Every time we celebrate Holy Mass, we hear echo in our heart
the words that Jesus left with his disciples at the Last Supper as a precious
gift: "Peace I leave you, my peace I give you" (John 14:27). How much
the Christian community and the whole of humanity need to taste completely the
riches and the power of Christ's peace! St. Benedict was a great witness,
because he welcomed it in his existence and fructified it in works of authentic
cultural and spiritual renewal. "Pax" ("Peace") is posted
as a motto at the entrance to the Abbey of Monte Cassino and every other
Benedictine monastery: the monastic community in fact is called to live
according to this peace, which is the paschal gift par excellence. As you know,
in my recent trip to the Holy Land, I went as a pilgrim of peace, and today --
in this land marked by the Benedictine charism -- I have the opportunity to
emphasize, once again, that peace is in the first place a gift of God, and
therefore its power is in prayer.
It is a gift given, however, to human care. Even the energy
that is needed to actualize it is drawn from prayer. So, it is essential to
cultivate an authentic prayer life to assure the social progress of peace. Once
again the history of monasticism teaches us that a great growth in civilization
is prepared by daily listening to the Word of God, which moves believers to a
personal and communal effort in the struggle against egoism and injustice. Only
in learning, with the grace of Christ, to combat and defeat the evil within
ourselves and in relationships with others, can we become authentic builders of
peace and civil progress. May the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, help all
Christians, in their different vocations and situations in life, to be
witnesses of that peace that Christ gave us and left us as a demanding mission
to realize everywhere.
Today, March 24, liturgical memorial of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Help of Christians -- who is venerated with great devotion at the shrine
of Sheshan in Shanghai -- we celebrate the Day of Prayer for the Church in
China. My thoughts turn to all the people of China. In particular I greet the
Catholics of China with great affection and I exhort them to renew on this day
their communion of faith in Christ and of fidelity to the Successor of Peter.
May our common prayer obtain an effusion of gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that
unity of all Christians, the catholicity and the universality of the Church
always will be deeper and more visible.
Pope Benedict XVI, Regina Caeli Address, Miranda Square, May 24, 2009
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