Pope Benedict XVI – Page 14

Lectio Divina as the springtime of the Church

Here are Pope Benedict’s 5 reasons for Christians doing lectio divina, because as he sees it, lectio is the new springtime of the Church.

Lectio Divina is of course central to Benedictine spirituality –but not limited to those who are “professional religious people– with several hours a day of prayerful reading of Scripture and other spiritual texts required of monks in the Rule.

And it is also one of the central themes of Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini. Scattered through the document are the reasons why lectio is so crucial. Here is my summation of the reasons he sets out for why we should do lectio divina.

1. To please God by listening to him. Pope quotes Origen: “Do your reading with the intent of believing in and pleasing God.”

2. To build the Church as a community. “While it is a word addressed to each of us personally, it is also a word which builds community, which builds the Church…The reading of the word of God… enables us to deepen our sense of belonging to the Church, and helps us to grow in familiarity with God.”

3. To nourish and sustain us ‘on our journey of penance and conversion’: through it, we grow in love and truth.

4. In order to discern God’s will for us, and convert us: “Contemplation aims at creating within us a truly wise and discerning vision of reality, as God sees it, and at forming within us “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

The Pope particularly recommends lectio divina to seminarians because: “It is in the light and strength of God’s word that one’s specific vocation can be discerned and appreciated, loved and followed, and one’s proper mission carried out…” Lay people to should be trained, he urges, “to discern God’s will through a familiarity with his word, read and studied in the Church under the guidance of her legitimate pastors.”

He goes on: “Saint Paul tells us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect ” (12:2). The word of God appears here as a criterion for discernment: it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).”, and “….by nourishing the heart with thoughts of God, so that faith, as our response to the word, may become a new criterion for judging and evaluation persons and things, events and issues”….”

5. For the spiritual benefit of others. First, to equip us to fulfill the duty of all Christians to evangelize, contributing to the Churches mission to convert the whole world to Christ. And secondly to aid the souls in purgatory through the Church’s offer of indulgences for Scripture reading and certain Scripturally based prayers (such as the Office), which teach us that “to whatever degree we are united in Christ, we are united to one another, and the supernatural life of each one can be useful for the others.”

Benedict on music and Liturgy

Two central interests in the ministry of Pope Benedict are music and the sacred Liturgy; other interests you might say are evangelization, theology and culture. At recent gatherings with the Pope he spoke about music as a concert given by a group of Spanish musicians and then to the bishops of New York State making their pilgrimage to Rome to pray and speak with the Pope about their work. Below are two interesting sets of ideas worthy of reflection:

On music

“…the magic
worked by music, the universal language which can overcome all barriers and
allow us to enter the world of others, of a nation or a culture, at the same
time enabling us to turn our mind and hearts … to the world of God.”

Pope
Benedict XVI to musicians

November 26, 2011

On the sacred Liturgy

“A weakened sense of the meaning and importance of Christian
worship can only lead to a weakened sense of the specific and essential
vocation of the laity to imbue the temporal order with the spirit of the
Gospel. America has a proud tradition of respect for the Sabbath; this legacy
needs to be consolidated as a summons to the service of God’s Kingdom and the
renewal of the social fabric in accordance with its unchanging truth.”

Pope speaks to New York Bishops: we ourselves are the first to need re-evangelization,

As you know, the Pope is meeting for next several months with all the bishops of the United States. Two weeks ago I noted the Ad Limina Apostolorum of the New England bishops; this week the Pope meets with the New York bishops and next week he’ll be meeting with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania bishops. His reflections and leadership on key areas are crucial for all of us to pay attention to right now for the good of the Church. The text of his address to the bishops of these three regions is given below.

I greet you all with affection in the Lord and, through you, the Bishops from the United States who in the course of the coming year will make their visits ad limina Apostolorum.

Our meetings are the first since my 2008 Pastoral Visit to your country, which was intended to encourage the Catholics of America in the wake of the scandal and disorientation caused by the sexual abuse crisis of recent decades. I wished to acknowledge personally the suffering inflicted on the victims and the honest efforts made both to ensure the safety of our children and to deal appropriately and transparently with allegations as they arise. It is my hope that the Church’s conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society. By the same token, just as the Church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards.

Continue reading Pope speaks to New York Bishops: we ourselves are the first to need re-evangelization,

Cardinal Wuerl’s report on the Implementation of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus

Report

on the Implementation of the Apostolic
Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

November 15, 2011

His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Archbishop of
Washington

Thank you Archbishop Dolan. With me for this presentation are
Bishop Robert McManus and Bishop Kevin Vann, the other members of the
Conference’s ad hoc Committee on the Implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus.

With
us, as well, are Father Jeffrey Steenson and Father Scott Hurd, who have worked
with the committee.

At our June General Assembly meeting in Seattle, I provided
a brief report and update on the progress being made in the implementation of
the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. At that time, I asked
for and received a show of support for the material I presented by way of a
consultation with the bishops.

Continue reading Cardinal Wuerl’s report on the Implementation of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus

Ad Limina of New England bishops 2011

There’s not been lots of details revealed about the recent Ad Limina of New England’s 18 bishops. That may be because most of the meetings are private affairs between a bishop –or a group of bishops– and the Pope and his 12 key Vatican collaborators. The pilgrimage in Rome happened 3-9 November. The two New England Metropolitans, Cardinal O’Malley and Archbishop Mansell, led the bishops with the coordinating help of Bishop Evans.

There are things that are becoming more known because of the generosity of the bishops speaking about their experiences and their concerns.

Several stories of the recent Roman pilgrimage are noted here:

Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap: “Together with the Holy Father“

Burlington’s Bishop Salvatore Matano: “US ad limina visits in focus“

A widely circulated CNS article: “Ad Limina visit highlights religious freedom, evangelization“

Defining the Church’s charitable mission

Today, Pope Benedict spoke to the volunteers who work with the Cor Unum group led by Cardinal Robert Sarah. He defines very clearly charitable work. Pay attention Communion and Liberation people!!!

I am grateful for the opportunity to greet you as you meet under the auspices of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” in this European Year of Volunteering.

Let me begin by thanking Cardinal Robert Sarah for the kind words he has addressed to me on your behalf. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to you and, by extension, to the millions of Catholic volunteers who contribute, regularly and generously, to the Church’s charitable mission throughout the world. At the present time, marked as it is by crisis and uncertainty, your commitment is a reason for confidence, since it shows that goodness exists and that it is growing in our midst. The faith of all Catholics is surely strengthened when they see the good that is being done in the name of Christ (cf. Philem 6).

For Christians, volunteer work is not merely an expression of good will. It is based on a personal experience of Christ. He was the first to serve humanity, he freely gave his life for the good of all. That gift was not based on our merits. From this we learn that God gives us himself. More than that: Deus Caritas est – God is love, to quote a phrase from the First Letter of Saint John (4:8) which I employed as the title of my first Encyclical Letter. The experience of God’s generous love challenges us and liberates us to adopt the same attitude towards our brothers and sisters: “You received with paying, give without pay” (Mt 10:8). We experience this especially in the Eucharist when the Son of God, in the breaking of bread, brings together the vertical dimension of his divine gift with the horizontal dimension of our service to our brothers and sisters.

Continue reading Defining the Church’s charitable mission

Carlo Maria Viganò, America’s New Nuncio, to arrive soon

His Excellency, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, 70, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to be his personal representative to the Church in the United States and to the US government, on 19 October 2011. As ambassador he’ll have to recommend to the Pope the new bishops, handle ecclesial matters of significance and work with the US politicians. Archbishop Viganò met with the Pope this morning. He is set arrive in time for the general meeting of US Bishops, 14-16 November in Baltimore.

David Kerr of The National Catholic Register has a story relating these diplomatic events and more of Viganò’s history.

You may also want to read Cindy Wooden of the Catholic News Service’s October 19th article for a another perspective.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò was born in Varese, Italy (Lombardy) and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pavia (the place where St Augustine of Hippo is buried) but since 1973 Viganò has been in the service ot the Holy See. Since 1992, he’s been a bishop. His past postings have been as Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, and since 1998 he’s been an official in the Secretariat of State. Recently, recently he’s been the Secretary to the Governate of Vatican City State.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s appointment to the office of Nuncio fills the gap left when Pietro Sambi died on 27 July 2011. His Excellency is the 14th representative of the Pope on US shores.

The United States of America has had a delegation from the Holy See since 24 January 1893; the delegation became a full-fledged Nunciature on 10 January 1984.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.

All Souls

The Church remembers before God the Father Almighty all the dead. Our Commemoration of the faithful departed –All Souls– is a poignant time remember and live life more intensely.

In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of this gesture of remembrance:

Today, the day after the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church invites us to pray for the faithful departed. This yearly commemoration, often marked by visits to the cemetery, is an occasion to ponder the mystery of death and to renew our faith in the promise of eternal life held out to us by Christ’s resurrection. As human beings, we have a natural fear of death and we rebel against its apparent finality. Faith teaches us that the fear of death is lightened by a great hope, the hope of eternity, which gives our lives their fullest meaning. The God who is love offers us the promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of his Son. In Christ, death no longer appears as an abyss of emptiness, but rather a path to life which will never end. Christ is the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in him will never die. Each Sunday, in reciting the Creed, we reaffirm our faith in this mystery. As we remember our dear departed ones, united with them in the communion of the saints, may our faith inspire us to follow Christ more closely and to work in this world to build a future of hope.

More on the Assisi Day of Reflection and dialogue 2011

The “Day of
reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world: Pilgrims of
Truth, Pilgrims of Peace,” is to take place in Assisi on 27 October. The event needs our prayer and solidarity.

Cardinal
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace had a press conference in which he said, “Following two and a half
decades of collaboration and joint witness among religions, it is time to
assess the results and to re-launch our commitment in the face of new
challenges.”

Continue reading More on the Assisi Day of Reflection and dialogue 2011

Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer: pilgrims of truth, peace and justice in Assisi 2011

The Pope’s called for a few days (a journey) of reflection on truth and peace in the world in Assisi on October 27. This gesture recalls the first Assisi meeting of religious leaders in 1986. But you know this. You’ve also heard that among some rigid Catholic-types there’s been an expressed outrage. Sad, I think. The past events have been “interesting” due to the way the event was organized and perhaps on how it was conceived to bring non-Christians together for prayer when the notion of prayer is not common to all religions and philosophy, but a complete dismissal of the gesture is unwarranted. I trust that Pope Benedict knows what he’s doing. The emphasis is not on prayer; the papal emphasis is on a pilgrimage. The list of participants is incomplete but it is expected that those who participate will represent the major religions and philosophies of the world and number under 100.

The theme for the Assisi meeting: “A Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World: Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace.”

The program for the Assisi meeting was rolled out today (in Italian).