ZE090213
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - February 13, 2009
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pope Urges Prayers for "Ship of Peter"
Cardinal: Vatican City Is Small But Great
John Paul II's Sahel Foundation Turns 25
Kirill Urges Collaboration Among Christians
Working Document Ready for Africa Synod
WORLD FEATURES
Delaware Bishop Remembers Lincoln
INTERVIEW
Cultural Promotion in Church's DNA (Part 2)
DOCUMENTS
Papal Address on Day for Consecrated Life
CLASSIFIED ADS
Discovering Christ: An Inquiry and Meditation Msgr Francis D. Kelly
Pope Urges Prayers for "Ship of Peter"
Says It's Not Always Smooth SailingVATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is urging the faithful to pray that God continues to watch over the "Ship of Peter," as its not always smooth sailing for the tiny state.
The Pope said this Thursday evening at the end of a concert held in Paul VI Hall commemorating the 80th anniversary of the foundation of Vatican City State.
Our Lady's Choral Society and the RTE Concert Orchestra, both from Dublin, Ireland, played the "Messiah" by Georg Friedrich Handel.
"This concert," the Pontiff said, "which celebrates such a significant anniversary for Vatican City State, is one of a series of events organized for this occasion on the theme: 'A Small Territory for a Great Mission.'"
"I would like to thank all the people who have contributed to solemnize such an important moment for the Catholic Church," the Holy Father continued. "Commemorating 80 years of the 'Civitas Vaticana,' we feel the need to pay homage to all the past and present protagonists of these eight decades of history of this small parcel of land."
Benedict XVI recalled Pius XI, "who, in announcing the signing of the Lateran Pacts and, especially, the foundation of Vatican City State, chose to use an expression of St. Francis of Assisi. He said that the new sovereign status was for the Church, as it had been for St. Francis, 'just enough body to hold the soul together.'"
"Let us ask the Lord, Who guides the fortunes of the 'Ship of Peter' among the not-always easy events of history, to continue to watch over this small state," the Pope continued.
"Above all," he urged, "let us ask him to help, with the power of his Spirit, Peter's Successor who stands at the helm of this ship, that he may faithfully and effectively undertake his ministry as the foundation of unity of the Catholic Church, which has its visible center in the Vatican whence it expands to all the corners of the earth."
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Cardinal: Vatican City Is Small But Great
Congress Marks 80 Years of Lateran PactsBy Carmen Elena Villa
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Despite its small size, Vatican City State is great in other aspects, according to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
Benedict XVI's secretary of state said Thursday at the opening of the congress "A Small Territory for a Great Mission," held in Rome's Lateran palace, that the Vatican is "small but great; the greatest in the world from any point of view."
The event, organized by the Governorate of the Holy See, marks the 80th anniversary of the Feb. 11, 1929, accords that recognized the independence and sovereignty of the Holy See, created the Vatican City State, and defined the civil and religious relationship between the government and the Church in Italy.
The congress will end Saturday with an audience with the Pope.
Cardinal Bertone said the anniversary "is an appropriate moment to recall the lofty objective of its existence and action, to evaluate how this objective has been applied in the course of the past eight decades, and to attempt to intuit the future modalities that the state's mission might assume."
On reviewing the history of Vatican State, the cardinal recalled in particular the work of Pope Pius XI: "This great Pontiff is the real creator and founder of Vatican City State."
The signing of the Lateran Pacts put an end to the so-called "Roman question" that began in 1870 when Italy invaded and took possession of Church properties.
Cardinal Bertone referred to Pius XI, saying that Vatican State "is, in fact, the result of his tenacity, realism, culture and clairvoyance, demonstrated on so many other occasions and in face of many serious problems that marked the Church and society during his pontificate.
World War II
The secretary of state also reviewed the main historical events the small nation has addressed since its birth, the first being the Second World War (1939-1945).
He noted that during the war the Holy See carried out "an intense action to promote peace and charity, but with notable limitations."
"Let us reflect on the fact that diplomats accredited to the Holy See of countries at war with Italy had to leave Rome and that the ecclesial, diplomatic and charitable action of the Holy See was conditioned by the control of the Italian state," noted the cardinal.
The cardinal also pointed to the works of charity that Pius XII was able to carry out in Europe during the war, which offered aid and help to put into contact "those whom the war had separated."
Cardinal Bertone noted that Rome was under German occupation from September 1943 to June 1944: "Vatican City State was surrounded by a political-military power, the German Reich, with which the Holy See had not a few open conflicts."
The cardinal also mentioned the places of refuge that served to shelter many victims during World War II: the Lateran's Major Pontifical Seminary, the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, as well as monasteries, convents, institutes and parishes of Rome.
He also mentioned the important events that have taken place in Vatican State during its 80-year history: The Second Vatican Council, the synods of bishops, the celebrations of the jubilee years, especially the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.
Cardinal Bertone noted in a special way the funeral of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI, "which brought to Rome the top political authorities of the world and massive crowds."
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John Paul II's Sahel Foundation Turns 25
Works to Help World's "Poorest Region"OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel is marking its 25th anniversary as a Church charity dedicated to helping the peoples of the "poorest region of the planet."
The foundation's anniversary was marked Tuesday in Ouagadougou with a meeting of the management board. A celebratory Mass will also be held there Sunday.
The foundation was instituted by Pope John Paul II after his first trip to Africa in 1980 in which the nation of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) appealed on behalf of populations that struggle daily to survive in the face of the encroachment of the Sahara desert.
The foundation's administrative council is made up of bishops representing the episcopates of nine countries of the Sahel.
The custody of funds, generated primarily by the Church in Germany, as well as the participation of the Italian Episcopal Conference, is entrusted to the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," which coordinates the charitable work of Catholic institutions worldwide.
A communiqué issued today by the foundation expressed its objective that people who benefit from its activity "feel as though it's their own."
"We delight in the fact that the beneficiaries, in addition to the material aid, appreciate in a particular way the spiritual closeness of the Universal Pastor of the Church," the noted added. "The Foundation hopes to progress in the next few years with this objective."
The statement said the foundation "works actively in the gestation and protection of the natural resources, in the fight against drought and desertification, in rural development and in the struggle against poverty," above all through the strategy of "involving the local population" through formation.
"A beautiful characteristic of the foundation is its openness to the different religions of the inhabitants, thus becoming an instrument of interreligious dialogue," added the communiqué.
The foundation explained it works to aid "one of the poorest regions of the planet," which includes the countries of Burkina Fasso, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Last year alone, over 200 projects were carried out through the foundation.
In Burkina Fasso and Niger the priority is the fight against drought and desertification through reforestation and the channeling of waters for their best possible use, the note reported.
Nevertheless, in the greater part of the countries the priority is formation, both of children as well as adults, especially technicians, both in the field of agriculture as well as that of health.
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Kirill Urges Collaboration Among Christians
Patriarch Sends Note to Benedict XVIMOSCOW, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Being a witness to Christ and the message of the Gospel is a fundamental duty of Christians, and especially of its leaders, says the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Patriarch Kirill wrote this in a message sent to Benedict XVI, in which he thanked the Pope for congratulating him upon his election as patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The patriarch explained in the note, translated by L'Osservatore Romano, that "among the many duties of the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, one of them is the fundamental necessity of giving witness to and affirming the values of the Gospel of Christ in modern society."
Kirill says he is convinced that this should contribute to "dialogue and collaboration among all those who call themselves Christian."
The patriarch he assured the Pope that the Russian Orthodox Church "will continue to be open to cooperation with those who are declared followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and maintain the traditional vision of the contents of the message that Christians should carry with them to the contemporary world."
"Among the collaborators in this area, the Catholic Church of Rome occupies a particular place," he acknowledged.
"I sincerely hope for a fruitful development of relations between our Churches," Kirill added.
He wished Benedict XVI "peace, health and the God's help in his work," signing the note "with affection in the Lord."
As metropolitan and president of the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Kirill met for the first time with Benedict XVI shortly after his papal installation in April 2005. They met again in May 2006 and Dec. 2007.
Kirill had been fulfilling the duties of patriarch since the Dec. 5 death of Alexy II, and was elected as Patriarch Jan. 27 and enthroned Feb. 1.
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Working Document Ready for Africa Synod
Pope to Present It In Cameroon Next MonthVATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The working document for the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops is ready, and Benedict XVI himself will deliver the text to the African episcopal conferences next month.
The Special Council for Africa and the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops approved the "instrumentum laboris" at meetings held Jan. 23-24, the Vatican press office reported today.
The Pope will present the document to the African episcopal conferences during his March 17-23 apostolic journey to Cameroon and Angola.
The Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops will be held Oct. 4-25 in the Vatican on the theme "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: You Are the Salt of the Earth; You Are the Light of the World."
According to the Vatican note, the "instrumentum laboris" presents important aspects of the present ecclesial and social situation in Africa, "along with the challenges it must address."
Moreover, the note continues, "the Church wishes to contribute, in keeping with its mission, to a harmonious development of man and woman, as well as of society."
The "instrumentum laboris" is based on answers from the episcopal conferences of Africa to the lineamenta (guidelines) issued by the synod's secretariat, which were published in 2006 in various languages, including Arabic and Swahili.
Pope John Paul II convoked the first synod for Africa in 1994, which was the basis for Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation "Ecclesia in Africa."
The Vatican communiqué explained that the second synod hopes to promote the conclusions of the first, as well as "to give effective answers to an African continent thirsty for reconciliation and in search of justice and peace."
The noted concluded: "The local and regional conflicts, the obvious injustice and violence, involve all men of good will and in a special way the Church.
"If it is true that in Jesus Christ we belong to the same family and share the same word and the same Bread of life, and if it is true that we are brothers in Christ, children of God and constitute in him only one family, then there should never again be injustice and wars between brothers."
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Delaware Bishop Remembers Lincoln
Says He Lived Christian Virtues, BeatitudesWILMINGTON, Delaware, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Although Abraham Lincoln didn't officially profess a specific faith, he lived many of the Christian virtues, and in a particular way the Eight Beatitudes, says the bishop of Wilmington.
On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, Bishop Francis Malooly issued a pastoral letter on the U.S. president, who he called "one of America's greatest statesmen." Lincoln served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until he was assassinated in 1865.
The letter titled "Mystic Chords of Memory in the 21st Century: Remembering President Lincoln on the Bicentennial of His Birth" was published Thursday in The Dialog, Wilmington's diocesan newspaper.
The bishop noted that while Lincoln was not Catholic, nor did he belong to a particular denomination, "his speeches and writings contain some of the most profound thinking relating to religion that have been produced in this nation."
"In his life we can see many of the classic Christian virtues," said the prelate, noting especially the many ways Lincoln lived the Eight Beatitudes.
Bishop Malooly, a self-proclaimed "Lincoln buff," said the president's early years centered largely around the beatitudes "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" and "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
"When asked by his campaign biographer in the 1860 election to describe his early life," the prelate recalled, "Lincoln replied that it could be found in a single sentence from Thomas Gray's poetry: 'The short and simple annals of the poor.'"
"Lincoln's experience of poverty as well as the loss of his mother and sister while he was young forged wellsprings of strength and compassion that would be vital to his presidency," added Bishop Malooly. "His simplicity, generous intentions and focus on the common good often helped him to discern effectively what was needed in a given crisis or historical crossroads."
Grief
The bishop said Lincoln lived the beatitude "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" when he endured the many losses of his life, namely the death of his mother and sister, and then later as president he lost his son Willie.
"The huge burden of conducting the Civil War while mourning the loss of a son must have been overwhelming," the Wilmington ordinary said. "Both he and his wife found solace in the midst of their grief by visiting wounded soldiers and comforting the families of soldiers who had died."
As for the beatitudes "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth," "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy," and "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God," Bishop Malooly said Lincoln expressed those with his "gentleness, kindness and innate understanding."
"Just by his presence and his understanding of personalities, he could heal hurt feelings and resolve conflicts with his empathy and good will," said the bishop. "We, like Lincoln, are called to be instruments of the mercy of Christ's heart and in moments of conflict in our lives to inspire people to follow paths of forgiveness and peace."
According to the prelate, Lincoln lived the beatitudes "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" and "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" in his fight for the emancipation of slaves.
Justice
He highlighted the friendship between Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, "and their ongoing conversation that led ultimately to the Emancipation Proclamation."
The bishop noted that with the election of Barack Obama, the first black president, "America has not completed its journey of providing justice to African Americans, but it was Abraham Lincoln who ensured that the journey would at least begin."
Lincoln returned "good for evil," said the bishop, noting in this way how he lived the beatitude "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kind of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven."
"Lincoln was pilloried from thousands of vantage points during his presidency. He was ridiculed and caricatured in the press of his day in so ruthless a manner that it shocks even modern Americans," said the prelate. "Yet Lincoln resisted the temptation to respond in kind. He knew the practical wisdom of returning good for evil.
"Nowhere was his generosity of spirit more in evidence than in the way he treated his adversaries. It was Lincoln who, when accused of not being aggressive enough in the destruction of his enemies, said sagely, 'Am I not destroying my enemy when I make him my friend?'"
"Lincoln's eloquence in both the written and spoken word, his moral force, political courage and direct action were critical to the dismantling of the institution of slavery," Bishop Malooly added. "And he paid the price. This was the leader who, in the eyes of his contemporaries, died as a martyr for the nation."
Bishop Malooly also touched on Lincoln's "innate and subtle theological sense that deepened and become more profound as he led the nation through the Civil War."
Pointing specifically to his second inaugural address, delivered just one month before he was assassinated, the bishop noted how Lincoln "reflects on God's will and the mystery of Divine justice and mercy."
"In language that resonates with Catholic teaching," the bishop said, "Lincoln [...] spoke of a just God, of a 'God who planted the seed of liberty in us.'"
Charity
Bishop Malooly said the address also included one of "American history's most inspirational expressions of Christian charity": "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan -- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."
"President Lincoln was known for his magnanimity -- that dimension of the moral virtue of fortitude that courageously embraces the challenges of pursuing the common good," continued the prelate. "He was also magnanimous in repeatedly extending forgiveness to colleagues, rivals and antagonists. He had fortitude to stay the course and temperance to stay balanced. He acted justly."
Bishop Malooly concluded the letter with a call for modern statesmen "who see widely and clearly."
"Although the needs of our nation are many, more than anything else we need statesmen who recognize and respect all human beings without exception," he added.
The bishop said he would pray that our current political leaders will "have the breadth of vision to come to see that all human beings from conception until natural death are precious in the eyes of God and deserve the protection of our laws."
He concluded, "I will pray that we all act 'with malice toward none; with charity for all.'"
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On the Net:
Full text: www.cdow.org/lincoln.html
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Cultural Promotion in Church's DNA (Part 2)
Interview With Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone After Mexico VisitVATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Our Lady of Guadalupe signifies a meeting and a unity between different cultures, inviting popular and elite groups to come together in one nation, said the Pope's secretary of state.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was in Mexico from Jan. 15 to 19 to preside over the 6th World Meeting of Families and to meet with Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, as well as with the representatives of the world of culture.
On his return to the Vatican, the secretary of state gave a joint interview to Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano and the Vatican Television Center, in which he evaluated his visit.
This interview was conducted by Carlo Di Cicco, deputy director of the Vatican newspaper, and Roberto Piermarini, director of the news service of the papal radio.
Part 1 of this interview was published Thursday.
Q: Another point [you] touched upon was the necessary opening and recovery of "mestizaje" [intercultural mixing that gives rise to a new culture]. Is it not a concept that is needed not only in Mexico but also in Western countries, where this concept is accepted with difficulty and there is still a long way to go?
Cardinal Bertone: "Mestizaje" is a way of thinking, a very beautiful reality that indicates the evolution of the culture, which is verified through the meeting of cultures, a meeting that must not be exclusion.
In Mexico -- but the same is true for other countries, for example, in the West -- the code of the culture is the Gospel and the Bible.
Nevertheless, in Europe and in the West, the cultural code, which is the Gospel and the Bible, or better, its Christian roots, is occasionally laid aside and discarded as a code of life, of experience and of cultural evolution.
In Mexico, Mexican Baroque and the whole mestizo inspiration of the Virgin of Guadalupe, are in danger of being divided by those who only defend the indigenous culture and on the other hand, those who propound a superiority -- so to speak -- of European culture, which would have done away with the roots, the indigenous roots.
Because of this, we are at risk [of a] opposition between the indigenous and European cultures, without a real dialogue and a synergy of the two cultures, and a synthesis made by both that would form this new culture, which is the characteristic of the Mexican people and of so many peoples of Latin America.
This division, this enormous divorce, is the great divorce that occurred between popular culture and the culture of the elites, so influenced by European culture.
So, in the face of this divorce, the great Baroque and "mestizo" synthesis is the sign of the identity of the Mexican people.
The division must be avoided and the synthesis taken up again between the cultures through an effective, fecund and fruitful dialogue.
This dialogue is represented in Mexico by art, but also by that mysterious, extraordinary presence that Pope John Paul II underlined in the figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe, when he said that she is a symbol of the inculturation of evangelization. Since the beginning of the history of the New World, the "mestizo" face of the Virgin of Guadalupe showed that there is unity of the person, within the variety of cultures and in the meeting between cultures.
Q: What is your judgment on the meeting you had with the president of the republic?
Cardinal Bertone: It was an extremely cordial meeting, I would say very beautiful and very rich, which lasted just over an hour, an hour and 10 minutes.
It was a meeting with a Catholic man, who delivered a great speech in the assembly of the World Meeting of Families, a man who has the will to recover the Christian roots of Mexican culture, but who also asks precise questions to the Church.
He underlined the relation between religion and life, the need for coherence in belonging to the Catholic religion. Let's keep in mind that 87% of Mexicans, according to the most recent statistics, declare themselves Catholic, but as in many places, unfortunately, the fact of declaring themselves Catholic does not mean that they live in accord with the Gospel and the indications of the Church.
That is why we spoke with great sincerity and touched on several topics, such as the educational problem in Mexico, the topic of Catholic schools, which constitute, I believe, 5% and, consequently, a very low percentage of all Mexican schools; we spoke, therefore, of the problem of instruction.
We also spoke about the teaching of the Catholic religion for the integral formation of children and young people, and for the development of their personality.
I gave as an example the agreement signed between the Holy See and Brazil, which addresses this matter. It deals with an enormous Latin American country, a modern country.
I was happy to greet all the members of his family, [his] three children; one is called John Paul, probably in memory of John Paul II's visits to Mexico.
Q: What conclusions have you come to on the Church in Mexico after your meeting in prayer with the bishops, seminarians and faithful?
Cardinal Bertone: I think it is a very lively Church.
The Church in Mexico is not an institution in crisis; there is a beautiful episcopate.
I met with the bishops, as I do on all the international visits and trips I make. I had a very frank discussion also with them. I could see a Church in growth, from several points of view, obviously with all the difficulties of modern times and of the countries of Latin America: for example, the problem of the aggressiveness of the sects.
However, it is about a growing Church, which gives a role to the laity, and the laity have a great desire to collaborate, both in the ambit of culture as well as business, typical of lay activity, and also in politics.
They ask for guidance from the Church, encouragement and proposals in order to participate together and share.
In only November of last year, the bishops held the meeting of the episcopal conference with the participation of 120 [members] of the Catholic laity, well-prepared and well-intentioned and, for that reason, able to collaborate and reinvigorate the presence of the Church in Mexican society.
Vocations continue to be numerous, the seminaries continue to be crowded, though with different numbers from one diocese to another, but there are dioceses with hundreds of seminarians.
The problem of formation is still to be resolved, but it is a question of an immense strength. Keep in mind that Mexico has 92 dioceses, so that Mexico can be a missionary source for neighboring countries.
Q: Your interventions and those of Benedict XVI had a singular harmony, as two instances of the same theme of the colloquium with the Church in Mexico. What does that mean and what is the objective of this harmony?
Cardinal Bertone: I must first say that the Holy Father knows Mexico's Church very well, as the episcopal conference and consequently the bishops of Mexico, came on their "ad limina" visit a few months after the election of Benedict XVI, who, as he does in all visits of this type, prepared himself in detail.
He studied the reports provided by the dioceses, by the nuncio and by the episcopal conference, having a specific dialogue with each bishop. This allows, of course, taking the pulse of the life of the Church in a specific country.
Moreover, the Pope's first collaborator is perfectly in tune with him. Of course the secretary of state knows the Pope's speeches and prepares himself for these trips in harmony with the interventions and topics that most concern the Holy Father and the Holy See.
The topics of the family and culture, especially during the meeting in Queretaro with the world of culture, are topics that the Pope has very close to his heart.
We know quite well the articulation of the Holy Father's thought and that is why it isn't difficult to be in tune with his thought: to support the bishops, the Catholic world and the Mexican laity in this full and concrete communion, not only through prayer, but with the affection, also public and enthusiastic, of the Holy Father, while at the same time sharing the cultural and pastoral projects that interest him.
I tried to encourage this great Catholic country -- this was the objective -- to be an attractive country, a model country for Latin America and the Caribbean, above all because of its strength, its extraordinary resources, as it has great human wealth and ample material, moral and cultural resources.
Because of this, Mexico could be a spearhead for the rest of the countries of Latin America. This is the hope that I would like to formulate after my trip to Mexico, and which I place at the feet of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
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On the Net:
Part 1 of this interview: www.zenit.org/article-25082?l=english
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Papal Address on Day for Consecrated Life
"Paul Lives For, With and In Christ"VATICAN CITY, FEB. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.
A Mass was held in St. Peter's Square to mark the 13th World Day of Consecrated Life. The Pope delivered this message after the Mass.
* * *
Your Eminence,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I meet you with great joy at the end of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, on this liturgical Feast which for 13 years now has gathered men and women religious for the Day for Consecrated Life. I cordially greet Cardinal Franc Rodé, with special gratitude to him and to his collaborators at the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life for their service to the Holy See and to what I would call the "cosmos" of consecrated life. I greet with affection the men and women Superiors General present here and all of you, brothers and sisters who, with your witness as consecrated persons modeled on the Virgin Mary, carry Christ's light in the Church and in the world. In this Pauline Year, I make my own the Apostle's words: "I give thanks to my God every time I think of you which is constantly, in every prayer I utter rejoicing, as I plead on your behalf, at the way you have all continually helped promote the gospel from the very first day" (Phil 1: 3-5). In this greeting addressed to the Christian community of Philippi, Paul expresses the affectionate remembrance he cherishes of all who live the Gospel personally and toil to pass it on, combining the care of their interior life with the effort of the apostolic mission.
In the Church's tradition, St Paul has always been recognized as father and teacher of those, called by the Lord, who have chosen unconditional dedication to him and to his Gospel. Various religious Institutes are named after St. Paul and draw from him a specific charismatic inspiration. One can say that he repeats to all consecrated men and women a forthright and affectionate invitation: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11: 1). What in fact is consecrated life other than a radical imitation of Jesus, a total "sequela" of him? (cf. Mt 19: 27-28). Well, in all this Paul represents a sound pedagogical mediation: imitating him in the following of Jesus, dear friends, is the privileged way to correspond fully to your vocation of special consecration in the Church.
Indeed, from his own voice we can recognize a lifestyle that expresses the substance of consecrated life inspired by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. He sees the life of poverty as the guarantee of a Gospel proclamation carried out totally gratuitously (cf. 1 Cor 9:1-23), while at the same time he expresses concrete solidarity to his brethren in need. In this regard we all know of Paul's decision to support himself with the work of his hands and of his commitment to collecting offerings for the poor of Jerusalem (cf. 1 Thes 2: 9; 2 Cor 8-9).
Paul is also an apostle who, in accepting God's call to chastity, gave his heart to the Lord in an undivided manner to be able to serve his brethren with even greater freedom and dedication (cf. 1 Cor 7: 7; 2 Cor 11: 1-2). Furthermore, in a world in which the values of Christian chastity were far from widespread (cf. 1 Cor 6: 12-20) he offered a reliable reference for conduct. Then concerning obedience it suffices to note that doing God's will and the "daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches" (2 Cor 11: 28) motivated, shaped and consummated his existence, rendered a sacrifice that found favor with God. All this brought him to proclaim, as he wrote to the Philippians: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil 1: 21).
Another fundamental aspect of Paul's consecrated life is the mission.
He belongs wholly to Jesus in order, like Jesus, to belong to all; indeed, to be Jesus for all: "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor 9: 22). In him, so closely united to the person of Christ, we recognize a profound capacity for combining spiritual life and missionary action. In him the two dimensions refer to each other reciprocally. And thus we can say that he belongs to the ranks of those "mystical builders" whose existence is both contemplative and active, open to God and to the brethren, in order to carry out an effective service to the Gospel. In this mystic and apostolic tension, I would like to remark on the Apostle's courage as he faced the sacrifice of confronting terrible trials, even to the point of martyrdom (cf. 2 Cor 11: 16-33) and on his steadfast faith based on the words of his Lord: "my grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection" (2 Cor 12: 9-10). His spiritual experience thus appears to us as a lived-out expression of the Paschal Mystery, which he investigated intensely and proclaimed as a form of Christian life. Paul lives for, with and in Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ", he writes, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2: 20); and again: "for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil 1: 21).
This explains why he does not tire of urging us to behave in such a way that Christ's word may dwell within us in its richness (cf. Col 3: 16). This brings to mind the invitation addressed to you in the recent Instruction on The Service of Authority and Obedience, to seek "every morning... a living and faithful contact with the Word which is proclaimed that day, meditating on it and holding it in [your] heart as a treasure, making of it the root of every action and the primary criterion of each choice". I therefore hope that the Pauline Year will nourish still more in you the determination to accept the testimony of St Paul, meditating every day upon the word of God with the faithful practice of lectio divina, praying with "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness..." (Col 3: 16). May he also help you to carry out your apostolic service in and with the Church with a spirit of communion without reservation, making a gift of your own charisms to others (cf. 1 Cor 14: 12), and witnessing in the first place to the greatest charism which is charity (cf. 1 Cor 13).
Dear brothers and sisters, today's liturgy urges us to look at the Virgin Mary, the "consecrated one" par excellence. Paul speaks of her with concise but effective words that describe her greatness and her task: she is the "woman" from whom, in the fullness of time, the Son of God was born (cf. Gal 4: 4).
Mary is the Mother who today presents her Son to the Father at the Temple, also continuing in this action the "yes" she spoke at the moment of the Annunciation. May she once again be the mother who accompanies and sustains us, God's children and her children, in carrying out a generous service to God and to the brethren. To this end, I invoke her heavenly intercession as I warmly impart the Apostolic Blessing to all of you and to your respective religious families.
© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Discovering Christ: An Inquiry and Meditation Msgr Francis D. Kelly
This comprehensive but compact Christology of 140 pages, published by Our Sunday Visitor Press of Huntington, IN brings together the best recent scriptural and theological research on Jesus in a style that is also conducive to meditation. It can be used for personal reading or as textbook for a Christology program.
Comments on the book:
Cardinal Francis George, "it makes Christology accessible"
Archbishop Donald Wuerl, "an insightful and spiritual reflection"
Fr. G. O'Collins, S.J. " a precious book which should do a lot of good"
Fr Benedict Groeschel, CFR - " a fine concise summary"
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