not a lie in my right hand?'" (Isaiah
44:20).
3. Psalm 134(135), after this meditation on true
and false religion, on genuine faith in the Lord
of the universe and of history, and on idolatry,
ends with a liturgical blessing (see verses
19-21), which introduces a series of figures
present in the worship practiced in the temple
of Zion (see Psalm 113B:9-13).
From all the community gathered in the temple
rises a blessing in unison to God Creator of the
universe and Savior of his people, expressed in
the diversity of voices and humility of faith.
The liturgy is the privileged place to listen to
the divine Word, which renders present the
Lord's salvific acts, but it is also the circle
in which the communitarian prayer rises which
celebrates divine love. God and man meet in a
saving embrace, which finds its fulfillment
precisely in the liturgical celebration.
4. Commenting on the verse of this psalm on the
idols and the resemblance those assume who trust
in them (see Psalm 134[135]:15-18), St.
Augustine observes: "Indeed -- believe it,
brothers -- there is in them a certain
resemblance with their idols: not of course in
their body, but in their interior man. They have
ears, but they do not hear how much God cries
out to them: 'Whoever has ears to hear, let him
hear.' They have eyes, but they do not see: they
have, that is, the eyes of the body, but not the
eye of faith." And in the same way, "they have
noses but they do not perceive fragrances. They
are unable to perceive that aroma of which the
Apostle says: Let us be the good fragrance of
Christ everywhere (see 2 Corinthians 2:15). Of
what advantage is it for them to have noses, if
with them they do not succeed in breathing the
sweet perfume of Christ?"
It is true, Augustine acknowledges, that there
remain people who are bound to idolatry; "every
day, however, there are people who, convinced of
the miracles of Christ the Lord, embrace the
faith. Every day the eyes of the blind and the
ears of the deaf open, noses that were first
blocked begin to breathe, the tongues of the
mute are loosened, the legs of paralytics are
consolidated, the feet of the crippled are
straightened. From all these stones are raised
up children to Abraham (see Matthew 3:9). To all
these, therefore, must be said: 'House of
Israel, bless the Lord.' Bless him, you prelates
of the Church! This means 'House of Aaron.'
Bless him, you ministers! This means, 'House of
Levi.' And what to say of the other nations?
'You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord'" ("Esposizione
sul Salmo" [Commentary on Psalm] 134, 24-25):
Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana, XXVIII, Rome,
1977, pp. 375,377).
[Translation by ZENIT]
--------------------------
"Faith Cannot Be Reduced to a Private Sentiment"
9 October 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This morning the beatification took place in St.
Peter's Basilica of Clemens August von Galen,
bishop of Muenster, intrepid cardinal opponent
of the Nazi regime. Ordained a priest in 1904,
for a long time he carried out his ministry in a
Berlin parish and, in 1933, became the bishop of
Muenster. In the name of God, he denounced the
neo-pagan ideology of nationalism, defending the
freedom of the Church and of human rights,
gravely violated, protecting the Jews and the
weakest people, which the regime considered as
debris that had to be eliminated.
Well-known are the three famous sermons that
intrepid pastor delivered in 1941. Pope Pius XII
made him cardinal in February 1946 and, he died
a month later, surrounded by the veneration of
the faithful, who recognized in him a model of
Christian courage. This is precisely the
message, always timely, of Blessed von Galen:
Faith cannot be reduced to a private sentiment,
which, perhaps, is hidden when it becomes
something uncomfortable; rather, it implies
coherence and witness in the public realm in
favor of man, justice and truth. I express my
profound congratulations to the diocesan
community of Muenster and to the Church in
Germany, invoking upon all, through the
intercession of the new blessed, abundant graces
of the Lord.
In these days, as you know, the assembly of the
Synod of Bishops is taking place in the Vatican,
to reflect in-depth on the topic of the
Eucharist in the life and mission of the Church.
I have presided at the meetings of the first
week and also, in the two that will follow. The
synod will become my principal engagement. I ask
you to continue to pray for the synod so that it
can give the expected fruits. In particular, in
this month of October, in which all the
ecclesial community is called to renew its own
missionary commitment, I invite you to take up
what John Paul II wrote in the fourth part of
the apostolic letter "Mane Nobiscum Domine," in
regard to the Eucharist as "principle and plan
of mission" (Nos. 24-28): "The encounter with
Christ, constantly intensified and deepened in
the Eucharist, issues in the Church and in every
Christian an urgent summons to testimony and
evangelization" (No. 24). It is underlined by
the dismissal greeting at the end of the Mass: "Ite,
missa est," which reminds of the "mission," the
task of those who have participated in the
celebration to take to all the Good News
received and to animate society with it.
Let us commend this intention to the
intercession of Mary Most Holy and St. Daniele
Comboni, who will be remembered tomorrow in the
liturgy. May he, famous evangelizer and
protector of the African continent, help the
Church in our time to respond with faith and
courage to the risen Lord's mandate, who invites
her to proclaim the love of God to all peoples.
--------------------
Papal Message for Centenary of Swiss Theologian
Hans Urs von Balthasar's Birth
6 October 2005
* * *
Lord Cardinals
Venerated Brothers in the Episcopate and the
Priesthood,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a particular pleasure to unite myself
spiritually to you in the celebration of the
centenary of the birth of Hans Urs von Balthasar,
the noted Swiss theologian whom I had the joy to
know and meet frequently. I think that his
theological reflection maintains intact, to this
day, a profound timeliness and leads many to
penetrate ever more in the profundity of the
mystery of faith, held by the hand of such an
authoritative guide.
On an occasion such as this, it would be easy to
fall into the temptation to return to personal
memories, based on the sincere friendship that
united us and on the numerous works that we
undertook together, addressing many of the
challenges of those years. The foundation of the
Communio review, at the conclusion of the Second
Vatican Council, continues to be the most
evident sign of our common commitment in
theological research. However, I do not wish to
make reference to memories, but rather to the
richness of von Balthasar's theology.
He made the mystery of the Incarnation the
favored object of his study, seeing in the "triduum
paschale" [Easter triduum] -- as he
significantly entitled one of his writings --
the most expressive form of God's entry in the
history of man. In the death and resurrection of
Jesus, in fact, is revealed in fullness the
mystery of the Trinitarian love of God. Here the
reality of faith finds its unsurpassable
"beauty." In the "drama" of the paschal mystery,
God fully lives his humanity, but at the same
time gives meaning to man's action and content
to Christian commitment in the world.
This is how von Balthasar saw the "logic" of
Revelation: God became man so that man may live
the communion of life with God. In Christ is
offered the final and definitive truth of the
search for meaning that each one poses to
himself. Theological aesthetics, drama and
logic, constitute the trilogy, in which these
concepts find ample space and convinced
application. I can attest that his life was a
genuine search for truth, which he understood as
a search of the true Life. He sought the traces
of God's presence and his truth everywhere: in
philosophy, in literature, in religions, always
breaking those circuits which often imprison
reason, opening it to the realms of the
infinite.
Hans Urs von Balthasar was a theologian who put
his research at the service of the Church, as he
was convinced that only theology could be
characterized by the ecclesial. Theology, as and
how he conceived it, had to be combined with
spirituality; only in this way, in fact, could
it be profound and effective.
Reflecting specifically on this aspect, he
wrote: "Does scientific theology only begin with
Peter Lombard? And, yet, is there someone who
has spoken of Christianity in a more appropriate
way than Cyril of Jerusalem, than Origen in his
homilies, than Gregory of Nazianzus, and than
the master of theological reverence, the
Areopagite? Who would dare to reproach anything
to any of the Fathers? Then it was known what
the theological style was, the natural unity
both in the attitude of faith and the scientific
attitude as in objectivity and reverence. While
theology was the work of saints, it was a
praying theology. This is the reason why its
fruits of prayer, its fecundity for prayer and
its power to generate it are so
disproportionately great" ("Verbum Caro," "Saggi
Teologici" [Theological Essays] I, Brescia,
1970, 228).
These are words that lead us to think again
about the correct place of research in theology.
The need to be scientific is not sacrificed when
placed in religious listening of the Word of
God, when it lives from the life of the Church
and is strengthened by her magisterium.
Spirituality does not diminish its scientific
weight, but imprints on theological study the
correct method to be able to arrive at a
coherent interpretation.
A theology conceived in this way led von
Balthasar to a profound existential reading. For
this reason, one of the central topics to which
he dedicated himself with pleasure was to show
the need for conversion. Change of heart was a
central point for him; only in this way, in
fact, is the mind freed from the limits that
prevent it from acceding to the mystery and the
eyes become capable of fixing their gaze on the
face of Christ.
In a word, he had understood profoundly that
theology can only be developed with prayer which
is capable of perceiving the presence of God and
trusts in him obediently. It is a path worth
following to the end. This calls for avoiding
unilateral paths which can only distance one
from the goal and calls for fleeing from the
fashions that fragment interest in the
essential. The example that von Balthasar has
left us is rather that of an authentic
theologian who had discovered in contemplation
the coherent action in favor of Christian
witness in the world. In this significant
circumstance, we remember him as a man of faith,
a priest who in obedience and hiddenness, never
sought personal affirmation, but full of the
Ignatian spirit always desired the greater glory
of God.
With these sentiments, I wish that all of you
continue with interest and enthusiasm the study
of von Balthasar's work and that you find paths
for its efficacious application. Upon you and
the working sessions of the congress I call on
the Lord abundant gifts of light, as a pledge of
which I impart a special blessing.
Vatican, October 6, 2005
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
----------------------------
Commentary on Psalm 121(122)
Religion as the Basis of Justice, Support,
Peace, Good, and Love
12 October 2005
* * *
1. The canticle we just heard and enjoyed as a
prayer is one of the most beautiful and moving
of the "songs of ascent." It is Psalm 121(122),
a lively and participatory celebration in
Jerusalem, the Holy City toward which the
pilgrims ascend.
In fact, immediately in the opening, two moments
come together lived by the faithful one: that of
the day in which he accepted the invitation to
"go to the house of the Lord" (verse 1), and
that of the joyful arrival at the "gates" of
Jerusalem (see verse 2); now his feet finally
tread on that holy and beloved land. Precisely
then, lips part to intone a festive song in
honor of Zion, understood in its profound
spiritual meaning.
2. "Built as a city, walled round about" (verse
3), symbol of security and stability, Jerusalem
is the heart of the unity of the 12 tribes of
Israel, which converge toward it as the center
of their faith and worship. There, in fact, they
ascend "to give thanks to the name of the Lord"
(verse 4), in the place that the "law of Israel"
(Deuteronomy 12:13-14; 16:16) established as the
only legitimate and perfect sanctuary.
There is another important reality in Jerusalem,
which is also the sign of God's presence in
Israel: "the thrones of the house of David" (see
Psalm 121[122]:5), that is, the Davidic dynasty
governs, expression of the divine action in
history, which would lead to the Messiah (2
Samuel 7:8-16).
3. The "seats of the house of David" were called
at the same time "thrones of judgment" (see
Psalm 121[112]:5), because the king was also the
supreme judge. Thus Jerusalem, political
capital, was also the highest judicial seat,
where controversies were resolved in the last
resort: In this way, leaving Zion, Jewish
pilgrims returned to their villages more
righteous and pacified.
The psalm has thus sketched an ideal picture of
the Holy City in its religious and social
function, showing that the biblical religion is
not abstract or private, but is the leaven of
justice and solidarity. Communion with God is
followed necessarily by communion of brothers
among themselves.
4. We now come to the final invocation (see
verses 6-9). Its rhythm is marked by the Hebrew
word "shalom," "peace," traditionally considered
as the base of the very name of the Holy City, "Jerushalajim,"
interpreted as "city of peace."
As is known, shalom alludes to the messianic
peace, which comprises in itself joy,
prosperity, good, abundance. In fact, in the
final farewell that the pilgrim addresses to the
temple, to the "house of the Lord our God,"
"good" is added to peace: "I will seek your
good" (verse 9). Thus we have, in an anticipated
way, the Franciscan greeting: "Peace and good!"
It is the hope of blessing on the faithful who
love the Holy City, on their physical reality of
walls and palaces in which the life of a people
pulsates, on all brothers and friends. In this
way, Jerusalem will become a home of harmony and
peace.
5. We conclude our meditation on Psalm 121(122)
with a reflection suggested by the Fathers of
the Church for whom ancient Jerusalem was the
sign of another Jerusalem, it too "built as a
city which is bound firmly together." This city
-- St. Gregory the Great recalls in the
"Homilies on Ezekiel" -- "has already its great
construction in the saints' customs. In a
building, one stone sustains another, because
one stone is placed on another, and the one that
sustains another is in turn sustained by yet
another. So, precisely in this way, in the Holy
Church each one sustains and is sustained. The
closest sustain one another mutually, and in
this way, through them, the building of charity
is erected. That is the reason Paul admonishes,
saying: 'Bear one another's burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2).
Underlining the force of this law, he says:
'Love is the fulfilling of the law' (Romans
13:10). If I, in fact, do not make an effort to
accept you as you are, and you do not make an
effort to accept me as I am, the building of
charity cannot rise between us, who are also
bound by mutual and patient love." And, to
complete the image, it must not be forgotten
that "there is a foundation that supports the
whole weight of the construction, and it is our
Redeemer, who alone tolerates in their totality
all our customs. Of him the Apostle says: 'No
other foundation can any one lay than that which
is laid, which is Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians
3:11). The foundation bears the stones and is
not borne by the stones; that is, our Redeemer
bears the weight of all our faults, but in him
there was not fault to tolerate" (2,1,5: "Opere
di Gregorio Magno" [Works of Gregory the Great]
III/2, Rome, 1993, pp. 27,29).
-------------------------
On Anniversary of John Paul II's Election
"A Pope Totally Consecrated to Jesus Through
Mary"
16 October, 2005
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Twenty-seven years ago, on a day like today, the
Lord called Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, archbishop
of Krakow, to succeed John Paul I, deceased
shortly after a month from his election. With
John Paul II began one of the longest
pontificates in the history of the Church,
during which a Pope, "who came from a distant
country," was recognized as a moral authority,
including by many non-Christian and
non-believing persons, as was demonstrated by
the moving manifestations of affection because
of his illness, and of profound sympathy after
his death.
Before his tomb, in the Vatican grottoes, the
pilgrimage of many faithful still continues
without interruption, and this constitutes an
eloquent sign of how our beloved John Paul II
has entered people's hearts, above all because
of his testimony of love and surrender in
suffering. In him we have been able to admire
the strength of faith and prayer, and the way in
which he entrusted himself totally to Mary Most
Holy, who always accompanied and protected him,
especially in the most difficult and dramatic
moments of his life.
We might describe John Paul II as a Pope totally
consecrated to Jesus through Mary, as his motto
clearly manifested: "Totus tuus." He was elected
in the heart of the month of the rosary, and the
rosary, which he often had between his hands,
became one of the symbols of his pontificate,
watched over by the Immaculate Virgin with
maternal solicitude. Through radio and
television, the faithful worldwide were able to
join him on numerous occasions in this Marian
prayer and, thanks to his example and teachings,
rediscover its authentic meaning, contemplative
and Christological (cf. apostolic letter "Rosarium
Virginis Mariae," Nos. 9-17).
In fact, the rosary is not opposed to meditation
of the Word of God and to liturgical prayer;
moreover, it is a natural and ideal complement,
in particular as preparation and thanksgiving
for the Eucharistic celebration. We contemplate
Christ encountered in the Gospel and in the
sacraments in the different moments of his life,
thanks to the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and
glorious mysteries.
In the school of Mary we thus learn to conform
ourselves to her divine Son and to proclaim him
with our life itself. If the Eucharist is for
the Christian the center of the day, the rosary
contributes in a privileged way to prolong
communion with Christ, and it educates us to
live keeping our hearts' gaze fixed on him to
radiate on everyone and everything his merciful
love.
Contemplative and missionary: so was our beloved
Pope John Paul II. He was this way thanks to his
profound union with God, nourished daily by the
Eucharist and prolonged moments of prayer.
At the time of the Angelus, so loved by him, it
is a delight and a duty to remember him on this
anniversary, renewing our thanksgiving to God
for having given the Church and the world a
successor so worthy of the Apostle Peter. May
the Virgin Mary help us to make a treasure of
his precious legacy.
[Translation by ZENIT]
--------------------------
Commentary on Psalm 129(130): "A Canticle to
Divine Mercy"
19 October 2005
* * *
1. Just proclaimed was one of the best-known and
loved psalms of the Christian tradition: the "De
Profundis," so called by the way it begins in
the Latin version. Together with the "Miserere,"
it has become one of the favorite penitential
psalms of popular devotion.
Beyond its funeral application, the text is
above all a canticle to divine mercy and to
reconciliation between the sinner and the Lord,
a just God, but always ready to reveal himself
as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin" (Exodus
34:6-7). Precisely for this reason our psalm is
inserted in the Christmas liturgy of vespers and
of the whole Christmas octave, as well as in
that of the 4th Sunday of Easter and of the
solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
2. Psalm 129(130) opens with a voice that rises
from the depths of evil and guilt (see verses
1-2). The "I" of the psalmist addresses the Lord
saying: "I call to you, Lord." The psalm then
develops in three moments dedicated to the
subject of sin and forgiveness. There is first
of all a turning to God, called directly as
"thou": "If thou, O Lord, should mark
iniquities, Lord, who would stand? But there is
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared" (verses 3-4).
Significant is the fact that what generates
respect, an attitude of fear mixed with love, is
not punishment but forgiveness. More than the
anger of God, his generous and disarming
magnanimity must arouse a holy fear in us. God,
in fact, is not an inexorable sovereign who
condemns the guilty, but a loving Father, whom
we must love not out of fear of punishment, but
because of his goodness ready to forgive.
3. At the center of the second moment is the
psalmist's "I" who no longer addresses the Lord,
but speaks about him: "I wait with longing for
the Lord, my soul waits for his word. My soul
looks for the Lord more than sentinels for
daybreak" (verses 5-6). In the heart of the
repentant psalmist there now arises expectation,
hope and certainty that God will pronounce a
word of deliverance and cancel his sin.
The third and last stage in the psalm's
development extends to the whole of Israel, the
people often sinful and aware of the need of
God's salvific grace: "Let Israel look for the
Lord, / For with the Lord is kindness, with him
is full redemption. And God will redeem Israel
from all their sins" (verses 7-8).
The personal salvation, first implored by the
psalmist, is now extended to the whole
community. The psalmist's faith is inserted in
the historic faith of the People of the
Covenant, "redeemed" by the Lord not only from
the anxieties of the Egyptian oppression, but
also "from all guilt."
From the dark depth of sin, the supplication of
the "De Profundis" reaches the luminous horizon
of God, where "mercy and redemption" prevail,
two great characteristics of the God of love.
4. Let us entrust ourselves now to the
meditation that Christian tradition has made of
this psalm. Let us choose the word of St.
Ambrose: In his writings, he often recalls the
reasons that lead one to invoke forgiveness from
God.
"We have a good Lord who wants to forgive
everyone," he reminds us in his treatise on
penance, and adds: "If you want to be justified,
confess your misdeed: a humble confession of
sins loosens the tangle of guilt. ... You see
with what hope of forgiveness he leads you to
confess" (2,6,40-41: SAEMO, XVII, Milan-Rome,
1982, p. 253).
In the Commentary on the Gospel According to
Luke, repeating the same invitation, the bishop
of Milan expresses wonder at the gifts that God
adds to his forgiveness: "See how good God is,
and disposed to forgive sins: not only does he
give back what he had taken away, but also
grants unexpected gifts." Zechariah, father of
John the Baptist, remained mute for not having
believed the angel, but later, forgiving him,
God granted him the gift of prophecy in the
Canticle: "He who shortly before was mute, now
already prophesies," observes St. Ambrose, "it
is one of the greatest graces of the Lord, that
the very ones who denied him confess him. No one
therefore should lose confidence, no one should
despair of receiving the divine recompenses,
even if he is remorseful of past sins. God knows
how to change his mind, if you know how to amend
your guilt" (2,33: SAEMO, XI, Milan-Rome, 1978,
p. 175).
On
Migration (18 October 2005)
* * *
Migration: A Sign of the Times
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, whose
rich teaching covers many areas of ecclesial
life, closed 40 years ago. The pastoral
constitution "Gaudium et Spes," in particular,
made a careful analysis of the complexities of
the world today, seeking the ways best suited to
bring the Gospel message to the men and women of
today. To this end the Council Fathers, in
response to the appeal of Blessed John XXIII,
undertook to examine the signs of the times and
to interpret them in the light of the Gospel, so
as to offer the new generations the possibility
of responding adequately to the eternal
questions about this life and the life to come
and about just social relations (cf. "Gaudium et
Spes." No. 4).
One of the recognizable signs of the times today
is undoubtedly migration, a phenomenon which
during the century just ended can be said to
have taken on structural characteristics,
becoming an important factor of the labor market
world-wide, a consequence among other things of
the enormous drive of globalization. Naturally
in this "sign of the times" various factors play
a part. They include both national and
international migration, forced and voluntary
migration, legal and illegal migration, subject
also to the scourge of trafficking in human
beings. Nor can the category of foreign
students, whose numbers increase every year in
the world, be forgotten.
With regard to those who emigrate for economic
reasons, a recent fact deserving mention is the
growing number of women involved
("feminization"). In the past it was mainly men
who emigrated, although there were always women
too, but these emigrated in particular to
accompany their husbands or fathers or to join
them wherever they were.
Today, although numerous situations of this
nature still exist, female emigration tends to
become more and more autonomous. Women cross the
border of their homeland alone in search of work
in another country. Indeed it often happens that
the migrant woman becomes the principal source
of income for her family. It is a fact that the
presence of women is especially prevalent in
sectors that offer low salaries. If, then,
migrant workers are particularly vulnerable,
this is even more so in the case of women.
The most common employment opportunities for
women, other than domestic work, consist in
helping the elderly, caring for the sick and
work in the hotel sector. These, too, are areas
where Christians are called to dedicate
themselves to assuring just treatment for
migrant women out of respect for their
femininity in recognition of their equal rights.
In this context it is necessary to mention
trafficking in human beings -- especially women
-- which flourishes where opportunities to
improve their standard of living or even to
survive are limited. It becomes easy for the
trafficker to offer his own "services" to the
victims, who often do not even vaguely suspect
what awaits them. In some cases there are women
and girls who are destined to be exploited
almost like slaves in their work, and not
infrequently in the sex industry too. Though I
cannot here closely examine the analysis of the
consequences of this aspect of migration, I make
my own the condemnation voiced by John Paul II
against "the widespread hedonistic and
commercial culture which encourages the
systematic exploitation of sexuality" (Letter of
Pope John Paul II to Women, June 29, 1995, No.
5). This outlines a whole program of redemption
and liberation from which Christians cannot
withdraw.
Speaking of the other category of migrants --
asylum seekers and refugees -- I wish to
underline how the tendency is to stop at the
question of their arrival while disregarding the
reasons for which they left their native land.
The Church sees this entire world of suffering
and violence through the eyes of Jesus, who was
moved with pity at the sight of the crowds
wandering as sheep without a shepherd (cf.
Matthew 9:36). Hope, courage, love and
"creativity in charity" ("Novo Millennio Ineunte,"
No. 50) must inspire the necessary human and
Christian efforts made to help these brothers
and sisters in their suffering. Their native
Churches will demonstrate their concern by
sending pastoral agents of the same language and
culture, in a dialogue of charity with the
particular Churches that welcome them.
In the light of today's "signs of the times,"
particular attention should be paid to the
phenomenon of foreign students. Thanks among
other factors to foreign exchange programs
between universities, especially in Europe,
their number is growing, with consequent
pastoral problems the Church cannot ignore. This
is especially true in the case of students
coming from developing countries, whose
university experience can become an
extraordinary occasion for spiritual enrichment.
As I invoke divine assistance on those who,
moved by the desire to contribute to the
promotion of a future of justice and peace in
the world, spend their energies in the field of
pastoral care at the service of human mobility,
I impart to all as a sign of affection a special
Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, Oct. 18, 2005
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
Confraternity of Penitents
520 Oliphant Lane
Middletown RI USA
02842-4600
401/849-5421
bspenance@hotmail.com
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