Category: Pope Benedict XVI

Two new Doctors of the Church: The Lord’s effective witnesses in the world

Reminding us that the Holy Spirit “continues to inspire women and men who engage in the pursuit of truth” Pope Benedict announced that on October 7, at the beginning of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, he would proclaim St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen as Doctors of the Church. “These two great witnesses of the faith lived in very different historical periods and came from different cultural backgrounds,” he said. “But the sanctity of life and depth of teaching makes them perpetually present: the grace of the Holy Spirit, in fact, projected them into that experience of penetrating understanding of divine revelation and intelligent dialogue with the world that constitutes the horizon of permanent life and action of the Church.”

The Pope continued: “Especially in light of the project of the New Evangelization, to which the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be dedicated, and on the vigil of the Year of Faith, these two figures of saints and doctors are of considerable importance and relevance.”

Pope: live according to the Spirit of unity and truth; the beg the Spirit to guide us to objective Truth

I am happy to celebrate this Holy Mass with you – a Mass animated by the Choir of the Academy of Santa Cecilia and by the Youth Orchestra, which I thank – on this Feast of Pentecost. This mystery constitutes the baptism of the Church, it is an event that gave the Church the initial shape and thrust of its mission, so to speak. This shape and thrust are always valid, always timely, and they are renewed through the actions of the liturgy, especially.

This morning I want to reflect on an essential aspect of the mystery of Pentecost, which maintains all its importance in our own day as well. Pentecost is the feast of human unity, understanding and sharing. We can all see how in our world, despite us being closer to one another through developments in communications, with geographical distances seeming to disappear – understanding and sharing among people is often superficial and difficult. There are imbalances that frequently lead to conflicts; dialogue between generations is hard and differences sometimes prevail; we witness daily events where people appear to be growing more aggressive and belligerent; understanding one another takes too much effort and people prefer to remain inside their own sphere, cultivating their own interests. In this situation, can we really discover and experience the unity we so need?

Continue reading Pope: live according to the Spirit of unity and truth; the beg the Spirit to guide us to objective Truth

Pope lunches with friends, speaks of struggle against evil

At Monday’s lunch with many of the cardinals –not all–Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the struggle he and they are engaged together: for good against evil. Not exactly a lite topic for discussion for a lunch celebrating one’s 85th birthday and 7th anniversary of election to the Chair of Saint Peter, but a point that is true and needs to be addressed.

In reading his text (below) you will notice the Pope’s use of the concept ecclesia militans – the Church Militant – which he admits is “old fashion” but still fitting today. When we say “the Church Militant” it means all living Christians who struggle against sin, the devil, or as the Apostle Paul says  “..the rulers of the darkness of this world” and “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

“Church Militant” has two other sisters, “Church Triumphant” and “Church Suffering” that give context to Christian life in light of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints and of what we know the Church to be.

The quick definition of the “Church Triumphant” (Ecclesia Triumphans), indicates those who live in the beatific vision, they see and are seen by God; we say these people are in heaven. The feast day for those in heaven is November 1, All Saints Day.  When we speak of the “Church Suffering” (also called the Church Penitent, Ecclesia Penitens; or Church Expectant, Ecclesia Expectans), we believe that this group of believers are the souls in purgatory. The feast day is  All Souls, November 2.

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Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer intentions for May 2012

cranky child and Pope May 2 2012.jpg

We join with the Pope, Benedict XVI, in prayer before the Divine Majesty for the following intentions:

The general intention

That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society.


The missionary intention

  

That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son Jesus.

Pope Benedict turns 85


B16 bday celebration.jpgToday is the 85th anniversary of the birth and the
Baptism of Hi Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. Let’s  pray for the Pope and his intentions today. 


V. Let us pray for our
Pontiff, Pope Benedict.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and
bless him upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies. 

Our
Father. Hail Mary. 

Let us pray. O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful
people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as
shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his
word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together
with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.

Pope Benedict tells Cuba: We can no longer continue in the same cultural and moral direction



Our Lady of Charity of Cobre.jpg

Pope Benedict
speaking at the Welcome Ceremony in Cuba said, he comes as a pilgrim of charity
to strengthen the people in faith. 14 years ago Blessed John Paul II was in
Cuba.

The pontiff acknowledges that Cuba is looking to the future to broaden
its horizons based on the spiritual and moral values which stand out in
the many the notable people of Cuban history which serve all peoples.

Benedict
takes on selfish government practices and intellectual, spiritual and cultural
demise, by looking to the deep need for reconciliation by hope and bringing
people together.

The Pope comes to kneel down in front of Our Lady of Charity
on the 400th anniversary of her appearance in Cuban. For the Pope, and
therefore for us, he notes truth that the Holy Virgin formed our Christian
identity (our roots) were and continue to shape the soul. It is the Virgin Mary
who is the keystone of the true identity of the Cuban people pointing to her
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the beginning of yet another revolution in Cuba, actually, it is the Papal Revolution, Part II.

The Pope’s text follows:

Thank you, Mr President, for your welcome and your
kind words, with which you also conveyed the sentiments of respect of the Cuban
government and people for the Successor of Peter. I greet the civil authorities
here present, as well as the members of the diplomatic corps. I cordially greet
the President of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo García
Ibáñez of Santiago de Cuba; the Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega y
Alamino, and my other Brother Bishops of Cuba, and I assure them of my deep
spiritual closeness. Finally, I greet with heartfelt affection all the faithful
of the Catholic Church in Cuba, the beloved people of this beautiful island,
and all Cubans wherever they may be. You are always present in my heart and
prayers, especially in the days preceding the much anticipated moment of my
visit to you, which the grace and goodness of God has made possible.


Continue reading Pope Benedict tells Cuba: We can no longer continue in the same cultural and moral direction

The authentic Church is an extension of Good Samaritan today


At Vespers
(evening prayer) with the gathered bishops of Latin America at the
Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of Light, (Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico) this evening the Holy
Father address the following homily. His thoughts turn our attention to a
deeper fidelity in belonging to Christ, being true in communion with others,
rooted and ground in Love. The homily is terrific, he hits on some real significant issues that concern the Catholic Faith and the promotion of Justice. But I can’t help thinking that the Pope is treating this pastoral visit as a giant Ad limina.

B16 at OL Lady Cathedral Leo Mexico Mar 25 2012.jpg

It gives me great joy to be able to pray with all of
you in this Basilica-Cathedral of León, dedicated to our Lady of Light. In the
lovely painting venerated in this basilica, the Blessed Virgin holds her Son in
one hand with immense tenderness while extending her other hand to succour
sinners. This is how the Church in every age sees Mary. We praise her for
giving us the Redeemer and we put our trust in her as the Mother whom her
divine Son bequeathed to us from the Cross. For this reason, we invoke her
frequently as “our hope” because she has shown us Jesus and passed down to us
the great things which God constantly does for humanity. She does so simply, as
a mother teaches her children at home.

A decisive sign of these great things is
given to us in the reading just proclaimed at these Vespers. The people of
Jerusalem and their leaders did not acknowledge Christ, yet, by condemning him
to death, they fulfilled the words of the prophets (cf. Acts 13:27). Human evil
and ignorance simply cannot thwart the divine plan of salvation and redemption.
Evil is simply incapable of that.


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Christ alone can give life in its fullness; what is needed is a pure heart, Pope tells us


An excerpt of the Pope’s homily delivered early today in Mexico. What does it mean to be pure of heart? Why do I want a purity of heart?


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“A pure heart, create for me, O
God” (Ps 50:12) during the responsorial psalm. This exclamation shows us
how profoundly we must prepare to celebrate next week the great mystery of the
passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. It also helps us to look deeply
into the human heart, especially in times of sorrow as well as hope, as are the
present times for the people of Mexico and of Latin America.


The desire for a
heart that would be pure, sincere, humble, acceptable to God was very much felt
by Israel as it became aware of the persistence in its midst of evil and sin as
a power, practically implacable and impossible to overcome. There was nothing
left but to trust in God’s mercy and in the hope that he would change from
within, from the heart, an unbearable, dark and hopeless situation. In this way
recourse gained ground to the infinite mercy of the Lord who does not wish the
sinner to die but to convert and live (cf. Ez 33:11). A pure heart, a new
heart, is one which recognizes that, of itself, it is impotent and places
itself in God’s hands so as to continue hoping in his promises. Then the
psalmist can say to the Lord with conviction: “Sinners will return to
you” (Ps 50:15). And towards the end of the psalm he will give an
explanation which is at the same time a firm conviction of faith: “A
humble, contrite heart you will not spurn” (v. 19).

Continue reading Christ alone can give life in its fullness; what is needed is a pure heart, Pope tells us