SUMMARY:
- THE
CHURCH BECOMES FULLY VISIBLE IN THE LITURGY
- POPE
ASKS FAITHFUL TO PRAY FOR YEAR OF FAITH, SYNOD OF BISHOPS
-
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER
- THREE
CARDINALS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF TITLES, DIACONATES
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
THE
CHURCH BECOMES FULLY VISIBLE IN THE LITURGY
Vatican
City, 3 October 2012 (VIS) - The time dedicated to liturgical prayer
in the life of Christians, especially during Mass, was the central
theme of Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience, held
this morning in St. Peter's Square.
Prayer,
the Pope explained, "is the living relationship of the children
of God with their immeasurably good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ
and with the Holy Spirit. Therefore the life of prayer consists in
dwelling habitually in the presence of God and knowing Him. ... Such
communion of life with the One Triune God is possible through
Baptism, by which we are united to Christ, ... because only in Christ
can we dialogue with God the Father as children".
For
Christians prayer means "constantly gazing at Christ in ways
that are ever new", said the Holy Father. "Yet we must not
forget that we discover Christ and know Him as a living Person in the
Church. She is 'His Body'. ... The unbreakable bond between Christ
and the Church, through the unifying power of love, does not annul
'you' and 'me' but exalts them to their most intense unity. ...
Praying means raising oneself to the heights of God, by means of a
necessary and gradual transformation of our being".
By
participating in the liturgy "we make the language of mother
Church our own, we learn to speak in her and for her. Of course this
comes about gradually, little by little. I must progressively immerse
myself into the words of the Church with my prayers, life and
suffering, with my joy and my thoughts. This is a journey which
transforms us", the Pope said.
The
question of "how to pray" is answered by following the Our
Father, the prayer which Jesus taught us. "We see that its first
two words are 'Father' and 'our', and the response then becomes
clear: I learn to pray and I nourish my prayer by addressing myself
to God as Father, and by praying with others, with the Church,
accepting the gift of her words, which little by little become
familiar and rich in meaning. The dialogue God establishes with each
one of us in prayer, and we with Him, always includes a 'with'. We
cannot pray to God individualistically. In liturgical prayer,
especially the Eucharist, ... in all prayer, we speak not only as
single individuals, but enter into that 'us' which is the prayerful
Church".
The
liturgy, then, "is not some form of 'self-expression' of a
community. ... It means entering into that great living community in
which God Himself nourishes us. The liturgy implies universality",
and it "is important for all Christians to feel that they are
truly part of this universal 'us', which is the foundation and refuge
for the 'me', in the Body of Christ which is the Church".
To do
this we must accept the logic of the incarnation of God, Who "came
close to us, making Himself present in history and in human nature.
... This presence continues in the Church, His Body. The liturgy,
then, is not the recollection of past events but the living presence
of Christ's Paschal Mystery which transcends and unites time and
space".
"It
is not the individual priest or member of the faithful, or the group,
which celebrates the liturgy. Rather, the liturgy is primarily the
action of God through the Church with all her history, her rich
tradition and her creativity. This universality and fundamental
openness, which is specific to all the liturgy, is one of the reasons
for which it cannot be invented or modified by a single community or
by experts, but must remain faithful to the forms of the universal
Church".
The
Church becomes fully visible in the liturgy, the Holy Father
concluded, "the act by which we believe that God enters our
lives and we can encounter Him. The act in which ... He comes to us
and we are illuminated by Him".
POPE
ASKS FAITHFUL TO PRAY FOR YEAR OF FAITH, SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Vatican
City, 3 October 2012 (VIS) - Following his catechesis during his
general audience this morning, the Pope mentioned his visit tomorrow
to Loreto, Italy, "on the fiftieth anniversary of the famous
pilgrimage made to that Marian shrine by Blessed Pope John XXIII, a
week before the opening of Vatican Council II".
Benedict
XVI asked everyone to join his prayers "entrusting to the Mother
of God the main ecclesial events we are preparing to experience: the
Year of Faith, and the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation.
May the Blessed Virgin accompany the Church on her mission to
announce the Gospel to the men and women of our time".
BENEDICT
XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER
Vatican
City, 3 October 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention
for October is: "That the new evangelisation may progress in the
oldest Christian countries".
His
mission intention is: "That the celebration of World Mission Day
may result in a renewed commitment to evangelisation".
THREE
CARDINALS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF TITLES, DIACONATES
Vatican
City, 3 October 2012 (VIS) - A note released today by the Office of
Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff provides details
concerning the taking of possession of the following titles and
diaconates:
- At 6
p.m. on Monday 8 October Cardinal Lucian Muresan, major archbishop of
Fagaras and Alba Julia of the Romanians, Romania, will take
possession of the title of Sant’Atanasio, Via del Babuino 149,
Rome.
- At 4
p.m. on Sunday 14 October Cardinal George Alencherry, major
archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India, will
take possession of the title of San Bernardo alle Terme, Via Torino
94, Rome.
- At 6.30
p.m. on Saturday 20 October Cardinal Julien Ries, will take
possession of the diaconate of Sant’Antonio di Padova a
Circonvallazione Appia, Circonvallazione Appia 150, Rome.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 3 October 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
-
Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera Lopez of Tuxtla-Gutierrez, Mexico, as
archbishop of Monterrey (area 17,886, population 7,327,000, Catholics
5,862,000, priests 549, permanent deacons 42, religious 1,109),
Mexico.
- Bishop
Francisco Carlos Bach of Toledo, Brazil, as bishop of Sao Jose dos
Pinhais (area 3,271, population 882,954, Catholics 688,704, priests
80, permanent deacons 62, religious 244), Brazil.
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