On George Tiller

Let me be perfectly clear: the murder of abortionist George Tiller is a horrific act, an act of true cowardice, and I condemn it completely and unequivocally. There is absolutely no justification for this action, and murder is never pro-life. As of yet, of course, we have no details as to the motivation behind the murder, and while it's probable that this will turn out to be a deranged and misguided pro-life activist, we would do well to wait for confirmation before making that sort of judgment. But if it turns out that this man was a pro-life activist, then it also turns out that he is a disgusting hypocrite who violated the very belief that he claimed to represent: that human life is sacred, and that we possess an intrinsic right to life from conception until natural death.

It saddens me how his death will be turned into a faux-martyrdom, and what's worse, coming just at a time when the Obama administration has targeted pro-lifers as potential terrorists, this is just going to cause them to feel justified in that outrageous labeling. And now look, the calls of terrorism have already begun: The National Organization for Women, which supports abortion rights, called Tiller's killing an act of "domestic terrorism." NOW is manipulating his murder only hours after it happened so as to use this new terrorist watch list labeling as a means of shutting down the pro-life movement.

Pro-lifers, we must be very discerning in our actions and our words. First of all, consistent with our beliefs it is absolutely essential that we condemn this murder. It was horrific, as is any murder. Who the man is and the crimes against humanity that he has committed in no way come close to justifying his murder. That judgment is not ours to make. We must also keep in mind that he has a family that is hurting deeply right now, a wife and children who are in mourning at the loss of a loved one. Let us never forget that. Let us pray for them, and in any way that we can support them we must.

But let us also recognize that as pro-lifers, under this administration and in light of this incident, we will be targets now. People will try to shut us down, and we simply cannot back down from the fight for life. But we must commit ourselves even more strongly than ever to peaceful means of fighting, to non-violent resistance in the manner of Gandhi and of King. This cause is too important, the innocent lives being killed are too precious, and the sanctity of life too sacred for us to even consider resorting to violence. Dark times are here and the darkness only grows thicker. But our resolve must be strong. We need a better plan, a better sense of organization, and we need the courage to graciously accept the persecution that is certain to come our way.

George Tiller was a man who committed unthinkable atrocities and has the blood of thousands of lives on his hands. But let us never forget that he was still a man, still a human being, and the moment of his death was a decision that should have been left to God. Now we only pray for mercy on his soul, and for swift justice to be shown to his murderer.

Alone

You continue to curse me with this blessing

Your voice only fills me with rage

I am enslaved and You call this freedom

This is so foolish, yet You call it sage

I long for this love that is not being offered

It is being withheld because of You

How do You expect me not to be angry

Why won't You tell me what You want me to do

I'm tired and broken and drowning in sin

I wish You and the world would leave me alone

My spirit is lifeless, my faith has no strength

My dying soul is a withered old crone

I no longer desire the peace You once offered

I simply wish for the peace of my death

Please take this cup of poison away

Take this cup, and with it my breath

My only companion is darkness

Friends, I need prayer in the worst way right now. I am experiencing a major crisis of faith – not in the sense of not believing, but rather my faith is just dead right now, completely dead. It is my own fault, too. I don't know how to describe it, because again, this has nothing to do with belief. It just feels as if there is no spirit within me at all. And before anyone mentions anything about St. John of the Cross and the dark night, that is not what this is. Trust me, I know. I'm just asking for prayer.

Meanwhile, I get my psych results on Wednesday. You know the worst part? I'm half hoping that I fail. I'm half hoping that the Augustinians reject me. I know that's an awful thing to think, and it has nothing to do with not wanting to be a priest or an Augustinian. It would just be a nice way to have my decision made for me. This is my biggest problem, that I am so indecisive. I am equally torn. I want to be a priest, and I want to fall in love and get married and have a beautiful family. Neither desire is stronger than the other.

But right now that is not the most pressing matter. Right now I need my spirit revived. I am full of hate, mostly towards myself. Whatever soul I had has been poisoned to death. The sensation of my body is the only thing that tells me that I am still alive at all. Please, please, pray.

The History of Kiss (no, not the dreadful rock band)

A fun article over at CNN.com, Ten important kisses in history. Actually, not really a lot of romance in any of them, but interesting nonetheless.

Archbishop Chaput on the Betrayal at Notre Dame

Fr. Z provides the full text with analysis and commentary of observations made by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver regarding Notre Dame's total betrayal of their Catholic mission by the honoring of Pres. Obama this past weekend. The speech and Fr. Z's commentary are must reads for anyone seeking to understand the full implications of ND's actions:

 

His Excellency Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver, has made some observations about what happened at Notre Dame last Sunday, when a Catholic university honored abortion by honoring the most aggressively pro-abortion politician we may have ever seen in the USA.

Here is His Excellency's text, on the website of the Archdiocese, with my emphases and comments.

 
 

May 18, 2009
Archbishop Chaput on Notre Dame and the issues that remain

"I have found that even among those who did not go to Notre Dame, even among those who do not share the Catholic faith, there is a special expectation, a special hope, for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world."

~ Reverend John Jenkins, C.S.C., May 17, 2009 

Most graduation speeches are a mix of piety and optimism designed to ease students smoothly into real life.  The best have humor.  Some genuinely inspire.  But only a rare few manage to be pious, optimistic, evasive, sad and damaging all at the same time.  Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame's president, is a man of substantial intellect and ability.  This makes his introductory comments to President Obama's Notre Dame commencement speech on May 17 all the more embarrassing.  [Corruptio optimi pessima... the corruption of the best thing is the worst kind of corruption.  Indeed, His Excellency is right.  What he did is worse yet by the fact that he should and does know better.]

Let's remember that the debate over President Obama's appearance at Notre Dame was never about whether he is a good or bad man.  The president is clearly a sincere and able man.  By his own words, religion has had a major influence in his life.  We owe him the respect Scripture calls us to show all public officials.  We have a duty to pray for his wisdom and for the success of his service to the common good—insofar as it is guided by right moral reasoning. [NB: right moral reasoning.]

We also have the duty to oppose him when he's wrong on foundational issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and similar matters.  And we also have the duty to avoid prostituting our Catholic identity [YES {insert overhead fist pump HERE}. A very good word: prostitute.  Jenkins and Notre Dame sold it to Pres. Obama.  Note also something I have been hammering at myself and which is more and more becoming the key point of bishops and others across the USA: identity.  That is the key right: who we are as Catholics.  Without a clear Catholic identity we cannot contribute usefully in the public square and fulfill the mission Christ entrusts to the Church and to each of us in our own vocations.   We are in a battle over our Catholic identity.  Many forces are arrayed against clarity on this point, with the objective of keeping a Catholic voice out of the public square.] by appeals to phony dialogue that mask an abdication of our moral witness.  Notre Dame did not merely invite the president to speakat its commencement.  It also conferred an unnecessary and unearned honorary law degree on a man committed to upholding one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation's history: Roe v. Wade.  [The fact that it was a Law degree made it worse.]

 

Continue reading here. And if you don't already, add Fr. Z's blog to your daily reading list. It is the best Catholic blog on the internet, and provides the sort of catechesis that every Catholic needs.

Dear Priest

I just received an e-mail from the Congregation for the Clergy regarding the upcoming Year of the Priesthood, and it is addressed, "Dear Priests,"…is the Vatican trying to tell me something????

Patience

We look at the past as something back there

with a wall which separates

every moment before now

from the very now we are experiencing

in this moment.

History as a barrier of time.

There are times,

however,

when history bludgeons through

that seemingly impenetrable wall

and massacres my present soul

killing any innocence, or innocents,

and the cacophony of demons

that I believed were buried behind

the wall

come rushing at me with their spears

and their knives

and their cunning.

And I am happy just to have the attention

of someone

of someone

of someone

even if it is the kind of attention

that terrifies me in its seduction

terrifies me in its rage

terrifies me in its temporal bliss.

But now, in this moment,

I know

I know that I cannot give in

and I cannot be seduced by their attention

even if the attention of

the One I love

is absent.

Now I will be strong for You

I will wait for You

recalling the past that stays behind

the wall

but my memory recalls,

the past where the attention of

the one You love

was far more absent.

You were patient with me,

and so I will be patient with You.

Dialogue and the Golden Calf

Fr. Z's post on the Notre Dame/Obama controversy raises an interesting point: we have reached a point in society where dialogue is treated more as an end game than an actual means to working towards a just resolution of a conflict or an issue. This certainly isn't limited to the abortion debate, but rather it indicates an attitude that has taken hold, rooted itself deep within our collective psyche. Dialogue and tolerance are the new gods of our day, and these gods rule with the dictatorship of relativism.

Dialogue most certainly has a role to play, and a significant one at that, in our public discussions over how to form a most just society. But we have to remember that justice itself is the end game, not dialogue. A time comes when dialogue loses its value, and action must be taken. We have dialogued enough on abortion. Now it is time to turn over tables, to shout from the roof tops, to take action, real serious action. What happened at Notre Dame, people willing to be arrested, civil disobedience, SATYAGRAHA!, must happen now in the pro-life movement. It is time for something huge.

When Reality is Unknown to Myself

I don't know if you love me or hate me

I don't even know who you are

and not in some specific way as in I don't know the very self of you,

the very you to whom I am addressing

but rather that I don't even know to which you I am speaking at all

if one even exists?

Maybe "you" is just a way of saying "I" or "me"

but I really don't know

and quite frankly

I don't care.

Because no matter what way you look at it

the very point is that I don't know,

and that should be disconcerting enough.

I simply am incapable of recognizing

the very essence of a person

or what makes that person

who they are.

And whether that person

is you

or me

is entirely besides the point

because of the very simple fact that I

simply do not know either of us.

You or I.

I do not know.

Not even a little.

And sadly, I'm not even sure

that

I

care.

The Positive Recognition of Priestly Celibacy

In light of all the controversy surrounding priestly celibacy of late, especially with the scandalous news of Fr. Cutie, it is refreshing to hear a Catholic priest speak out in defense of the positive aspects of priestly celibacy. It is interesting for me, as someone who has dated very seriously and is now on the verge of entering the Catholic seminary, someone who has been very torn between the two vocations, to listen to people expecting a response from me, expecting me to support changes in the Church's discipline that would allow married men to become priests. But the truth is, I am a firm supporter of priestly celibacy, and I truly believe it better prepares and enables a man to fulfill his priestly vocation. And for me, while I continue to be attracted to the married life and have not totally made up my mind as of yet, part of what attracts me to the priesthood is the celibacy itself, and so if I am to become a priest, even if the Church allowed marriage prior to ordination* I still would choose the celibate life if I choose the priesthood, as I imagine that I will.

*Just a point regarding Fr. Cutie. Much debate surrounding this specific case is misguided. People tend to think that if the Church changed her rules then him falling in love would suddenly mean that he would be allowed to get married. That will NEVER happen, though. Ever. While celibacy in the Church is discipline and not doctrine, it is nonetheless true that neither East (which currently allows married men to be ordained) nor West has ever allowed men who are ordained priests to get married. They have, however, allowed married men to also become ordained, as the East still does today, though such men are not able to become bishops. But Fr. Cutie met this woman after his ordination, and as such the discipline of priestly celibacy is totally irrelevant to his situation. He would never be allowed under any circumstances to marry a girl he meets after his ordination, and still remain a priest.

 

The Dynamics of Celibacy

Some recent high-profile priest scandals have put celibacy back in the limelight as a topic for the pagan world to rage about, but rarely will you hear what the Catholic Churchactually teaches about it. I hope that the following insights will be a short-course in the dynamics of a marvelous life of grace: namely, celibate chastity. The world needs to hear "the other side" of the story.

Number One: Celibacy is a gift to the world, not a rule imposed by the Church on a few seemingly-abnormal men. Celibacy initiates men into a life of spiritual fatherhood in a strikingly positive way for others. We are called "father" for a reason: we bring spiritual life to our people through the sacred mysteries which we handle, and they are drawn into a spiritual family thereby. A truly dedicated priest has thousands of spiritual children who sometimes make immense demands on him—I often wish I had only seven children like my father! In an age where men have massively renounced their sacred duty to generate, protect and nurture families, there are myriads of selfless, celibate men sacrificing themselves in a truly manly way for the sake of God's family and, indeed, even for the sake of many individual families. The fact that some priests fail at it does not make the gift of celibacy anything less than a true blessing; in fact, its failures force us to reflect more deeply on its quiet successes. It's hypocritical to think that we should throw away the gift of celibacy (i.e., make it "optional") based upon a miniscule percentage of failures of its practitioners. We don't say the same thing about the much higher percentage of failures in marriage. Should we allow polygamy just because some married men can't stick to one woman? This is the time to reaffirm the genuine beauty and value of celibacy, not change this immense gift to us.

Number two: Celibacy is the personal renunciation of the legitimate goods of marriage and family as a fruitful sacrifice for the kingdom of God. The astonishment of this generation that a perfectly normal, red-blooded male could make thatparticular sacrifice is exactly the point of celibacy. The world needs to know that there are some men walking around who are not bound either by the expectations of society or by the terms of our fleshly human nature. They are bound by only one concern; that of a kingdom that is not of this world, and they are willing to sacrifice everything for it. The presence in society of men who make this sacrifice is profoundlychallenging to a culture that wants to reduce everything in life to the pleasure principle. Such a total renunciation is truly counter cultural: it's like choosing to live with a permanent wound in the heart that never heals but out of which flow "rivers of living water" (Jn 7:38) that heal countless others. Celibacy is not easy for anyone to live, in fact, it is a constant death to self; but it is enormously life-giving to others, and the Church has not lost sight of that for two thousand years.

Number three: vows are vows. Married men make vows and so do priests. A vow is a promise before God of fidelity to a particular person or state in life. From a spiritual point of view a vow in marriage has the same significance as a vow of celibate chastity: it is permanently binding on the individual and requires total fidelity. We all know that vows are broken by weak and fallible men, but we also know and have seen that vows can be repaired, sins repented of, amends made and forgiveness granted to those who have offended others. Who of us does not depend in some way on the Mercy of God and those we have hurt when we have fallen? The return to fidelity breaks our pride and chastens our passions. What we must never do is make excuses or justify our compromises with pop cultural moral relativism. For example, the fact of "falling in love" with someone is no more an excuse to abandon the celibate priesthood than it is to abandon a wife and family for another woman. I have known many married men who have had that experience and then, in a more rational moment, picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and returned to fidelity—sometimes at a great cost. Thankfully God gave us a rational will, in addition to our lower passions, so that we have something other than whimsical feelings to govern our actions. Fidelity is always possible for those who desire to return to their deepest commitments.

Well, although a short article on celibacy is not enough to explain such a beautiful mystery, it is just enough to witness to a very dynamic way of life whose adherents have given life to millions throughout the centuries. In this time of great secular challenge to our faith, let us pray for the celibate men and women who have served us so well in this life and especially for those who are still trying to return to fidelity.

Sincerely,


Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

Copyright 2009 - Human Life International
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane -- Front Royal, VA 22630 U.S.A.
Phone: (540) 635-7884 Fax: (540) 622-6247
E-mail: hli@hli.org Website: www.hli.org

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If Beale Street Could Talk

I'm sitting in my living room and sobbing, well, not anymore, actually, but I was, having just finally finished If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. A short book, only 200 pages, it is still one of the best books I have ever read. It is one of those books that floods my soul with emotion, those moments where pure emotion just explodes from the soul because of the very fact that the soul has been touched so profoundly, so that it almost makes me cry, not of sadness, but just as a release of this outburst.

I don't want to give away any details because I've just recommended it to a friend and I sincerely hope that he reads it, because if I've ever known anything I know that it will touch his soul, too, but there is a scene at the end that really hit home with me, and that is the cause of my sobbing, but I'll just say it was an angry cry more than a sad one. Anyway, that aside, if you have not read this book, please put it up close to the top of your list. James Baldwin is fantastic anyway, but this is the best he's ever written, in my opinion. Read it, and let your soul be touched.

Love Acted and Expressed

I tell people I love them. A lot. Not just family, but friends, too. I don't know when this started, but it's related to the fact of having so many friends die young, especially from suicide. I just don't ever want anyone to not know that I love them, and even though that is expressed best through my actions, it is still helpful to hear. And while I say it to a lot of people, I am certain that it has always been sincere, every single time.

However, I need to be careful sometimes. Today I was talking to a friend of mine, someone I've known for a long time but with whom only very recently have become good friends. She has been hurt by love in life a lot. And so we had a tiny little argument last weekend, and I sent her an e-mail before going to bed saying simply, "Arguing is dumb. I love you." She didn't really respond to it, which I didn't expect, but today very randomly (actually, it's possible I said it today, too, but I can't remember) she told me that I can't tell her that, because she has been hurt by love, and she just wants to trust me.

My point of all this is simply that it is so important to measure the impact of words. My habit of telling people that I love them is a reaction to situations in my own life where I have feared people may not have known it. But I need to be more measured, and focus again primarily on just living my love so that there can be no doubt that I love them, and perhaps being more conservative in my verbal expressions of such.

Sorry, this is a mostly pointless post, but I wanted to write it out, and typically when I'm feeling something I like to share it with you all.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Farewell Speech at Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

FAREWELL CEREMONY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

"Ben Gurion" International Airport - Tel Aviv
Friday, 15 May 2009

 
 

Mr President,
Mr Prime Minister,
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I prepare to return to Rome, may I share with you some of the powerful impressions that my pilgrimage to the Holy Land has left with me. I had fruitful discussions with the civil authorities both in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories, and I witnessed the great efforts that both governments are making to secure people's well-being. I have met the leaders of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and I rejoice to see the way that they work together in caring for the Lord's flock. I have also had the opportunity to meet the leaders of the various Christian Churches and ecclesial communities as well as the leaders of other religions in the Holy Land. This land is indeed a fertile ground for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, and I pray that the rich variety of religious witness in the region will bear fruit in a growing mutual understanding and respect.

Mr President, you and I planted an olive tree at your residence on the day that I arrived in Israel. The olive tree, as you know, is an image used by Saint Paul to describe the very close relations between Christians and Jews. Paul describes in his Letter to the Romans how the Church of the Gentiles is like a wild olive shoot, grafted onto the cultivated olive tree which is the People of the Covenant (cf. 11:17-24). We are nourished from the same spiritual roots. We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.

The ceremony at the Presidential Palace was followed by one of the most solemn moments of my stay in Israel – my visit to the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem, where I paid my respects to the victims of the Shoah. There also I met some of the survivors. Those deeply moving encounters brought back memories of my visit three years ago to the death camp at Auschwitz, where so many Jews - mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends - were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred. That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied. On the contrary, those dark memories should strengthen our determination to draw closer to one another as branches of the same olive tree, nourished from the same roots and united in brotherly love.

Mr President, I thank you for the warmth of your hospitality, which is greatly appreciated, and I wish to put on record that I came to visit this country as a friend of the Israelis, just as I am a friend of the Palestinian people. Friends enjoy spending time in one another's company, and they find it deeply distressing to see one another suffer. No friend of the Israelis and the Palestinians can fail to be saddened by the continuing tension between your two peoples. No friend can fail to weep at the suffering and loss of life that both peoples have endured over the last six decades. Allow me to make this appeal to all the people of these lands: No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war! Instead let us break the vicious circle of violence. Let there be lasting peace based on justice, let there be genuine reconciliation and healing. Let it be universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders. Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with dignity and to travel freely. Let the two-state solution become a reality, not remain a dream. And let peace spread outwards from these lands, let them serve as a "light to the nations" (Is 42:6), bringing hope to the many other regions that are affected by conflict.

One of the saddest sights for me during my visit to these lands was the wall. As I passed alongside it, I prayed for a future in which the peoples of the Holy Land can live together in peace and harmony without the need for such instruments of security and separation, but rather respecting and trusting one another, and renouncing all forms of violence and aggression. Mr President, I know how hard it will be to achieve that goal. I know how difficult is your task, and that of the Palestinian Authority. But I assure you that my prayers and the prayers of Catholics across the world are with you as you continue your efforts to build a just and lasting peace in this region.

It remains only for me to express my heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed in so many ways to my visit. To the Government, the organizers, the volunteers, the media, to all who have provided hospitality to me and those accompanying me, I am deeply grateful. Please be assured that you are remembered with affection in my prayers. To all of you, I say: thank you, and may God be with you. Shalom!

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Armenian Patriarchal Church of St. James

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

VISIT TO THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHAL CHURCH OF ST. JAMES

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Jerusalem
Friday, 15 May 2009

 
 

Your Beatitude,

I greet you with fraternal affection in the Lord, and I offer prayerful good wishes for your health and your ministry. I am grateful for the opportunity to visit this Cathedral Church of Saint James in the heart of the ancient Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, and to meet the distinguished clergy of the Patriarchate, together with the members of the Armenian community of the Holy City.

Our meeting today, characterized by an atmosphere of cordiality and friendship, is another step along the path towards the unity which the Lord desires for all his disciples. In recent decades we have witnessed, by God's grace, a significant growth in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. I count it a great blessing to have met in this past year with the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and with the Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I. Their visits to the Holy See, and the moments of prayer which we shared, have strengthened us in fellowship and confirmed our commitment to the sacred cause of promoting Christian unity.

In a spirit of gratitude to the Lord, I wish also to express my appreciation of the unwavering commitment of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the continuing theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. This dialogue, sustained by prayer, has made progress in overcoming the burden of past misunderstandings, and offers much promise for the future. A particular sign of hope is the recent document on the nature and mission of the Church produced by the Mixed Commission and presented to the Churches for study and evaluation. Together let us entrust the work of the Mixed Commission once more to the Spirit of wisdom and truth, so that it can bear abundant fruit for the growth of Christian unity, and advance the spread of the Gospel among the men and women of our time.

From the first Christian centuries, the Armenian community in Jerusalem has had an illustrious history, marked not least by an extraordinary flourishing of monastic life and culture linked to the holy places and the liturgical traditions which developed around them. This venerable Cathedral Church, together with the Patriarchate and the various educational and cultural institutions attached to it, testifies to that long and distinguished history. I pray that your community will constantly draw new life from its rich traditions, and be confirmed in its witness to Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil 3:10) in this Holy City. I likewise assure the families present, and particularly the children and young people, of a special remembrance in my prayers. Dear friends, I ask you in turn to pray with me that all the Christians of the Holy Land will work together with generosity and zeal in proclaiming the Gospel of our reconciliation in Christ, and the advent of his Kingdom of holiness, justice and peace.

Your Beatitude, I thank you once more for your gracious welcome, and I cordially invoke God's richest blessings upon you and upon all the clergy and faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Holy Land. May the joy and peace of the Risen Christ be always with you.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

VISIT TO THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Jerusalem
Friday, 15 May 2009

 
 

Dear Friends in Christ,

The hymn of praise which we have just sung unites us with the angelic hosts and the Church of every time and place – "the glorious company of the apostles, the noble fellowship of the prophets and the white-robed army of martyrs" – as we give glory to God for the work of our redemption, accomplished in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before this Holy Sepulchre, where the Lord "overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers", I greet all of you in the joy of the Easter season. I thank Patriarch Fouad Twal and the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for their kind greeting. I likewise express my appreciation for the reception accorded me by the Hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. I gratefully acknowledge the presence of representatives of the other Christian communities in the Holy Land. I greet Cardinal John Foley, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and also the Knights and Ladies of the Order here present, with gratitude for their unfailing commitment to the support of the Church's mission in these lands made holy by the Lord's earthly presence.

Saint John's Gospel has left us an evocative account of the visit of Peter and the Beloved Disciple to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Today, at a distance of some twenty centuries, Peter's Successor, the Bishop of Rome, stands before that same empty tomb and contemplates the mystery of the Resurrection. Following in the footsteps of the Apostle, I wish to proclaim anew, to the men and women of our time, the Church's firm faith that Jesus Christ "was crucified, died and was buried", and that "on the third day he rose from the dead". Exalted at the right hand of the Father, he has sent us his Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Apart from him, whom God has made Lord and Christ, "there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Standing in this holy place, and pondering that wondrous event, how can we not be "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37), like those who first heard Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost? Here Christ died and rose, never to die again. Here the history of humanity was decisively changed. The long reign of sin and death was shattered by the triumph of obedience and life; the wood of the Cross lay bare the truth about good and evil; God's judgement was passed on this world and the grace of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon humanity. Here Christ, the new Adam, taught us that evil never has the last word, that love is stronger than death, that our future, and the future of all humanity, lies in the hands of a faithful and provident God.

The empty tomb speaks to us of hope, the hope that does not disappoint because it is the gift of the Spirit of life (cf. Rom 5:5). This is the message that I wish to leave with you today, at the conclusion of my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. May hope rise up ever anew, by God's grace, in the hearts of all the people dwelling in these lands! May it take root in your hearts, abide in your families and communities, and inspire in each of you an ever more faithful witness to the Prince of Peace! The Church in the Holy Land, which has so often experienced the dark mystery of Golgotha, must never cease to be an intrepid herald of the luminous message of hope which this empty tomb proclaims. The Gospel reassures us that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated, that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome, and that a future of justice, peace, prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman, for the whole human family, and in a special way for the people who dwell in this land so dear to the heart of the Saviour.

This ancient Memorial of the Anástasis bears mute witness both to the burden of our past, with its failings, misunderstandings and conflicts, and to the glorious promise which continues to radiate from Christ's empty tomb. This holy place, where God's power was revealed in weakness, and human sufferings were transfigured by divine glory, invites us to look once again with the eyes of faith upon the face of the crucified and risen Lord. Contemplating his glorified flesh, completely transfigured by the Spirit, may we come to realize more fully that even now, through Baptism, "we bear in our bodies the death of Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our own mortal flesh" (2 Cor 4:10-11). Even now, the grace of the resurrection is at work within us! May our contemplation of this mystery spur our efforts, both as individuals and as members of the ecclesial community, to grow in the life of the Spirit through conversion, penance and prayer. May it help us to overcome, by the power of that same Spirit, every conflict and tension born of the flesh, and to remove every obstacle, both within and without, standing in the way of our common witness to Christ and the reconciling power of his love.

With these words of encouragement, dear friends, I conclude my pilgrimage to the holy places of our redemption and rebirth in Christ. I pray that the Church in the Holy Land will always draw new strength from its contemplation of the empty tomb of the Savior. In that tomb it is called to bury all its anxieties and fears, in order to rise again each day and continue its journey through the streets of Jerusalem, Galilee and beyond, proclaiming the triumph of Christ's forgiveness and the promise of new life. As Christians, we know that the peace for which this strife-torn land yearns has a name: Jesus Christ. "He is our peace", who reconciled us to God in one body through the Cross, bringing an end to hostility (cf. Eph 2:14). Into his hands, then, let us entrust all our hope for the future, just as in the hour of darkness he entrusted his spirit into the Father's hands.

Allow me to conclude with a special word of fraternal encouragement to my brother Bishops and priests, and to the men and women religious who serve the beloved Church in the Holy Land. Here, before the empty tomb, at the very heart of the Church, I invite you to rekindle the enthusiasm of your consecration to Christ and your commitment to loving service of his mystical Body. Yours is the immense privilege of bearing witness to Christ in this, the land which he sanctified by his earthly presence and ministry. In pastoral charity enable your brothers and sisters, and all the inhabitants of this land, to feel the healing presence and the reconciling love of the Risen One. Jesus asks each of us to be a witness of unity and peace to all those who live in this City of Peace. As the new Adam, Christ is the source of the unity to which the whole human family is called, that unity of which the Church is the sign and sacrament. As the Lamb of God, he is the source of that reconciliation which is both God's gift and a sacred task enjoined upon us. As the Prince of Peace, he is the source of that peace which transcends all understanding, the peace of the new Jerusalem. May he sustain you in your trials, comfort you in your afflictions, and confirm you in your efforts to proclaim and extend his Kingdom. To all of you, and to those whom you serve, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of Easter joy and peace.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Throne Hall of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate - Jerusalem

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

ECUMENICAL MEETING

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Throne Hall of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate - Jerusalem
Friday, 15 May 2009

 
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with profound gratitude and joy that I make this visit to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; a moment to which I have much looked forward. I thank His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III for his kind words of fraternal greeting, which I warmly reciprocate. I also express to all of you my heartfelt gratitude for providing me with this opportunity to meet once again the many leaders of Churches and ecclesial communities present.

This morning I am mindful of the historic meetings that have taken place here in Jerusalem between my predecessor Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, and also between Pope John Paul II and His Beatitude Patriarch Diodoros. These encounters, including my visit today, are of great symbolic significance. They recall that the light of the East (cf. Is 60:1; Rev 21:10) has illumined the entire world from the very moment when a "rising sun" came to visit us (Lk 1:78) and they remind us too that from here the Gospel was preached to all nations.

Standing in this hallowed place, alongside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which marks the site where our crucified Lord rose from the dead for all humanity, and near the cenacle, where on the day of Pentecost "they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1), who could not feel impelled to bring the fullness of goodwill, sound scholarship and spiritual desire to our ecumenical endeavors? I pray that our gathering today will give new impetus to the work of theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, adding to the recent fruits of study documents and other joint initiatives.

Of particular joy for our Churches has been the participation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His Holiness Bartholomew I, at the recent Synod of Bishops in Rome dedicated to the theme: The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church. The warm welcome he received and his moving intervention were sincere expressions of the deep spiritual joy that arises from the extent to which communion is already present between our Churches. Such ecumenical experience bears clear witness to the link between the unity of the Church and her mission. Extending his arms on the Cross, Jesus revealed the fullness of his desire to draw all people to himself, uniting them together as one (cf. Jn 12:32). Breathing his Spirit upon us he revealed his power to enable us to participate in his mission of reconciliation (cf. Jn 19:30; 20:22-23). In that breath, through the redemption that unites, stands our mission! Little wonder, then, that it is precisely in our burning desire to bring Christ to others, to make known his message of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), that we experience the shame of our division. Yet, sent out into the world (cf. Jn 20:21), empowered by the unifying force of the Holy Spirit (ibid. v. 22), proclaiming the reconciliation that draws all to believe that Jesus is the Son of God (ibid. v. 31), we shall find the strength to redouble our efforts to perfect our communion, to make it complete, to bear united witness to the love of the Father who sends the Son so that the world may know his love for us (cf. Jn 17:23).

Some two thousand years ago, along these same streets, a group of Greeks put this request to Philip: "Sir, we should like to see Jesus" (Jn 12:21). It is a request made again of us today, here in Jerusalem, in the Holy Land, in the region and throughout the world. How do we respond? Is our response heard? Saint Paul alerts us to the gravity of our response: our mission to teach and preach. He says: "faith comes from hearing, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" (Rm 10:17). It is imperative therefore that Christian leaders and their communities bear vibrant testimony to what our faith proclaims: the eternal Word, who entered space and time in this land, Jesus of Nazareth, who walked these streets, through his words and actions calls people of every age to his life of truth and love.

Dear friends, while encouraging you to proclaim joyfully the Risen Lord, I wish also to recognize the work to this end of the Heads of Christian communities, who meet together regularly in this city. It seems to me that the greatest service the Christians of Jerusalem can offer their fellow citizens is the upbringing and education of a further generation of well-formed and committed Christians, earnest in their desire to contribute generously to the religious and civic life of this unique and holy city. The fundamental priority of every Christian leader is the nurturing of the faith of the individuals and families entrusted to his pastoral care. This common pastoral concern will ensure that your regular meetings are marked by the wisdom and fraternal charity necessary to support one another and to engage with both the joys and the particular difficulties which mark the lives of your people. I pray that the aspirations of the Christians of Jerusalem will be understood as being concordant with the aspirations of all its inhabitants, whatever their religion: a life of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence and - for young people in particular - unimpeded access to education and employment, the prospect of suitable housing and family residency, and the chance to benefit from and contribute to economic stability.

Your Beatitude, I thank you again for your kindness in inviting me here, together with the other guests. Upon each of you and the communities you represent, I invoke an abundance of God's blessings of fortitude and wisdom! May you all be strengthened by the hope of Christ which does not disappoint!

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily at Vespers Service in Galilee

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

CELEBRATION OF VESPERS 
WITH BISHOPS, PRIESTS, MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS,
ECCLESIAL AND PASTORAL MOVEMENTS OF GALILEE

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Upper Basilica of the Annunciation - Nazareth
Thursday, 14 May 2009

 
 

Brother Bishops,
Father Custos,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is profoundly moving for me to be present with you today in the very place where the Word of God was made flesh and came to dwell among us. How fitting that we should gather here to sing the Evening Prayer of the Church, giving praise and thanks to God for the marvels he has done for us! I thank Archbishop Sayah for his words of welcome and through him I greet all the members of the Maronite community here in the Holy Land.  I greet the priests, religious, members of ecclesial movements and pastoral workers from all over Galilee. Once again I pay tribute to the care shown by the Friars of the Custody, over many centuries, in maintaining holy places such as this. I greet the Latin Patriarch Emeritus, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, who for more than twenty years presided over his flock in these lands. I greet the faithful of the Latin Patriarchate and their current Patriarch, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, as well as the members of the Greek-Melkite community, represented here by Archbishop Elias Chacour. And in this place where Jesus himself grew to maturity and learned the Hebrew tongue, I greet the Hebrew-speaking Christians, a reminder to us of the Jewish roots of our faith.

What happened here in Nazareth, far from the gaze of the world, was a singular act of God, a powerful intervention in history, through which a child was conceived who was to bring salvation to the whole world. The wonder of the Incarnation continues to challenge us to open up our understanding to the limitless possibilities of God's transforming power, of his love for us, his desire to be united with us. Here the eternally begotten Son of God became man, and so made it possible for us, his brothers and sisters, to share in his divine sonship. That downward movement of self-emptying love made possible the upward movement of exaltation in which we too are raised to share in the life of God himself (cf. Phil 2:6-11).

The Spirit who "came upon Mary" (cf. Lk 1:35) is the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of Creation (cf. Gen 1:2). We are reminded that the Incarnation was a new creative act. When our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary's virginal womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, God united himself with our created humanity, entering into a permanent new relationship with us and ushering in a new Creation. The narrative of the Annunciation illustrates God's extraordinary courtesy (cf. Mother Julian of Norwich, Revelations 77-79). He does not impose himself, he does not simply pre-determine the part that Mary will play in his plan for our salvation: he first seeks her consent. In the original Creation there was clearly no question of God seeking the consent of his creatures, but in this new Creation he does so. Mary stands in the place of all humanity. She speaks for us all when she responds to the angel's invitation. Saint Bernard describes how the whole court of heaven was waiting with eager anticipation for her word of consent that consummated the nuptial union between God and humanity. The attention of all the choirs of angels was riveted on this spot, where a dialogue took place that would launch a new and definitive chapter in world history. Mary said, "Let it be done to me according to your word." And the Word of God became flesh.

When we reflect on this joyful mystery, it gives us hope, the sure hope that God will continue to reach into our history, to act with creative power so as to achieve goals which by human reckoning seem impossible. It challenges us to open ourselves to the transforming action of the Creator Spirit who makes us new, makes us one with him, and fills us with his life. It invites us, with exquisite courtesy, to consent to his dwelling within us, to welcome the Word of God into our hearts, enabling us to respond to him in love and to reach out in love towards one another.

In the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Christians form a minority of the population. Perhaps at times you feel that your voice counts for little. Many of your fellow Christians have emigrated, in the hope of finding greater security and better prospects elsewhere. Your situation calls to mind that of the young virgin Mary, who led a hidden life in Nazareth, with little by way of worldly wealth or influence. Yet to quote Mary's words in her great hymn of praise, theMagnificat, God has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, he has filled the hungry with good things. Draw strength from Mary's canticle, which very soon we will be singing in union with the whole Church throughout the world! Have the confidence to be faithful to Christ and to remain here in the land that he sanctified with his own presence! Like Mary, you have a part to play in God's plan for salvation, by bringing Christ forth into the world, by bearing witness to him and spreading his message of peace and unity. For this, it is essential that you should be united among yourselves, so that the Church in the Holy Land can be clearly recognized as "a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race" (Lumen Gentium, 1). Your unity in faith, hope and love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, enabling you to be effective instruments of God's peace, helping to build genuine reconciliation between the different peoples who recognize Abraham as their father in faith. For, as Mary joyfully proclaimed in her Magnificat, God is ever "mindful of his mercy, the mercy promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his children for ever" (Lk 1:54-55).

Dear friends in Christ, be assured that I constantly remember you in my prayer, and I ask you to do the same for me. Let us turn now towards our heavenly Father, who in this place looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and let us sing his praises in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with all the choirs of angels and saints, and with the whole Church in every part of the world.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address to Religious Leaders of Galilee

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

GREETING TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF GALILEE

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Auditorium of the Shrine of the Annunciation - Nazareth
Thursday, 14 May 2009

 
 

Dear Friends,

Grateful for the words of welcome offered by Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo and for your warm reception, I cordially greet the leaders of different communities present, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze and other religious peoples.

I feel particularly blessed to visit this city revered by Christians as the place where the Angel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here too Joseph, her betrothed, saw the Angel in a dream and was directed to name the child "Jesus". After the marvelous events surrounding his birth, the child was brought to this city by Joseph and Mary where he "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Lk2:40).

The conviction that the world is a gift of God, and that God has entered the twists and turns of human history, is the perspective from which Christians view creation as having a reason and a purpose. Far from being the result of blind fate, the world has been willed by God and bespeaks his glorious splendor.

At the heart of all religious traditions is the conviction that peace itself is a gift from God, yet it cannot be achieved without human endeavor. Lasting peace flows from the recognition that the world is ultimately not our own, but rather the horizon within which we are invited to participate in God's love and cooperate in guiding the world and history under his inspiration. We cannot do whatever we please with the world; rather, we are called to conform our choices to the subtle yet nonetheless perceptible laws inscribed by the Creator upon the universe and pattern our actions after the divine goodness that pervades the created realm.

Galilee, a land known for its religious and ethnic diversity, is home to a people who know well the efforts required to live in harmonious coexistence. Our different religious traditions have a powerful potential to promote a culture of peace, especially through teaching and preaching the deeper spiritual values of our common humanity. By molding the hearts of the young, we mold the future of humanity itself. Christians readily join Jews, Muslims, Druze, and people of other religions in wishing to safeguard children from fanaticism and violence while preparing them to be builders of a better world.

My dear friends, I know that you accept cheerfully and with a greeting of peace the many pilgrims who flock to Galilee. I encourage you to continue exercising mutual respect as you work to ease tensions concerning places of worship, thus assuring a serene environment for prayer and reflection here and throughout Galilee. Representing different religious traditions, you share a desire to contribute to the betterment of society and thus testify to the religious and spiritual values that help sustain public life. I assure you that the Catholic Church is committed to join in this noble undertaking. In cooperation with men and women of good will, she will seek to ensure that the light of truth, peace and goodness continue to shine forth from Galilee and lead people across the globe to seek all that fosters the unity of the human family. God bless you all.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

What St. Augustine Might Think About the Internet

Today, nearly four thousand years after Abraham, the encounter of religions with culture occurs not simply on a geographical plane.  Certain aspects of globalization and in particular the world of the internet have created a vast virtual culture, the worth of which is as varied as its countless manifestations.  Undoubtedly much has been achieved to create a sense of closeness and unity within the world-wide human family.  Yet, at the same time, the boundless array of portals through which people so readily access undifferentiated sources of information can easily become an instrument of increasing fragmentation:  the unity of knowledge is shattered and the complex skills of critique, discernment and discrimination learned through academic and ethical traditions are at times bypassed or neglected. – Pope Benedict XVI, from his address to Leaders of Organizations Committed to Interreligious Dialogue in Jerusalem, May 11, 2009

St. Augustine spoke of the hierarchy of goods, where there were supreme goods, which by their nature can only be used for good, such as virtue; intermediate goods, which of themselves are good but can be used for good or for evil, such as freedom of the will, and the lower goods, those goods related specifically to our animalistic nature. While perhaps some of us might object to what class he ascribed the various goods, nonetheless the idea of a gradation of goods remains useful today. I think this is especially true when we speak of the great advances of technology, with the internet being a prime example. The Holy Father's above quote is especially relevant to those of us connected to the blogosphere, or any other internet interface where communication occurs in a rather rapid succession of comments. Many of us, and I being among the worst offenders, should find ourselves convicted by the final sentence from the Holy Father above: the complex skills of critique, discernment and discrimination learned through academic and ethical traditions are at times bypassed or neglected.

There was a comic strip some time back, I don't remember which one it was, but the picture was of a man sitting at a computer, slightly frantic looking, with his wife beckoning him to bed. The caption was his response, which read something to the effect of, "I'll be there in a minute. Someone is wrong on the internet." The first time I saw it I ejected this terribly uncomfortable laugh. It was, in fact, quite funny, yet the truth of it hit a little too close to home. The hastiness so easily built into internet dialogue is a real threat to serious contemplation of issues, to the kind of thoughtfulness that is necessary for dialogue to be fruitful, and for the sort of reflection that is necessary in those souls who thirst for truth. For myself, until I learn to develop the habit of reflection and thoughtfulness and bring that habit into my internet communications, while I may find myself having some positive experiences and certainly will be able to appreciate some of the really unique friendships that develop in this environment, ultimately I will find myself deteriorating in terms of my abilities to journey towards truth and to dialogue reciprocally in a meaningful way with my fellow sojourners.

So that is my challenge – that is our challenge, because I know from observation that this weakness is not singularly my own. I have thoughts on how I might address this with myself, how I might work to maximize the good that comes from my internet experience and fight against the bad habits that so easily develop in the avenues for dialogue in which I regularly participate, but for now I just want to put this out there for reflection. I invoke especially the intercession of Our Mother of Good Counsel, that she might guide us always towards that generosity and charity that made her the perfect disciple of her Son.

Date yourselves!

Okay, so this is one of those amazing, angst-ridden '80's love ballads, perhaps my favorite of all. Now date yourselves, my friends: how many of you remember Thursday nights on NBC when the Must-See TV lineup was Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court, and in this song played as Alex P. Keaton and Ellen (his current real-life wife) danced as they were breaking up? Be honest! Okay, enough dorkiness, here's the song:

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Shrine of the Annunciation

Benedict XVI's Words at Shrine of the Annunciation

"It Is Essential that You Should Be United Among Yourselves"

NAZARETH, MAY 14, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of Benedict XVI's address delivered today at the Shrine of the Annunciation in Nazareth, after the celebration of Vespers with the bishops, priests, religious and ecclesial movements of Galilee.

* * *

Brother Bishops,

Father Custos,

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is profoundly moving for me to be present with you today in the very place where the Word of God was made flesh and came to dwell among us. How fitting that we should gather here to sing the Evening Prayer of the Church, giving praise and thanks to God for the marvels he has done for us! I thank Archbishop Sayah for his words of welcome and through him I greet all the members of the Maronite community here in the Holy Land. I greet the priests, religious, members of ecclesial movements and pastoral workers from all over Galilee. Once again I pay tribute to the care shown by the Friars of the Custody, over many centuries, in maintaining holy places such as this. I greet the Latin Patriarch Emeritus, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, who for more than twenty years presided over his flock in these lands. I greet the faithful of the Latin Patriarchate and their current Patriarch, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, as well as the members of the Greek-Melkite community, represented here by Archbishop Elias Chacour. And in this place where Jesus himself grew to maturity and learned the Hebrew tongue, I greet the Hebrew-speaking Christians, a reminder to us of the Jewish roots of our faith.

What happened here in Nazareth, far from the gaze of the world, was a singular act of God, a powerful intervention in history, through which a child was conceived who was to bring salvation to the whole world. The wonder of the Incarnation continues to challenge us to open up our understanding to the limitless possibilities of God's transforming power, of his love for us, his desire to be united with us. Here the eternally begotten Son of God became man, and so made it possible for us, his brothers and sisters, to share in his divine sonship. That downward movement of self-emptying love made possible the upward movement of exaltation in which we too are raised to share in the life of God himself (cf. Phil 2:6-11).

The Spirit who "came upon Mary" (cf. Lk 1:35) is the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of Creation (cf. Gen 1:2). We are reminded that the Incarnation was a new creative act. When our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary's virginal womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, God united himself with our created humanity, entering into a permanent new relationship with us and ushering in a new Creation. The narrative of the Annunciation illustrates God's extraordinary courtesy (cf. Mother Julian of Norwich, Revelations 77-79). He does not impose himself, he does not simply pre-determine the part that Mary will play in his plan for our salvation: he first seeks her consent. In the original Creation there was clearly no question of God seeking the consent of his creatures, but in this new Creation he does so. Mary stands in the place of all humanity. She speaks for us all when she responds to the angel's invitation. Saint Bernard describes how the whole court of heaven was waiting with eager anticipation for her word of consent that consummated the nuptial union between God and humanity. The attention of all the choirs of angels was riveted on this spot, where a dialogue took place that would launch a new and definitive chapter in world history. Mary said, "Let it be done to me according to your word." And the Word of God became flesh.

When we reflect on this joyful mystery, it gives us hope, the sure hope that God will continue to reach into our history, to act with creative power so as to achieve goals which by human reckoning seem impossible. It challenges us to open ourselves to the transforming action of the Creator Spirit who makes us new, makes us one with him, and fills us with his life. It invites us, with exquisite courtesy, to consent to his dwelling within us, to welcome the Word of God into our hearts, enabling us to respond to him in love and to reach out in love towards one another.

In the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Christians form a minority of the population. Perhaps at times you feel that your voice counts for little. Many of your fellow Christians have emigrated, in the hope of finding greater security and better prospects elsewhere. Your situation calls to mind that of the young virgin Mary, who led a hidden life in Nazareth, with little by way of worldly wealth or influence. Yet to quote Mary's words in her great hymn of praise, the Magnificat, God has looked upon his servant in her lowliness, he has filled the hungry with good things. Draw strength from Mary's canticle, which very soon we will be singing in union with the whole Church throughout the world! Have the confidence to be faithful to Christ and to remain here in the land that he sanctified with his own presence! Like Mary, you have a part to play in God's plan for salvation, by bringing Christ forth into the world, by bearing witness to him and spreading his message of peace and unity. For this, it is essential that you should be united among yourselves, so that the Church in the Holy Land can be clearly recognized as "a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race" (Lumen Gentium, 1). Your unity in faith, hope and love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, enabling you to be effective instruments of God's peace, helping to build genuine reconciliation between the different peoples who recognize Abraham as their father in faith. For, as Mary joyfully proclaimed in her Magnificat, God is ever "mindful of his mercy, the mercy promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his children for ever" (Lk 1:54-55).

Dear friends in Christ, be assured that I constantly remember you in my prayer, and I ask you to do the same for me. Let us turn now towards our heavenly Father, who in this place looked upon his servant in her lowliness, and let us sing his praises in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with all the choirs of angels and saints, and with the whole Church in every part of the world.

© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Interreligious Meeting in Nazareth

Pope's Address at Nazareth Interreligious Meeting

"Peace Itself Is a Gift From God, Yet It Cannot Be Achieved Without Human Endeavor"

NAZARETH, MAY 14, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave today in the auditorium of the Annunciation Shrine in Nazareth, during an interreligious meeting with leaders in Galilee, including Christians, Muslims, Jews and Druze.

* * *

Dear Friends,

Grateful for the words of welcome offered by Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo and for your warm reception, I cordially greet the leaders of different communities present, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze and other religious peoples.

I feel particularly blessed to visit this city revered by Christians as the place where the Angel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here too Joseph, her betrothed, saw the Angel in a dream and was directed to name the child "Jesus". After the marvelous events surrounding his birth, the child was brought to this city by Joseph and Mary where he "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Lk 2:40).

The conviction that the world is a gift of God, and that God has entered the twists and turns of human history, is the perspective from which Christians view creation as having a reason and a purpose. Far from being the result of blind fate, the world has been willed by God and bespeaks his glorious splendor.

At the heart of all religious traditions is the conviction that peace itself is a gift from God, yet it cannot be achieved without human endeavor. Lasting peace flows from the recognition that the world is ultimately not our own, but rather the horizon within which we are invited to participate in God's love and cooperate in guiding the world and history under his inspiration. We cannot do whatever we please with the world; rather, we are called to conform our choices to the subtle yet nonetheless perceptible laws inscribed by the Creator upon the universe and pattern our actions after the divine goodness that pervades the created realm.

Galilee, a land known for its religious and ethnic diversity, is home to a people who know well the efforts required to live in harmonious coexistence. Our different religious traditions have a powerful potential to promote a culture of peace, especially through teaching and preaching the deeper spiritual values of our common humanity. By molding the hearts of the young, we mold the future of humanity itself. Christians readily join Jews, Muslims, Druze, and people of other religions in wishing to safeguard children from fanaticism and violence while preparing them to be builders of a better world.

My dear friends, I know that you accept cheerfully and with a greeting of peace the many pilgrims who flock to Galilee. I encourage you to continue exercising mutual respect as you work to ease tensions concerning places of worship, thus assuring a serene environment for prayer and reflection here and throughout Galilee. Representing different religious traditions, you share a desire to contribute to the betterment of society and thus testify to the religious and spiritual values that help sustain public life. I assure you that the Catholic Church is committed to join in this noble undertaking. In cooperation with men and women of good will, she will seek to ensure that the light of truth, peace and goodness continue to shine forth from Galilee and lead people across the globe to seek all that fosters the unity of the human family. God bless you all.

© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

This video is sick!!!

Seriously, this kid is BAD ASS!!! If you like rock and roll, or if you just adore cute and talented kids, watch this video. And it's worth watching till the end, trust me:

Turn Eastward

There are days when I cannot help

but to turn to towards the West

away from the true Light,

and into the darkness

that darkness that pervades my past

and constantly creeps

into my now.

The night, the dark night,

it beckons me

tortures me

seduces me

fills me with pleasure

and despair.

But from the East comes

a Savior,

a luminous hand

which snatches me from

the snares of the darkness.

Deliver me, I cry,

hide me from these terrors

and do not let this seductive night

lure me into the abyss.

Yet even in the salvation for

which I plead,

I cannot help but

to hurt my Savior

and so I kick and I bite

and I thrash and I fight

I do not want your salvation

but I am lost without it.

So please, in spite of

myself

Save me, or else

I will die, and be loved

no more.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily at Mass on Mount of Precipice, Nazareth

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

HOLY MASS

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Mount of Precipice - Nazareth
Thursday, 14 May 2009

 
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"May the peace of the Risen Christ reign in your hearts, for as members of the one body you have been called to that peace!" (Col 3:15). With these words of the Apostle Paul, I greet all of you with affection in the Lord. I rejoice to have come to Nazareth, the place blessed by the mystery of the Annunciation, the place which witnessed the hidden years of Christ's growth in wisdom, age and grace (cf. Lk 2:52). I thank Archbishop Elias Chacour for his kind words of welcome, and I embrace with the sign of peace my brother Bishops, the priests and religious, and all the faithful of Galilee, who, in the diversity of their rites and traditions, give expression to the universality of Christ's Church. In a special way I wish to thank all those who have helped to make this celebration possible, particularly those involved in the planning and construction of this new theatre with its splendid panorama of the city.

Here in the home town of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we have gathered to mark the conclusion of the Year of the Family celebrated by the Church in the Holy Land. As a sign of hope for the future I will bless the first stone of an International Center for the Family to be built in Nazareth. Let us pray that the Center will promote strong family life in this region, offer support and assistance to families everywhere, and encourage them in their irreplaceable mission to society.

This stage of my pilgrimage, I am confident, will draw the whole Church's attention to this town of Nazareth. All of us need, as Pope Paul VI said here, to return to Nazareth, to contemplate ever anew the silence and love of the Holy Family, the model of all Christian family life. Here, in the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, we come to appreciate even more fully the sacredness of the family, which in God's plan is based on the lifelong fidelity of a man and a woman consecrated by the marriage covenant and accepting of God's gift of new life. How much the men and women of our time need to reappropriate this fundamental truth, which stands at the foundation of society, and how important is the witness of married couples for the formation of sound consciences and the building of a civilization of love!

In today's first reading, drawn from the book of Sirach (3:3-7, 14-17), the word of God presents the family as the first school of wisdom, a school which trains its members in the practice of those virtues which make for authentic happiness and lasting fulfilment. In God's plan for the family, the love of husband and wife bears fruit in new life, and finds daily expression in the loving efforts of parents to ensure an integral human and spiritual formation for their children. In the family each person, whether the smallest child or the oldest relative, is valued for himself or herself, and not seen simply as a means to some other end. Here we begin to glimpse something of the essential role of the family as the first building-block of a well-ordered and welcoming society. We also come to appreciate, within the wider community, the duty of the State to support families in their mission of education, to protect the institution of the family and its inherent rights, and to ensure that all families can live and flourish in conditions of dignity.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Colossians, speaks instinctively of the family when he wishes to illustrate the virtues which build up the "one body" which is the Church. As "God's chosen ones, holy and beloved", we are called to live in harmony and peace with one another, showing above all forbearance and forgiveness, with love as the highest bond of perfection (cf. Col 3:12-14). Just as in the marriage covenant, the love of man and woman is raised by grace to become a sharing in, and an expression of, the love of Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:32), so too the family, grounded in that love, is called to be a "domestic church", a place of faith, of prayer and of loving concern for the true and enduring good of each of its members.

As we reflect on these realities here, in the town of the Annunciation, our thoughts naturally turn to Mary, "full of grace", the mother of the Holy Family and our Mother. Nazareth reminds us of our need to acknowledge and respect the God-given dignity and proper role of women, as well as their particular charisms and talents. Whether as mothers in families, as a vital presence in the work force and the institutions of society, or in the particular vocation of following our Lord by the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience, women have an indispensable role in creating that "human ecology" (cf. Centesimus Annus, 39) which our world, and this land, so urgently needs: a milieu in which children learn to love and to cherish others, to be honest and respectful to all, to practice the virtues of mercy and forgiveness.

Here too, we think of Saint Joseph, the just man whom God wished to place over his household. From Joseph's strong and fatherly example Jesus learned the virtues of a manly piety, fidelity to one's word, integrity and hard work. In the carpenter of Nazareth he saw how authority placed at the service of love is infinitely more fruitful than the power which seeks to dominate. How much our world needs the example, guidance and quiet strength of men like Joseph!

Finally, in contemplating the Holy Family of Nazareth, we turn to the child Jesus, who in the home of Mary and Joseph grew in wisdom and understanding, until the day he began his public ministry. Here I would simply like to leave a particular thought with the young people here. The Second Vatican Council teaches that children have a special role to play in the growth of their parents in holiness (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 48). I urge you to reflect on this, and to let the example of Jesus guide you, not only in showing respect for your parents, but also helping them to discover more fully the love which gives our lives their deepest meaning. In the Holy Family of Nazareth, it was Jesus who taught Mary and Joseph something of the greatness of the love of God his heavenly Father, the ultimate source of all love, the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name (cf. Eph 3:14-15).

Dear friends, in the Opening Prayer of today's Mass we asked the Father to "help us to live as the Holy Family, united in respect and love". Let us reaffirm here our commitment to be a leaven of respect and love in the world around us. This Mount of the Precipice reminds us, as it has generations of pilgrims, that our Lord's message was at times a source of contradiction and conflict with his hearers. Sadly, as the world knows, Nazareth has experienced tensions in recent years which have harmed relations between its Christian and Muslim communities. I urge people of good will in both communities to repair the damage that has been done, and in fidelity to our common belief in one God, the Father of the human family, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence. Let everyone reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men's souls before it kills their bodies!

Allow me to conclude with a word of gratitude and praise for all those who strive to bring God's love to the children of this town, and to educate new generations in the ways of peace. I think in a special way of the local Churches, particularly in their schools and charitable institutions, to break down walls and to be a seedbed of encounter, dialogue, reconciliation and solidarity. I encourage the dedicated priests, religious, catechists and teachers, together with parents and all concerned for the good of our children, to persevere in bearing witness to the Gospel, to be confident in the triumph of goodness and truth, and to trust that God will give growth to every initiative which aims at the extension of his Kingdom of holiness, solidarity, justice and peace. At the same time I acknowledge with gratitude the solidarity which so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world show towards the faithful of the Holy Land by supporting the praiseworthy programs and activities of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

"Let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). May our Lady of the Annunciation, who courageously opened her heart to God's mysterious plan, and became the Mother of all believers, guide and sustain us by her prayers. May she obtain for us and our families the grace to open our ears to that word of the Lord which has the power to build us up (cf. Acts 20:32), to inspire courageous decisions, and to guide our feet into the path of peace!

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Sandro Magister on the Holy Father’s Trip to the Holy Land

As is often the case, the finest analysis of the Holy Father's trip to the Holy Land comes from Sandro Magister. In his most recent article he describes how Benedict XVI, while certainly addressing issues that are political by their very nature, moves beyond the political and speaks to the only true peace as that which develops from a conversion of the heart, of a turning of the heart towards God. In the article Magister gives an anthology of some of the Holy Father's most poignant remarks (all of which have been posted on this blog in their entirety), including the full text of the address given to Jews, Christians, and Muslims at the Dome of the Rock, the site of Abraham's sacrifice, in Jerusalem.

Read the full article here. I promise, it's worth it.

QotD

From Saint Augustine:

"Obviously, those who claim to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Should we then walk on water? That is far beyond us! What we must do is walk in the way of righteousness. In what way? I have already mentioned it. He was fixed on the cross, and yet he was walking in this very way—the way of charity: "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." If, therefore, you have learned to pray for your enemy, you are walking in the way of the Lord"

Sermon on 1 John 1, 9

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Farewell Ceremony with President Abbas in Bethlehem

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

FAREWELL CEREMONY

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Courtyard of the Presidential Palace - Bethlehem 
Wednesday, 13 May 2009

 
 

Mr. President,
Dear Friends,

I thank you for the great kindness you have shown me throughout this day that I have spent in your company, here in the Palestinian Territories. I am grateful to the President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, for his hospitality and his gracious words. It was deeply moving for me to listen also to the testimonies of the residents who have spoken to us about the conditions of life here on the West Bank and in Gaza. I assure all of you that I hold you in my heart and I long to see peace and reconciliation throughout these tormented lands.

It has truly been a most memorable day. Since arriving in Bethlehem this morning, I have had the joy of celebrating Mass together with a great multitude of the faithful in the place where Jesus Christ, light of the nations and hope of the world, was born. I have seen the care taken of today's infants in the Caritas Baby Hospital. With anguish, I have witnessed the situation of refugees who, like the Holy Family, have had to flee their homes. And I have seen, adjoining the camp and overshadowing much of Bethlehem, the wall that intrudes into your territories, separating neighbors and dividing families.

Although walls can easily be built we all know that they do not last for ever. They can be taken down. First, though, it is necessary to remove the walls that we build around our hearts, the barriers that we set up against our neighbors. That is why, in my parting words, I want to make a renewed plea for openness and generosity of spirit, for an end to intolerance and exclusion. No matter how intractable and deeply entrenched a conflict may appear to be, there are always grounds to hope that it can be resolved, that the patient and persevering efforts of those who work for peace and reconciliation will bear fruit in the end. My earnest wish for you, the people of Palestine, is that this will happen soon, and that you will at last be able to enjoy the peace, freedom and stability that have eluded you for so long.

Be assured that I will continue to take every opportunity to urge those involved in peace negotiations to work towards a just solution that respects the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike. As an important step in this direction, the Holy See looks forward to establishing shortly, in conjunction with the Palestinian Authority, the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission that was envisioned in the Basic Agreement, signed in the Vatican on 15 February 2000 (cf. Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization, art. 9).

Mr. President, dear friends, I thank you once again and I commend all of you to the protection of the Almighty. May God look down in love upon each one of you, upon your families and all who are dear to you. And may he bless the Palestinian people with peace.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Bethlehem’s Al-Aida Refugee Camp

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

VISIT TO AIDA REFUGEE CAMP

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Bethlehem
Wednesday, 13 May 2009

 
 

Mr President, 
Dear Friends,

My visit to the Aida Refugee Camp this afternoon gives me a welcome opportunity to express my solidarity with all the homeless Palestinians who long to be able to return to their birthplace, or to live permanently in a homeland of their own. Thank you, Mr President, for your kind greeting. And thank you also, Mrs. Abu Zayd, and our other speakers. To all the officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency who care for the refugees, I express the appreciation felt by countless men and women all over the world for the work that is done here and in other camps throughout the region.

I extend a particular greeting to the pupils and teachers in the school. By your commitment to education you are expressing hope in the future. To all the young people here, I say: renew your efforts to prepare for the time when you will be responsible for the affairs of the Palestinian people in years to come. Parents have a most important role here, and to all the families present in this camp I say: be sure to support your children in their studies and to nurture their gifts, so that there will be no shortage of well-qualified personnel to occupy leadership positions in the Palestinian community in the future. I know that many of your families are divided – through imprisonment of family members, or restrictions on freedom of movement – and many of you have experienced bereavement in the course of the hostilities. My heart goes out to all who suffer in this way. Please be assured that all Palestinian refugees across the world, especially those who lost homes and loved ones during the recent conflict in Gaza, are constantly remembered in my prayers.

I wish to acknowledge the good work carried out by many Church agencies in caring for refugees here and in other parts of the Palestinian Territories. The Pontifical Mission for Palestine, founded some sixty years ago to coordinate Catholic humanitarian assistance for refugees, continues its much-needed work alongside other such organizations. In this camp, the presence of Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary calls to mind the charismatic figure of Saint Francis, that great apostle of peace and reconciliation. Indeed, I want to express my particular appreciation for the enormous contribution made by different members of the Franciscan family in caring for the people of these lands, making themselves "instruments of peace", in the time-honored phrase attributed to the Saint of Assisi.

Instruments of peace. How much the people of this camp, these Territories, and this entire region long for peace! In these days, that longing takes on a particular poignancy as you recall the events of May 1948 and the years of conflict, as yet unresolved, that followed from those events. You are now living in precarious and difficult conditions, with limited opportunities for employment. It is understandable that you often feel frustrated. Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian State, remain unfulfilled. Instead you find yourselves trapped, as so many in this region and throughout the world are trapped, in a spiral of violence, of attack and counter-attack, retaliation, and continual destruction. The whole world is longing for this spiral to be broken, for peace to put an end to the constant fighting.

Towering over us, as we gather here this afternoon, is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached – the wall. In a world where more and more borders are being opened up – to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges – it is tragic to see walls still being erected. How we long to see the fruits of the much more difficult task of building peace! How earnestly we pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built!

On both sides of the wall, great courage is needed if fear and mistrust is to be overcome, if the urge to retaliate for loss or injury is to be resisted. It takes magnanimity to seek reconciliation after years of fighting. Yet history has shown that peace can only come when the parties to a conflict are willing to move beyond their grievances and work together towards common goals, each taking seriously the concerns and fears of the other, striving to build an atmosphere of trust. There has to be a willingness to take bold and imaginative initiatives towards reconciliation: if each insists on prior concessions from the other, the result can only be stalemate.

Humanitarian aid, of the kind provided in this camp, has an essential role to play, but the long-term solution to a conflict such as this can only be political. No one expects the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to arrive at it on their own. The support of the international community is vital, and hence I make a renewed appeal to all concerned to bring their influence to bear in favor of a just and lasting solution, respecting the legitimate demands of all parties and recognizing their right to live in peace and dignity, in accordance with international law. Yet at the same time, diplomatic efforts can only succeed if Palestinians and Israelis themselves are willing to break free from the cycle of aggression. I am reminded of those other beautiful words attributed to Saint Francis: "where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon … where there is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy."

To all of you I renew my plea for a profound commitment to cultivate peace and non-violence, following the example of Saint Francis and other great peacemakers.  Peace has to begin in the home, in the family, in the heart. I continue to pray that all parties to the conflict in these lands will have the courage and imagination to pursue the challenging but indispensable path of reconciliation. May peace flourish once more in these lands! May God bless his people with peace!

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI’s Address at Bethlehem’s Caritas Baby Hospital

PILGRIMAGE 
OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO THE HOLY LAND
(8-15 MAY 2009)

VISIT TO THE CARITAS BABY HOSPITAL

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Bethlehem
Wednesday, 13 May 2009

 
 

Dear Friends,

I affectionately greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ "who died, was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God to intercede for us" (cf. Rom 8:34). May your faith in his Resurrection and his promise of new life through Baptism fill your hearts with joy in this Easter season!

I am grateful for the warm welcome extended to me on your behalf by Father Michael Schweiger, President of the Kinderhilfe Association, Mr. Ernesto Langensand, who is completing his term as Chief Administrator of the Caritas Baby Hospital, and Mother Erika Nobs, Superior of this local community of the Elizabettine Franciscan Sisters of Padua. I also cordially greet Archbishop Robert Zollitsch and Bishop Kurt Koch, representing respectively the German and Swiss Episcopal Conferences, which have advanced the mission of Caritas Baby Hospital by their generous financial assistance.

God has blessed me with this opportunity to express my appreciation to the administrators, physicians, nurses and staff of Caritas Baby Hospital for the invaluable service they have offered – and continue to offer – to children in the Bethlehem region and throughout Palestine for over fifty years. Father Ernst Schnydrig founded this facility upon the conviction that innocent children deserve a safe haven from all that can harm them in times and places of conflict. Thanks to the dedication of Children's Relief Bethlehem, this institution has remained a quiet oasis for the most vulnerable, and has shone as a beacon of hope that love can prevail over hatred and peace over violence.

To the young patients and the members of their families who benefit from your care, I wish simply to say: "the Pope is with you"! Today he is with you in person, but he spiritually accompanies you each and every day in his thoughts and prayers, asking the Almighty to watch over you with his tender care.

Father Schnydrig described this place as "one of the smaller bridges built for peace". Now, having grown from fourteen cots to eighty beds, and caring for the needs of thousands of children each year, this bridge is no longer small! It brings together people of different origins, languages and religions, in the name of the Reign of God, the Kingdom of Peace (cf. Rom 14:17).I heartily encourage you to persevere in your mission of showing charity to all the sick, the poor and the weak.

On this Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I would like to conclude by invoking Mary's intercession as I impart my Apostolic Blessing to the children and all of you. Let us pray:

Mary, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Mother of the Redeemer: we join the many generations who have called you "Blessed". Listen to your children as we call upon your name. You promised the three children of Fatima that "in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph".  May it be so!  May love triumph over hatred, solidarity over division, and peace over every form of violence! May the love you bore your Son teach us to love God with all our heart, strength and soul. May the Almighty show us his mercy, strengthen us with his power, and fill us with every good thing (cf. Lk 1:46-56). We ask your Son Jesus to bless these children and all children who suffer throughout the world. May they receive health of body, strength of mind, and peace of soul. But most of all, may they know that they are loved with a love which knows no bounds or limits: the love of Christ which surpasses all understanding (cf. Eph 3:19).  Amen.

 
 

© Copyright 2009 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana