LIFE, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CHOICE ..RESPECT AND WELCOME FOR HUMAN LIFE ... another Image of God!
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RELIGIOUS LIFE TODAY
TO CONSECRATED PEOPLE: IMITATE THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL
VATICAN CITY, 3 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican Basilica Benedict XVI met with members of religious congregations, institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, at the end of a Mass marking the thirteenth Day of Consecrated Life, an annual celebration established by John Paul II.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, presided by Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Holy Father greeted those present.
In this year dedicated to St. Paul the Pope focused his remarks on the Apostle "who", he said, "has always been recognised as father and master of those who, called by the Lord, have chosen to dedicate themselves unconditionally to Him and His Gospel. ... Imitating him by following Jesus is the best way to respond fully to your vocation of special consecration in the Church", he said.
St. Paul's lifestyle "expresses the substance of a consecrated life inspired by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. In the life of poverty he saw a guarantee that the Gospel would be announced gratuitously. At the same time, such a life is an expression of real solidarity towards brothers and sisters in need".
"Accepting God's call to chastity", noted the Holy Father, the Apostle of the Gentiles "gave his heart entirely to the Lord in order to be able to serve his brethren with greater freedom and dedication. Moreover, in a world in which the values of Christian chastity enjoyed little popularity, he offered secure guidelines of behaviour".
On the subject of obedience, Benedict XVI recalled how St. Paul was "under daily pressure because of his anxiety for all the churches'', and how this "inspired, shaped and consumed his life, making it a sacrifice agreeable to God".
"Another fundamental aspect of Paul's consecrated life was that of mission. He was entirely for Jesus in order to be, like Jesus, for everyone. ... In him, so closely bound to the person of Christ, we recognise a profound capacity to unite spiritual life and missionary activity. In him, these two dimensions support one another".
The Pope told the consecrated people of his hope that the Pauline Year may "give you further encouragment to welcome the witness of St. Paul, meditating daily upon the Word of God through the faithful practice of 'lectio divina', and singing 'psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts'. May the Apostle help you to accomplish your apostolic service in and with the Church, with an unreserved spirit of communion, making a gift of your charisms to others and bearing witness to the greatest charism of all, which is charity".
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ASK THE LORD FOR MANY NEW VOCATIONS TO CONSECRATED LIFE
VATICAN CITY, 1 FEB 2009 (VIS) - Following the Angelus, the Pope recalled the fact that tomorrow marks the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. "Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took Him to Jerusalem, in accordance with the norms of the Law of Moses. Indeed, according to Scripture, each first born belonged to the Lord and had to be redeemed with a sacrifice.
"This event", he added, "makes manifest the consecration of Jesus to God the Father and - associated thereto - that of the Virgin Mary. For this reason my beloved predecessor John Paul II wished this day, on which many consecrated people pronounce or renew their vows, to be the World Day of Consecrated Life".
The Holy Father also indicated that tomorrow evening, following a Mass due to be celebrated in the Vatican Basilica by the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, he will enter the basilica to greet the consecrated people gathered there.
"I invite everyone to thank the Lord for the precious gift of these brothers and sisters and to ask Him, through the intercession of Our Lady, for many new vocations in the many charisms which make the Church so rich".
Turning then to address Italian pilgrims, Benedict XVI expressed special greetings to members of "the Movement for Life, delegations from the faculty of medicine and surgery of the University of Rome, and everyone involved in the defence and promotion of the fundamental gift of life. I appreciate and encourage the commitment of the diocese of Rome in this field, and express my cordial best wishes for its 'Family Week', which begins today".
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VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2008 (VIS) - This evening in the Vatican Basilica, following a Eucharistic celebration for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the 12th Day of Consecrated Life, presided by Cardinal Franc Rode C.M., prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pope entered the basilica to greet the male and female religious gathered there.
In his address to them, the Holy Father indicated that "following Christ without compromise, as presented in the Gospel, has, over the centuries, constituted the ultimate and supreme norm of religious life".
The mission of consecrated life, said Benedict XVI, "is to recall that all Christians are invited by the Word to live from the Word and to remain under its authority. It is, then, the particular duty of male and female religious ' to remind the baptised of the fundamental values of the Gospel'. In this way, their testimony gives the Church 'an incentive towards ever greater fidelity to the Gospel'. Indeed, we could say that theirs is 'an eloquent, albeit often silent, proclamation of the Gospel'". In this context, the Pope recalled how in his own two Encyclicals, and on other occasions, he had "not failed to indicate the example of saints and blesseds from institutes of consecrated life".
The Pope called on the religious to fill their days "with prayer, meditation and listening to the Word of God", and to help the faithful to appreciate the practice of "lectio divina". He went on: "You must know how to translate the indications of the Word into daily witness, allowing yourselves to be formed by the Word which, like seed sown in good soil, brings abundant fruit. Thus you will remain docile to the Spirit and grow in union with God, you will cultivate fraternal communion among yourselves and be ready to serve your brethren generously, especially those most in need. May mankind see your good works, the fruit of the Word of God that lives within you, and so give glory to the heavenly Father". AC/DAY CONSECRATED LIFE/...IS 080204 (350)
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES: REDISCOVER THE ORIGINAL CHARISM
VATICAN CITY, 19 FEB 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the address Benedict XVI delivered yesterday to members of the executive committee of the International Union of Superiors General, who were meeting in the Vatican to reflect on "some particularly relevant and important aspects of consecrated life".
"We are all aware how, in modern globalised society, it is becoming ever more difficult to announce and bear witness to the Gospel", said the Pope. "The process of secularisation which is advancing in contemporary culture does not, unfortunately, spare even religious communities.
"Nonetheless", he added, "we must not be discouraged, because if (as has been said) many clouds are gathering on the horizon of religious life today, there also exist (indeed they are constantly growing) signs of a providential reawakening which gives rise to consolation and hope.
"The Holy Spirit blows powerfully throughout the Church, creating a new commitment to faithfulness, both in the historical institutes and, at the same time, in new forms of religious consecration that reflect the needs of the times. ... What characterises these new forms of consecrated life is a shared desire ... for a radical form of evangelical poverty, for faithful love of the Church, and for generous dedication to the needy with particular attention to that spiritual poverty which so markedly characterises the modern age".
The Pope subsequently went on to refer to "the orders and congregations with a long tradition in the Church", noting how they have suffered a "difficult crisis due to the ageing of members, a more or less accentuated fall in vocations and, sometimes, a spiritual and charismatic 'weariness'".
Although describing this crisis as "worrying", Benedict XVI highlighted certain positive signs, "especially when communities have chosen to return to the origins and live in a way more in keeping with the spirit of the founder. In almost all recent general chapters of religious institutes the recurring theme has been precisely that of rediscovering the original charism, to then incarnate it and renew it in the present".
Such rediscovery "has helped give institutes a promising new ascetic, apostolic and missionary impulse", said the Pope and he concluded: "It is along this road that we must continue, praying to the Lord to bring to full fruition the work He began". AC/CONSECRATED LIFE/... VIS 080219 (390)
JESUITS: FULL FIDELITY TO THE SOCIETY'S ORIGINAL CHARISM
VATICAN CITY, 21 FEB 2008 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received participants of the Society of Jesus’ general congregation, with the newly named superior general, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, which has been meeting in Rome from 7 January.
The Pope encouraged those present and all their brothers in the Society to continue in their faithfulness to the mission received from God, “in full fidelity to the original charism in the ecclesial and social context that characterizes this beginning of the millennium”.
“The Church”, he said, “urgently needs persons of solid and deep faith, of serious culture, and of genuine human and social sensitivity; of priests and religious who dedicate their lives to living at the margins in order to bear witness and help further the understanding that there exists a profound harmony between faith and reason, between evangelical spirit and a thirst for justice and dedication to peace”.
“The Society of Jesus, Benedict XVI continued, “faithful to its best tradition, should continue forming its members with great attention to the sciences and to virtue, without conforming to mediocrity, because the task of confrontation and dialogue in very diverse social and cultural situations with the different mentalities of today’s world is one of the most difficult and costly there is”.
“In the attempt to build bridges of understanding and dialogue with those who do not belong to the Church or who have difficulty in accepting its positions and messages, you must loyally take charge of the Church’s fundamental right to remain faithful to its mandate and adhere completely to the Word of God as well as to the Magisterium’s charge of conserving the truth and unity of Catholic doctrine in its entirety”.
The Pope emphasized that “this holds not only for the vow of each Jesuit. As you work as members of an apostolic body you have to also remain attentive that your works and institutions always maintain a clear and explicit identity so that the goal of your apostolic activity is neither ambiguous nor obscure and so that many others might share your ideals and might effectively and enthusiastically join with you, collaborating in your vow of service to God and as human beings”.
“The themes that are debated and questioned today, such as the salvation of all in Christ, sexual morality, and marriage and the family, should be considered in the context of contemporary reality, maintaining, however, that harmony with the Magisterium that avoids the provocation of confusion and uncertainty in the People of God”.
The Holy Father encouraged the Jesuit fathers to “continue and to renew” their mission among and with the poor. “For us”, he said, “the option for the poor is not ideological but rather is born of the Gospel”. Besides making the “effort to understand and fight the structural causes” of injustice and poverty, he added, “it is necessary to fight the deep roots of evil in the very heart of the human being, the sin that separates us from God, without forgetting to care for the most urgent needs of others in Christ’s spirit of charity”.
Finally, referring to the Spiritual Exercises, “which from its origins have characterized your Society”, the Pope asked that they “continue making them a precious and effective instrument for the spiritual growth of souls. (...) The Spiritual Exercises represent a particularly precious journey and method for seeking and encountering the face of God in and around us and in all things; for coming to know his will and putting it into practice”.
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POPE THANKS THE PREACHER OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
FOLLOWING CHRIST WITHOUT COMPROMISE
VATICAN CITY , 16 FEB 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican 's "Redemptoris Mater" Chapel, at the conclusion of the Roman Curia's spiritual exercises, the Pope expressed thanks, in the name of all those present, to the preacher Cardinal Albert Vanhoye S.J. The theme of this year's exercises was: "Let us welcome Christ, our High Priest. 'Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession'".
In his remarks, the Pope recalled how Jesus knelt before Peter to wash his feet. This image, he said, "was always before my eyes" and "spoke to me. I saw that it was here, through such behaviour, through such an act of extreme humility, that Jesus' new priesthood was fulfilled. It was fulfilled precisely in the act of solidarity with us, with our weaknesses, our suffering, our trials, even unto death.
"With new eyes I also saw Jesus' red clothing, which speaks to us of His blood", the Pope added. And addressing Cardinal Vanhoye he went on: "You showed us how Jesus' blood was, through His prayer, 'oxygenated' by the Holy Spirit. And thus it became a force of resurrection and a source of life for us".
The Holy Father also noted how Peter had asked the Lord to wash not only his feet but also his head and hands, commenting: "It seems to me that - beyond that specific moment - this expresses the difficulty faced by St. Peter and by all the Lord's disciples in understanding the amazing novelty of Jesus' priesthood, of this priesthood which is debasement, solidarity with us, and thus gives us access to the true shrine: the risen body of Jesus.
"Throughout the period of his discipleship and ... until his own crucifixion, St. Peter had to listen ever and anew to Jesus, in order to enter more deeply into the mystery of His priesthood, the priesthood that Christ communicated to the Apostles and to their successors. In this context, the figure of Peter seems to me like one of us today. You", he concluded, still addressing Cardinal Vanhoye, "have helped us to listen to the voice of the Lord, to relearn the meaning of His priesthood and of ours. You have helped us to participate in Christ's priesthood and thus to receive a new heart, the heart of Jesus, as the centre of the mystery of the new Covenant".
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CHRISTIAN LIFE IS FOUNDED ON MOVEMENT FROM DEATH TO LIFE
VATICAN CITY , 17 FEB 2008 (VIS ) - At midday today, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter's Square.
In his remarks, the Pope mentioned last week's Gospel reading on the temptation of Christ in the desert and this week's concerning the Transfiguration on Mount
Tabor . "On the one hand", he said, "we see Jesus fully as a man Who shares even our temptations; on the other, we contemplate the Son of God Who deifies our humanity".
"We could say", the Holy Father continued, "that these two Sundays act as pillars" supporting the entire edifice of Lent "and, indeed, the entire structure of Christian life, which essentially consists in the Paschal movement from death to life.
"The mountain - Mount Tabor like Mount Sinai - is the place of closeness to God, elevated above everyday life. ... It is the place of prayer. ... The Transfiguration is an event of prayer. In praying, Jesus is immersed in God, ... with His own human will He adheres to the will of love of the Father, and thus He is infused with light and the truth of His being is visibly revealed".
This "leads our thoughts to Baptism, to the white dress worn by the neophyte. Those who are reborn in Baptism are bedecked in light, in anticipation of heavenly life".
"This is the crucial point", Pope Benedict insisted. "The Transfiguration is an anticipation of the Resurrection, but this presupposes death. Jesus shows the Apostles His glory that they might have the strength to witness the scandal of the cross, and understand that we have to pass though many tribulations in order to reach the Kingdom of God ". ANG/EASTER/... VIS 080218 (300)
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