SUMMARY:
- MAY GOD
BLESS THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY, SO SORELY TRIED DOWN THE AGES
- ISLAM
AND CHRISTIANITY CAN LIVE TOGETHER WITHOUT HATRED
- SERVING
JUSTICE AND PEACE IS AN IMPERATIVE TASK OF THE CHURCH
- MAY THE
GOSPEL CONTINUE TO RESONATE IN THE REGION WHICH SAW JESUS' ACTIONS
AND HEARD HIS WORDS
-
ANGELUS: WHY SO MUCH HORROR? WHY SO MANY DEAD?
______________________________________
MAY
GOD BLESS THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY, SO SORELY TRIED DOWN THE AGES
Vatican
City, 16 September 2012 (VIS) - At midday yesterday, before having
lunch with patriarchs and bishops of Lebanon, and the members of the
Special Council for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, in the
headquarters of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate at Bzommar, the
Pope expressed his thanks for the invitation to His Beatitude Nerses
Bedros XIX Tarmouni, patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians, and to
the superior of the Institute of the Patriarchal Clergy.
"Divine
Providence has allowed our meeting to take place here in this convent
of Bzommar, which is so emblematic for the Armenian Catholic Church.
Its founder, the monk Hagop, more commonly known as Meghabarde - the
sinner - is an example for us of prayer, of detachment from material
things and of faithfulness to Christ the Redeemer. Five hundred years
ago, he promoted the printing of the Friday Book, thus establishing a
bridge between Christians of East and West. From his example, we can
learn the meaning of mission, the courage of truth and the value of
fraternity in unity. As we prepare to replenish our strength with
this meal which has been lovingly prepared and generously offered,
the monk Hagop also reminds us that the spiritual thirst and the
quest for higher things must remain always alive in our hearts, for
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God'".
"Dear
friends", the Pope added, "through the intercession of the
Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, and of St. Gregory the
Illuminator, let us ask the Lord to bless the Armenian community, so
sorely tried down through the ages, and to send to its harvest
numerous saintly workers who, because of Christ, are enabled to
change the face of our societies, to heal hearts that are broken and
to offer courage, strength and hope to those who despair. Thank you!"
ISLAM
AND CHRISTIANITY CAN LIVE TOGETHER WITHOUT HATRED
Vatican
City, 16 September 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday evening the Holy Father
paid a visit to the Maronite Patriarchate at Bkerke. Since 1832,
Bkerke has been the winter residence of the Maronite Patriarch of
Antioch and All the East, while his summer residence is located at
Dimane in northern Lebanon, The current Patriarch is His Beatitude
Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M.
At
Bkerke, which stands on the hillside of Harissa and is dominated by
the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, the Holy Father met with young
people of the Middle East.
"You
are living today in this part of the world which witnessed the birth
of Jesus and the growth of Christianity", the Holy Father told
his youthful audience. "It is a great honour! It is also a
summons to fidelity, to love of this region and, above all, to your
calling to be witnesses and messengers of the joy of Christ. ... Many
of the Apostles and saints lived in troubled times and their faith
was the source of their courage and their witness. Find in their
example and intercession the inspiration and support that you need!
"I
am aware of the difficulties which you face daily on account of
instability and lack of security, your difficulties in finding
employment and your sense of being alone and on the margins. In a
constantly changing world you are faced with many serious challenges.
But not even unemployment and uncertainty should lead you to taste
the bitter sweetness of emigration, which involves an uprooting and a
separation for the sake of an uncertain future. You are meant to be
protagonists of your country’s future and to take your place in
society and in the Church.
"You
have a special place in my heart and in the whole Church, because the
Church is always young! The Church trusts you, ... (she) needs your
enthusiasm and your creativity! Youth is the time when we aspire to
great ideals, when we study and train for our future work. ... Seek
beauty and strive for goodness! ... Open the doors of your minds and
hearts to Christ! ... Christ says to you: My peace I give to you!
This is the true revolution brought by Christ: that of love.
"The
frustrations of the present moment must not lead you to take refuge
in parallel worlds like those, for example, of the various narcotics
or the bleak world of pornography. As for social networks, they are
interesting but they can quite easily lead to addiction and confusion
between the real and the virtual. Look for relationships of genuine,
uplifting friendship. Find ways to give meaning and depth to your
lives; fight superficiality and mindless consumption! ... Seek out
good teachers, spiritual masters, who will be able to guide you along
the path to maturity, leaving behind all that is illusory, garish and
deceptive".
"Meditate
on God’s word! Discover how relevant and real the Gospel can be.
Pray! Prayer and the Sacraments are the sure and effective means to
be a Christian and to live rooted and built up in Christ. ... In Him,
all men and women are our brothers and sisters. The universal
brotherhood which He inaugurated on the cross lights up in a
resplendent and challenging way the revolution of love. “Love one
another as I have loved you”. This is the legacy of Jesus and the
sign of the Christian".
"Christ
asks you, then, to do as He did: to be completely open to others,
even if they belong to a different cultural, religious or national
group. Making space for them, respecting them, being good to them,
making them ever more rich in humanity and firm in the peace of the
Lord. ... Experiencing together moments of friendship and joy enables
us to resist the onset of division, which must always be rejected!
... Be heralds of the Gospel of life and life’s authentic values.
Courageously resist everything opposed to life: abortion, violence,
rejection of and contempt for others, injustice and war. In this way
you will spread peace all around you. Are not “peacemakers” those
whom in the end we admire the most? Is it not a world of peace that,
deep down, we want for ourselves and for others? ... Truly
discovering God’s forgiveness and mercy always enables us to begin
a new life. It is not easy to forgive. But God’s forgiveness grants
the power of conversion, and the joy of being able to forgive in
turn. Forgiveness and reconciliation are the paths of peace; they
open up a future".
"Young
people of Lebanon, you are the hope and the future of your country.
You are Lebanon, a land of welcome, of openness, with a remarkable
power of adaptation. At this moment, we cannot forget those millions
of individuals who make up the Lebanese diaspora and maintain solid
bonds with their land of origin. Young people of Lebanon, be
welcoming and open, as Christ asks you and as your country teaches
you.
"I
should like now to greet the young Muslims who are with us this
evening. I thank you for your presence, which is so important.
Together with the young Christians, you are the future of this fine
country and of the Middle East in general. Seek to build it up
together! And when you are older, continue to live in unity and
harmony with Christians. For the beauty of Lebanon is found in this
fine symbiosis.
It is
vital that the Middle East in general, looking at you, should
understand that Muslims and Christians, Islam and Christianity, can
live side by side without hatred, with respect for the beliefs of
each person, so as to build together a free and humane society.
"I
understand, too, that present among us there are some young people
from Syria. I want to say how much I admire your courage. Tell your
families and friends back home that the Pope has not forgotten you.
Tell those around you that the Pope is saddened by your sufferings
and your griefs. He does not forget Syria in his prayers and
concerns, he does not forget those in the Middle East who are
suffering. It is time for Muslims and Christians to come together so
as to put an end to violence and war".
At the
conclusion of his meeting with the young people, the Pope greeted
Catholic patriarchs of Lebanon in chapel of the Assumption inside the
Patriarchal Palace.
SERVING
JUSTICE AND PEACE IS AN IMPERATIVE TASK OF THE CHURCH
Vatican
City, 16 September 2012 (VIS) - This morning in Beirut, Lebanon,
Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at the City Centre Waterfront, a coastal
area reclaimed from the sea using the debris of buildings in the old
centre of Beirut, which were demolished at the end of the Civil War
prior to the reconstruction.
The Holy
Father travelled by car from the apostolic nunciature in Harissa,
then covered the final stretch along the seafront from Jounieh in
popemobile. He was greeted on arrival by the mayor of Beirut who
presented him with the keys to the city. The Mass was attended by
many thousands of faithful, the Lebanese authorities and 300 bishops
from all over the Middle East. The liturgy was celebrated in Arabic,
French and Latin.
In his
homily the Pope commented on today's reading from the Gospel of St.
Mark in which the true identity of Jesus is revealed. In Mark's
narrative, Jesus is walking with His disciples along the road leading
to the villages in the region of Caesarea Philippi when He asks them:
"Who do people say that I am?"
"The
moment He chose to ask this question is not insignificant", the
Holy Father explained. "Jesus was facing a decisive
turning-point in His life. He was going up to Jerusalem, to the place
where the central events of our salvation would take place: His
crucifixion and resurrection. In Jerusalem too, following these
events, the Church would be born".
In the
episode, after Peter has proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, Christ
tells the disciples that He must suffer and be put to death before
rising again. "He realises that people could use this answer to
advance agendas which are not His, to raise false temporal hopes in
His regard. He does not let Himself be confined to the attributes of
the human saviour which many were expecting", the Pope said.
"Jesus
wants to make them understand His true identity. He is a Messiah Who
suffers, a Messiah Who serves, and not some triumphant political
saviour. He is the Servant Who obeys His Father’s will, even to
giving up His life. ... Jesus thus contradicts the expectations of
many. What He says is shocking and disturbing. We can understand the
reaction of Peter who rebukes Him, refusing to accept that his Master
should suffer and die! Jesus is stern with Peter; He makes him
realise that anyone who would be His disciple must become a servant,
just as He became Servant".
Therefore,
the Pope went on, "following Jesus means taking up one’s cross
and walking in His footsteps, along a difficult path which leads not
to earthly power or glory but, if necessary, to self-abandonment, to
losing one’s life for Christ and the Gospel in order to save it. We
are assured that this is the way to the resurrection, to true and
definitive life with God". In this context, Benedict pointed out
that the Year of Faith, due to begin on 11 October is an invitation
to "each member of the faithful to renew his or her commitment
to undertaking this path of sincere conversion. Throughout this Year,
then, I strongly encourage you to reflect more deeply on the faith,
to appropriate it ever more consciously and to grow in fidelity to
Christ Jesus and His Gospel.
"Brothers
and sisters, the path on which Jesus wishes to guide us is a path of
hope for all. Jesus’ glory was revealed at the very time when, in
His humanity, He seemed weakest, particularly through the incarnation
and on the cross. This is how God shows His love; He becomes our
servant and gives Himself to us".
Benedict
XVI then turned his attention to the second reading, in which St.
James states that, if our adherence to Jesus is to be authentic, it
requires "concrete actions. ... It is an imperative task of the
Church to serve and of Christians to be true servants in the image of
Jesus", he said. "Consequently, in a world where violence
constantly leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction, to
serve justice and peace is urgently necessary for building a
fraternal society, for building fellowship! ... I pray in particular
that the Lord will grant to this region of the Middle East servants
of peace and reconciliation, so that all people can live in peace and
with dignity. This is an essential testimony which Christians must
render here, in cooperation with all people of good will. I appeal to
all of you to be peacemakers, wherever you find yourselves".
Likewise,
the Pope went on, "service must also be at the heart of the life
of the Christian community itself. Every ministry, every position of
responsibility in the Church, is first and foremost a service to God
and to our brothers and sisters. This is the spirit which should
guide the baptised among themselves, and find particular expression
in an effective commitment to serving the poor, the outcast and the
suffering, so that the inalienable dignity of each person may be
safeguarded.
"Dear
brothers and sisters who are suffering physically or spiritually",
the Holy Father added concluding his homily, "your sufferings
are not in vain! Christ the Servant wished to be close to the
suffering. ... Along your own path, may you always find brothers and
sisters who are concrete signs of His loving presence which will
never forsake you! Remain ever hopeful because of Christ!".
"May
God bless Lebanon; may He bless all the peoples of this beloved
region of the Middle East, and may He grant them the gift of His
peace".
MAY
THE GOSPEL CONTINUE TO RESONATE IN THE REGION WHICH SAW JESUS'
ACTIONS AND HEARD HIS WORDS
Vatican
City, 16 September 2012 (VIS) - At the end of today's Eucharistic
celebration, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the
Synod of Bishops, arose and invited the Holy Father to consign the
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in Medio Oriente"
to Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East, presidents of the
episcopal conferences of Turkey and Iran, and a number of lay
faithful. The Exhortation is the final document of the Special
Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, which was held
in October 2010 on the theme: "The Catholic Church in the Middle
East: Communion and witness. 'The company of those who believed were
of one heart and soul'".
Benedict
XVI expressed his hope that the Exhortation would be "be a guide
to follow the various and complex paths where Christ goes before you.
May communion in faith, hope and charity be strengthened in your
countries and in every community so as to make credible your witness
to the Triune God, Who has drawn close to each one of us", he
said.
"Dear
Church in the Middle East, draw from the source of salvation which
became a reality in this unique and beloved land! Follow in the
footsteps of your fathers in faith, who by tenacity and fidelity
opened up the way for humanity to respond to the revelation of God!
Among the wonderful diversity of saints who flourished in your land,
look for examples and intercessors who will inspire your response to
the Lord's call to walk towards the heavenly Jerusalem, where God
will wipe away every one of our tears! May fraternal communion be a
support for you in your daily life and the sign of the universal
brotherhood which Jesus, the first born of many, came to bring! Thus,
in this region which saw His actions and heard His words, may the
Gospel continue to resonate as it did 2000 years ago, and may it be
lived today and forever!"
ANGELUS:
WHY SO MUCH HORROR? WHY SO MANY DEAD?
Vatican
City, 16 September 2012 (VIS) - Having consigned the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation, and before praying the Angelus, the Holy
Father pronounced some words in which he called on "Mary, Our
Lady of Lebanon, around whom both Christians and Muslims gather",
to intercede "for the people of Syria and the neighbouring
countries, imploring the gift of peace".
Benedict
XVI went on: "You know all too well the tragedy of the conflicts
and the violence which generates so much suffering. Sadly, the din of
weapons continues to make itself heard, along with the cry of the
widow and the orphan. Violence and hatred invade people’s lives,
and the first victims are women and children. Why so much horror? Why
so many dead? I appeal to the international community! I appeal to
the Arab countries that, as brothers, they might propose workable
solutions respecting the dignity, the rights and the religion of
every human person! Those who wish to build peace must cease to see
in the other an evil to be eliminated. It is not easy to see in the
other a person to be respected and loved, and yet this is necessary
if peace is to be built, if fraternity is desired.
"May
God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East the gift
of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all
violence! May men understand that they are all brothers! Mary, our
Mother, understands our concern and our needs. Together with the
patriarchs and bishops present, I place the Middle East under her
maternal protection. May we, with God’s help, be converted so as to
work ardently to establish the peace that is necessary for harmonious
coexistence among brothers, whatever their origins and religious
convictions".
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
No comments:
Post a Comment