SUMMARY:
- POPE TO VISIT AREZZO, LA VERNA AND SANSEPOLCRO, FAMOUS CENTRES OF MONASTIC LIFE
- THE POPE INVITES PEOPLE TO DRIVE CAREFULLY
- NOTE FROM THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
_______________________________________
PRAYER
GIVES ESSENTIAL MEANING TO OUR DAILY ACTIVITIES
Vatican
City, 25 April 2012 (VIS) - If prayer and the Word of God do not
nourish our spiritual life, we run the risk being suffocated by the
many cares and concerns of daily existence. Prayer makes us see
reality with new eyes and helps us to find our way in the midst of
adversity. These words were pronounced by Benedict XVI in his
catechesis during this morning's general audience, held in St.
Peter's Square in the presence of more than 20,000 faithful.
The
Pope explained how prayer encouraged the early Church, though beset
by difficulties, and how it can help man to live a better life today.
"Ever since the beginning of her journey the Church has had to
face unexpected situations, new questions and emergencies, to which
she has sought to respond in the light of the faith, allowing herself
to be guided by the Holy Spirit", he said.
This
was already evident at the time of the Apostles. In the Acts, Luke
the Evangelist recounts "a serious problem which the first
Christian community in Jerusalem had to face and resolve, ...
concerning the pastoral care of charity towards the isolated and the
needy. It was not an unimportant issue and risked creating divisions
within the Church. ... What stands out is that, at that moment of
pastoral emergency, the Apostles made a distinction. Their primary
duty was to announce the Word of God according to the Lord’s
mandate, but they considered as equally serious the task of ...
making loving provision for their brothers and sisters in situations
of need, in order to respond to Jesus' command: love one another as I
have loved you".
The
Apostles made a clear decision: it was not right for them to neglect
prayer and preaching, therefore "seven men of good standing were
chosen, the Apostles prayed for the strength of the Holy Spirit, then
laid their hands upon them that they might dedicate themselves to the
diaconate of charity". This decision, the Pope explained, "shows
the priority we must give to God and to our relationship with Him in
prayer, both as individuals and in the community. If we do not have
the capacity to pause and listen to the Lord, to enter into dialogue
with Him, we risk becoming ineffectually agitated by problems,
difficulties and needs, even those of an ecclesial and pastoral
nature".
The
saints, Pope Benedict said, "experienced profound unity between
prayer and action, between total love of God and love for their
fellows". St. Bernard, a model of harmony between these two
aspects, "affirmed that too many concerns ... often end up by
hardening our heart and causing our spirit to suffer. This is an
important reminder for us today, accustomed as we are to evaluating
everything with the criterion of productivity and efficiency. That
passage from the Acts of the Apostles reminds us of the importance of
work and commitment in daily activity, which must be carried out with
responsibility and dedication, but also of our need for God, for His
guidance and His light which give us strength and hope. If we do not
pray trustingly every day, our activities become empty, they lose all
profundity and are reduced to mere activism which, in the final
analysis, leaves us unsatisfied. ... Every step, every action in our
lives, even in the Church, must be done before God, in prayer and in
the light of His Word".
When
prayer is nourished with the Word of God "we see reality with
new eyes, with the eyes of the faith and the Lord, Who speaks to the
mind and to the heart, gives new light for the journey in all times
and situations. We believe in the power of the Word of God and of
prayer. ... If the lungs of prayer and of the Word of God do not
nourish the breath of spiritual life, we risk suffocating in the
midst of a thousand daily cares. Prayer is the breath of the soul and
of life".
In
conclusion, Benedict XVI noted that when we pray, "in the
silence of a church or in our room, we are united in the Lord to our
brothers and sisters in the faith, like so many instruments which,
each in its own individuality, raise a single great symphony of
intercession, thanksgiving and praise".
POPE
TO VISIT AREZZO, LA VERNA AND SANSEPOLCRO, FAMOUS CENTRES OF MONASTIC
LIFE
Vatican
City, 25 April 2012 (VIS) - On 13 May Benedict XVI is scheduled to
make a pastoral visit to Arezzo, La Verna and Sansepolcro, three
Italian localities with a long history of monasticism and
contemplative life.
The
Holy Father will leave the Vatican by helicopter at 8 a.m. on Sunday
13 May, and is due to land at Arezzo an hour later. At 10 a.m. he
will concelebrate Mass and pray the Regina Coeli in the "Il
Prato" park, after which he will make a private visit to the
cathedral of San Donato. Having lunched with bishops of the Tuscany
region, he will again board his helicopter to travel to the shrine of
La Verna where he will visit the Chapel of the Wounds in which St.
Francis of Assisi used to meditate, then meet with members of the
Friars Minor and Poor Clares from the local area on the esplanade in
front of the building.
At
6.30 p.m. he will travel by helicopter to Sansepolcro. There he will
visit the local cathedral which houses a famous crucifix known as the
"Santo Volto" (Holy Face), considered to be one of the
oldest images of the the clothed and crucified Christ. At 7.30 p.m.
he will meet the inhabitants of the town in the piazza Torre di Berta
before returning to the Vatican at 8.15 p.m.
THE
POPE INVITES PEOPLE TO DRIVE CAREFULLY
Vatican
City, 25 April 2012 (VIS) - At the end of his catechesis this
morning, the Pope pronounced greetings in various languages to the
faithful present in St. Peter's Square. He made particular mention of
Slovak pilgrims who next Sunday will be celebrating a Day of Prayer
for Vocations. "Ask Christ the Good Shepherd", he said,
"always to send new workers to serve Him".
Finally
he addressed some words in Italian to relatives of traffic accident
victims, assuring them of his prayers "for those who have lost
their lives on the roads", and recalling "our constant duty
to drive carefully and with a sense of responsibility".
NOTE
FROM THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE
Vatican
City, 25 April 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a note
released this morning by the Secretariat of State:
"In
the wake of recent leaks of reserved and confidential documents on
television, in newspapers and in other communications media, the Holy
Father has ordered the creation of a Commission of Cardinals to
undertake an authoritative investigation and throw light on these
episodes.
"His
Holiness has determined that the said Commission of Cardinals, which
will act at all levels on the strength of its pontifical mandate,
shall be presided by Cardinal Julian Herranz, and shall have as its
members Cardinal Jozef Tomko and Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi.
"The
Commission of Cardinals celebrated its first sitting on 24 April to
establish the method and timetable for its activities".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 25 April 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father accepted the resignation
from the pastoral care of the diocese of Maraba, Brazil, presented by
Bishop Jose Foralosso S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of
the Code of Canon Law.
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