ZE090321
ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - March 21, 2009
ZENIT DEPENDS ON YOU!
Annual fund-raising campaign
Can you offer your help in this fund-raising campaign?
You can help in many ways:
-- Send your DONATION through: http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
-- Send us your TESTIMONY at: testimonials@zenit.org
(If you send us an e-mail, we will assume permission to use it -including your name- in our campaign)
-- Send your IDEAS at infodonations@zenit.org about how to encourage our readers during the campaign
-- Send SUGGESTIONS about benefactors and foundations ready to assist the work of evangelization through the media
-- Remember Zenit in your PRAYERS
WORLD FEATURES
Latin American Bishops Reaffirm Confidence in Pope
Irish Diocese Promotes Vocations on Facebook
INTERVIEW
Angola Has High Expectations of the Papal Visit
DOCUMENTS
Papal Address to Youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium
Benedict XVI's Homily at Angola's São Paolo Church
MESSAGE TO READERS
Letters to the Editor
Latin American Bishops Reaffirm Confidence in Pope
Thank Pontiff for Letter Explaining Lefebvrite SituationBOGOTA, Colombia, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Thirty bishops sent Benedict XVI a letter of solidarity, expressing support in response to the criticisms against him in recent weeks, and thanking him for his letter to worldwide prelates.
The bishops, general secretaries of bishops' conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean, sent the letter while meeting in Bogota.
They expressed gratitude for the Pope's March 12 letter sent to bishops worldwide, in which he explained the reasons and facts regarding the lifting of the excommunication of four bishops illegitimately ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The message of support to the Pontiff was signed by Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil, president of the Latin American episcopal council, and by Archbishop Victor Sánchez Espinosa of Puebla, Mexico, the council's secretary-general.
The letter stated: "What His Holiness wrote has moved us and reinforced our profound ecclesial communion.
"We have also regarded it as an example of a merciful and transparent spirit, motivated by the unforeseen echo of the events, but also trusting that what has occurred is moreover a positive design of the Lord for his Church at this moment of history."
It continued: "Your letter traces a path for us of truth, love and unity necessary for each one of us, called to the apostolic succession for the ministerial service.
"Your Holiness describes very well something that is not far from our own pastoral experience: in fact persons and groups that claim tolerance for themselves, can arbitrarily deny it to those who seek an approach in truth.
"Most Holy Father, as a representative group of our Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, with these lines we wish to add ourselves to the renewed expressions of affection, confidence and communion with Your Holiness in our prayers and service to the Churches entrusted to us, and in responsibility for the great universal Church that the Lord has commended to you."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Irish Diocese Promotes Vocations on Facebook
Encourages Enthusiasm About PriesthoodWEXFORD, Ireland, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Diocese of Ferns is launching a new vocations promotion program, taking the campaign to the Facebook Internet site to raise awareness of the need for priests.
In a press conference last week, Bishop Denis Brennan said that this plan reflects the diocese's work in the "real world."
He said: "God knows whose lives it will touch. A vocation is a mysterious thing.
"It's an affair of the heart. It is hard to understand, as it is partly a calling and it's partly a response."
A team of promoters, including Father Joseph McGrath, who works in vocational direction in a school, spoke about the plan.
Father McGrath said that Facebook users who live in the diocese will be contacted with vocational information. At the same time, priests will visit schools to explain their mission and vocation.
Vocations year
This program is part of the Irish Church's year for vocations promoted by the bishops' conference, which began last April 13 and will end May 3. The Irish seminary, St. Patrick's, has announced a special open day for all those discerning a priestly vocation, to visit the institution on May 3, vocations Sunday.
Father McGrath noted that the Ferns campaign is part of a strategy to build the priesthood for the future. "We are starting now because we don't want this to be a sprint, we want a marathon; we are going to continue this for years to come," he explained.
The vocations team reported that the number of priests ordained in the past years has been declining, and that the current diocesan pastors are getting close to retirement age, alerting them to the need of new vocations.
Father McGrath encouraged his fellow priests to be positive and enthusiastic about their vocation, noting that this is the most important resource in the campaign.
Bishop Brennan described a vocation as a "mysterious thing" and "an affair of the heart."
"It is hard to understand, as it is partly a calling and it's partly a response," he observed.
He said the diocese has to work in the "real world" but was inviting young people to join it.
Priests, Brennan noted, were an integral part of their communities and are "very badly missed when they move on".
He does not expect increased recruitment to the priesthood because of the recession and there was a strict entry process which included psychological assessment and an interview with the bishop, because he wanted "to get people coming who are suitable," he said.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Angola Has High Expectations of the Papal Visit
Interview with Italian Missionary Father Luigi De LiberaliBy Roberta Sciamplicotti
LUENA, Angola, MARCH 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Angola, a country attempting to leave the nightmare of war in its past, expects much from the Pope's visit, says Salesian Father Luigi De Liberali.
Father De Liberali is pastor of the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Luena (eastern Angola), the largest Salesian parish in the world, covering more than 50,000 square kilometers [32,000 square miles], but with a low population density. Over a third of the city of Luena is rural, consisting of more than 160 communities. These are difficult to access given the few existing roads, often in a poor state due to the civil was that lasted almost 30 years and ended in 2002.
In this interview with ZENIT, the missionary spoke about the present ecclesial situation in Angola and the hopes roused by Benedict XVI's visit to the country that began Friday and will end on Monday.
Q: How long have you been in Angola and what has been your personal experience to date?
Father De Liberali: I am a Salesian priest and I have been in Angola for a short time -- I was a missionary in northeast Brazil for 18 years -- but I live in a Salesian community that has over 25 years of experience in this land.
My work is itinerant. I visit the different rural communities, spread over a territory that is as large as the north of Italy. On my first visit, I found a chapel with an image of Mary with the Child Jesus in her arms and I entrusted my mission to her, to be able to take Christ to whomever I met.
Given that we are living the Pauline Year, I also thought of St. Paul and invoked him to be my guide and to teach me to be a good itinerant, living with his missionary ardor and learning how to form Christian communities.
Q: What is the situation of the Church in Angola?
Father De Liberali: The situation is very different in the various dioceses of the country. The civil war, which lasted almost 30 years -- from the proclamation of independence from Portugal in 1975 to 2002 -- has clearly marked two periods: one of persecution and one of participation.
Of increasing importance has been the action of the community's coordinator -- the catechist -- who has kept the faith alive even in places that were hard for a priest to reach once or twice a year.
There are, instead, areas where the Catholic Church has been present for only a few years, and has yet to evangelize well, such as the one I am in, in the province of Moxico, in the east of the country.
In general the structures of the Church -- Caritas, schools, health centers -- work well and have given and continue to give an important support to the people's social growth. Of note is sensitization on the problem of woman -- through groups called "PROMAICA" -- reflection on human rights, and the endeavor for adult literacy -- with the "Don Bosco method."
Q: To what degree is the faith inculturated? Is it well integrated in the local context or is it regarded as something "external" to traditional African values?
Father De Liberali: The Church is well integrated in the culture and values of the Angolan people, especially when speaking of a God who wants life and peace.
We could say that the Church has succeeded in entering people's lives: she doesn't look from outside, but supports the nation's political/cultural development.
The people participate in celebrations of the Mass, especially through singing and the offertory. One of the loveliest customs in Eucharistic celebrations, which I have found here in Angola, is called "tambula," an offertory procession in which the faithful present their own gifts, bringing to the altar country products, food, chickens and household utensils. At the end of the celebration, these gifts are given to the priest or to a poor family; it is a small but great sign of generosity that poor communities are also able to carry out in a concrete way.
In regard to singing, it must be said that the people sing beautifully, and, in singing, are able to transmit their soul.
Q: What are the challenges facing the country and what are the signs of hope?
Father De Liberali: The main challenges are education, health, the reconstruction of structures destroyed by the war -- roads, bridges -- the recovery of agricultural and industrial production and the redistribution of wealth.
In regard to the signs of hope, in the first place I underline the peace that all wish to continue to build and the will not to let what has been achieved to date die. Along with this are religious liberty, the path of political democratization through elections and the great potential of young people.
Q: How has the Pope's visit been received and what special preparations were made for this event?
Father De Liberali: The news was well received by all segments of society. Radio and television published it a lot, inviting people to participate in the different meetings with the Pope and to listen to his message of peace and love.
In the preceding days, every night the national television news program presented the initiatives of the different Angolan dioceses. Catecheses were prepared -- pamphlets and a book -- to know the Pope better; giant posters and prayers have been printed to receive him, and prayer vigils were organized.
Q: What hopes does this visit rouse?
Father De Liberali: There are many expectations. All hope that Benedict XVI's visit will confirm even more the country's desire for peace and direct the path of Christian communities.
We hope the Pope will pronounce words of encouragement to the poorest and neediest, that he will open the hearts of all to Christ's words, that he will give a missionary impetus to the Church in Angola, and that this visit will show a Church that is united and in solidarity with the people.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Papal Address to Youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium
"The Power to Shape the Future Is Within You"LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave today at a meeting with youth at Dos Coqueiros Stadium in Luanda.
* * *
Dear Friends,
You have come here in great numbers to be with the Successor of Peter, and you represent so many other young people who are one with us in spirit. You have come to join me in proclaiming openly the joy of our faith in Jesus Christ, and in renewing your commitment to be his faithful disciples in our time. A meeting much like this took place here in Luanda on June 7, 1992 with our beloved Pope John Paul II. Today another Pope stands before you: with a different appearance, but with the same love in his heart, and he embraces all of you in Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8).
First of all I want to thank you for this celebration which you have planned for me, for the festive atmosphere which you yourselves generate, for your presence and for your joy. I cordially greet my brother Bishops and priests and all those who are engaged in youth ministry. I likewise greet with gratitude all who have prepared this event, especially the Bishops' Commission for Young People and Vocations, and its President, Bishop Kanda Almeida, whom I thank for his warm words of welcome. I greet all the young people present, Catholics and others, who are looking for an answer to their questions and difficulties. Some of these have been expressed by your representatives, and I have listened to them with gratitude and appreciation. The embrace I exchanged with them is, naturally, an embrace which I offer to all of you.
Meeting young people is good for everyone! You may have your share of difficulties, but you are filled with great hope, great enthusiasm and a great desire to make a new beginning. My young friends, you hold within yourselves the power to shape the future. I encourage you to look to that future through the eyes of the Apostle John. Saint John tells us: "I saw a new Heaven and a new earth ... and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold the dwelling of God is with men'" (Rev 21:1-3). Dear young people, God makes all the difference. His special presence among us begins with his easy intimacy with the first couple in the garden of Eden; it continues with the divine glory which shone forth from the Tent of Meeting in the midst of the People of Israel during their journey through the desert, and it culminates in the incarnation of the Son of God who became inseparably one with humanity in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself traversed the desert of our humanity and, passing beyond death, he rose from the dead and now draws all humanity with himself towards God. Jesus is no longer confined to a particular place and time. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, flows forth from him, enters our hearts and thus joins us to him, and with him to the Father -- to the God who is one and three.
Yes, my friends! God makes all the difference ... and more! God changes us; he makes us new! This is what he has promised: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev 21:5). It is true! The Apostle Paul tells us: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled himself to us" (2 Cor 5:17-18). In ascending to Heaven and entering eternity, Jesus Christ has become the Lord of all ages. So he can walk with us as a friend in the present, carrying in his hand the book of our days. In his hand he also holds the past, the foundation and source of our life. He also carefully holds the future, allowing us to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful dawn we will ever see: the dawn that radiates from him, the dawn of the Resurrection. God is the future of a new humanity, which is anticipated in his Church. When you have a chance, take time to read the Church's history. You will find that the Church does not grow old with the passing of the years. Rather, she grows younger, for she is journeying towards her Lord, day by day drawing nearer to the one true fountain overflowing with youthfulness, rebirth, the power of life.
Dear young people, the future is God. As we have just heard, "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). At present though, and even in our midst, I see some of the many thousands of young Angolans who have been maimed or disabled as a result of the war and the landmines. I think of the countless tears that have been shed for the loss of your relatives and friends. It is not hard to imagine the dark clouds that still veil the horizon of your fondest hopes and dreams. In your hearts I see doubt, a doubt which you have expressed to me today. You are saying: "Here is what we have. There is no visible sign of the things you are talking about! The promise is backed by God's word -- and we believe it -- but when will God arise and renew all things?" Jesus' answer is the one he gave to his disciples: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (Jn 14:1-2). But you persist, dear young people: "Yes! But when will this happen?" The Apostles asked Jesus a similar question, and his answer was: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8). See how Jesus does not leave us without an answer; he tells us one thing very clearly: renewal starts from within; you will receive a power from on high. The power to shape the future is within you.
It is within you, but how? Just as life exists within a seed. That is how Jesus explained it at a critical juncture in his ministry. The beginning of his ministry was accompanied by great enthusiasm. People saw the sick healed, demons cast out, the Gospel proclaimed, but otherwise the world had not changed: the Romans remained in power and everyday life continued to be hard, despite those miracles and those beautiful words. People's enthusiasm was waning so much that even some of his disciples had left the Master (cf. Jn 6:66) who preached but did not change the world. Everyone was asking: deep down, what value does this message have? What has this prophet of God brought us? It was then that Jesus spoke about the sower who sows in the field of the world, and he explained that the seed is his word (Mk 4:3-20) and his miracles of healing. These are so few in comparison to the immense needs and demands of everyday life. And yet, deep within the seed, the future is already present, since the seed contains tomorrow's bread, tomorrow's life. The seed seems almost nothing. But it is the presence of the future, the promise already present. When it falls on good soil, it produces fruit, thirty, sixty and even a hundredfold.
My dear friends, you are a seed which God has sown in the world, a seed that contains power from on high, the power of the Holy Spirit. And yet, the only way to pass from the promise of life to actually bearing fruit is to give your lives in love, to die for love. Jesus himself said: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (Jn 12:24-25). This is what Jesus said, and this is how he acted. His crucifixion seems like complete failure, but it is not! Jesus, in the power of "the eternal Spirit, offered himself without blemish to God" (Heb 9:14). Thus, once he fell to the earth, he could bear fruit in every time and place. In your midst you have the new Bread, the Bread of future life, the Most Holy Eucharist, which nourishes us and pours out the life of the Trinity into the hearts of all people.
Dear young people, as seeds filled with the power of the same eternal Spirit, sprout up before the warmth of the Eucharist, in which the Lord's testament is fulfilled: he gives himself to us and we respond by giving ourselves to others, for love of him. This is the way that leads to life; it can be followed only by maintaining a constant dialogue with the Lord and among yourselves. The dominant societal culture is not helping you to live by Jesus' word or to practise the self-giving to which he calls you in accordance with the Father's plan. Yet, dear friends, you have the power within you, just as it was in Jesus when he said: "the Father who dwells in me does his works... he who believes in me, will also do the works that I do; and he will do greater works than these, because I go to the Father" (Jn 14:10,12). So do not be afraid to make definitive decisions. You do not lack generosity -- that I know! But the idea of risking a lifelong commitment, whether in marriage or in a life of special consecration, can be daunting. You might think: "The world is in constant flux and life is full of possibilities. Can I make a life-long commitment now, without knowing what unforeseen events lie in store for me? By making a definitive decision, would I not be risking my freedom and tying my own hands?" These are the doubts you feel, and today's individualistic and hedonist culture aggravates them. Yet when young people avoid decisions, there is a risk of never attaining to full maturity!
I say to you: Take courage! Dare to make definitive decisions, because in reality these are the only decisions which do not destroy your freedom, but guide it in the right direction, enabling you to move forward and attain something worthwhile in life. There is no doubt about it: life is worthwhile only if you take courage and are ready for adventure, if you trust in the Lord who will never abandon you. Young people of Angola, unleash the power of the Holy Spirit within you, the power from on high! Trusting in this power, like Jesus, risk taking a leap and making a definitive decision. Give life a chance! In this way islands, oases and great stretches of Christian culture will spring up in your midst, and bring to light that "holy city coming down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". This is the life worthy of being lived, and I commend it to you from my heart. May God bless the young people of Angola!
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
email this article | print this article | comment this article
Benedict XVI's Homily at Angola's São Paolo Church
"Let Us Make Haste to Know the Lord"LUANDA, Angola, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the homily Benedict XVI gave today at a Mass with bishops, priests, religious, ecclesial movements and catechists of Angola and São Tomé at São Paolo Church in Luanda.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Beloved laborers in the Lord's vineyard,
As we have just heard, the children of Israel said to one another, "let us make haste to know the Lord." They encouraged one another with these words amid their many tribulations. These misfortunes had overtaken them -- the Prophet explains -- because they lived without knowledge of God; their hearts were poor in love. The only physician capable of healing them was the Lord. Indeed, he himself, as a good physician, opened their wounds so that the sore might heal. And the people made up their mind: "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us" (Hosea 6:1). Thus human poverty was to intersect with divine mercy, which desires only to embrace the poor.
We see this in the Gospel passage that we have just heard: "Two men went up into the temple to pray"; the one "went down to his house justified rather than the other" (Luke 18:10, 14). The latter had paraded all his merits before God, virtually making God his debtor. Deep down, he felt no need for God, even though he thanked him for letting him become so perfect, "not like this tax collector." And yet it was the tax collector who went down to his house justified. Conscious of his sins, and so not even lifting his head -- although in his trust he is completely turned towards Heaven -- he awaits everything from the Lord: "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). He knocks on the door of mercy, which then opens and justifies him, for, as Jesus concludes: "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
St. Paul, the patron saint of the city of Luanda and of this splendid church built some fifty years ago, speaks to us from personal experience about this God who is rich in mercy. I wanted to highlight the second millennium of the birth of St. Paul by celebrating the present Pauline Year, so that we can learn from him how to know Jesus Christ more fully. This is the testimony which Paul has bequeathed to us: "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15-16). In the course of the centuries, the number of people touched by grace has continually grown. You and I are among them. Let us give thanks to God because he has called us to be part of this age-long procession and thus to advance towards the future. In the footsteps of all Jesus' followers, let us join them in following Christ himself and thus enter into the Light.
Dear brothers and sisters, I feel great joy to be here today with you, my fellow-workers in the Lord's vineyard, where you labor daily to prepare the wine of divine mercy and to pour it out as balm on the wounds of your people who have suffered so many tribulations. Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi has spoken of your hopes and your struggles in his gracious words of welcome. With a heart full of gratitude and hope I greet you all -- women and men devoted to the cause of Jesus Christ -- those of you who are here and the many others whom you represent: bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, seminarians, catechists, leaders of the many different movements and associations present in this beloved Church of God. I would also like to mention the contemplative women religious, an unseen but extremely fruitful presence for our common journey. Finally, let me offer a particular greeting to the Salesian community and the faithful of this parish of St. Paul; they have welcomed us to their church, without hesitating to yield the place which is usually theirs in the liturgical assembly. I know that they are gathered in the field next door, and I hope, at the end of this Eucharist, to see them and give them my blessing, but even now I say to them: "Many thanks! May God raise up in you, and through you, many apostles modeled on your patron."
The decisive event in Paul's life was his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: Christ appeared to him as a dazzling light, he spoke to him and he won him over. The Apostle saw the Risen Jesus; and in him he beheld the full stature of humanity. As a result Paul experienced an inversion of perspective; he now saw everything in the light of this perfect stature of humanity in Christ: what had earlier seemed essential and fundamental, he now considered nothing more than "refuse"; no longer "gain" but loss, for now the only thing that mattered was life in Christ (cf. Philippians 3:7-8). Far from being merely a stage in Paul's personal growth, this was a death to himself and a resurrection in Christ: one form of life died in him, and a new form was born, with the Risen Christ.
My brothers and sisters, "let us make haste to know the Lord", the Risen One! As you know, Jesus, perfect man, is also our true God. In him, God became visible to our eyes, to give us a share in his divine life. With him a new dimension of being, of life, has come about, a dimension which integrates matter and through which a new world arises. But this qualitative leap in universal history which Jesus brought about in our place and for our sake -- how is it communicated to human beings, how does it permeate their life and raise it on high? It comes to each of us through faith and Baptism. This sacrament is truly death and resurrection, transformation and new life, so much so that the baptized person can say together with Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). I live, but no longer I. In a certain way, my identity has been taken away and made part of an even greater identity; I still have my personal identity, but now it is changed and open to others as a result of my becoming part of Another: in Christ I find myself living on a new plane. What then has happened to us? Paul gives us the answer: You have become one in Christ Jesus (cf. Galatians 3:28).
Through this process of our "christification" by the working and grace of God's Spirit, the gestation of the Body of Christ in history is gradually being accomplished in us. At this moment I would like to go back in thought five centuries, to the years following 1506, when, in these lands, then visited by the Portuguese, the first sub-Saharan Christian kingdom was established, thanks to the faith and determination of the king, Dom Alphonsus I Mbemba-a-Nzinga, who reigned from 1506 until his death in 1543. The kingdom remained officially Catholic from the sixteenth century until the eighteenth, with its own ambassador in Rome. You see how two quite different ethnic groups -- the Bantu and the Portuguese -- were able to find in the Christian religion common ground for understanding, and committed themselves to ensuring that this understanding would be long-lasting, and that differences -- which undoubtedly existed, and great ones at that -- would not divide the two kingdoms! For Baptism enables all believers to be one in Christ.
Today it is up to you, brothers and sisters, following in the footsteps of those heroic and holy heralds of God, to offer the Risen Christ to your fellow citizens. So many of them are living in fear of spirits, of malign and threatening powers. In their bewilderment they end up even condemning street children and the elderly as alleged sorcerers. Who can go to them to proclaim that Christ has triumphed over death and all those occult powers (cf. Ephesians 1:19-23; 6:10-12)? Someone may object: "Why not leave them in peace? They have their truth, and we have ours. Let us all try to live in peace, leaving everyone as they are, so they can best be themselves." But if we are convinced and have come to experience that without Christ life lacks something, that something real -- indeed, the most real thing of all -- is missing, we must also be convinced that we do no injustice to anyone if we present Christ to them and thus grant them the opportunity of finding their truest and most authentic selves, the joy of finding life. Indeed, we must do this. It is our duty to offer everyone this possibility of attaining eternal life.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us say to them, in the words of the Israelite people: "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us." Let us enable human poverty to encounter divine mercy. The Lord makes us his friends, he entrusts himself to us, he gives us his Body in the Eucharist, he entrusts his Church to us. And so we ought truly to be his friends, to be one in mind with him, to desire what he desires and to reject what he does not desire. Jesus himself said: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14). Let this, then, be our common commitment: together to do his holy will: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). Let us embrace his will, like St. Paul: "Preaching the Gospel [...] is a necessity laid upon me; woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16).
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
email this article | print this article | comment this article
NEW YORK, MARCH 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- ZENIT will suspend Letters to the Editor this week in favor of covering Benedict XVI's apostolic journey to Africa. The weekly installment of letters will resume next Saturday.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
ZENIT is an International News Agency.
For reprint permission: http://www.zenit.org/english/permissions.html
Visit our web page at http://www.zenit.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe: http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html
To give a ZENIT gift subscription: http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html
To make a donation to support ZENIT: http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html
SEND US YOUR NEWS.
Please send press releases using: http://www.zenit.org/english/news.html
Copyright, Innovative Media, Inc.
0 comments:
Post a Comment