SUMMARY:
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BELIEVING IN GOD FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABRAHAM
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POPE CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH POPULATION OF INDONESIA
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HOLY SEE BECOMES EXTRA-REGIONAL OBSERVER OF CENTRAL AMERICAN
INTEGRATION SYSTEM
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AUDIENCES
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
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BELIEVING
IN GOD FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ABRAHAM
Vatican
City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - "I believe in one God", the
first article of the profession of faith that accompanies our lives
as believers, was the theme of Benedict XVI's catechesis during this
morning's general audience. This sentence is "a fundamental
affirmation, seemingly simple in essence, but which opens us to the
infinite world of a relationship with the Lord and with His mystery.
Believing in God means adherence, … acceptance, … and obedience …
Faith is a personal act and a free response... Being able to say that
you believe in God is thus both a gift and … a human responsibility
in an experience of dialogue with God who, out of love 'speaks to men
and women as friends'."
Where
can we hear the voice of God who speaks to us? "Fundamentally,"
the Pope said, in "Sacred Scripture, … which speaks to us of
faith … narrating a story in which God carries out His plan of
redemption and draws near to humanity through … persons who believe
in Him and who entrust themselves to Him." One of these persons
is Abraham, "the first great role model in speaking about faith
in God." Abraham, who was able to leave his homeland, trusting
in God alone and His promise, is considered the "father of all
believers". His was a leap in darkness, "but the darkness
of the unknown is illuminated by the light of a promise. … In the
divine plan he was destined to become 'father of a multitude of
nations' and to enter a new land to live in."
"Faith,"
the pontiff continued, "leads Abraham along a paradoxical path.
He will be blessed, but without the visible signs of blessing. He
receives the promise of becoming a great nation, but has a life
marked by the sterility of his wife, Sarah. He is led to a new land,
but will have to live there as a foreigner." … Nevertheless,
"Abraham is blessed because, with faith, he is able to discern
the divine blessing, going beyond appearance, trusting in God's
presence even when His paths seem mysterious."
That
is why, "when we affirm that 'I believe in God', we are saying,
as does Abraham, 'I trust in You. I entrust myself to You, Lord'. …
Saying 'I believe in God' means basing my life on Him, letting His
Word guide me every day in my concrete choices, without fear of
losing something of myself. … Abraham, the believer, teaches us
faith and, like a foreigner on earth, points out our true homeland.
Faith makes us pilgrims on earth, situated in the world and in
history, but on the path toward our heavenly homeland. Believing in
God thus makes us heralds of values that often do not coincide with
fashion or the opinion of the moment. … In many societies, God has
become the 'great absentee' and many idols have taken His place,
above all the desire for possessions and the autonomous 'I'. Also,
the significant and positive progress in science and technology has
given humanity the illusion of omnipotence and self-sufficiency and a
growing selfishness has created many imbalances in personal
relationships and in social behaviour."
"And
yet," the Holy Father emphasized, "the thirst for God is
not quenched and the Gospel message continues to resonate through the
words and deeds of many men and women of faith. Abraham, the father
of all believers, continues to be the father of the many children who
are willing to walk in his footsteps and who make their way in
obedience to the divine call, trusting in the Lord's benevolent
presence and accepting His blessing in order to become a blessing for
all. It is the blessed world of faith to which we are all called, to
walk without fear following the Lord Jesus Christ."
"Affirming
that 'I believe in God', then, compels us to leave, to continuously
go out of ourselves just as Abraham did, in order to bring the
certainty that comes to us from faith into our daily realities. It is
the certainty of God's presence in history, even today; a presence
that brings life and salvation."
POPE
CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY WITH POPULATION OF INDONESIA
Vatican
City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) – Following the Wednesday catechesis of
this morning's general audience, the Holy Father made an appeal for
assistance to Indonesia, which has been struck by a wave of bad
weather. "I am following with concern," he said, "the
news arriving from Indonesia", where a flood has devastated the
capital, Jakarta, "causing casualties, leaving thousands of
people homeless, and creating massive damage. I want to express my
nearness to the people affected by this natural disaster, assuring
them of my prayers, and I ask for assistance so that no one may be
left without the necessary help."
HOLY
SEE BECOMES EXTRA-REGIONAL OBSERVER OF CENTRAL AMERICAN INTEGRATION
SYSTEM
Vatican
City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) – According to information made public
by the Press Office of the Holy See today, on Monday, 21 January, at
the headquarters of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in
San Salvador, El Salvador, an agreement was signed between the Holy
See and SICA that makes the Holy See an extra-regional observer of
that organization. The signatories were, for the Holy See, Archbishop
Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio to El Salvador and, for SICA, Juan
Daniel Aleman, secretary general of SICA. Many ambassadors to the
nations of the South American continent attended the ceremony.
Previously,
the Ordinary Summit of heads of state and government of the countries
of SICA, which took place in Managua, Nicaragua, this past December,
had welcomed the Holy See's interest in participating in SICA as an
extra-regional observer owing to the contribution that the Holy See
and the Catholic Church offer to development in the social, cultural,
and educational sectors as well as those of human rights and
democratic security.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received
in audience six prelates from the Calabria region of the Italian
Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:
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Archbishop Vittorio Luigi Mondello of Reggio Calabria-Bova,
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Archbishop Santo Marciano of Rossano-Cariati,
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Bishop Luigi Renzo of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea,
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Bishop Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini, O.M., of Locri-Gerace,
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Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano all’Jonio, and
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Bishop Francesco Milito of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 23 January 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed
Archbishop Francesco Gioia, O.F.M. Cap., as president of the
"Peregrinatio ad Petri Sedem" (Pilgrimage to the See of
Peter) for the next three years. Archbishop Gioia, emeritus of
Camerino-San Severino Marche, Italy, is also the pontifical delegate
to the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy.
You
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