SUMMARY:
- HUMAN STRATEGIES WILL NOT SUFFICE TO SAVE US, WE MUST HAVE RECOURSE TO GOD
- TRUE DEVOTION TO THE VIRGIN ALWAYS LEADS US TO JESUS
- TO BISHOPS: STAND BESIDE THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALISED
- THE CHURCH CALLS FOR POLITICS NOT TO BE A POWER STRUGGLE, BUT TO WORK IN FAVOUR OF CITIZENS
______________________________________
PROTECT
CHILDREN THAT THEY MAY LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE
Vatican
City, 24 March 2012 (VIS) - At 5 p.m. today the Holy Father left
Miraflores College in Leon to travel to the city of Guanajuato,
sixty-four kilometres away. He covered the first part of the journey
by car, transferring to the popemobile shortly before reaching his
destination. The city of Guanajuato, which has a population of around
70,000, underwent its greatest expansion during the period of Spanish
rule, thanks to the nearby silver and gold mines. It is also famous
for being the cradle of the Mexican national independence movement
led by Miguel Hidalgo. In 1998 the city and its silver mines became a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After
entering Guanajuato, the Pope made his way to the Casa del Conde Rul,
the headquarters of the State government, where he paid a courtesy
visit to Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa, president of Mexico. The
two men held a private meeting, after which Benedict XVI, accompanied
by Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago of Leon, appeared on the
balcony of the building to greet children and faithful gathered below
in the Plaza de la Paz.
"You
have a very special place in the Pope’s heart", he told the
children. "And in these moments, I would like all the children
of Mexico to know this, especially those who have to bear the burden
of suffering, abandonment, violence or hunger, which in recent
months, because of drought, has made itself strongly felt in some
regions. I am grateful for this encounter of faith, and for the
festive and joyful presence expressed in song. ... God wants us to be
happy always. He knows us and He loves us. If we allow the love of
Christ to change our heart, then we can change the world. This is the
secret of authentic happiness.
"This
place where we stand today has a name which expresses the yearning
present in the heart of each and every person: “la paz”, peace.
This is a gift which comes from on high. “Peace be with you”.
These are the words of the Risen Lord. We hear them during each Mass,
and today they resound anew in this place, with the hope that each
one of you will be transformed, becoming a sower and messenger of
that peace for which Christ offered His life.
"The
disciple of Jesus does not respond to evil with evil, but is always
an instrument of good instead, a herald of pardon, a bearer of
happiness, a servant of unity. He wishes to write in each of your
lives a story of friendship. Hold on to Him, then, as the best of
friends".
"I
have come that you may know my affection. Each one of you is a gift
of God to Mexico and to the world. Your family, the Church, your
school and those who have responsibility in society must work
together to ensure that you receive a better world as your
inheritance, without jealousies and divisions.That is why I wish to
lift up my voice, inviting everyone to protect and to care for
children, so that nothing may extinguish their smile, but that they
may live in peace and look to the future with confidence.
"You,
my dear young friends, are not alone. You can count on the help of
Christ and His Church in order to live a Christian lifestyle.
Participate in Sunday Mass, in catechesis, in apostolic works,
looking for occasions of prayer, fraternity and charity. Blessed
Cristobal, Antonio and Juan, the child martyrs of Tlaxcala, lived
this way, and knowing Jesus, during the time of the initial
evangelisation of Mexico, they discovered that there is no greater
treasure than He".
"We
will remain close in prayer. So I invite you to pray continually,
even in your homes; in this way, you will experience the happiness of
speaking about God with your families. Pray for everyone, and also
for me. I will pray for all of you, so that Mexico may be a place in
which everyone can live in serenity and harmony".
HUMAN
STRATEGIES WILL NOT SUFFICE TO SAVE US, WE MUST HAVE RECOURSE TO GOD
Vatican
City, 25 March 2012 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI celebrated Mass
in the Parque Bicentenario of the city of Leon. He reached the venue
by helicopter from Miraflores College where he is staying during his
apostolic visit to Mexico. On arrival he was welcomed by the governor
of the State of Guanajuato before boarding the popemobile to greet
the 500,000 faithful.
The
Holy Father concelebrated Mass with Mexican cardinals and bishops,
the presidents of the twenty-two episcopal conferences of Latin
America and the Caribbean, and some 3,000 priests. The ceremony was
accompanied by a 200-strong choir and the faithful were able to
follow the event on giant screens.
Extracts
from the Holy Father's homily are given below.
"We
said, “A pure heart, create for me, O God” during the
responsorial psalm. This exclamation ... 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".
"This
should remind each one of us and our peoples that, when addressing
the deeper dimension of personal and community life, human strategies
will not suffice to save us. We must have recourse to the One Who
alone can give life in its fullness, because He is the essence of
life and its author; He has made us sharers in the same through His
Son Jesus Christ.
"Today’s
Gospel takes up the topic and shows us how this ancient desire for
the fullness of life has actually been achieved in Christ. ... On the
cross ... His “glory” will begin, because of His sacrifice of
expiation for all, as the grain of wheat fallen to the ground that by
dying germinates and produces abundant fruit. ... Our Lady of
Guadalupe showed her divine Son to St. Juan Diego, not as a powerful
legendary hero but as the very God of the living, by Whom all live,
the Creator of persons, ... of heaven and earth. At that moment she
did what she had done previously at the wedding feast of Cana. Faced
with the embarrassment caused by the lack of wine, she told the
servants clearly that the path to follow was her Son: “Do whatever
he tells you”".
"By
coming here I have been able to visit the monument to Christ the King
situated on top of the Cubilete. ... This monument represents Christ
the King. But His crowns, one of a sovereign the other of thorns,
indicate that His royal status does not correspond to how it has been
or is understood by many. His kingdom does not stand on the power of
His armies subduing others through force or violence. It rests on a
higher power that wins over hearts: the love of God that He brought
into the world with His sacrifice and the truth to which He bore
witness. This is His sovereignty which no one can take from Him and
which no one should forget".
"From
this park, foreseen as a memorial of the bicentenary of the birth of
the Mexican nation, ... we ask Christ for a pure heart, where He as
Prince of Peace may dwell “thanks to the power of God Who is the
power of goodness, the power of love”. But for God to dwell in us,
we need to listen to Him; we must allow His Word to challenge us
every day, meditating upon it in our hearts after the example of
Mary. In this way we grow in friendship with Him, we learn to
understand what He expects from us and we are encouraged to make Him
known to others.
"At
Aparecida, the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean saw with
clarity the need to confirm, renew and revitalise the newness of the
Gospel rooted deeply in the history of these lands. ... We need to
overcome fatigue related to faith and rediscover “the joy of being
Christians, of being sustained by the inner happiness of knowing
Christ and belonging to His Church. From this joy spring the energies
that are needed to serve Christ in distressing situations of human
suffering, placing oneself at His disposition and not falling back on
one’s own comfort”. This can be seen clearly in the saints who
dedicated themselves fully to the cause of the Gospel with enthusiasm
and joy without counting the cost, even of life itself. Their heart
was centred entirely on Christ from Whom they had learned what it
means to love until the end".
"Let
us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to assist us in purifying our hearts.
... And let us also ask her to continue accompanying and protecting
her Mexican and Latin American children, that Christ may reign in
their lives and help them boldly to promote peace, harmony, justice
and solidarity".
TRUE
DEVOTION TO THE VIRGIN ALWAYS LEADS US TO JESUS
Vatican
City, 25 March 2012 (VIS) - "As we now pray the Angelus and
remember the Annunciation of the Lord, our eyes too turn spiritually
towards the hill of Tepeyac, to the place where the Mother of God,
under the title of “the Ever-Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe”
has been fervently honoured for centuries as a sign of reconciliation
and of God’s infinite goodness towards the world", said the
Holy Father this morning before the Marian prayer.
"Do
not forget", he went on, "that true devotion to the Virgin
Mary always takes us to Jesus, and “consists neither in sterile nor
transitory feelings, nor in an empty credulity, but proceeds from
true faith, by which we are led to recognise the excellence of the
Mother of God, and we are moved to filial love towards our Mother and
to the imitation of her virtues”. To love her means being committed
to listening to her Son, to venerate the Guadalupana means living in
accordance with the words of the blessed fruit of her womb.
"At
this time, when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate,
when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic
violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime,
we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope. She is
the Mother of the true God, who invites us to stay with faith and
charity beneath her mantle, so as to overcome in this way all evil
and to establish a more just and fraternal society.
"With
these sentiments, I place once again this country, all Latin America
and the Caribbean before the gentle gaze of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I
entrust all their sons and daughters to the Star of both the original
and the new evangelisation; she has inspired with her maternal love
their Christian history, has given particular expression to their
national achievements, to their communal and social initiatives, to
family life, to personal devotion and to the continental mission
which is now taking place across these noble lands. In times of trial
and sorrow she was invoked by many martyrs who, in crying out “Long
live Christ the King and Mary of Guadalupe” bore unyielding witness
of fidelity to the Gospel and devotion to the Church. I now ask that
her presence in this nation may continue to serve as a summons to
defence and respect for human life. May it promote fraternity,
setting aside futile acts of revenge and banishing all divisive
hatred", the Pope concluded.
After
the Angelus, Benedict XVI prayed for a few moments in silence before
the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As he imparted the final
blessing, he also blessed ninety-one images of the Virgin of
Guadalupe which are destined to be displayed in all the dioceses of
Mexico.
TO
BISHOPS: STAND BESIDE THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALISED
Vatican
City, 25 March 2012 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. today the Holy Father arrived
at the cathedral of "Nuestra Senora de la Luz" in the city
of Leon, where he celebrated Vespers with Mexican bishops and
numerous other prelates from the episcopal conferences of Latin
America and the Caribbean. On arrival the Pope was greeted by the
cathedral chapter, then paused for a moment of private prayer before
the Blessed Sacrament.
Following
a greeting by Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla,
president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference and of the Latin
American Episcopal Council (CELAM), the celebration of Vespers began.
Extracts from the homily delivered by the Holy Father during the
ceremony are given below.
"The
Blessed Virgin ... has shown us Jesus and passed down to us the great
things which God constantly does for humanity. ... 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. Human evil and ignorance simply cannot
thwart the divine plan of salvation and redemption. Evil is simply
incapable of that. ... There is no reason, then, to give in to the
despotism of evil".
"I
have greatly looked forward to this meeting with you, the pastors of
Christ’s pilgrim Church in Mexico and in the different countries of
this great continent. I see this meeting as an occasion to turn our
gaze together to Christ. ... Certainly your dioceses face a number of
challenges and difficulties at the present moment. Yet, in the sure
knowledge that the Lord is risen, we are able to move forward
confidently, in the conviction that evil does not have the last word
in human history, and that God is able to open up new horizons to a
hope that does not disappoint".
"In
you I see reflected the concerns of the flocks which you shepherd,
and I am reminded of the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, where
the participants applaud after an intervention by someone who
exercises his ministry in particularly troubling situations for the
Church’s life and mission. That applause is a sign of deep faith in
the Lord and fraternity in the apostolate, as well as gratitude and
admiration for those who sow the Gospel amid thorns, some in the form
of persecution, others in the form of social exclusion or contempt.
Neither are concerns lacking, for want of means and human resources,
or for limitations imposed on the freedom of the Church in carrying
out her mission.
"The
Successor of Peter shares these concerns and he is grateful for your
patient and humble pastoral outreach. You are not alone. ... All of
us are one in sufferings and in consolation. Know that you can count
on a special place in the prayers of the one who has received from
Christ the charge of confirming his brethren in faith. He now
encourages you in your mission of making our Lord Jesus Christ ever
better known, loved and followed in these lands, and he urges you not
to let yourselves be intimidated by obstacles along the way".
"The
initiatives planned for the Year of Faith must be aimed at guiding
men and women to Christ; His grace will enable them to cast off the
bonds of sin and slavery, and to progress along the path of authentic
and responsible freedom. ... I encourage you to continue to share
freely the treasures of the Gospel, so that they can become a
powerful source of hope, freedom and salvation for everyone".
"Amid
the challenges now facing us in our pastoral care and our preaching
of the Gospel, it is essential to show great concern for your
seminarians. ... No less fundamental is the need to remain close to
your priests; they must never lack the understanding and
encouragement of their bishop, nor, if necessary, his paternal
admonition in response to improper attitudes. ... The same should be
said for the different forms of consecrated life, whose charisms need
to be gratefully esteemed and responsibly encouraged, in a way
respectful of the gift received. Greater attention is due to the
members of the lay faithful most engaged in the fields of catechesis,
liturgical animation, charitable activity and social commitment.
Their faith formation is critical if the Gospel is to become present
and fruitful in contemporary society. It is not right for them to
feel treated like second-class citizens in the Church, despite the
committed work which they carry out in accordance with their proper
vocation, and the great sacrifice which this dedication at times
demands of them. In all of this, it is particularly important for
pastors to ensure that a spirit of communion reigns among priests,
religious and the lay faithful, and that sterile divisions, criticism
and unhealthy mistrust are avoided".
"Stand
beside those who are marginalised as the result of force, power or a
prosperity which is blind to the poorest of the poor. The Church
cannot separate the praise of God from service to others. The one
God, our Father and Creator, has made us brothers and sisters: to be
human is to be a brother and guardian to our neighbour. ... The
Church must relive and make present what Jesus was: the Good
Samaritan Who came from afar, entered our human history, lifted us up
and sought to heal us".
Following
the ceremony, Juan Manuel Oliva Ramirez, governor of the State of
Guanajuato, handed the Pope a device with which he illuminated the
new lighting system of the nearby Shrine of Christ the King.
THE
CHURCH CALLS FOR POLITICS NOT TO BE A POWER STRUGGLE, BUT TO WORK IN
FAVOUR OF CITIZENS
Vatican
City, 25 March 2012 (VIS) - This evening, following the celebration
of Vespers, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.
presided at a dinner in the courtyard of the cathedral of Leon. The
event was attended by Mexican and Latin American bishops, and by
members of the papal entourage.
The
secretary of State pronounced an address in which he observed that
the Pope's visit to Mexico was "an occasion of profound
happiness, seeing how this beloved nation has once again opened wide
its doors to the Successor of Peter, manifesting in this way the
greatness of spirit of her children, her exquisite hospitality and
the robust Catholic faith rooted among her citizens".
Cardinal
Bertone noted that this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Holy
See. "Both the Church and the State share a common duty, each
according to its specific mission, in protecting and promoting the
fundamental rights of each person", he said. "Of special
note among them is the freedom of man to search for the truth and to
profess his own religious convictions, in public as well as in
private, which has been recognised and guaranteed by civil law. And
it is to be hoped that in Mexico this fundamental right will continue
to be strengthened, conscious that it goes much further than mere
freedom of worship. It penetrates every dimension of the human
person, called to express his or her faith, to proclaim it and share
it with others, without imposing it, as the most precious gift from
God.
"Moreover",
the cardinal added, "diplomatic efforts must be more fully
rooted in the promotion of this great common cause, to which
Christianity can offer a valid contribution, because it is “a
religion of freedom and of peace, and it is at the service of the
authentic good of humanity”. The Church never ceases to call on
everyone to let political activity be a praiseworthy and ceaseless
endeavour in support of citizens, and not become a struggle for power
or an imposition of rigid ideological systems, which so often result
in the radicalisation of wide sectors of the population.
"In
this sense, the bishops here present represent the Catholic Church’s
engagement to work for the benefit of the human family, for whom
Jesus Christ gave His life. In each generation, she has written a
page of this history of service to humanity. Some lines of it are the
work of saints, others of the martyrs. This history has not been
lacking in daring pastors, in exemplary religious men and women, in
young people with prophetic voices, in valiant witnesses to charity
and in faithful lay people who, often with great simplicity, have
offered a hand and an open door to their brothers and sisters in
need. The beauty of Christianity has been expressed in many different
ways so that each man or woman, without regard to race, language or
social class can be embraced. In it, much of the dimension of faith
has come to be so deeply professed and celebrated, as is seen in
Mexico and throughout Latin America, and shown through the many
charitable projects which have inspired so many to overcome
selfishness and to help with the most basic and urgent social needs.
Nor should we forget initiatives for the promotion of the right of
every person and all peoples, the defence of their liberty and the
cultivation of art and culture.
"If
this mission has been tainted in some way, that does not tarnish the
splendour of the Gospel, which is always present to purify and
illuminate our path, which today is seen in the revitalisation of the
faith to which Benedict XVI continues to invite us".
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