ZE081205
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - December 05, 2008
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pope Laments Death of Alexy II
Defending Life a Mission of the Church, Says Pope
World Needs Ethics, Says Pope
Pontiff Shares Sorrows of Mideast Christians
Preacher Offers St. Paul as Model for Conversion
WORLD FEATURES
Benedict XVI: Dialogue Yields Better Results
SPIRITUALITY
Father Cantalamessa's 1st Advent Sermon
FORUM
Bishop Hilarion on the Death of Alexy II
DOCUMENTS
Synod Propositions 16-20
CLASSIFIED ADS
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Pope Laments Death of Alexy II
Called Patriarch "Courageous" Defender of ValuesVATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has sent a message of condolence to the Russian Orthodox Church upon hearing of the death of Patriarch Alexy II, calling him "courageous" in his efforts to promote Gospel values.
The Pope stated in the note that he "was profoundly saddened" to hear of the patriarch's death, and that he wished to convey his "most sincere condolences" and to assure the faithful of his "spiritual closeness at this very sad time."
Alexy II, 79, who had been the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church since 1990, died today at his residence near Moscow. No cause of death was given.
"Mindful of the common commitment to the path of mutual understanding and cooperation between Orthodox and Catholics, I am pleased to recall the efforts of the late patriarch for the rebirth of the Church, after the severe ideological oppression which led to the martyrdom of so many witnesses to the Christian faith," the Pope said.
The Pontiff also recalled Alexy II's "courageous battle for the defense of human and Gospel values, especially in the European continent, and I trust that his commitment will bear fruit in peace and genuine progress, human, social and spiritual."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, also sent a message of condolence, as did Cardinal Walter Kaper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
"Patriarch Alexis was called to guide the Russian Orthodox Church in a period of great change," wrote Cardinal Kasper, "and his leadership has enabled that Church to face the challenges of transition from the Soviet era to the present with renewed interior vitality."
Alexy II was last seen in public on Thursday, when he celebrated a liturgy in the Kremlin. His funeral will be held next week.
Alexei Mikahilovich Rediger, the son of a priest, was born Feb. 23, 1929, in Tallin, Estonia. Ordained in 1950, he was elected bishop of Tallin and Estonia in 1961.
In 1986 he was elected bishop of Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg) and Novogorod, and in 1990 the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Dialogue
Benedict XVI and Alexy II have worked in recent years to intensify dialogue between the Churches.
In 2006, Benedict XVI sent Alexy II a message for his birthday. The patriarch responded to the Pontiff with a letter sent with Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, and he gave him a pectoral cross as a gift.
In January of this year, Alexy II proposed a series of common pastoral actions to be taken in conjunction with the Catholic Church.
In May, Benedict XVI sent through Cardinal Kasper a letter to the patriarch that addressed the path to full union between the Churches.
In October, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the archbishop of Naples, delivered to the patriarch another letter from the Pontiff, in which he invited the patriarch to offer with him a common testimony of peace to the world.
The patriarch responded with a letter in which he underlined the positive development of the relationship and cooperation between Rome and the Moscow Patriarchate.
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Defending Life a Mission of the Church, Says Pope
Urges Cooperation Between Religion and PoliticsVATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Church isn't stepping over a line when it defends life and promotes human dignity, says Benedict XVI.
"To promote the dignity of the person and elevate it in an integral way for the benefit of all," the Pope explained, is in fact a "mission proper to it."
The Holy Father said this today upon receiving the letters of credence of Juan Pablo Cafiero, the new ambassador of Argentina to the Holy See.
In his address, the Pontiff noted many positive contributions made by the Catholic Church in the South American country: "Faith in Christ has stimulated numerous charitable and welfare initiatives in Argentina, both in the dioceses as well as through religious institutes and lay associations.
"Solicitude and ecclesial activity, centered particularly in the spiritual and moral field, has also radiated with peculiar intensity in the realms of health, culture, education and labor and care for the needy."
"With its words," Benedict XVI continued, "the Catholic community seeks only to give testimony of charity and to project on consciences the light of the Gospel, so that man will find a fullness of life that will be reflected in fitting individual conduct and in responsible and harmonious coexistence, in reciprocal understanding and forgiveness."
He added that he considered it of particular importance "to avoid those attitudes that deteriorate fraternity and mutual understanding, giving vigor, instead, to what favors the sense of civic responsibility in view of the good of the whole society."
"The Church," continued the Holy Father, "without pretending to become a political subject, aspires, with the independence of its moral authority, to cooperate loyally and openly with all those responsible for the temporal order in the noble design of achieving a civilization of justice, peace, reconciliation, solidarity, and of those other norms that can never be abolished or left at the mercy of partisan consensus, as they are engraved in the human heart and respond to truth."
"The presence of God both in the conscience of every man as well as in the public domain is a firm support for respect of the fundamental rights of the person and the construction of a society cemented on them," the Pontiff affirmed.
Benedict XVI called for efforts to "strengthen dialogue and collaboration between the Argentine authorities and the nation's episcopate for the sake of the common good of the whole population."
Some 92% of all Argentines are Catholic.
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Addresses International Theological Commission
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI believes that it is necessary to rediscover the value of natural law to lay the foundations of a much-needed universal ethics.
The Pope said this today upon receiving members of the International Theological Commission in audience, who in their assembly this week took definitive steps toward elaborating a document on the topic.
The text will be titled "In Search of a Universal Ethic: New Look on Natural Law."
Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, the commission's secretary-general, advised the Holy Father during the audience that the text was approved by the assembly, though other necessary approvals are still pending before its publication.
In his address, Benedict XVI insisted on "the need and urgency, in the present context, to create in culture and in civil and political society the indispensable conditions for full awareness of the inalienable value of the natural moral law."
"Thanks also to the study you have undertaken on this fundamental argument, it will be clear that the natural law constitutes the true guarantee offered each one to live freely and in respect of his dignity of person, and to feel protected from any ideological manipulation and from all abuse perpetrated in virtue of the law of the strongest," said the Holy Father.
According to the Pontiff, "in a world shaped by the natural sciences, the metaphysical concept of the natural law is almost absent, incomprehensible."
"Seeing this fundamental importance for our societies, for human life," he added, "it is necessary to pose again and to understand this concept in the context of our thought: Being itself bears in itself a moral message and an indication for the paths of law."
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Pontiff Shares Sorrows of Mideast Christians
Addresses Members of Order of the Holy SepulcherVATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says he shares the "sorrows and difficulties" of the Christian of the Holy Land, who are suffering at hands of political, economic and social instability in the region.
The Pope said this today upon greeting members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, who are in Rome for the order's five-yearly assembly. The central theme the weeklong meeting was how to increase aid to Christians of the Holy Land.
The chivalric order seeks to form in its members the spirit and ideal of the Crusades from which it originated. This includes preserving the faith in the Middle East and defending the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.
In his address, the Pontiff thanked the order for its "generous work," and encouraged them to continue working in the Holy Land as "convinced and sincere ambassadors of peace and love between brothers."
He said Christians in the Holy Land have been "oppressed in recent years by an uncertain and dangerous climate," due to the "political, economic and social crisis of the Middle East."
Benedict XVI expressed his special closeness to all those "who feel obliged" to emigrate: "How can we not share the sorrow of these tried communities?"
The Pope invited the order's members to reflect further on the central point of their spirituality, which is the celebration of the death and resurrection of the Lord, through the special bond that unites them with the Holy Sepulcher.
He said the Equestrian Order was "called to offer an eloquent evangelical testimony, to be builders in our time of an active hope based on the presence of the Risen Lord, who, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, guides and sustains the work of those who dedicate themselves to the edification of a new humanity inspired in the evangelical values of justice, love and peace."
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Preacher Offers St. Paul as Model for Conversion
Delivers Advent Sermon to Pope and CuriaVATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The conversion of St. Paul is for the Christian a model of true conversion, says Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa.
The preacher of the Pontifical Household said this today upon delivering the first of a series of Advent sermons at the Vatican in the presence of Benedict XVI and the Roman Curia. The address was titled "But Whatever Gain I Had, I Counted as a Loss for the Sake of Christ."
The series of meditations are centered on the theme "'When the Fullness of Time Had Come, God Sent his Son, Born of a Woman: Going With St. Paul to Meet the Christ Who Comes." The next two sermons will be held Dec. 12 and 19.
"The best explanation of St. Paul's conversion," the preacher began, "is the one he himself gives when he speaks of Christian baptism as being 'baptized into the death of Christ' -- 'buried with him' to rise with him and 'walk in newness of life' (cf. Romans 6:3-4). He relived in himself the paschal mystery of Christ, around which, in turn, all his thought will revolve."
Father Cantalamessa noted that, similar to Christ, Paul withdrew to the desert immediately after his baptism: "After being baptized by Ananias, he withdrew to the desert of Arabia, namely, the desert around Damascus. Exegetes estimate that there were some 10 years of silence in Paul's life between the event on the road to Damascus and the start of this public activity in the Church.
"The Apostle had a long novitiate; his conversion did not last a few minutes. And it is in this his kenosis; in this time of deprivation and silence that he accumulated that bursting energy and light that one day would pour over the world."
The preacher explained there are two descriptions of Paul's conversion: one that is objective and one that is subjective. That is, one that describes the event from the outside, and Paul's own account that describes it from within.
"Confessions"
For the subjective account, Father Cantalamessa points to Chapter 3 of the Letter to the Philippians, "in which the Apostle describes what the encounter with Christ meant to him subjectively, what he was before and what he became afterward; in other words, in what the change in his life consisted existentially and religiously."
"We will concentrate on his text that, by analogy with the Augustinian work, we can describe as 'the confessions of St. Paul,'" said the preacher.
He pointed to the Philippians 3:7-8, which the Capuchin said marks a break in Paul's account of his life: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).
Father Cantalamessa explained: "In this brief text the name of Christ appears three times. The encounter with him has divided his life in two, has created a before and an after.
"It was a very personal encounter (it is the only text where the Apostle uses the singular "my," not "our" Lord) and an existential encounter more than a mental one. No one will ever be able to know in-depth what happened in that brief dialogue [...]
"He describes it as a 'revelation' (Galatians 1:15-16). It was a sort of fusion of fire, a beam of light that even today, at a distance of 2,000 years, illuminates the world."
New path
"Up to now Paul believed he could save himself and be righteous before God through the scrupulous observance of the law and the traditions of the fathers," said Father Cantalamessa. "Now he understood that salvation is obtained in another way.
"I want to be found, he says, 'not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith' (Philippians 3:8-9). Jesus made him experience in himself that which one day he would proclaim to the whole Church: justification by grace through faith (cf. Galatians 2:15-16; Romans 3:21 ff.)."
The preacher said that this is the essence of the Christian message, "which distinguishes it from every other religion or religious philosophy."
"Every religious proposal begins by telling men what they must do to save themselves or to obtain 'illumination,'" he said. "Christianity does not begin by telling men what they must do, but what God has done for them in Christ Jesus. Christianity is the religion of grace."
"We are not saved by good works," added Father Cantalamessa, "though we are not saved without good works. It is a revolution of which, at a distance of 2,000 years, we still try to be aware."
Regarding the question of conversion, the preacher said that it "is seen as a condition for salvation."
He explained, "Repent and you will be saved; repent and salvation will come to you. This is the predominant meaning that the word conversion has on the lips of John the Baptist (cf. Luke 3:4-6). However, on Jesus' lips this moral meaning takes second place (at least at the beginning of his preaching) in regard to a new meaning, unknown until now."
"However," Father Cantalamessa continue, "we have seen that evangelical conversion is not about denying something or going back, but a reception of something new, a leap forward."
He adds: "In this light Paul's conversion appears to us as the model of true Christian conversion that consists first of all in accepting Christ, in 'turning' to him through faith. It is a finding, not a giving up.
"Jesus does not say: A man sold all he had and began to look for a hidden treasure; he said: A man found a treasure and because of this sold everything."
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Benedict XVI: Dialogue Yields Better Results
Sends Letters to the Leaders of Chile, ArgentinaVATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- In a letter sent to the leaders of Chile and Argentina, Benedict XVI affirmed that dialogue and negotiation is the most effective manner of resolving conflict.
The Pope sent the missive to Argentine President Cristina Fernández Kirchner and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on the 30th anniversary of mediation by Pope John Paul II in the Beagle conflict, which prevented an armed confrontation between the South American nations.
The letter was read today by Cardinal Odilio Sherer, archbishop of São Paulo, at a ceremony marking the event, attended by both Kirchner and Bachelet. During the ceremony, held on Mount Aymond in Chile, the foundation stone for a monument in honor of John Paul II was placed.
In 1978, Chile and Argentina were on the cusp of going to war over a longstanding border dispute over three islands in the Beagle channel. A last-minute mediation by Pope John Paul II led to the beginning of a peace process, which was completed in 1984.
In his letter, Benedict XVI recalled the "age-old" border dispute between the nations, and said that the two countries "thought that every possibility had been exhausted to come to an agreement," and did not see the possibility to continue negotiating.
He also recalled the action of John Paul II, who sent on his own initiative a papal envoy -- Cardinal Antonio Samoré -- in an attempt to keep the two nations from resorting to war.
New and unique
Benedict XVI said the gesture "went beyond the initial precautions of [Pope John Paul II's] possible commitment and of the usual practice of the Holy See's international activity."
The Polish Pontiff, he said, decided "to offer a new and unique intervention of his own, of a more personal character."
Benedict XVI added that his predecessor "impelled by his special sensibility to specify the mission received from the Prince of Peace," distinguished himself "during his long pontificate for the promotion of harmony among peoples."
The success of the mediation, he continued, constitutes still today "an example of how, in face of any controversy, discouragement must always be overcome and the path of patient dialogue and negotiation conducted with wisdom and prudence must never be regarded as exhausted."
This dialogue was necessary "to reach a just and fitting solution through peaceful means, proper of civilized peoples, above all when its members know themselves to be, moreover, brothers and children of the one God and Father," the Pontiff added.
Pointing to other conflicts in various parts of the world, which "have generated very grave consequences," Benedict XVI underlined the "horrors that that pontifical mediation spared the Argentine and Chilean peoples, and also other nations of the region."
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Father Cantalamessa's 1st Advent Sermon
St. Paul: "Model of True Christian Conversion"VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Advent homily Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Pontifical Household, delivered today in the Vatican in the presence of Benedict XVI and the Roman Curia.
This is the first of three Advent sermons the preacher will deliver on the theme "'When the Fullness of Time Had Come, God Sent his Son, Born of a Woman: Going With St. Paul to Meet the Christ Who Comes."The next two sermons will be held Dec. 12 and 19.
* * *
"But Whatever Gain I Had, I Counted as a Loss for the Sake of Christ"
The Conversion of St. Paul: Model of True Christian Conversion
The Pauline Year is a great grace for the Church, but it also presents a danger: that of reflecting on Paul, his personality and his doctrine without taking the next step from him to Christ. The Holy Father warned against this risk in the homily with which he proclaimed the Pauline Year in the general audience of last July 2, stating: "This is the purpose of the Pauline Year: to learn from St. Paul, to learn the faith, to learn about Christ."
This danger has occurred so many times in the past, to the point of giving a place to the absurd thesis according to which Paul, not Christ, is the real founder of Christianity. Jesus Christ was for Paul what Socrates was for Plato: a pretext, a name, under which to put his own thought.
The Apostle, as John the Baptist before him, is an index pointing to one "greater than he," of which he does not consider himself worthy to be an Apostle. The former thesis is the most complete distortion and the gravest offense that can be made to the Apostle Paul. If he came back to life, he would react to that thesis with the same vehemence with which he reacted in face of a similar misunderstanding of the Corinthians: "Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:13).
Another obstacle to overcome, also for us believers, is that of pausing on Paul's doctrine on Christ, without catching his love and fire for him. Paul does not want to be for us only a winter sun that illuminates but does not warm. The obvious intention of his letters is to lead readers not only to the knowledge of but also to love and passion for Christ.
To this end I wish to contribute the three meditations of Advent this year, beginning with this one today, in which we reflect on Paul's conversion, the event that, after the death and resurrection of Christ, has most influenced the future of Christianity.
1. Paul's Conversion Seen From Within
The best explanation of St. Paul's conversion is the one he himself gives when he speaks of Christian baptism as being "baptized into the death of Christ" -- "buried with him" to rise with him and "walk in newness of life" (cf. Romans 6:3-4). He relived in himself the paschal mystery of Christ, around which, in turn, all his thought will revolve. There are also impressive external analogies. Jesus remained three days in the sepulcher; for three days Saul lived as though dead: He could not see, stand, eat, then, at the moment of baptism, his eyes reopened, he was able to eat and gather his strength; he came back to life (cf. Acts 9:18).
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus withdrew to the desert and so did Paul, after being baptized by Ananias, he withdrew to the desert of Arabia, namely, the desert around Damascus. Exegetes estimate that there were some 10 years of silence in Paul's life between the event on the road to Damascus and the start of this public activity in the Church. The Jews sought him to death, the Christians did not yet trust him and feared him. His conversion recalls that of Cardinal Newman, whose former brothers of Anglican faith considered a renegade and Catholics looked upon with suspicion because of his new and ardent ideas.
The Apostle had a long novitiate; his conversion did not last a few minutes. And it is in this his kenosis, in this time of deprivation and silence that he accumulated that bursting energy and light that one day would pour over the world.
We have two descriptions of Paul's conversion: one that describes the event, so to speak, from outside, on a historical note, and another that describes the event from within, on a psychological or autobiographical note. The first type is the one we find in the three relations that we read about in the Acts of the Apostles. To it also belong some references that Paul himself makes of the event, explaining how from being a persecutor he became an apostle of Christ (cf. Galatians 1:13-24).
The second type belongs to Chapter 3 of the Letter to the Philippians, in which the Apostle describes what the encounter with Christ meant to him subjectively, what he was before and what he became afterward; in other words, in what the change in his life consisted existentially and religiously. We will concentrate on his text that, by analogy with the Augustinian work, we can describe as "the confessions of St. Paul."
In every change there is a "terminus a quo" and a "terminus ad quem," a point of departure and a point of arrival. The Apostle describes first of all the point of departure, that which was first:
"If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the Church, as to righteousness under the law blameless" (Philippians 3:4-6).
We can easily make a mistake in reading this description: These were not negative titles, but the greatest titles of holiness of the time. With them Paul's process of canonization could have been opened immediately, if it had existed at that time. It is as if to say of one today: baptized the eighth day, belonging to the structure par excellence of salvation, the Catholic Church, member of the most austere order of the Church (the Pharisees were this!), most observant of the Rule, etc."
Instead, there is a point at the top of the text that divides in two the page and life of Paul. It is divided by an adverse "but" that creates a total contrast: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).
In this brief text the name of Christ appears three times. The encounter with him has divided his life in two, has created a before and an after. A very personal encounter (it is the only text where the Apostle uses the singular "my," not "our" Lord) and an existential encounter more than a mental one. No one will ever be able to know in-depth what happened in that brief dialogue: "Saul, Saul!" "Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus!" He describes it as a "revelation" (Galatians 1:15-16). It was a sort of fusion of fire, a beam of light that even today, at a distance of 2,000 years, illuminates the world.
2. A Change of Mind
We will attempt to analyze the content of the event. It was first of all a change of mind, of thought, literally a metanoia. Up to now Paul believed he could save himself and be righteous before God through the scrupulous observance of the law and the traditions of the fathers. Now he understood that salvation is obtained in another way. I want to be found, he says, "not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (Philippians 3:8-9). Jesus made him experience in himself that which one day he would proclaim to the whole Church: justification by grace through faith (cf. Galatians 2:15-16; Romans 3:21 ff.).
An image comes to mind when reading the third chapter of the Letter to the Philippians: A man is walking at night in a thick wood in the faint light of a candle, being careful that it does not go out; walking, walking as dawn arrives, the sun comes out, the faint light of the candle turns pale, to the point that it is no longer useful and he throws it away. The smoking wick was his own righteousness. One day, in the life of Paul, the sun of righteousness arose, Christ the Lord, and from that moment he did not want any other light than his.
It is not a question of a point along with others, but of the heart of the Christian message. He would describe it as "his Gospel," to the point of declaring anathema whoever dared to preach a different Gospel, whether it be an angel or he himself (cf. Galatians 1:8-9). Why such insistence? Because the Christian novelty consists in this, which distinguishes it from every other religion or religious philosophy. Every religious proposal begins by telling men what they must do to save themselves or to obtain "illumination." Christianity does not begin by telling men what they must do, but what God has done for them in Christ Jesus. Christianity is the religion of grace.
There is a place -- and how great it is -- for the duties and observance of the Commandments, but then, as response to grace, not as its cause or price. We are not saved by good works, though we are not saved without good works. It is a revolution of which, at a distance of 2,000 years, we still try to be aware. The theological debates on justification through faith of the Reformation and onward have often hampered rather than favored it because they have kept the problem at the theoretical level, the texts of opposing schools, rather than helping believers to have the experience in their life.
3. "Repent, and Believe in the Gospel"
However, we must ask ourselves a crucial question: who is the author of this message? If it were the Apostle Paul, then those would be right who say that he, not Jesus, is the founder of Christianity. But he is not the author; he does no more than express in elaborated and universal terms a message that Jesus expressed with his typical language, made of images and parables.
Jesus began his preaching saying: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). With these words he already taught justification through faith. Before him, to be converted meant to "go back" (as indicated by the Hebrew term shub); it meant to return to the broken Covenant, through a renewed observance of the law. "Return to me [...], return from your evil ways," God said through the prophets (Zechariah 1:3-4; Jeremiah 8:4-5).
Consequently, to be converted has a primarily ascetic, moral and penitential meaning and it is affected by changing one's conduct of life. Conversion is seen as a condition for salvation; the meaning is: Repent and you will be saved; repent and salvation will come to you. This is the predominant meaning that the word conversion has on the lips of John the Baptist (cf. Luke 3:4-6). However, on Jesus' lips this moral meaning takes second place (at least at the beginning of his preaching) in regard to a new meaning, unknown until now. Manifested also in this is the epochal leap that is verified between the preaching of John the Baptist and that of Jesus.
To be converted no longer means to return to the ancient Covenant and the observance of the law, but to make a leap forward, entering into the new Covenant, to seize this Kingdom that has appeared, to enter it through faith. "Repent and believe" does not mean two different and successive things, but the same action: repent, that is believe; repent by believing! "Prima conversion fit per fidem," St. Thomas Aquinas would say, the first conversion consists in believing.[1]
God took the initiative of salvation: He has made his Kingdom come; man must only accept, in faith, God's offer and live the demands afterward. It is like a king who opens the door of his palace, where a great banquet is ready, and, being at the door, invites all passersby to enter, saying: "Come, all is ready!" It is the call that resounds in all the so-called parables of the Kingdom: The hour much awaited has struck, take the decision that saves, do not let the occasion slip by!
The Apostle says the same thing with the doctrine of justification through faith. The only difference is due to that which has occurred, in the meantime, between the preaching of Jesus and that of Paul: Christ was rejected and put to death for the sins of men. Faith in the Gospel ("believe in the Gospel"), is now configured as faith "in Jesus Christ," "in his blood" (Romans 3:25).
What the Apostle expresses through the adverb "freely" ("dorean") or "by grace," Jesus said with the image of receiving the Kingdom as a child, namely, as a gift, without putting forward merits, appealing only to the love of God, as children count on the love of their parents.
For some time exegetes have discussed whether or not one must continue to talk about the conversion of St. Paul; some prefer to speak of a "call," rather than conversion. There are those who would like the outright abolition of the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, as conversion indicates a detachment and a giving up of something, and a Jew who converts, as opposed to a pagan, must not give up anything, he must not pass from idols to the worship of the true God.[2]
It seems to me we are before a false problem. In the first place, there is no opposition between conversion and call: a call implies a conversion; it does not replace it, as grace does not replace freedom. However, above all we have seen that evangelical conversion is not about denying something or going back, but a reception of something new, a leap forward. To whom was Jesus speaking when he said: "Repent and believe in the Gospel"? Was he not speaking perhaps of the Jews? The Apostle referred to this same conversion with the words: "But when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed" (2 Corinthians 3:16).
In this light Paul's conversion appears to us as the model of true Christian conversion that consists first of all in accepting Christ, in "turning" to him through faith. It is a finding, not a giving up. Jesus does not say: A man sold all he had and began to look for a hidden treasure; he said: A man found a treasure and because of this sold everything.
4. A Lived Experience
In the document of agreement between the Catholic Church and the World Federation of Lutheran Churches on justification through faith, presented solemnly in St. Peter's Basilica by John Paul II and the archbishop of Uppsala in 1999, there is a final recommendation that seems of vital importance to me. In essence, it says this: The moment has come to make of this great truth a lived experience on the part of believers, and no longer an object of theological disputes between experts, as happened in the past.
The Pauline Year offers us the propitious occasion to live this experience. It could give a shove to our spiritual life, a breath and a new freedom. Charles Peguy recounted, in the third person, the story of the greatest act of faith of his life. A man, he said (and it is known he was speaking of himself) had three sons. On a bad day all three fell ill at the same time. Then he did something audacious. Thinking about it again admiringly, it must be said that it really was a daring act. Just as three children are sometimes gathered together and hoisted, almost jokingly, into the arms of their mother or nurse, who laughs and says to take them away because they are too many and too heavy, so he, daring man that he was, had taken -- one understands with prayer -- his three sick children and had peacefully put them into the arms of him who has charge of all the sorrows of the world. "Look," he said, "I give them to you, I turn and run away, so that you will not give them back to me. I don't want them any more, you see it well! You must be concerned with them." (Apart from the metaphor, he had gone on foot on a pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres to entrust his three sick children to Our Lady). From that day on, everything went well, naturally, because it was the Holy Virgin who was involved. It is also curious that not all Christians do as much. It is so simple, but no one ever thinks of what is simple.[3]
The story is useful to us at this moment because of the idea of the audacious act; because it relates to what is being discussed. The key to everything, it is said, is faith. But there are different types of faith: there is faith-assent of the intellect, faith-trust, faith-stability, as Isaiah calls it (7:9): of what faith does one refer to when speaking of justification "through faith"? It is a question of an all-together special faith: faith-appropriation!
Let us listen to St. Bernard on this point who says, "What I cannot obtain by myself, I appropriate (usurp!) with trust from the pierced side of the Lord, because he is full of mercy. My merit, therefore, is God's mercy. I am certainly not poor in merits, as long as he is rich in mercy. If the mercies of the Lord are many (Psalm 119:156), I too will abound with merits. And what about my justice? O Lord, I will remember only your justice. In fact, it is also mine, because you are for me justice on the part of God."[4] It is written, in fact, that "Christ Jesus ... became for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30) -- for us, not for himself!
St. Cyril of Jerusalem expressed, with other words, the same idea of the audacious act of faith: "O extraordinary goodness of God toward men! The righteousness of the Old Testament pleased God in the toil of long years; but what they were able to obtain, through a long and heroic service acceptable to God, Jesus gives to you in the brief space of an hour. In fact, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and that God has resurrected him from the dead, you will be saved and introduced into paradise by the same one who introduced the good thief."[5]
Imagine, writes Cabasilas, when developing an image of St. John Chrysostom, that an epic fight is taking place in the stadium. A courageous man has confronted the cruel tyrant and, with enormous effort and suffering, has beaten him. You have not fought, you have made no effort or suffered wounds. However, if you admire the courageous man, if you rejoice with him over his victory, if you weave a crown for him, stir and shake the assembly for him, if you bow with joy to the winner, if you kiss his head and shake his right hand; in sum, if you are so delirious for him as to consider his victory yours, I tell you that you will certainly have a part of the winner's prize.
But there is more: Suppose the winner had no need of the prize he won, but desires, more than anything else, to see his supporter honored and considers the prize of his fight the crowning of his friend, in such a case, will that man, perhaps, not obtain the crown if he has not toiled or suffered wounds? Of course he will obtain it! Well, it happens in this way between Christ and us. Although not having yet toiled and fought -- although not having yet any merit -- nevertheless, through faith we extol Christ's struggle, admire his victory, honor his trophy which is the cross and valuable for him, we show vehement and ineffable love; we make our own those wounds and that death.[6] Thus it is that salvation is obtained.
The Christmas liturgy will speak to us of the "holy exchange," of the "sacrum commercium," between us and God realized in Christ. The law of every exchange is expressed in the formula: That which is mine is yours and that which is yours is mine. It derives that, that which is mine, namely sin, weakness, becomes Christ's; that which is Christ's, namely holiness, becomes mine. Because we belong to Christ more than to ourselves (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), it follows, writes Cabasilas, that, inversely, the holiness of Christ belongs to us more than our own holiness.[7] This is the thrust in the spiritual life. Its discovery is not done, usually, at the beginning, but at the end of one's own spiritual journey, when all the others paths have been experienced and one has seen that they do not go very far.
In the Catholic Church we have a privileged means to have a concrete and daily experience of this sacred exchange and of justification by grace through faith: the sacraments. Every time I approach the sacrament of reconciliation I have a concrete experience of being justified by grace, "ex opere operato," as we say in theology. I go out to the temple and say to God: "O God, have mercy on me a sinner" and, like the publican, I return home "justified" (Luke 18:14), forgiven, with a brilliant soul, as at the moment I came out of the baptismal font.
May St. Paul, in this year dedicated to him, obtain for us the grace of making like him this audacious thrust of faith.
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Footnotes
[1] St. Thomas Aquinas, S. Th., I-IIae, q. 113, a.4.
[2] Cf. J.M. Everts, "Conversione e Chiamata di Paolo," in "Dizionario di Paolo e delle sue lettere," San Paolo 1999, pp. 285-298 (summary of the positions and bibliography).
[3] Cf. Ch. Peguy, "Il portico del mistero della seconda virtù."
[4] In Cant. 61, 4-5: PL 183, 1072.
[5] Catechesis 5, 10: PG 33, 517.
[6] Cf. N. Cabasilas, "Life in Christ," I, 5: PG150, 517.
[7] N. Cabasilas, "Life in Christ," IV, 6 (PG 150, 613).
[Translation by ZENIT]
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Bishop Hilarion on the Death of Alexy II
"There Are No Words to Express My Sadness"By Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev
VIENNA, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- On Friday, Dec. 5, I was to call His Holiness Patriarch Alexy to discuss details of his visit to Austria scheduled for Dec. 20-23.
At 10 a.m. Moscow time I dialed his direct number, but instead of him a nun working in his residence answered the phone. She told me to call half an hour later. I called in half an hour, and the same voice said: "His Holiness died." And she cried.
There are no words to express my sadness at this unexpected death. It is a great loss.
On Nov. 30 His Holiness celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Munich. After the service he looked tired, but was, as usual, joyful and peaceful.
It so happened that during the last days of his life I spoke with His Holiness several times about the program of his visit. He was very eager to come to Vienna to re-consecrate the St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral after its restoration. We discussed every detail of his visit and even decided together which gifts and souvenirs he would bring to Vienna.
All of us knew that His Holiness had heart problems, but nobody could imagine that his death would be so sudden. He died full of energy and plans for the future.
In my memory Patriarch Alexy will remain first of all as a loving father, who was always ready to listen, who was supportive and gentle.
Almost half of the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, including myself, were ordained into episcopate by Patriarch Alexy. We are all deeply indebted to him.
The years of his patriarchate constituted an entire epoch in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was precisely in this time that the resurrection of the Russian Church took place, which continues to this day.
May his memory be eternal.
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Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria, is representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European Organizations.
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Conclusions of Episcopal Assembly on Word of God
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here are translations of the synodal propositions 16-20, which were submitted to Benedict XVI at the end of the world Synod of Bishops on the "Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," held in October at the Vatican.
ZENIT will publish a translation of the remaining propositions in subsequent services.
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Proposition 16
Lectionary
It is recommended that an examination of the Roman Lectionary be initiated to see if the present selection and ordering of the readings are really adequate to the mission of the Church at this historic moment. Specifically, the relation of the reading of the Old Testament with the evangelical pericope should be reconsidered, so that it does not imply a too restrictive reading of the Old Testament or the exclusion of important passages.
The revision of a Lectionary could be done in dialogue with ecumenical counterparts who use this common Lectionary.
It is desirable that an authoritative examination of the problem of the Lectionary be carried out in the liturgies of Oriental Catholic Churches.
Proposition 17
Ministry of the Word and women
The synodal fathers acknowledge and encourage the service of the laity in the transmission of the faith. On this point, women especially have an indispensable role above all in the family and in catechesis. In fact, they are able to awaken interest in the Word, the personal relationship with God, and to communicate the meaning of forgiveness and evangelical sharing.
It is desirable that the ministry of the lector be open also to women, so that the Christian community will recognize their role as heralds of the Word.
Proposition 18
Celebrations of the Word of God
The celebration of the Word of God is recommended according to the different forms received from the liturgical tradition (cf. SC 35). Many ecclesial communities, which do not have the possibility of the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, find in the celebration of the Word the food for their faith and for Christian testimony.
The celebration of the Word is one of the privileged places of encounter with the Lord, because in this proclamation, Christ makes himself present and continues to speak to his people (cf. SC 7). Even in the midst of today's noise, which makes effective listening very difficult, the faithful are encouraged to cultivate a disposition of interior silence and of listening to the Word of God that transforms life.
The Synodal Fathers recommend that ritual directories be formulated, based on the experience of Churches in which formed catechists regularly lead Sunday assemblies round the Word of God. The purpose is to avoid such celebrations being confused with the Eucharistic liturgy.
Reception of the Word, the prayer of praise, thanksgiving and petition, which make up the celebration of the Word of God, are manifestations of the Spirit in the heart of the faithful and in the Christian assembly, gathered round the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, in fact, makes the proclaimed and celebrated Word of God fruitful in the heart and life of those who receive it.
We also believe that pilgrimages, celebrations, different forms of popular piety, the missions, spiritual retreats and special days of penance, reparation and forgiveness are a concrete opportunity, offered to the faithful to celebrate the Word of God and enhance their knowledge.
Proposition 19
Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is a privileged way to hear the Word of God because it puts the faithful in contact with sacred Scripture and with the living Tradition of the Church. Hence, the Synod hopes that the faithful will participate in the Liturgy of the Hours, above all in lauds and vespers. Hence, it would be useful to prepare a simple form of the Liturgy of the Hours where it does not exist yet.
Bishops, priests, deacons, religious and those already delegated to it by the Church must remember their sacred duty to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. This is very much recommended to the lay faithful, so that this liturgy becomes, in an even greater sense, the prayer of the whole Church.
Proposition 20
Word of God, marriage and family
The Word of God is at the origin of marriage (cf. Genesis 2:24). Jesus himself inscribed marriage among the institutions of his Kingdom (cf. Matthew 19:4-8), giving it a sacramental statute. In the sacramental celebration, the man and woman pronounce a prophetic word of reciprocal self-giving, being "one flesh," sign of the mystery of the union of Christ and the Church (cf. Ephesians 5:32). Through the fidelity and unity of family life, spouses are to their children the first heralds of the Word of God. They must be supported and helped in developing prayer in the family, the domestic celebration of the Word, reading of the Bible and other forms of prayer.
Spouses must remember that the Word of God is a valuable support also in the difficulties of conjugal and family life.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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