Friday, February 5, 2010
Russian Patriarch Notes Greater Union With Rome
Zenit:MOSCOW, Russia, FEB. 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is affirming that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church stand together on many current social issues.
The Russian Orthodox leader stated this Tuesday while addressing a bishops' meeting of his Church in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, Interfax reported.
He observed: "We [together with the Roman Catholic Church] have similar positions on many problems facing Christians in the modern world. They include aggressive secularization, globalization, and the erosion of the traditional moral principles.
"It should be noted that on these issues Pope Benedict XVI has taken a stance close to the Orthodox one."
The patriarch, who celebrated his first anniversary as leader of the Russian Orthodox Church on Monday, added that on the other hand, he is noticing "growing differences with Protestant denominations."
Recently, the patriarch said, "the Russian Church has seen less Protestant communities cooperating in the cause of preserving the Christian legacy" due to "the relentless liberalization of the Protestant world."
He continued, "Alas, not only have they failed to conduct a real propagation of the Christian values among the secular society, many Protestant communities prefer to adjust to its standards." The patriarch made a particular reference to the recent election of a female bishop, Margot Kaessmann, as head of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
Patriarch Kirill also spoke to the bishops about inter-Orthodox relations, talking in particular about the official visit he made last June to the Church of Constantinople, the Department for External Church Relations reported.
He underlined the significance of that visit, stating: "There are reasons to hope that in those days a new page was opened up in relations between the two patriarchates.
"These relations should not be built in a spirit of rivalry but in an atmosphere of trust and cooperation."
The patriarch reported that the Moscow Patriarchate has opened 900 new parishes in the last year, and the total number of clerics has grown by 1,500.
The Russian Orthodox Church currently has 30,142 parishes (compared to 29,263 in 2008), 160 dioceses (three more than last year), 207 bishops (an increase from 203), and 32,266 clerics (compared to 30,670 last year).
When the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization, or the baptism, of Russia was celebrated in 1988, the Moscow Patriarchate counted 6,893 parishes, 76 dioceses, 74 hierarchs and 7,397 clerics.
Last week in Novosibirsk, the Catholic prelates met for the 30th plenary session of the bishops' conference. At that time, they sent congratulations to Patriarch Kirill for the anniversary of his Jan. 27 election.
The prelate stated to the patriarch, "We wish you all the best in your difficult archpastoral ministry, ask for God's blessing and uplift traditional 'many years!' from Catholic bishops of Russia."
Catholic-Jewish Collaboration For Proper WW2 Burials
Click here for a National Geographic report regarding the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler's bloody Einsatzgruppen thugs in Russia & Eastern Europe.Second photo above is of the Holocaust Memorial sculpture in Miami Beach.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Berlusconi Becomes Emotional During Tribute To Hero Mother
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi wipes a tear during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuís speech (Photo: AP)UK Telegraph:
Silvio Berlusconi was reduced to tears when Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the Italian prime minister's mother for saving a Jewish child from arrest and deportation.
Mr Berlusconi, who was visiting Jerusalem appeared to wipe away tears when the Israeli leader recalled how Rosa Berlusconi, who died in 2008 at the age of 97, saw a German policeman trying to arrest a Jewish girl on a train in Milan.
"The Italian woman, who was then eight months pregnant, stood between the policeman and the girl. And without a grain of fear, she confronted the German policeman and said to him: 'You can kill me, but look at the faces of the people on the train, I promise you they won't let you get out alive'," Mr Netanyahu said.
"With this firm statement, the Italian woman saved the Jewish girl and lit, if only for a moment, a ray of humanistic light and bravery in the great darkness that pervaded all of Europe.
"That brave woman was named Rosa, and one of her sons is named Silvio Berlusconi, today the prime minister of Italy."
Mr Berlusconi, 73, was on a visit to Israel's parliament and listened to a translation of the speech, which was in Hebrew.
He wiped his hand across his eye and nodded in appreciation as Mr Netanyahu and Israeli MPs applauded.
"I am moved and thank the prime minister for recalling an episode involving my mother, who in that moment expressed the feelings of all Italian women," he said.
In true Italian style, Mr Berlusconi idolised his mother and devoted a chapter to her in a biography of his life that he sent to every Italian household while campaigning for re-election in 2001.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (L) toasts with Israel's President Shimon Peres during a lunch on Berlusconi's behalf at the president's residence in Jerusalem February 3, 2010. Berlusconi, visiting Israel's parliament on Wednesday, appeared to wipe away a tear when Netanyahu recalled how the Italian leader's mother helped a Jewish girl during World War Two. (Daylife-Reuters)Pictures courtesy of Daylife
Video H/T: Panorama Magazine
B16 Entertained By Circus Act & Meets Haitian Bishop
In this photo made available by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI, right, greets Haiti's Bishop Pierre Dumas, left, during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010. (Daylife-AP)
Pictures courtesy of Daylife
CNA:
Vatican City, Feb 3, 2010 / 01:56 pm (CNA).- At the general audience this morning, the Holy Father was treated to a circus spectacular. Artists from the group "Circo Americano" pleasantly surprised everyone with a choreographed performance, which Pope Benedict happily applauded.VIS:
The Togni Family and their "Circo Americano" entertained Benedict XVI and the thousands of pilgrims on hand for the audience on Wednesday at St. Paul VI Hall. They took over the stage with their juggling and acrobatics routine set to disco music.
Upon reaching the end of the show, Pope Benedict thanked the more than 50 artists with kind words and a smile, encouraging them, along with a soccer club in attendance, "to work with generous commitment in your respective fields to contribute to building a better future for all."
Concluding the audience, the Holy Father also recalled the several martyrs' feast days will be celebrated this week and expressed his wish that "the courage of these heroic witnesses of Christ help you, dear young people, to open your hearts to the heroism of holiness; supports you, dear sick, to offer the precious gift of prayer and suffering for the Church; and that it gives to you, dear newlyweds, the strength to impress Christian values upon your families."
VATICAN CITY, 3 FEB 2010 (VIS) - In today's general audience, held in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke about the life and work of St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers, or Dominican Order.
St. Dominic was born in Caleruega, near the Spanish city of Burgos, in the year 1170. While still a student he "distinguished himself for his interest in the study of Sacred Scriptures and his love for the poor". Having been ordained a priest he was elected as canon of the cathedral of Osma, however "he did not consider this as a personal privilege, nor as the first step in a brilliant ecclesiastical career; rather, as a service to be rendered with dedication and humility. Do not career and power represent a temptation to which even those who have roles of leadership and government in the Church are not immune?" the Pope asked.
He then explained how the bishop of Osma "soon noted Dominic's spiritual qualities and sought his collaboration. Together they travelled to northern Europe on diplomatic missions. ... On his journeys Dominic became aware of ... the existence of peoples still un-evangelised, ... and of the religious divides that weakened Christian life in the south of France, where the activity of certain heretical groups created disturbance and distanced people from the truth of the faith".
Pope Honorius III asked Dominic "to dedicate himself to preaching to the Albigensians" and he "enthusiastically accepted this mission, which he undertook through the example of his own life of poverty and austerity, through preaching the Gospel and through public discussions".
"Christ", the Pope went on, "is the most precious treasure that men and women of all times and places have the right to know and love! It is consoling to see how also in today's Church there are many people (pastors and lay faithful, members of ancient religious orders and of new ecclesial movements) who joyfully give their lives for the supreme ideal of announcing and bearing witness to the Gospel".
As more and more companions joined him, Dominic established his first house in the French city of Toulouse, from which the Order of Preachers came into being. "He adopted the ancient Rule of St. Augustine, adapting it to the requirements of an itinerant apostolic life in which he and his confreres would move from one place to another preaching, but always returning to their convents, places of study, prayer and community life".
St. Dominic, the Holy Father continued, "was keen that his followers should have a solid theological formation, and did not hesitate to send them to the universities of the time". There they dedicated themselves to the study of theology, "founded on Holy Scripture but respectful of the questions raised by reason".
The Pope encouraged everyone, "pastors and lay people, to cultivate this 'cultural dimension' of the faith, that the beauty of Christian truth may be better understood and the faith truly nourished, strengthened and defended. In this Year for Priests, I invite seminarians and priests to respect the spiritual value of study. The quality of priestly ministry also depends on the generosity with which we apply ourselves to studying revealed truths".
Dominic died in Bologna in 1221 and was canonised in 1234. "With his sanctity, he shows us two indispensable means for making apostolic activity more incisive", the Pope concluded; "firstly, Marian devotion", especially the praying of the Rosary "which his spiritual children had the great merit of popularising", and secondly, "the value of prayers of intercession for the success of apostolic work".
Plus, the excellent Pontifical Choir:
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
AB Sheen, Fatima & Russia's Conversion
Video H/T: The American Catholic
The Great Catholic Apologist, Patrick Madrid, reminds us of Our Lady's admonition regarding Russia:
“I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.
In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
He sees the following as a clear sign of this coming to pass.
Catholic Converts & Church Delineated
Eric Sammons explains the complexity of the Catholic Church:
The average Catholic – as well as the average non-Catholic – believes that the Catholic Church is one monolithic church, with one way of celebrating Mass and a single hierarchy which rules that church. However, the truth is much more complex, so much so that I’m reminded of the saying, “I don’t believe in organized religion, I’m Catholic.”
In reality the Catholic Church is made up of over 20 sui juris churches. What does sui juris mean? That each of these churches is under its “own laws”. In other words, each church can have its own canon law, its own liturgy, and its own governing hierarchy. Some of these churches are headed by a Patriarch, some by a major archbishop, some by a Metropolitan, and some simply by a bishop. Each of these churches, however, it in communion with the bishop of Rome, and, according to Vatican I, he has universal jurisdiction over all the churches.
There are currently 23 sui juris churches that make up the Catholic Church. They include:
1. Latin Catholic church
2. Coptic Catholic church
3. Ethiopian Catholic church
4. Maronite church
5. Syriac (Syrian) Catholic church
6. Syro-Malankara Catholic church
7. Armenian Catholic church
8. Chaldean Catholic church
9. Syro-Malabar church
10. Albanian Greek Catholic church
11. Belarusian Greek Catholic church
12. Bulgarian Greek Catholic church
13. Byzantine church of the Eparchy of Krizevci
14. Greek Byzantine Catholic church
15. Hungarian Greek Catholic church
16. Italo-Albanian Catholic church
17. Macedonian Greek Catholic church
18. Melkite Greek Catholic church
19. Romanian church United with Rome
20. Russian Catholic church
21. Ruthenian Catholic church
22. Slovak Greek Catholic Church
23. Ukrainian Greek Catholic church
As you can see, 22 of these 23 churches are Eastern churches; only the Latin church is Western. But the primary reason most people don’t know about all these Eastern churches is that the Latin Catholic church makes up 98% of all Catholics worldwide. So, if you meet a Catholic on the street, there is a very good chance that he is of the Latin church.
Benedict XVI Scores Triumph In UK
National Catholic Register:Pope Benedict XVI has again shown just how necessary and effective it can be to speak out in the face of unjust legislation against the Church.Read Catholic News Agency analysis of story and the political fallout in the UK here.The British government today backed down from pursuing parts of its Equality Bill, legislation which would have removed the Church’s right to refuse employing certain lay staff including, for instance, the right of a Catholic school to employ a Catholic as a head teacher. The government’s decision came after a furore in Britain following the Holy Father’s remarks to the bishops of England and Wales over such legislation.
According to The Times newspaper: “Ministers were astonished on Monday when the Pope said that the Bill violated “natural justice” and urged bishops to fight it. But that attack, along with the strength of opposition in the Lords and the limited time left to get Bills passed before the election, has sapped the Government’s enthusiasm to continue the fight.” (emphasis added)
The Times also reports that although Harriet Harman, the minister responsible for the legislation, made no mention of the Pope’s visit to Britain this year, “it is understood that the Government did not want the dispute to overshadow preparations.”
On Monday, the Pope told the bishops that the Bill and other types of similar legislation would “impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed.”
The Pope added: “I urge you as Pastors to ensure that the Church’s moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended.”
The Holy Father’s words caused outrage in sections of the media, with some arguing that the Pope shouldn’t meddle in British politics. Others have drawn up a petition to protest against his visit which is expected to take place in September. A senior official told me the reaction took many by surprise as the words of the Pope were to be expected.
Yet the strength of the protests reveals just how anti-Christian much of Britain has sadly become, and that the Church has a real battle on its hands to ensure its voice continues to be heard in the public square in the face of similar ongoing legislation. Further concerns include the closure of Catholic adoption agencies because of rules forcing them not to discriminate against same-sex couples, and what appears to be increasing public support for a law permitting assisted suicide.
On Saturday, the Holy Father will address the bishops of Scotland, in Rome for their ad limina visit. According to one senior source, the Pope will tell the bishops much the same as he told their English and Welsh counterparts.
Whether his comments will spark another storm of protest remains to be seen, but what is clear is that all this controversy will ensure the Holy Father receives plenty of attention come September.
UK Catholics are training to comment & brief media outlets for upcoming Papal visit.
Emotional Berlusconi Speaks To Israeli Knessset
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (3rd R) walks past an honour guard as he is escorted by Israel's Speaker of the Parliament Reuven Rivlin (R) during a welcoming ceremony at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem February 3, 2010. Berlusconi was visibly moved in Israel's parliament on Wednesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled how the Italian leader's mother helped a Jewish girl during World War Two. (Daylife-Reuters)
Pictures courtesy of DaylifeAnsa:
Jerusalem, February 3 - Israeli's right to exist and the threat posed to the Jewish state by Iran's nuclear ambitions were among the key points of an address Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi made to the Israeli parliament on Wednesday.As can be expected the Iranian regime responded by stating that the Italian leader had engaged in "blatant interference in the internal affairs of an independent country."
He also spoke on the need to combat both anti-Semitism and racism, recalled the horror of the Holocaust and reiterated Italy's position in favor of a Palestinian state existing in peace alongside Israel Berlusconi was the first Italian premier to address the Knesset, although the leader of the centrist UDC party, Pier Ferdinando Casini, spoke to the assembly in 2008 on Holocaust Remembrance Day in his role of chairman of the Interparliamentary Union.
Speaking to the assembly, Berlusconi said "you represent ideals which are universal, you are the greatest example of democracy and freedom in the Middle East if not the only one. An example which has deep roots in the Bible and the Zionist ideal".
"Israel, your state is truly the symbol of this possibility of being free and living in a democracy outside the borders of the West and for this reason you are seen as an intolerable presence by fanatics all over the world," he added.
"Israel's security within its borders and its right to exist as a Jewish state are for us an ethical choice and a moral imperative against all forms of anti-Semitism and negation and against losing the memory of the Holocaust," Berlusconi.
In regard to Iran, Berlusconi said it was "unacceptable that atomic weapons be in possession of a state whose leader openly expresses his desire to destroy Israel and denies not only the Holocaust but also the legitimacy of the Jewish state".
In his address, which was interrupted 12 times by standing ovations, the premier reiterated his 'dream' of seeing Israel join the European Union, even though it is not part of Europe.
"Israel's place must be among the nations of Europe, as a full member of the European Union. This is my dream, this is my hope," he said, Israel qualified to be part of the EU, the premier explained, because "your nation is a true democracy, an open society which is proud of its liberty, a free and democratic state in every way and in every way equal to the democracies in Europe".
Turning his attention to the Holocaust, Berlusconi told the MPs "I truly feel that I am one of you. I knew I was one of you the day I visited Auschwitz, a day which changed my life".
Looking back to anti-Semitic 'racial laws' adopted under Fascism, Berlusconi said that thanks to the Liberation Italy "found the strength to repudiate the infamous racial laws which had shamed our country since 1938 and contradicted centuries of respect for all human being an their dignity".
The premier then looked at today and recalled that after 9/11 "we Italians knew right away that the challenge posed by terrorism was not just against the United States and Israel but against all democratic nations in the West and against moderate Arab countries".
"And since then we have done our part, from Iraq to Afghanistan, Bosnia to Lebanon, to combat terrorism and foster peace," he added.
"We are united in defending democracy and keeping it free from fanaticism, prejudice, superstition and those who exploit the name of God to justify violence," the premier said.
On the prospects for peace in the Middle East, Berlusconi recalled how Rome "has always been in favor of a solution which foresees two states, a Jewish one and a Palestinian one, which exist side by side in peace and security".
"Today, this solution of two states for two peoples appears to be acceptable not only to you and the Palestinian leadership, but also the European Union, the United States and the most important countries in the Arab world," he added.
"And I have to praise Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu for the courage he has shown to follow, explaining to me the interests of his people, this path," the premier said.
Berlusconi also said that Israel was justified in launching its three-week offensive in Gaza, between the end of 2008 and start of 2009, in retaliation to missile launchings by the Hamas militant group.
Italy, he told the Knesset, opposed the UN's Golstone Report, which accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, because Israel's response was "justified".
In his introduction to Berlusconi's address, Netanyahu recalled how the premier's recently deceased mother, Rosa, had during the war saved a Jewish girl from a German policeman.
A visibly moved Berlusconi thanked the Israel prime minister for remembering his mother.
Speaking to the assembly after the premier's address, Netanyahu said "here in Israel you have won our hearts and in the name of everyone I wish to tell you how you have our esteem, we embrace and love you".
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack said Berlusconi's address was "stupendous, moving and real, while opposition leader Tzipi Livni said she was moved by the premier's words.
"While other leaders hold back, Berlusconi always has the courage to say what he thinks. For him it's not a question of politics but values. He knows what is right and what is wrong, whether it's anti-Semitism, the Iranian threat or combating terrorism, she added.
Others leaders who have addressed the Knesset include ex-US president George W. Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
See Berlusconi's remarks with President Abbas today here.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Candlemas Vespers
Pope Benedict XVI holds up the ostensory during a vespers ceremony on the occasion of the feast of the presentation of the Lord, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010.(Daylife-AP Photo)
All pictures courtesy of DaylifeSalt & Light TV:
February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.Zenit:
Forty days after his birth the Law of Moses required Mary to go to the temple and take part in the ritual for purification. This was also the day Mary and Joseph formally introduced Jesus to the House of God.
In 1997 Pope John Paul II also made February 2nd the World Day for Consecrated Life. This day focuses on members of secular institutes, movements and personal prelatures, as well as members of Societies of Apostolic life. These people have taken vows and effectively set themselves apart for God, that He may use them to do His will in the world and in the Church.
Every year Pope Benedict celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord with the members of Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to remind us that just as Mary and Joseph presented Jesus to the Lord, those who are consecrated have also presented themselves to the Lord. This day serves as a day for them to once again re-affirm their response to God’s call to set themselves apart for His will.
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 2, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI today recalled the three aims for the Church's annual celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life, noting the day is address to God, the faithful, and consecrated persons themselves.
Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, was designated by Pope John Paul II as the World Day of Consecrated Life. This year, the 14th world day is being celebrated.
Benedict XVI recalled during his vespers homily that the "purpose of this day is threefold: first of all to praise and thank the Lord for the gift of consecrated life; in the second place, to promote the knowledge and appreciation by all the People of God; finally, to invite all those who have fully dedicated their life to the cause of the Gospel to celebrate the marvels that the Lord has operated in them."
Offering a commentary on the liturgical text from the Letter to the Hebrews, the Holy Father said: "If Christ was not truly God, and was not, at the same time, fully man, the foundation of Christian life as such would come to naught, and in an altogether particular way, the foundation of every Christian consecration of man and woman would come to naught."
Reciprocal seeking
He reflected how consecrated life expresses the "reciprocal seeking of God and man, the love that attracts them to one another."
The Pontiff went on to note the emphasis on trust in the verses from Hebrews.
He said consecrated persons have "approached with full trust the 'throne of grace' that is Christ, his Cross, his Heart, to his divine presence in the Eucharist. Each one of you has approached him as the source of pure and faithful love, a love so great and beautiful as to merit all, in fact, more than our all, because a whole life is not enough to return what Christ is and what he has done for us."
The Bishop of Rome expressed his wish "to raise to the Lord a hymn of thanksgiving and praise for consecrated life itself."
"If it did not exist," he said, "how much poorer the world would be! Beyond the superficial valuations of functionality, consecrated life is important precisely for its being a sign of gratuitousness and of love, and this all the more so in a society that risks being suffocated in the vortex of the ephemeral and the useful.
"Consecrated life, instead, witnesses to the superabundance of the Lord's love, who first 'lost' his life for us."
"Full of trust and gratitude," Benedict XVI said, "let us then also renew the gesture of the total offering of ourselves, presenting ourselves in the Temple. [...]
"Let us carry out this interior gesture in profound spiritual communion with the Virgin Mary: While contemplating her in the act of presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple, we venerate her as the first and perfect consecrated one, carried by that God she carries in her arms; Virgin, poor and obedient, totally dedicated to us because totally of God.
"In her school, and with her maternal help, we renew our 'here I am' and our 'fiat.'"
Presentation of the Lord in the Temple:
Read more about this feast here, here and here.
The Prayer of Magnificat:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
for he has looked with favor on his lowly
servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm;
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
(Luke 1:46-55)
Monday, February 1, 2010
B16-"Let Us Ask For The Grace & Courage" To Be Faithful, With Special Participation By Catholic Youth
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JANUARY 31: Pope Benedict XVI and two children of the Italian Association 'Azione Cattolica' free two doves as a symbol of peace at the end of his sunday angelus blessing from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square on January 31, 2010 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Daylife-Getty Images)See related, earlier post regarding the Sunday, January 31st Angelus here.
Vatican Information Service:
VATICAN CITY, 31 JAN 2010 (VIS) - At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his private study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square.Read a full, relevant Papal roundup from Christopher Bosser's excellent Benedict's Blog here.
The Holy Father mentioned the readings of today's liturgy, one of which was the so-called "hymn to charity" from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, which he described as "one of the most beautiful passages of the New Testament, and of the entire Bible".
"Charity", the Pope explained, "is the 'greatest' gift, which gives value to all the others. ... In the end, when we find ourselves face to face with God, all other gifts will fail and all that will be left to last for eternity is love, because God is love and we will be like unto Him, in perfect communion with Him.
"For now", he added, "as long as we are in this world, charity is the distinctive mark of Christians. It is the synthesis of all their lives, of what they believe and what they do". In this context he recalled his first Encyclical, dedicated to the subject of Christian love, "Deus Caritas est", which, he said, is made up of two parts "corresponding to the two aspects of charity: its significance and its practical implementation".
The Holy Father went on: "Love is God's very essence, it is the meaning of creation and history, it is the light that gives goodness and beauty to the existence of each man and woman. At the same time love is, so to say, the 'style' of God and of believers, it is the behaviour of those who, responding to the love of God, order their lives as a gift of self to God and to neighbour".
"If we think of the saints, we recognise the variety of their spiritual gifts and their human characters. But the life of each one of them is a hymn to charity, a living canticle to the love of God".
Benedict XVI concluded by recalling how today marks the Feast of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesian Family and patron saint of the young. And he called for the saint's intercession during this Year for Priests, that "the clergy may always be educators and fathers to the young; and that, experiencing this pastoral charity, many young people may accept the call to give their lives for Christ and the Gospel".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)