SUMMARY:
-
IN CHRIST THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY WILL BE BLESSED
-
JOY IS A CENTRAL ELEMENT OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
-
YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD SPEAK OF CHRIST WITHOUT FEAR
-
THE UNDYING ALLURE OF ST. CLARE OF ASSISI
-
POPE TO PRISONERS: WITH GOD'S HELP WE CAN RISE AGAIN WHEN WE HAVE
FALLEN
-
BENEDICT XVI SENDS AID TO THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA AND CUBA
-
YOUNG PEOPLE MUST BE ROOTED IN THE FAITH TO MAKE A MORE EFFECTIVE
CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE OF SOCIETY
-
CUBA: GOOD FRIDAY WILL BE A HOLIDAY
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
_____________________________________
IN
CHRIST THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY WILL BE BLESSED
Vatican
City, 1 April 2012 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today opened Holy Week
celebrations by celebrating Mass for Palm Sunday in St. Peter's
Square, in the presence of 60,000 faithful.
The
Pope went by popemobile to the altar, situated under the obelisk of
St. Peter's Square which was decorated with branches, flowers and
thirteen olive trees from the Italian region of Puglia.
"Palm
Sunday", said the Holy Father in his homily, "is the great
doorway leading into Holy Week, the week when the Lord Jesus makes
His way towards the culmination of His earthly existence. He goes up
to Jerusalem in order to fulfil the Scriptures and to be nailed to
the wood of the Cross, the throne from which He will reign forever,
drawing to Himself humanity of every age and offering to all the gift
of redemption".
The
Pope dwelt on the episodes associated with Christ's entry into
Jerusalem: the healing of blind Bartimaeus and the enthusiasm of the
crowds who cried: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord!”. "This festive acclamation, reported by all four
evangelists, is a cry of blessing, a hymn of exultation: it expresses
the unanimous conviction that, in Jesus, God has visited His people
and the longed-for Messiah has finally come. And everyone is there,
growing in expectation of the work that Christ will accomplish once
He has entered the city".
"But",
the Holy Father added, "what is the content, the inner resonance
of this cry of jubilation? The answer is found throughout Scripture,
which reminds us that the Messiah fulfils the promise of God’s
blessing, God’s original promise to Abraham, father of all
believers: “I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you
... and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves”.
... Hence He Whom the crowd acclaims as the blessed one is also He in
Whom the whole of humanity will be blessed. Thus, in the light of
Christ, humanity sees itself profoundly united and, as it were,
enfolded within the cloak of divine blessing, a blessing that
permeates, sustains, redeems and sanctifies all things".
Therefore
the primary message of today’s feast is "the invitation to
adopt a proper outlook upon all humanity, on the peoples who make up
the world, on its different cultures and civilisations. The look that
the believer receives from Christ is a look of blessing: a wise and
loving look, capable of grasping the world’s beauty and having
compassion on its fragility. Shining through this look is God’s own
look upon those He loves and upon Creation, the work of His hands".
"Who
is Jesus of Nazareth for us? What idea do we have of the Messiah,
what idea do we have of God? It is a crucial question, one we cannot
avoid, not least because during this very week we are called to
follow our King Who chooses the Cross as His throne. We are called to
follow a Messiah Who promises us, not a facile earthly happiness, but
the happiness of heaven, divine beatitude.
We
must ask ourselves what our true expectations are, the Pope said
addressing young people also for the occasion of today's World Youth
Day. "May Palm Sunday be a day of decision for you, the decision
to say yes to the Lord and to follow Him all the way, the decision to
make His Passover, His death and resurrection, the very focus of your
Christian lives. It is the decision that leads to true joy, as I
reminded you in this year’s World Youth Day Message – “Rejoice
in the Lord always”".
Finally,
the Holy Father expressed the hope that these days may "call
forth two sentiments in particular: praise, after the example of
those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with their “Hosanna!”,
and thanksgiving, because in this Holy Week the Lord Jesus will renew
the greatest gift we could possibly imagine: He will give us His
life, His body and His blood, His love. But we must respond worthily
to so great a gift, that is to say, with the gift of ourselves, our
time, our prayer, our entering into a profound communion of love with
Christ Who suffered, died and rose for us".
Benedict
XVI concluded his homily with the words of St. Andrew, bishop of
Crete: "So it is ourselves that we must spread under Christ’s
feet, not coats or lifeless branches or shoots of trees, matter which
wastes away and delights the eye only for a few brief hours. But we
have clothed ourselves with Christ’s grace, or with the whole
Christ, ... so let us spread ourselves like coats under His feet. ...
Let us offer not palm branches but the prizes of victory to the
conqueror of death".
JOY
IS A CENTRAL ELEMENT OF CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
Vatican
City, 1 April 2012 (VIS) - At the end of this morning’s Mass for
Palm Sunday, and before praying the Angelus, the Pope reminded the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that today also marks World
Youth Day (WYD) 2012. In this context he addressed a special greeting
to the organisers of WYD Madrid 2011 and WYD Rio de Janeiro 2013, who
were present at the celebration and who have recently participated in
a congress in Rome.
"The
theme of today's World Youth Day is St. Paul's appeal to 'rejoice in
the Lord always'", Benedict XVI said. "The joy arising from
the knowledge that God loves us is a central element of Christian
experience. In a world often characterised by sadness and anguish,
this is an important testimony of the beauty and reliability of the
faith. Be joyful witnesses of Christ!"
YOUNG
PEOPLE SHOULD SPEAK OF CHRIST WITHOUT FEAR
Vatican
City, 2 April 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience
5,000 young people from the archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, accompanied
by their archbishop Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela. They are
currently on a pilgrimage to Rome to thank the Pope for his trip to
Spain during last August's World Youth Day. Extracts from Benedict
XVI's words to them are given below.
"Whenever
I recall the twenty-sixth World Youth Day in Madrid, my heart is
filled with gratitude to God for those unforgettable days. ... That
marvellous encounter can only be understood in the light of the
presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, which never ceases to
infuse hearts with encouragement, and continually leads us out into
the public square of history, as happened at Pentecost, to bear
witness to God's wonders. You are called to cooperate in this
edifying task. ... Christ needs you at His side to extend and build
His Kingdom of charity".
"No
one is superfluous to such an undertaking. Therefore, never cease to
ask yourselves what the Lord is calling you to do, and how you can
help Him. Each of you has a personal vocation which He has given you
for your own joy and sanctity. When a person is conquered by the fire
of His gaze, no sacrifice seems too great to follow Him and give Him
the best of ourselves. This is what the saints have always done,
spreading the light of the Lord ... and transforming the world into a
welcoming home for everyone".
"Like
the first Apostles, you too must be missionaries of Christ among your
relatives, friends and acquaintances, in the places where you study
and work, among the poor and the sick. Speak of His love and goodness
with simplicity, without fear. Christ Himself will give you the
strength to do so. For your part, listen to Him, interact with Him
often and sincerely. Trustingly tell Him of your desires and
aspirations, of your own sufferings and those of people you perceive
without consolation or hope".
"Yesterday
we began Holy Week, in which we will follow the footsteps of Christ.
... We will contemplate His passion and humiliation unto death. ... I
encourage you to take up your own cross, the cross of the pain and
sin of the world, so as to gain a better understanding of Christ's
love for humanity. Thus you will feel impelled to proclaim the God
Who loves men and women, and Who sent His Son, not to condemn them,
but for them to achieve a life of fullness and meaning".
THE
UNDYING ALLURE OF ST. CLARE OF ASSISI
Vatican
City, 31 March 2012 (VIS) - Franciscans and Poor Clares throughout
the world are currently celebrating the "Clarian Year", the
eighth centenary of the "conversion" and consecration of
St. Clare of Assisi (1193-1253) which took place on Palm Sunday 1211
or 1212. For the occasion, Benedict XVI has written a letter to
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi - Nocera Umbra - Gualdo Tadino,
Italy.
The
Pope recalls the life story of the founder of the Poor Clares.
Following St. Francis' advice, she attended Palm Sunday Mass dressed
in all her finery. She received a palm from the hands of the bishop
then, later that night, fled the house of her parents - who had been
hoping to marry her to a wealthy man - and went to the Porziuncola
where St. Francis and his companions were waiting for her. There
Clare renounced the world, Francis cut her hair and she adopted the
black veil and rough sandals which became the first habit of the Poor
Clares.
Clare's
history "also speaks to our generation, and has a particular
fascination for the young", the Holy Father says. Francis had a
good reason for advising Clare to flee her parents' house at the
beginning of Holy Week. "All Christian life, and thus also
consecrated life", he writes, "is the fruit of the Paschal
Mystery and of our participation in the death and resurrection of
Christ. In the Palm Sunday liturgy pain and glory come together, a
theme which will be developed over the following days through the
dark night of the Passion up to the ultimate light of Easter. With
her choice Clare relived this mystery".
"At
its most profound level, Clare's 'conversion' is a conversion of
love. No longer would she have the refined dress of the Assisan
aristocracy, but an elegance of soul expressed in praise of God and
giving of self. Day by day a fraternity came into being within the
confines of the monastery of San Damiano, at the school of the
Eucharistic Christ, ... a fraternity regulated by love of God and
prayer, by concern for others and service. It was in this context of
profound faith and great humanity that Clare came to interpret the
Franciscan ideal, imploring the 'privilege' of poverty and renouncing
even the shared possession of material goods, something which left
even the Supreme Pontiff perplexed, until in the end he too
surrendered to the heroism of her sanctity".
The
Holy Father continues: "How can we not present St. Clare, and
St. Francis, to the young people of today? The time dividing us from
these two saints has not lessened their allure. Quite the contrary,
their contemporary importance is evident in the face of the illusions
and delusions which often mark the life of modern youth. Never has a
time caused the young to dream so much, with the multiple attractions
of a life in which everything seems possible and permissible. And
yet, how much dissatisfaction exists, how many times the search for
happiness and self-realisation follows paths which lead to artificial
paradises such as those of drugs and unbridled sensuality. And the
current situation, with the difficulty of finding dignified work and
forming a united and happy family, adds further clouds to the
horizon.
"Yet",
the Pope adds in conclusion, "there is no lack of young people
who, even in our own times, accept the invitation to entrust
themselves to Christ and to face the journey of life courageously,
responsibly and hopefully, choosing even to leave everything to
follow Him and serve their brethren. The story of Clare, with that of
Francis, is an invitation to reflect upon the meaning of life and to
seek the secret of true joy in God. It is concrete proof that those
who accomplish the will of God and trust in Him not only lose
nothing, but discover the real treasure which gives meaning to
everything".
POPE
TO PRISONERS: WITH GOD'S HELP WE CAN RISE AGAIN WHEN WE HAVE FALLEN
Vatican
City, 31 March 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a message to
prisoners detained in Rome's Rebibbia prison for the Way of the Cross
they celebrated there yesterday evening. The celebration, presided by
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, was
attended by 300 prisoners, the chaplain, Caritas volunteers,
seminarians who offer daily service inside the prison and numerous
faithful from various parishes. The Pope made a pastoral visit to the
jail on 18 December last year.
"I
feel a particularly close bond to this initiative", the Pope
writes, "because I conserve in my heart the memory of the visit
I made to Rebibbia prison shortly before last Christmas. I remember
the faces I saw and the words I heard, all of which left a profound
mark on me".
"I
know that this Way of the Cross also seeks to be a sign of
reconciliation. In fact, as one of the prisoners said during our
meeting, the purpose of prison is to help us rise again after having
fallen, it serves to achieve reconciliation with ourselves, with
others and with God, and so re-enter society. When in the Way of the
Cross we see Jesus fall to the ground - once, twice, three times - we
understand that He shared our human condition. The weight of our sins
caused Him to fall; but three times Jesus got up again and continued
the journey to Calvary. Thus, with His help, we too can rise from our
falls, and perhaps also help a brother to rise as well.
"But
what gave Jesus the strength to carry on?", the Pope asked. "He
knew that the Father loved Him, and this immense love, this infinite
mercy of the heavenly Father, consoled Him and was greater than the
violence and abuse surrounding Him".
"The
great gift that Jesus gave us with His Way of the Cross was this: He
showed us that God is infinite love, He is mercy and He carries the
burden of our sins unto the end, enabling us to rise again, to find
reconciliation and rediscover peace. We too, then, should not be
afraid to follow our own 'way of the cross' to carry our cross
together with Jesus. He is with us".
"With
this hope, grounded in faith, I trust that you will all live this
coming Easter in the peace and joy which Christ bought for us with
His blood, and with great affection I impart upon you my apostolic
blessing".
BENEDICT
XVI SENDS AID TO THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA AND CUBA
Vatican
City, 31 March 2012 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council "Cor Unum"
today published a communique announcing that the Pope has made a
donation of 100,000 US dollars in support of the people of Syria.
The
communique mentions the numerous appeals Benedict XVI has made for an
end to violence in Syria and for the opening of dialogue and
reconciliation between the conflicting parties, with a view to peace
and the common good. The Holy Father has also frequently exhorted the
faithful to pray for those who suffer. "Now", the
communique says, "the Pope has chosen to donate the sum of
100,000 US dollars, through the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum', for
the charitable activities of the local Church in Syria in support of
the suffering population". In order to ensure the delivery of
the aid, meetings have been planned with His Beatitude Gregorios III
Laham, president of the Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy in Syria,
and with other representatives of the local Church.
Finally,
the communique notes that, through her charity organisations, the
Catholic Church in Syria is currently involved in assistance
projects, particularly in the areas of Homs and Aleppo.
On
another front, "Cor Unum" is to finance agricultural
development projects in two Cuban dioceses, according to today's
"Osservatore Romano". This is the first concrete result of
Benedict XVI's recent apostolic visit to the island, on which he was
accompanied by Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical
Council "Cor Unum", who met with Cuban bishops to discuss
possible initiatives in support of the population. Two of the
bishops, having informed the cardinal that they had received State
permission to work for and with farmers in their dioceses, presented
two projects which will be realised with the help of "Cor Unum".
YOUNG
PEOPLE MUST BE ROOTED IN THE FAITH TO MAKE A MORE EFFECTIVE
CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE OF SOCIETY
Vatican
City, 2 April 2012 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office,
a press conference was held to provide information on preparations
for World Youth Day (WYD) 2013, due to be held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, from 23 to 28 July 2013. The conference was presented by
Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity; Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta O. Cist. of Sao Sebastiao do
Rio de Janeiro, and Msgr. Eduardo Pinheiro da Silva, president of the
Brazilian Episcopal Commission for Youth.
In
his remarks Cardinal Rylko expressed the view that "WYD truly
was a prophetic intuition on the part of Blessed John Paul II, and
marked a revolution in the field of youth pastoral care. ... And
Benedict XVI has explained how WYD opens up a new way of being
Christian". Hence the great efforts the Church makes in
preparing these events, he explained.
With
the Rio celebration, WYD is returning to Latin America, twenty-six
years after the first international WYD, held in Buenos Aires. Rio
2013 "will be part of the continental mission, which emerged
from the meeting of bishops of the Latin American Episcopal Council
(CELAM) at Aparecida in 2007. At the level of the universal Church,
the Rio WYD will also be linked to this year's Synod of Bishops on
the theme of the new evangelisation". The cardinal also noted
that the WYD will be taking place during the Year of Faith. "The
aim of WYD", the cardinal explained, "is to increase faith
among young people and foment the mission. ... The main need of young
people today is to be rooted in the faith and in the great family of
the Church, in order to be able to make a greater and more effective
contribution to the life of society".
In
conclusion, the cardinal also mentioned this year's World Youth Day,
which was celebrated throughout the world at a diocesan level
yesterday under the theme "Rejoice in the Lord always".
"Joy is a characteristic of WYDs", he said. "and that
is no coincidence because, if on the one hand young people seek
happiness, on the other the Church possesses in herself the treasure
of true joy, which arises from encountering Christ the Saviour".
For
his part Archbishop Tempesta recalled that information on next year's
WYD is available in five languages on the website: www.rio2013.com.
The WYD page on Facebook and Twitter already has 600,000 followers,
and bookings for pilgrim groups will be open as of July this year.
In
conclusion the archbishop of Rio noted that the Brazilian economy had
improved in recent years, and social differences had diminished. "WYD
will", he said, "be an opportunity to improve the Christian
values of solidarity, justice, hope and courage among the new
generations".
CUBA:
GOOD FRIDAY WILL BE A HOLIDAY
Vatican
City, 2 April 2012 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr.
Federico Lombardi S.J. has released the following declaration
concerning the decision by the authorities in Cuba to make next Good
Friday a holiday.
"The
fact that the Cuban authorities have immediately accepted the request
made by the Holy Father to President Raul Castro, declaring next Good
Friday a holiday, is certainly a very positive sign".
"The
Holy See hopes that this will facilitate participation in religious
celebrations and favour a happy Easter holiday. It also hopes that
the Holy Father's visit may continue to produce fruits for the good
of the Church and of all Cubans".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 2 April 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:
-
Archbishop Mark Benedict Coleridge of Canberra and Goulburn,
Australia, as archbishop of Brisbane (area 65,000, population
2,760,007, Catholics 643,371, priests 239, permanent deacons 13,
religious 890), Australia.
-
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, vicar general of His Holiness for Vatican
City, as his special envoy to the closing celebrations of the
National Eucharistic Congress of Ukraine, due to be held in Lviv on 3
May, sixth centenary of the establishment of the archiepiscopal and
metropolitan see of Lviv of the Latins.
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