Saint
Benedict and Europe
Pope
Benedict XVI held the last general audience yesterday
ahead of next week's papal trip to the United
States, urging a renewal of the Christian faith
in Europe. With Easter celebrations subsiding,
Pope Benedict returned to his teachings on the
lives of the Early Fathers of the Church, as he
greeted 20,000 visitors and pilgrims in an overcast
St. Peter's Square. This week the Pope began a
catechesis on the Father of Western monasticism,
St. Benedict: 'Dear Brothers and Sisters,..the
most important source of information on his life
is the Second Book of the Dialogues of Pope Saint
Gregory the Great. Writing in a time of turmoil
and moral decadence following the fall of the
Roman Empire, Pope Gregory believed that the life
and Rule of Benedict could be a light leading
the people of Europe out of darkness'.
St.
Benedict was born in 480 in the region of Nursia.
He came to Rome to study but soon left the city
so as to live in silence and to please God alone.
He spent some time in a religious community before
becoming a hermit in a cave. 'After struggling
victoriously against the fundamental human temptations
of pride, sensuality and anger, he decided to
found a monastery at Subiaco. Years later he established
a new community on a mountain, Montecassino, to
symbolize the public role of a monastery called
to be a light shining for the good of the Church
and society. Indeed, when he died in 547 Saint
Benedict left behind a thriving spiritual family
and a Rule, which invites us to search for God
in prayer, obedience and humility while attending
faithfully to daily duties and to those in need,'
the Pope said.
Throughout
his life St. Benedict 'was immersed in an atmosphere
of prayer, the main foundation of his existence.
Without prayer there is no experience of God,
but Benedict's spirituality was not an interior
life divorced from reality. In the disquiet and
confusion of his time, he lived under the gaze
of God and with his own gaze fixed upon God, though
without losing sight of his daily duties and the
concrete needs of mankind'. In 1964, Pope Paul
VI proclaimed Saint Benedict Patron of Europe
recognizing the role that his teaching and his
disciples had played in shaping Europe's spiritual
life and culture.
'Having just emerged from a century profoundly
marked by two world wars and following the collapse
of the great ideologies, ... Europe today is searching
for its own identity', remarked Benedict XVI.
The Holy Father concluded his teaching with a
fervent wish that Europe's new unity may be enlightened
and nourished by a religious and moral renewal
drawn from its Christian roots. 'May your lives,
after the example of Saint Benedict, be lived
in humility, prayer, obedience to God and faithful
service to your neighbour. May the Lord bless
you and your families!' Pope Benedict exclaimed.
[CNA] 1438.2
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Sister
Maria Laura Mainetti
At
end of yesterday's general audience in St. Peter's
Square, Pope Benedict spoke to a group of nuns
and lay people, who were present to honor the
memory of Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti, a religious
sister who was killed by Satanists. That Italian
sister, said the Holy Father, 'with a total giving
of self, sacrificed her life while praying for
those who were attacking her'. The murder of Sr.
Maria Laura happened during the night of June
6-7, 2000 in the small town of Chiavenna, Italy.
The
sister was stabbed to death by three girls, two
of whom were 17, while the third was 16. Sister
Maria Laura was well known in the small town she
lived in for her social and charitable commitment
to young dispossessed and poor people. Consequently,
the three girls were able to draw her into an
ambush by saying that a pregnant girl was in serious
need of her help. After luring Sr. Maria Laura
to their ambush, the girls stabbed the sister
to death as a sacrifice to Satan. As Sr. Maria
Laura died, she found the strength to pray for
her killers and forgive them. Police investigators
discovered the satanic plot and arrested the three
girls 22 days after the sister's murder. The Congregation
for the Causes of Saints recently recognized the
death of the religious as martyrdom, thus opening
the way to her beatification. [CNA] 1438.3
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US
visit
Pope Benedict XVI is just days away from arriving
in the U.S. for his first visit. In anticipation
of his arrival he released a video message today
saying he is coming to share the message of hope
in Christ with all those living in the U.S. As
the Pope began his message, he offered his 'heartfelt
greeting and an invitation to prayer. 'As you
know', he continues, 'I shall only be able to
visit two cities: Washington and New York. The
intention behind my visit, though, is to reach
out spiritually to all Catholics in the United
States'.
After
thanking the people working to organize his trip
and those who are praying for its success, Benedict
XVI also mentioned his conviction that prayer
is the most powerful way to prepare for his visit.
'Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced
that without the power of prayer, without that
intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavors
would achieve very little. Indeed this is what
our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us,
he saves the world, and all of history. He is
the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent
by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.'
'Christ our hope', the theme for the Pope's visit
was also central to the Pope's address. 'Together
with your bishops, I have chosen as the theme
of my journey three simple but essential words:
'Christ our hope'. ... Jesus Christ is hope for
men and women of every language, race, culture
and social condition. ... Through him, our lives
reach fullness, and together, both as individuals
and peoples, we can become a family united by
fraternal love, according to the eternal plan
of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this
Gospel message is in your country. I am coming
to share it with you, in a series of celebrations
and gatherings.'
'I shall also bring the message of Christian hope
to the great Assembly of the United Nations',
the Pope continued, 'to the representatives of
all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world
has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace,
for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can
never be fulfilled without obedience to the law
of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in
the commandment to love one another. Do to others
as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing
what you would not want them to do. This 'golden
rule' is given in the Bible, but it is valid for
all people, including non-believers. It is the
law written on the human heart; on this we can
all agree, so that when we come to address other
matters we can do so in a positive and constructive
manner for the entire human community'. Pope Benedict
also took care to address Spanish-speaking U.S.
Catholics in their own language, invoking the
Blessed Mother's protection and the blessing of
God upon them.
Benedict
XVI concludes his message by saying, 'Dear brothers
and sisters, dear friends in the United States,
I am very much looking forward to being with you.
I want you to know that, even if my itinerary
is short, with just a few engagements, my heart
is close to all of you, especially to the sick,
the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again
for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach
out to every one of you with affection, and I
invoke upon you the maternal protection of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.' To watch the video message
go
here [CNA] 1438.4
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The
Risen Christ
Even
though the trials of life can make one feel abandoned
by the Lord, an encounter with the Risen Christ
can help recover the hope of faith. The Pope said
this on Sunday in a commentary on the Gospel account
of the meeting of Jesus with two disciples on
the road to Emmaus, which he gave before praying
the Regina Caeli with several thousand people
gathered in St. Peter's Square. 'The story is
told of two disciples of Christ who, on the day
after the Sabbath, that is, the third day after
Jesus' death, sad and dejected, leave Jerusalem
and set out for nearby village called, precisely,
Emmaus,' began the Pontiff.
He
continued: 'Along the road, the risen Jesus comes
and walks beside them but they do not recognize
him. Seeing that they were disheartened, he explained,
on the basis of the Scriptures, that the Messiah
had to suffer and die to enter into his glory.
'Having entered into the house with them, he sat
down at table with them, blessed the bread and
broke it, and at that point they recognized him,
but he disappeared from their sight, leaving them
full of wonder before the broken bread, new sign
of his presence. 'And immediately the two returned
to Jerusalem and told the other disciples what
happened.'
The
Holy Father said that although the location of
this event has never been identified with certainty,
'in reality Emmaus represents every place: The
road that leads there is the journey of every
Christian, indeed, of every man. Along our roads
the risen Jesus is our companion on the journey,
to reignite in our hearts the warmth of faith
and hope and the breaking of the bread of eternal
life.' Benedict XVI said the experience of the
disciples is similar to the experience of many
believers today. He explained that in the conversation
with the unknown traveler, the two disciples said:
'We were hoping.' 'This past tense verb says everything,'
said the Pope. 'We believed, we followed, we hoped,
but now it is all over. Even Jesus of Nazareth,
who had shown himself to be a powerful prophet
in deeds and words, failed, and we are disappointed.
'This
drama of the disciples of Emmaus is as a mirror
of the situation of many Christians of our time.
It seems that the hope of faith has failed. 'Faith
itself enters into crisis because of negative
experiences that make us feel like we are abandoned
by the Lord. But this road to Emmaus on which
we travel can become a way of purification and
maturation of our believing in God.' The Holy
Father continued: 'Even today we can enter into
conversation with Jesus listening to his word.
Even today he breaks the bread for us and gives
himself as our bread. 'And in this way the encounter
with the risen Christ, which is possible even
today, gives us a deeper and more authentic faith,
tempered, so to speak, by the fire of the Easter
event; a robust faith because it is nourished
not by human ideas, but by the word of God and
by his presence in the Eucharist.'
Benedict
XVI added that the Gospel account of the disciples
on the road to Emmaus 'contains the structure
of the Mass: In the first part the hearing of
the word through the sacred Scriptures; in the
second the Eucharistic liturgy and communion with
Christ present in the sacrament of his Body and
his Blood.' 'Nourished at this twofold table,'
he said, 'the Church is unceasingly built up and
renews itself day by day in faith, in hope and
in charity.' [Zenit] 1438.5
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Good
Friday prayers for the Jews
A
Vatican statement issued last week 'does not go
far enough to allay concerns' about the implications
of an amended version of the Good Friday prayer
for the conversion of Jews, the Anti-Defamation
League has complained. While welcoming the Vatican's
assurance that the Catholic Church remains fully
committed to inter-religious dialogue, the ADL
said that Good Friday prayer in question-- a text
that is read only in Latin, and only in the few
parishes where the extraordinary form of the liturgy
is the norm for Easter Triduum celebrations--
remains problematical.
Abraham
Foxman, the national director of the ADL in America,
explained that the clarification issued from Rome
'still does not specifically say that the Catholic
Church is opposed to proselytizing Jews.' The
ADL statement continued with an expression of
disappointment that the Vatican had not 'explicitly
rejected calls to conversion or to proselytizing
Jews.' Moreover, Foxman pointed out in his critical
remarks, the statement of clarification from Rome
will not be read aloud when the Good Friday prayer
is recited during that day's solemn liturgy. The
prayer will stand alone, he observed, 'with its
call for Jews to recognize Jesus as the savior
of all men and its hope that 'all Israel will
be saved.'' [CWNews] 1438.6
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Antilles
bishops' ad limina
Bishops
from the Antilles met with the Holy Father this
week and received from him the challenge to 'stand
tall as heralds of hope!' and combat the destructive
social trends in their country. Addressing the
bishops in English, the Holy Father recalled how
'your shores have been battered by negative aspects
of the entertainment industry, exploitative tourism
and the scourge of the arms and drugs trade; influences
which not only undermine family life and unsettle
the foundations of traditional cultural values,
but tend to affect negatively local politics'.
In the face of this situation, Pope Benedict called
on the bishops to 'stand tall as heralds of hope!
Be audacious witnesses to the light of Christ,
which gives families direction and purpose, and
be bold preachers of the power of the Gospel,
which must permeate their way of thinking, standards
of judgment, and norms of behaviour.'
The
Holy Father told the bishops that he is 'confident
that your lived testimony to God's extraordinary
'yes' to humanity (cf. 2 Cor 1:20) will encourage
your peoples to reject destructive social trends
and to seek 'faith in action', embracing all that
begets the new life of Pentecost'! Vocations to
the priesthood and religious life were also a
topic on concern for the Pope, who highlighted
the vital importance of 'the tireless promotion
of vocations together with the guidance and ongoing
formation of priests.'
He
also encouraged the prelates to support the Saint
John Vianney and Ugandan Martyrs Seminary, and
noted how 'the establishment of a Francophone
seminary in the region is a welcome sign of hope.
Your pastoral concern for the decline in religious
vocations exemplifies your deep appreciation of
consecrated life. I too appeal to your religious
communities, encouraging them to reaffirm their
calling with confidence and, guided by the Holy
Spirit, to propose afresh to young people the
ideal of consecration and mission'.
The
Pope concluded his remarks in French - a common
language in the region - saying that each of the
bishops 'feels the great responsibility to do
everything possible to support marriage and family
life, which is the primary source of cohesion
in communities and hence of vital importance in
the eyes of the government authorities. Lastly,
the Holy Father noted that, 'Values rooted in
the way of truth presented by Christ illuminate
the spirit and heart of young people and encourage
them to continue along the path of faithfulness,
responsibility and real freedom. Good young Christians
make good citizens'. [CNA] 1438.7
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The Family
Abortion
and divorce
On
April 5th, in the Vatican, the Holy Father received
300 participants in an international congress
entitled: 'Oil on the wounds. A response to the
blight of abortion and divorce'. The event is
being promoted by the John Paul II Institute for
Studies on Marriage and the Family in collaboration
with the Knights of Columbus.
Benedict
XVI expressed his satisfaction at the participants'
focus on the parable of the Good Samaritan in
studying questions 'which bring so much suffering
to the lives of people, families and society'.
He also recalled how in debating such matters,
'often purely ideologically, a kind of conspiracy
of silence is created. Only through an attitude
of merciful love can we ... bring help and enable
victims to rise up again and resume the course
of their lives.
'In
a cultural context marked by increasing individualism,
hedonism and, all too often, by a lack of solidarity
and adequate social support', the Pope added,
people make 'decisions that contrast with the
indissolubility of the conjugal bond and with
the respect due to human life freshly conceived
and still guarded in the maternal womb'.
He
went on: 'Divorce and abortion are, of course,
different choices, at times made in difficult
and dramatic circumstances. They often give rise
to traumas and are a source of profound suffering
for the people who make them. ... They leave wounds
that mark life indelibly.
'The
Church's ethical judgement concerning abortion
and divorce is clear and well-known to everyone:
they are grave sins which - in various ways and
with due evaluation of subjective responsibilities
- injure the dignity of the human person, involve
a profound injustice in human and social relationships,
and offend God Himself, the guarantor of the marital
bond and the architect of life'.
Nonetheless,
'the Church, following the example of her divine
Master, always has to deal with real people, especially
the weakest and most innocent, ... as well as
other men and women who, having perpetrated those
acts, are stained with sin and bear its interior
wounds while seeking peace and the possibility
of rehabilitation.
'The
Church', said the Pope, 'has the primary duty
to approach these people with love and delicacy,
with kindness and maternal concern, in order to
announce the merciful closeness of God and Jesus
Christ. ... Yes, the gospel of love and of life
is also always the gospel of mercy' and, 'on the
basis of this mercy, the Church cultivates an
indomitable faith in mankind and its capacity
for recovery. She knows that, with the help of
grace, human freedom is capable of the definitive
and faithful giving of self which makes it possible
for the marriage of a man and a woman to be an
indissoluble bond', just as she knows that 'human
freedom, even in the most difficult circumstances,
is capable of extraordinary gestures of sacrifice
and solidarity to accept the life of a new human
being'.
'Hence',
Pope Benedict went on, 'it may be seen that the
'noes' pronounced by the Church in her moral guidelines,
and upon which public opinion sometimes unilaterally
fixes its attention, are in fact so many 'yeses'
to the dignity of human beings, their lives and
their capacity to love'.
Turning
to consider the consequences of divorce, the Holy
Father recommended that pastoral efforts be concentrated
on ensuring 'that children do not become the innocent
victims of conflicts between divorcing parents',
and that efforts be made to ensure 'as far as
possible' the continuity 'of the bond with parents
and of the relationship with their family and
social origins, which are indispensable for well-balanced
psychological and human development'.
'How
much selfish complicity often lies at the roots
of a difficult decision that so many women have
had to face alone and of which they still have
the open wound in their soul!' said Benedict XVI
talking of abortion. Then, echoing John Paul II's
words from his Encyclical 'Evangelium vitae',
he added: 'Do not give in to discouragement and
do not lose hope. ... The Father of mercies is
ready to give you His forgiveness and His peace
in the Sacrament of Reconciliation'.
In
closing, Benedict XVI expressed his appreciation
for 'all those social and pastoral initiatives
which seek the reconciliation and cure of people
affected by the drama of abortion and divorce'.
They are, he concluded, 'essential elements in
building the civilisation of love of which humanity
today has more need than ever'. [Vatican Information
Service] 1438.8
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Grandparents
Benedict
XVI urged grandparents to return to being an active
presence in the family, adding that they are a
valuable resource for facing the growing crisis
of family values.
The
Pope said this on Saturday upon receiving participants
from the April 3-5 conference held in the Vatican
on the theme 'Grandparents: Their Witness and
Presence in the Family.' The conference, organized
by the Pontifical Council of the Family, sought
to highlight the role grandparents in fostering
family unity, and as mediators in the relationship
between the married couple and between the parents
and their children.
During
the study sessions the role and the positive contribution
of grandparents in various cultures and societies
in which families are continually threatened was
brought to light.
Above
all, the importance of grandparents in faith education
and in the conservation and safeguarding of the
culture of a country was emphasized.
Speaking
on behalf of the participants in the congress,
Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, archbishop of Cebu, Philippines,
and member of the Pontifical Council for the Family,
told Benedict XVI that during the conference 'there
emerged feelings of gratitude with regard to grandparents,
persons rich with affection, delicacy, authority
and goodness, who lovingly hand on religious and
moral values.'
In
speaking to the participants of the conference,
the Pope began by first expressing his wishes
for the speedy recovery of Cardinal Alfonso López
Trujillo, president of the Vatican council, who
was not able to attend the plenary meeting and
papal audience for health reasons.
The
Holy Father then turned to the theme of the conference
and spoke about grandparents as 'a treasure that
we cannot take away from new generations.' In
fact, he explained, 'it is not possible to plan
the future without relating to a past rich with
significant experiences and spiritual and moral
points of reference.'
Benedict
XVI followed this with a plea that grandparents
'return […] to being a living presence in
the family, in the Church and in society' and
that they 'continue to be witnesses of unity,
values founded on fidelity to a single love that
generates faith and joy in living.'
The
emergence of 'new models of the family' and 'widespread
relativism' which threaten the nuclear family
make this call all the more urgent, he said.
'Unfortunately,
the culture of death seems to be advancing,' the
Pope observed, pointing out that it threatens
even the older generations. 'With growing insistence
one arrives at proposing euthanasia as a solution
for resolving certain difficult situations.'
'Today
economic and social evolution has caused profound
transformations in the life of families,' the
Pontiff added. 'The elderly, among whom there
are many grandparents, find themselves in a kind
of 'parking lot': Some feel themselves as a burden
on the family and prefer to live alone or in nursing
homes, with all the consequences that these choices
have.'
Marginalization
Because
of this, continued the Pope, 'old age, with its
problems that are also linked to new familial
and social contexts on account of modern developments,
must be evaluated with care and always in light
of the truth about man, the family and the community.'
'We
must join together to defeat together every marginalization,'
he said, 'because not only are grandfathers, grandmothers,
and the elderly in general overwhelmed by the
individualistic mentality but everyone. If grandparents
constitute a precious resource, as is often said
and from many quarters, then consistent choices
must be made that permit this resource to be properly
valued.'
'One
must always respond vigorously to that which dehumanizes
society,' Benedict XVI said, calling on parish
and diocesan communities 'to meet the modern needs
of the elderly.'
The
Pope concluded with a thought about the 4th World
Meeting of Families that will be celebrated Jan.
13-18, 2009, in Mexico City. 'All the Christian
families of the world look to this nation 'always
faithful' to the Church, which will open the doors
to all the families of the world.' [Zenit] 1438.9
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Catholic marriage preparation
