Message of Pope Benedict XVI - 16th World Day of the Sick
The following is the text of the Message of Benedict XVI for the 16th World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated on February 11th 2008.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
1. On 11 February, the memorial of the Blessed Mary Virgin of Lourdes, the World Day of the Sick will be celebrated, a propitious occasion to reflect on the meaning of pain and the Christian duty to take responsibility for it in whatever situation it arises. This year this significant day is connected to two important events for the life of the Church, as one already understands from the theme chosen ‘The Eucharist, Lourdes and Pastoral Care for the Sick’: the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions of the Immaculate Mary at Lourdes, and the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress at Quebec in Canada. In this way, a remarkable opportunity to consider the close connection that exists between the Mystery of the Eucharist, the role of Mary in the project of salvation, and the reality of human pain and suffering, is offered to us.
The hundred and fifty years since the apparitions of Lourdes invite us to turn our gaze towards the Holy Virgin, whose Immaculate Conception constitutes the sublime and freely-given gift of God to a woman so that she could fully adhere to divine designs with a steady and unshakable faith, despite the tribulations and the sufferings that she would have to face. For this reason, Mary is a model of total self-abandonment to the will of God: she received in her heart the eternal Word and she conceived it in her virginal womb; she trusted to God and, with her soul pierced by a sword (cf. Lk 2:35), she did not hesitate to share the passion of her Son, renewing on Calvary at the foot of the Cross her ‘Yes’ of the Annunciation. To reflect upon the Immaculate Conception of Mary is thus to allow oneself to be attracted by the ‘Yes’ which joined her wonderfully to the mission of Christ, the redeemer of humanity; it is to allow oneself to be taken and led by her hand to pronounce in one’s turn ‘fiat’ to the will of God, with all one’s existence interwoven with joys and sadness, hopes and disappointments, in the awareness that tribulations, pain and suffering make rich the meaning of our pilgrimage on the earth.
2. One cannot contemplate Mary without being attracted by Christ and one cannot look at Christ without immediately perceiving the presence of Mary. There is an indissoluble link between the Mother and the Son, generated in her womb by work of the Holy Spirit, and this link we perceive, in a mysterious way, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, as the Fathers of the Church and theologians pointed out from the early centuries onwards. ‘The flesh born of Mary, coming from the Holy Spirit, is bread descended from heaven’, observed St. Hilary of Poitiers. In the Bergomensium Sacramentary of the ninth century we read: ‘Her womb made flower a fruit, a bread that has filled us with an angelic gift. Mary restored to salvation what Eve had destroyed by her sin’. And St. Pier Damiani observed: ‘That body that the most blessed Virgin generated, nourished in her womb with maternal care, that body I say, without doubt and no other, we now receive from the sacred altar, and we drink its blood as a sacrament of our redemption. This is what the Catholic faith believes, this the holy Church faithfully teaches’. The link of the Holy Virgin with the Son, the sacrificed Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, is extended to the Church, the mystic Body of Christ. Mary, observes the Servant of God John Paul II, is a ‘woman of the Eucharist’ in her whole life, as a result of which the Church, seeing Mary as her model, ‘is also called to imitate her in her relationship with this most holy mystery’ (Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 53). In this perspective one understands even further why in Lourdes the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary is joined to a strong and constant reference to the Eucharist with daily Celebrations of the Eucharist, with adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament, and with the blessing of the sick, which constitutes one of the strongest moments of the visit of pilgrims to the grotto of Massabielles.
The presence of many sick pilgrims in Lourdes, and of the volunteers who accompany them, helps us to reflect on the maternal and tender care that the Virgin expresses towards human pain and suffering. Associated with the Sacrifice of Christ, Mary, Mater Dolorosa, who at the foot of the Cross suffers with her divine Son, is felt to be especially near by the Christian community, which gathers around its suffering members, who bear the signs of the passion of the Lord. Mary suffers with those who are in affliction, with them she hopes, and she is their comfort, supporting them with her maternal help. And is it not perhaps true that the spiritual experience of very many sick people leads us to understand increasingly that ‘the Divine Redeemer wishes to penetrate the soul of every sufferer through the heart of his holy Mother, the first and the most exalted of all the redeemed’? (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Salvifici doloris, n. 26).
3. If Lourdes leads us to reflect upon the maternal love of the Immaculate Virgin for her sick and suffering children, the next International Eucharistic Congress will be an opportunity to worship Jesus Christ present in the Sacrament of the altar, to entrust ourselves to him as Hope that does not disappoint, to receive him as that medicine of immortality which heals the body and the spirit. Jesus Christ redeemed the world through his suffering, his death and his resurrection, and he wanted to remain with us as the ‘bread of life’ on our earthly pilgrimage. ‘The Eucharist, Gift of God for the Life of the World’: this is the theme of the Eucharistic Congress and it emphasises how the Eucharist is the gift that the Father makes to the world of His only Son, incarnated and crucified. It is he who gathers us around the Eucharistic table, provoking in his disciples loving care for the suffering and the sick, in whom the Christian community recognises the face of its Lord. As I pointed out in the Post-Synodal Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, ‘Our communities, when they celebrate the Eucharist, must become ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him to become "bread that is broken" for others’ (n. 88). We are thus encouraged to commit ourselves in the first person to helping our brethren, especially those in difficulty, because the vocation of every Christian is truly that of being, together with Jesus, bread that is broken for the life of the world.
4. It thus appears clear that it is specifically from the Eucharist that pastoral care in health must draw the necessary spiritual strength to come effectively to man’s aid and to help him to understand the salvific value of his own suffering. As the Servant of God John Paul II was to write in the already quoted Apostolic Letter Salvifici doloris, the Church sees in her suffering brothers and sisters as it were a multiple subject of the supernatural power of Christ (cf. n. 27). Mysteriously united to Christ, the man who suffers with love and meek self-abandonment to the will of God becomes a living offering for the salvation of the world. My beloved Predecessor also stated that ‘The more a person is threatened by sin, the heavier the structures of sin which today’s world brings with it, the greater is the eloquence which human suffering possesses in itself. And the more the Church feels the need to have recourse to the value of human sufferings for the salvation of the world’ (ibidem). If, therefore, at Quebec the mystery of the Eucharist, the gift of God for the life of the world, is contemplated during the World Day of the Sick in an ideal spiritual parallelism, not only will the actual participation of human suffering in the salvific work of God be celebrated, but the valuable fruits promised to those who believe can in a certain sense be enjoyed. Thus pain, received with faith, becomes the door by which to enter the mystery of the redemptive suffering of Jesus and to reach with him the peace and the happiness of his Resurrection.
5. While I extend my cordial greetings to all sick people and to all those who take care of them in various ways, I invite the diocesan and parish communities to celebrate the next World Day of the Sick by appreciating to the full the happy coinciding of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes with the International Eucharistic Congress. May it be an occasion to emphasise the importance of the Holy Mass, of the Adoration of the Eucharist and of the cult of the Eucharist, so that chapels in our health-care centres become a beating heart in which Jesus offers himself unceasingly to the Father for the life of humanity! The distribution of the Eucharist to the sick as well, done with decorum and in a spirit of prayer, is true comfort for those who suffer, afflicted by all forms of infirmity.
May the next World Day of the Sick be, in addition, a propitious circumstance to invoke in a special way the maternal protection of Mary over those who are weighed down by illness; health-care workers; and workers in pastoral care in health! I think in particular of priests involved in this field, women and men religious, volunteers and all those who with active dedication are concerned to serve, in body and soul, the sick and those in need. I entrust all to Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, the Immaculate Conception. May she help everyone in testifying that the only valid response to human pain and suffering is Christ, who in resurrecting defeated death and gave us the life that knows no end. With these feelings, from my heart I impart to everyone my special Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 11 January 2008
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
Source: Asia News
The Pope's condolences for the death of Fr Jesus Reynaldo Roda
Manila, Philippines, Jan.20,2008 (vaticans.org) - Pope Benedict XVI on Friday expressed "great sadness" over the death of Fr Jesus Reynaldo Roda of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), and asked his killers to "renounce the ways of violence and to play their part in building a just and peaceful society where all can live together in harmony". Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sent the pope's message to the bishop of Jolo, Angelito Lampon, and to his fellow OMI religious.
Fr Roda was killed by a group of at least ten persons, when he resisted a kidnapping attempt on the evening of January 15 in the chapel of the Notre Dame school in Tabawan (Tawi-Tawi). The kidnappers fled, taking with them a Muslim teacher, Omar Taub.
Cardinal Bertone added that the pope "was saddened to learn of the brutal and tragic killing” of Fr Roda but grateful that he had been an “example to priests and people throughout the region, and especially to the young”. "Entrusting the people of Tabawan to the maternal protection of Our Blessed Lady, the Holy Father is pleased to impart his apostolic blessing as a pledge of comfort and strength at this time of sorrow”.
Meanwhile, as the criminal investigation continues, the police say they believe that the group responsible is linked to the Islamic extremists of Abu Sayyaf. Joel Goltaio, head of the police in the Mindanao region, says that the assassins fled to the nearby island of Languya. Various sources say that the group includes at least one and perhaps two members of the police. It is believed that the 10 are linked to about 20 other armed men who are able to move quickly around the islands by boat.
"The group", Goltaio says, "is mobile to avoid our pursuing police and military forces. The kidnappers and killers of Fr. Roda seemed to be prepared because they have watercraft that travelled in shallow waters from island to island".
According to eyewitnesses, the priest told his assassins that he would rather die than be used as a hostage.
Bishop Lampon says that Fr Roda, the son of one of the leading Christian families of Cotabato City, knew that missionaries in the region are in danger, and that "he was in fact due for transfer to another area, but he declined because he wanted to remain in Tabawan to continue with his missionary works there", especially on behalf of all of the poor, both Christian and Muslim.
"People there in Tabawan loved 'Fr. Rey' dearly and were so appreciative of his projects that they even appealed for the continuation of his programs for them even if he is gone”. Bishop Lampon says. In addition to directing the school in Tabawan, Fr Roda worked on projects to improve the standard of living for the marginalised local fishermen. "His scholarship project has produced several [local] Samal and Tausug professionals. Some of them became teachers who have returned to Tabawan to help educate their own people”, Lampon says.
His tragic death - he was the fourth OMI priest killed in Mindanao since 1974 - will not stop the Oblates' missionary work in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. His funeral will be on January 23, and he will be buried in the order's cemetery in Datu Odin Sinsuat, in Shariff Kabunsuan province.
Source: Asia News
Pope at Angelus: Pray for Christian Unity
Vatican City, Jan.20, 2008 (vaticans.org) - Tens of thousands of young people and adults - more than 200,000, if the television linkups with other cities are counted - streamed into Saint Peter's Square from all over Italy to express their solidarity with Benedict XVI. It was a response to the invitation from Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar of Rome, after the violent controversy that had arisen at the La Sapienza university, leading the Holy See to decline the invitation for the pontiff to give the opening address for the university's academic year. Without any stridency, the pontiff exhorted all to work in a climate of "fraternity" and to "seek truth and freedom, in a shared commitment to a fraternal and tolerant society".
When Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study for the recitation of the Angelus, an ovation came from the square full of people and banners. "You did not come to us; we come to you!".
The pope greeted the crowds, but moved on immediately to his reflection, dedicated to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Benedict XVI recalled that "today the spiritual sons and daughters of Father Wattson, the Brothers and Sisters of the Atonement, are present in Saint Peter's Square". This is the religious community that began the tradition of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
He then commented briefly on the theme chosen for the Week this year, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). "With this appeal, [Saint Paul] . . . wants to make it known that the new life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit brings the ability to rise above every form of egoism, to live together in peace and fraternal union, to bear each other's burdens and sufferings willingly. We must never grow weary of praying for Christian unity!".
The pope then invited everyone to participate in the solemn Vespers that he will lead on January 25 at the basilica of Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, "to invoke from God the precious gift of reconciliation among all the baptised".
It was only after the prayer of the Angelus that the pontiff turned to address the crowd that had gathered in Saint Peter's Square "to express your solidarity" after the incident at La Sapienza. Amid the applause and the fluttering banners, Benedict XVI thanked everyone "from my heart", and thanked Cardinal Ruini, "who promoted this encounter".
Without argumentative tones, the pontiff recalled what had happened: "As you know," he said, "I had very willingly accepted the courteous invitation extended to me to speak last Thursday at the inauguration of the academic year at 'La Sapienza – Università di Roma'. I know this university very well; I respect it and I am fond of the students who attend it: every year, on various occasions, many of them come to meet me at the Vatican, together with their peers from the other universities. Unfortunately, as is well known, the atmosphere that was created made my presence at the ceremony inadvisable. I cancelled the visit unwillingly, but in any case I wanted to send the text that I had prepared for the occasion".
And as he had done in the written speech that he sent to the university, he explained what the university should be in this way: "I am bound to the university environment, which was my world for many years, by the love for the search for truth, for debate, for the frank and respectful dialogue on the positions in question".
The pontiff emphasised that this attitude is part of "the mission of the Church, which strives to follow faithfully Christ, the Teacher of life, truth, and love".
Finally, the pontiff called upon all the people present, among whom were a large number of university students, to live the university as a "search for truth" and as "respect for the opinions of others". "As a professor 'emeritus', so to speak, who have met so many students in my life, I encourage all, dear university students, to be always respectful of the opinions of others and to seek truth and goodness in a spirit of freedom and responsibility. To all and to each I renew my expression of gratitude, assuring you of my affection and prayers".
After the greetings in the various languages, the crowd burst into applause and chants of "Viva il papa" and "Freedom". The pope smiled and, waving goodbye, added: "Let us continue to live in this climate of fraternity, in the search for truth and freedom, in a shared commitment to a fraternal and tolerant society". In short, a lesson on authentic secularism from the head of the Catholic Church.
Source: Asia News
Pope at Angelus: Christ gives true and full life
Vatican City, Jan.13, 2008 (vaticans.org) - At the last Angelus of the Christmas liturgical season, the pope recalled the mystery of today's feast, that of the baptism of Jesus, "his first public manifestation, after about thirty years of hidden life in Nazareth". The profound meaning of this act, the pope said, "would emerge only at the end of Christ's earthly life, in his death and resurrection".
Before thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square under a driving rain, the pope explained: "In being baptised by John together with sinners, Jesus began to take upon himself the weight of the sins of all humanity, as the Lamb of God who 'takes away' the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29). He brought this work to fulfilment on the cross, when he also received his 'baptism' (cf. Luke 12:50). By dying, in fact, he 'immersed' himself in the love of the Father, and poured forth the Holy Spirit, so that those who believe in Him might be reborn in that inexhaustible fountain of new and eternal life. The entire mission of Christ is summed up in this: to baptise us in the Holy Spirit, to free us from slavery to sin and 'open heaven to us', meaning access to true and full life, which will be 'a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy' (Spe Salvi, 12)".
After the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI recalled that the World Day of Migrants and Refugees is also celebrated today, which this year is focused upon young migrants. "Many young people", the pope said, "are for various reasons driven to live far away from their families and their countries. Young women and minors are particularly at risk. Some children and adolescents are born and raised in 'refugee camps': they too have a right to a future! I express my appreciation for those who work on behalf of young migrants and their families, and for their integration into work and schooling; I invite the ecclesial communities to extend a warm welcome to these young people and their parents, seeking to understand their lives and to foster their integration. Dear young migrants! Dedicate yourselves to building together with your peers a more just and fraternal society, fulfilling your duties, respecting the laws, and not letting yourselves be carried away by violence. I entrust you all to Mary, Mother of all humanity".
Source: Asia News
The Growth of Relativism: Pope Benedict XVI sounded the alarm about an "educational emergency"
Vatican City, Jan. 11, 2008 (www.vaticans.org) - Pope Benedict XVI sounded the alarm about an "educational emergency" during a January 10 meeting with political leaders from Rome and he surrounding Lazio district.
The "emergency" to which the Holy Father referred was the growth of relativism. Young people, he said, find it difficult to develop "firm certainties and criteria upon which to build their lives." This failure of moral guidance, the Pope said, threatens "the very basis of coexistence and the future of society."
In restoring a sense of moral order upon which young people can build their lives, the Pontiff said, "It is clear that respect and support for the family based on marriage have primary importance." The "unrelenting and threatening" attacks on family life, he said, are undermining the most basic unit of healthy social life, and public officials must respond by giving the family "their convinced and concrete support, in the certainty that in this way they are working for the common good."
Pope Benedict told the local government leaders that another serious problem is the high costs of living in the region around Rome, which "make living conditions truly difficult for many individuals and families."
The meeting between the Pope and the civic officials of Rome and Lazio is an annual tradition. The political leaders visit the Vatican each January for an exchange of new-year greetings.
source: cwnews
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