Pope Benedict XVI Reflects on God's Paychecks
Says Those Who Work Only for Money Miss a Treasure CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Being able to work for the Lord is itself an inestimable reward, says Benedict XVI.The Pope affirmed this today before praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at the summer papal residence south of Rome. Referring to the parable from Matthew's Gospel read in today's Mass, the Holy Father noted how the denarius offered to the workers represents eternal life, a "gift that God reserves for everyone." Indeed," he continued, "precisely those who are considered 'last,' if they will accept it, become 'first,' while the 'first' can run the risk of becoming 'last.' The first message of this parable is in the fact itself that the owner does not tolerate, so to speak, unemployment: He wants everyone to work in his vineyard. And in reality, being called itself is already the first recompense: Being able to work in the Lord's vineyard, putting yourself at his service, cooperating in his project, constitutes in itself an inestimable reward, which repays all toil." This message, the Pontiff acknowledged, is "understood only by those who love the Lord and his Kingdom. Those who, instead, work solely for the pay will never recognize the value of this priceless treasure." Benedict XVI noted that the author of the Gospel, Matthew, himself experienced the parable in firsthand. The Pope explained that "before Jesus called him, Matthew was employed as a publican and for this reason was considered a public sinner by the Jews and was excluded from 'the Lord's vineyard.'" "But everything changes when Jesus, walking by the customs house, looks at him and says 'Follow me,'" the Holy Father continued. "Matthew got up and followed him. From publican he immediately became a disciple of Christ. From being 'last' he finds himself as 'first,' thanks to the logic of God, which -- for our good fortune! -- is different from the world's logic. " The Pontiff concluded by calling on the intercession of Our Lady. "The Virgin Mary, who a week ago I had the joy of venerating at Lourdes, is the perfect vine in the Lord's vineyard," he said. "From her there grew the blessed fruit of divine love: Jesus, Our Savior. May she help us to respond always and with joy to the Lord's call, and to find our happiness in the possibility of toiling for the Kingdom of Heaven." email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23675?l=english
Pope: Despite Strained Economy, Remember the Poor CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is urging leaders to fight against extreme poverty, even if it means greater sacrifice as many countries face economic difficulties.The Pope made this appeal today after he prayed the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. "This Thursday, Sept. 25, there will be a high level meeting, in the context of the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations, to verify the accomplishment of the objectives established by the 'Millennium Declaration' of Sept. 8, 2000," the Holy Father noted. "On the occasion of this important gathering, in which the leaders of all the countries of the world will be together," he continued, "I would like to renew the invitation to take up and apply with courage the necessary measures to eliminate extreme poverty, hunger and lack of education and the scourge of the pandemics that harm the most vulnerable above all." The Pontiff assured that "such a commitment, while demanding sacrifices in these moments of worldwide economic difficulties, will not be without important benefits for the development of nations who are in need of help and for the peace and well-being of the entire planet." email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23678?l=english
--- Pontiff Urges Solidarity After Hurricanes CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that God desires solidarity and fraternity to prevail in areas affected by hurricanes.The Pope affirmed this today after he prayed the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. "In recent weeks Caribbean countries -- Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic in particular -- and the southern United States, especially Texas, have been hit hard by hurricanes," the Holy Father said. He referred to a series of storms that have pounded the area one after another since mid-August. Already vulnerable Haiti particularly suffered, with several hundred people losing their lives. Caritas appealed for a $4.3 million dollar relief effort for the island nation. The Pontiff added: "I would again like to assure all of those dear people that I am remembering them in my prayers. I hope that help will soon arrive in the areas that have suffered the most damage. The Lord desires that, at least in these circumstances, solidarity and fraternity prevail above all else." email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23677?l=english -
---- Mass Is Medicine for Unforgiving Souls, Says Pope Calls Altar an Invitation to Love ALBANO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For apologies that are hard to accept and people that are hard to forgive, the Mass is the key to opening our souls to reconciliation, says Benedict XVI.The Pope said this today when he celebrated a Mass and dedicated the altar at the Cathedral of Albano, near the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. "How can we present ourselves divided and far from each other at God's altar," the Holy Father asked. "May this altar upon which the sacrifice of the Lord will soon be renewed be for you, dear brothers and sisters, be a constant invitation to love; always draw near to it with a heart open to the love of Christ and to spreading it, to receiving and bestowing forgiveness." "Every time that you come to the altar for the Eucharistic celebration your soul opens to forgiveness and fraternal reconciliation, ready to accept the apologies of those who have hurt you and ready, in turn, to forgive," the Pontiff affirmed. He added: "In the Roman liturgy the priest, having offered the bread and wine, bows toward the altar and prays in a low voice: 'Lord, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice that we offer with humble and contrite hearts.' The priest thus prepares to enter, together with the whole assembly of the faithful, into the heart of the Eucharistic mystery, into the heart of that celestial liturgy to which the second reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, refers. [...] "The altar of sacrifice becomes in a certain way the point of encounter between heaven and earth; the center, we could say, of the one Church that is at the same time heavenly and in pilgrimage on earth, where, in the midst of the persecutions of the world and God's consolations, the Lord's disciples proclaim his passion and death until he returns in glory." The Eucharistic celebration thus mysteriously shows the splendor of the Church, Benedict XVI stated, "'immaculate bride of the immaculate Lamb, Bride that Christ loved and gave himself up for to make her holy.'" email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23680?l=english -
----- France Called a Hope for the Church Vatican Aide Evaluates Lourdes Trip VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The eldest daughter of the Church is a source of hope, says a Vatican spokesman, who affirmed that particularly the youth of France give the Church reason to look forward to the future.Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, spoke of France and Benedict XVI's trip there last week on the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies." "The Pope's trip to France was certainly blessed by largely positive results, as the majority of observers have recognized," he said. "The visit to Lourdes was expected to unfold in a serene atmosphere of intense spirituality but it was not necessarily foreseen that the Paris visit would be accompanied by such respectful attention from French society and that the local Church would succeed in demonstrating such vitality and significant participation. But this is what happened. This is no reason for triumphalism but it is a reason for confidence and hope." "With his typical lucidity and coherence," Father Lombardi continued, "the Pope proposed his vision of the relationship between secularity and faith: Authentic secularity does not prescind from the spiritual dimension, but recognizes that this is the guarantee of our freedom and the autonomy of terrestrial realities." The spokesman recalled how the Holy Father said that seeking God and being on the journey to God, "remains today, like yesterday, the master and fundamental way of every true culture." "The fact that these claims can be made today," Father Lombardi said, "in places that are highly representative of European politics and culture, and that they are received with attention and appreciation rather than prejudicial opposition, encourages one to think that even in the changed historical situation, the Christian faith and the Catholic Church are called to make their most precious contribution -- we even say necessary -- to the building of the civilization of the new millennium." "The Church in France -- and especially the young people who welcomed him with such enthusiasm -- is preparing this civilization," the Jesuit concluded. "It is also an encouragement for many other countries." email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23674?l=english
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Unlikely to Survive Few Down Syndrome Babies Making It to Birth By Father John Flynn, LCROME, SEPT. 21, 2008, (Zenit.org).- One of the consequences of the nomination of Governor Sarah Palin as the Republican party's vice-presidential candidate is renewed attention to Down syndrome. On April 18, Palin gave birth to Trig Paxon Van Palin, having been told by doctors the previous December that he suffered from Down syndrome, reported the Associated Press on May 3. An article in the Washington Post on Sept. 10 by opinion columnist Michael Gerson noted that when tests reveal Down syndrome in an unborn child, around 90% are aborted. The numbers of Down syndrome children being aborted could well rise if last year's recommendation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is heeded, he added. The college urged universal, early testing for Down syndrome for all expectant mothers, not just those who are older and therefore have a higher chance of a child affected by the condition. Gerson argued, however, that children born with Down syndrome "are generally not experienced by their parents as a curse but as a complex blessing." Many doctors and counselors, nevertheless, urge mothers to have an abortion instead of going ahead with a Down syndrome pregnancy, he noted. This practice of ending "imperfect" lives, Gerson continued, cannot be separated from how we regard and treat all people who have disabilities. "And this feeds a social Darwinism in which the stronger are regarded as better, the dependent are viewed as less valuable, and the weak must occasionally be culled," he concluded. Revealing truths In spite of the difficulties in raising a child with Down syndrome, a number of newspapers have published stories highlighting the positive experiences of parents with such children. Raising a child with Down syndrome can reveal many profound truths about parents and their children, reported the Washington Post on Sept 14. The article described the situation of Adrianne Pedlikin, a mother of three, including a 10-year-old son with Down syndrome. The article acknowledged the difficulties and trials of looking after a boy with Down syndrome, but it described how at the same time, both Adrianne and her husband Philip declared their love for their son and said his birth has changed their worldviews in a positive way. The article also referred to the experiences of other families, who frequently run into opposition from educational institutions in seeking to have their children with Down syndrome allowed into schools. They also often find that other parents tend to shut them out and that their children don't receive invitations to play with other kids. Another personal testimony on the positive experience of being a parent of a Down syndrome child was published June 2 in the U.K. newspaper, the Guardian. Annie Rey described how when she was growing up she was terrified by people with disabilities. Then in her early 40s she became pregnant and discovered her child had Down syndrome. "During the pregnancy I lurched from optimism to despair: optimism that the child, who at 20 weeks we discovered to be a boy, wouldn't have Down's, and despair that he would," she wrote. Her son Paddy is now 2 years old, and she has now accepted the idea of having a child with Down. She said she realizes that "he is not a diagnosis" but a child with many qualities. "I truly believe that if my precious boy did not exist, our world, and probably the world at large, would be a poorer place," she concluded. Joyous From Canada, the Shaw family recounted their experience of a Down syndrome child in an article published March 2 in the Ottawa Citizen. Michael and Lesley Shaw would have aborted if they had known their daughter, Sydney, had Down syndrome, they told the newspaper. Now that Sydney is 9 years old, her father declared that they have changed their minds and now consider their daughter as "a wonderful, joyous child." "She has enriched my life to a degree I didn't think was possible," said Michael Shaw. "She changed my whole focus on life, on what has value and what doesn't have value, and what we consider valuable." Michael Shaw is also on the board of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, an advocacy group concerned about the coming of broader prenatal testing in Canada and what it will mean for Down syndrome children. In February 2007, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada issued new guidelines recommending that every woman, regardless of age, be offered noninvasive prenatal genetic screening. According to the Ottawa Citizen about 80%-90% of Canadian women who are given a Down syndrome diagnosis choose to have an abortion. Test casualties New tests being developed may well make it easier, moreover, for parents to increase the practice of eliminating the less than perfect. On June 21 the London-based Times newspaper reported that an experimental test, developed by a team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, promises to show if a fetus has Down syndrome through a test of the mother's blood. Currently more invasive and dangerous amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling tests are used. These procedures involve inserting a needle into the womb to remove amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus, or a small piece of the placenta. The Times added that these techniques provoke a miscarriage in one in 100 women, and 320 healthy pregnancies are lost each year in Britain because of Down syndrome tests. The new test is still in the phase of experimentation, but it could be ready for public use in a few years. The dangers of Down syndrome tests is, however, much higher, according to a Sept. 14 article published in the British newspaper, the Observer. New research revealed that for every three unborn Down syndrome babies prevented from being born, two healthy babies will be miscarried because of the methods used to detect the condition. The new research, just published in the Down Syndrome Research and Practice journal, claimed that in detecting and preventing the birth of 660 Down babies, 400 healthy fetuses are lost. This is much higher than data cited by the U.K. National Health Service, which cites a miscarriage rate of between 1%-2% following the invasive amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling tests. The Observer commented that while the authors of the research, Frank Buckley and Sue Buckley, are from the charity Down Syndrome Education International, and might therefore be accused of being biased, their findings have been shown to a number of experts who have positively assessed the results. Better care A Sept. 8 article published in the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper commented that children with Down syndrome were institutionalized at birth, and often suffered greatly. In more recent years, the latest generation of Down syndrome children have stayed with their families. Moreover, advances in medical care and education mean they live fuller lives, often graduating from high school and holding jobs. More remains to be done, said Madeleine Will, vice president of public policy for the National Down Syndrome Society, in an article published Sept. 9 by USA Today. Along with greater access to education, Will said that doctors should be required to provide more detailed information about Down syndrome to parents who receive prenatal and postnatal diagnoses, including life expectancy data and contacts of local support groups. She also called for greater financial assistance for families with Down syndrome children. Ironically, just as new possibilities open up for those affected by Down syndrome, new tests and persuasion from some in the medical profession threaten to increase pressures on parents to put an end to these innocent lives. email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23672?l=english
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Philippines Threatened By a 2-Child Policy Population Control Bill Enters Plenary Debate By Genevieve PollockWASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Filipino-Americans are joining with Catholics from their native country to fight proposed legislation that would promote contraception and limit family size, while punishing conscientious objectors. The newly consolidated Reproductive Health Bill of 2005, renamed "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development, and for Other Purposes," was put on the floor of Congress last week to begin plenary debates, reported the Washington-based Filipino Family Fund. At the close of the week, the debates were temporarily suspended, but are due to resume soon. Pro-life groups are holding vigils outside of the House of Representatives in order to closely monitor the proceedings of the bill. After the original reproductive health bill's failure to pass in 2005, the new Congress reconvened, introduced three new bills, consolidated them into the current proposal, and put the new bill through the Committee on Population without due process in May of 2008. The Philippine Legislator Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) has worked with International Planned Parenthood and the U.N. Population Fund in the creation of this legislation that aims to depopulate the country through all possible means and decrease HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. The U.N. fund has appropriated $26 million to the Philippines for this purpose. This bill would mandate an "ideal family size," setting the stage for a proposed Two-Child Policy. It foresees stiff penalties that include up to six months imprisonment and heavy fines for those who do not comply with the proposed reproductive health care agenda. According to the bill, these penalties could even apply to any person "who maliciously engages in disinformation about the intent or provisions of this act." Provisions of the bill call for a network of doctors, population officers in every province, and a national curriculum that will teach secular sex education to fifth graders. Silencing parents Eileen Macapanas Cosby, president of the Filipino Family Fund, told ZENIT that "freedom of speech is at stake. Parents will not be able to object. Health care workers will be forced to refer against their conscience. Employers will have to provide family planning services." "International Planned Parenthood has sold false presuppositions that access to contraception will alleviate poverty, and decrease the number of abortions. Many who do not have an understanding of Catholic social teachings have bought this," explained Cosby. "Precisely because the country is Catholic, [Planned Parenthood] has targeted the Philippines." Cosby noted the affirmation of Archbishop Pacino Aniceto, chairman of the episcopal commission on family and life, who stated "If you are Catholic, you should behave like a Catholic. Otherwise you are not what you profess." Filipino bishops are sponsoring an advocacy movement against the passage of the bill. They note that a contraception bill with necessarily include abortion. Archbishop Oscar Cruz of Lingayen-Dagupan affirmed on his blog, "It is not hard to see that the title of the bill alone says many words yet its open-ended phrase 'for other purposes' suggests its hardly realized humungous price tag and grave moral costs." Rest of Asia Filipino Catholics plan to gather 1 million signatures against the reproductive health bill to present to Congress. Father Melvin Castro, secretariat of the Pro-life Office of the bishops' conference reported that he had collected 100,000 signatures of constituents by last week. The Filipino Family Fund is urging people to sign the petition on their Web site. "We have to defend the Church now or the rest of Asia will be at stake," said Cosby. In return for the foreign funding promised by Planned Parenthood and the United Nations, the Philippines will be losing moral ground, Cosby told ZENIT. Our stance is to remain vigilant now, as the debates are set to resume soon, she added. "The truth of the matter is, that the bill will lead to the implementation of an immoral policy -- a proposed synthetic artificial contraceptives eventually designed to ruin health as it slants the idea of responsible parenthood to issues of depopulation, which proponents claim will result to progress among underdeveloped countries like ours," Archbishop Cruz wrote on his blog. "After all, no human act, no legislative bill, no executive function, no judicial work is over and above morality. "Morality is neither irrelevant in politics, not indifferent in a secular society. Irrespective of the race, color and creed of those concerned, the moment individuals fool around with private morals, the moment the government disregards public morals, then the families and country are in big trouble respectively. This is the standing lesson of history." --- --- --- On the Net: Filipino Family Fund: http://www.filipinofamilyfund.org// email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23673?l=english
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On the Last Who Are First "Being Called Itself Is Already the First Recompense" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.* * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Perhaps you remember when, on the day of my election to the pontificate, I addressed the crowd in St. Peter's Square and I presented myself, in an off the cuff way, as a worker in the Lord's vineyard. Well, in today's Gospel (cf. Matthew 20:1-16a), Jesus recounts the parable of the owner of the vineyard, who at different hours of the day calls laborers to come work in his vineyard. And in the evening he gives to all of them the same wage -- one denarius -- provoking the protest of the laborers who had been there from the first hour. It is clear that that denarius represents eternal life, a gift that God reserves for everyone. Indeed, precisely those who are considered "last," if they will accept it, become "first," while the "first" can run the risk of becoming "last." The first message of this parable is in the fact itself that the owner does not tolerate, so to speak, unemployment: He wants everyone to work in his vineyard. And in reality, being called itself is already the first recompense: Being able to work in the Lord's vineyard, putting yourself at his service, cooperating in his project, constitutes in itself an inestimable reward, which repays all toil. But this is understood only by those who love the Lord and his Kingdom. Those who, instead, work solely for the pay will never recognize the value of this priceless treasure. St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, is the one who reports this parable that is read in today's liturgical feast. I would like to emphasize that Matthew experienced this story firsthand (cf. Matthew 9:9). In fact, before Jesus called him, Matthew was employed as a publican and for this reason was considered a public sinner by the Jews and was excluded from "the Lord's vineyard." But everything changes when Jesus, walking by the customs house, looks at him and says "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him. From publican he immediately became a disciple of Christ. From being "last" he finds himself as "first," thanks to the logic of God, which -- for our good fortune! -- is different from the world's logic. "My thoughts are not your thoughts," the Lord says through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, "your ways are not my ways" (Isaiah 55:8). St. Paul too, whose special jubilee year we are celebrating, experienced the joy of feeling himself called by the Lord and working in his vineyard. And how much work he did! But, as he himself confessed, it was God's grace that worked through him, that grace that transformed him from a persecutor of the Church into an apostle of the Gentiles. "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain," St. Paul says. But he immediately adds: "But if living in the body means doing work that is fruitful, I do not know which to choose" (Philippians 1:21-22). Paul understood well that working for the Lord is already recompense on this earth. The Virgin Mary, who a week ago I had the joy of venerating at Lourdes, is the perfect vine in the Lord's vineyard. From her there grew the blessed fruit of divine love: Jesus, Our Savior. May she help us to respond always and with joy to the Lord's call, and to find our happiness in the possibility of toiling for the Kingdom of Heaven. [After the Angelus, the Holy Father said:] In recent weeks Caribbean countries -- Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic in particular -- and the southern United States, especially Texas, have been hit hard by hurricanes. I would again like to assure all of those dear people that I am remembering them in my prayers. I hope that help will soon arrive in the areas that have suffered the most damage. The Lord desires that, at least in these circumstances, solidarity and fraternity prevail above all else. This Thursday, Sept. 25, there will be a high level meeting, in the context of the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations, to verify the accomplishment of the objectives established by the "Millennium Declaration" of Sept. 8, 2000. On the occasion of this important gathering, in which the leaders of all the countries of the world will be together, I would like to renew the invitation to take up and apply with courage the necessary measures to eliminate extreme poverty, hunger and lack of education and the scourge of the pandemics that harm the most vulnerable above all. Such a commitment, while demanding sacrifices in these moments of worldwide economic difficulties, will not be without important benefits for the development of nations who are in need of help and for the peace and well-being of the entire planet. [Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic] [The Pope then greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:] I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus prayer. In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches that God is always generous in his dealings with us. The Kingdom of Heaven will come to us not as a reward for our good deeds, based on strict justice, but as a grace, a gift of God's mercy and abounding love. Let us ask the Lord to keep us always in his love! I wish you all a pleasant stay in Castel Gandolfo and Rome, and a blessed Sunday! © Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23676?l=english
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Papal Homily at Albano Cathedral "When Believers Are United by Charity They Become the House of God" ALBANO, Italy, SEPT. 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI' homily today at Mass in the Cathedral of Albano, Italy, near the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. The cathedral's altar was dedicated at this Mass.* * * Dear Brothers and Sisters! Today's celebration is so rich in symbols and the Word of God that has been proclaimed helps us to understand the meaning and value of what we are doing here. In the first reading we heard the story of Judas Macabeus' purification of the Temple and the dedication of the new altar of holocausts in 164 B.C., three years after the Temple had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes (cf. 1 Macabees 4:52-59). The Feast of the Dedication, which lasted eight days, was instituted to commemorate that event. This feast, initially linked to the Temple, where the people went in procession to offer sacrifices, was also connected with the illumination of the houses, and it survived in this form after the destruction of Jerusalem. The sacred author rightly underscores the joy that characterizes that event. But how much greater, dear brothers and sisters, must our joy be, knowing that every day on this altar, that we are preparing to consecrate, the sacrifice of Christ is offered; on this altar he will continue to immolate himself, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for our salvation and that of the whole world. In the Eucharistic mystery, that is renewed on every altar, Jesus is really present. His is a dynamic presence, which seizes us in to make us his, to assimilate us to him; it draws us with the power of his love, bringing us out of ourselves to unite us with him, making us one with him. Christ's real presence makes each of us his "house," and we all together form his Church, the spiritual edifice of which St. Peter speaks. "Come to him," the apostle writes, "a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5). Somewhat developing this beautiful metaphor, St. Augustine observes that through faith men are like wood and stone gathered from forests and mountains for building; through baptism, catechesis and preaching they are cut, squared, and filed down; but they only become the Lord's house when they are ordered by charity. When believers are reciprocally connected according to a determinate order, mutually and closely arranged and bound, when they are united together by charity they truly become the house of God that does not fear ruin (cf. Sermon 336). It is therefore the love of Christ, the charity that "never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:8), the spiritual energy that unites those who participate in the same sacrifice and who nourish themselves from the same Bread broken for the salvation of the world. Is it indeed possible to be in communion with the Lord if we are not in communion with each other? How can we present ourselves divided and far from each other at God's altar? May this altar upon which the sacrifice of the Lord will soon be renewed be for you, dear brothers and sisters, be a constant invitation to love; always draw near to it with a heart open to the love of Christ and to spreading it, to receiving and bestowing forgiveness. In this regard the Gospel passage that was proclaimed a little while ago offers us an important lesson for life (cf. Matthew 5:23-24). It is a brief but pressing and incisive call to fraternal reconciliation, a reconciliation that is indispensable if we are to present our offering worthily at the altar; it is a reminder that takes up again a teaching that is already quite present in the preaching of the prophets. The prophets vigorously denounced the uselessness of those acts of worship that lacked the correspondent moral dispositions, especially in relation to one's neighbor (cf. Isaiah 1:10-20; Amos 5:21-27; Micah 6:6-8). Every time that you come to the altar for the Eucharistic celebration your soul opens to forgiveness and fraternal reconciliation, ready to accept the apologies of those who have hurt you and ready, in turn, to forgive. In the Roman liturgy the priest, having offered the bread and wine, bows toward the altar and prays in a low voice: "Lord, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice that we offer with humble and contrite hearts." The priest thus prepares to enter, together with the whole assembly of the faithful, into the heart of the Eucharistic mystery, into the heart of that celestial liturgy to which the second reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, refers. St. John presents an angel who offers "incense together with the prayers of all the saints, burning them on the altar of gold placed before the throne" of God (cf. Revelation 8:3). The altar of sacrifice becomes in a certain way the point of encounter between heaven and earth; the center, we could say, of the one Church that is at the same time heavenly and in pilgrimage on earth, where, in the midst of the persecutions of the world and God's consolations, the Lord's disciples proclaim his passion and death until he returns in glory (cf. "Lumen Gentium," No. 8). Indeed, every Eucharistic celebration already anticipates the triumph of Christ over sin and the world, and shows in mystery the splendor of the Church, "immaculate bride of the immaculate Lamb, Bride that Christ loved and gave himself up for to make her holy (cf. "Lumen Gentium," No. 6). These reflections draw our attention to the rite that we are about to perform in this cathedral of yours, which we admire today in its renewed beauty and that we rightly desire to continue to make welcoming and decorous. It is a task that involves all of you and that, in the first place, calls upon the whole diocesan community to grow in charity and in apostolic and missionary dedication. Concretely, it is a matter of bearing witness with your life to your faith in Christ and the total confidence that you place in him. It is also a matter of cultivating ecclesial communion that is, first of all, a gift, a grace, fruit of God's free and gratuitous love, that is, something divinely efficacious, always present and working in history, beyond all contrary appearances. Ecclesial communion is, however, also a task entrusted to the care of each individual. May the Lord grant you to live an evermore convinced and active communion, in cooperation and co-responsibility at every level: among the priests, the consecrated, and the laity, among the different Christian communities of your region, among the various lay groups. I now address my cordial greeting to your bishop, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, whom I thank for the invitation and for the courteous words of welcome with which he wished to receive me in the name of all of you. I would also like to express my sentiments of fervent best wishes on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his episcopal consecration. I direct a special thought to Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, titulary of this suburbicarian diocese of yours, and who today joins his happiness with yours. I greet the other prelates who are present, the priests, the consecrated persons, the young people and the elderly, the families, the children, the sick, embracing with affection all of the faithful of the diocesan community spiritually gathered here. A greeting to the civil authorities, who honor us with their presence, and in the first place to the Lord Mayor of Albano, to whom I am also grateful for the courteous words he addressed to me at the beginning of the Mass. Upon all I invoke the heavenly protection of St. Pancrazio, to whom this cathedral is dedicated, and the Apostle Matthew, whom the liturgy recalls today. I especially invoke the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day -- which crowns your efforts, sacrifices and work to provide this cathedral with a renovated liturgical space, with opportune interventions, the ambo and the altar -- may the Madonna obtain for you in our time the possibility of writing another page in daily and popular sanctity, which will be joined to the other pages that have marked the life of the Church of Albano over the course of the centuries. Certainly, as your bishop noted, difficulties, challenges and problems are not lacking, but the hopes and the opportunities for announcing and witnessing to God's love are also great. May the Spirit of the risen Lord, who is also the Spirit of Pentecost, disclose his horizons of hope to you and strengthen the missionary drive in you to the vast horizons of the new evangelization. Let us pray for this, continuing our Eucharistic celebration. [Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic] email this article: http://www.zenit.org/article-23679?l=english -
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