Entry 0275: Reflections on the Fifth Sunday of Easter by Pope Benedict XVI
On seven occasions during his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI delivered reflections on the Fifth Sunday of Easter, on 14 May 2006, 6 May 2007, 20 April 2008, 10 May 2009, 2 May 2010, 22 May 2011, and 6 May 2012. Here are the texts of the six brief addresses prior to the recitation of the Regina Caeli and three homilies delivered on these occasions.
BENEDICT
XVI
Saint
Peter’s Square, Fifth Sunday of Easter, 14 May 2006
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Fifth
Sunday of Easter, the liturgy presents us with the Gospel passage of John in
which Jesus, speaking to the disciples at the Last Supper, exhorts them to
remain united to him like the branches to the vine.
It is a truly
meaningful parable as it expresses with great effectiveness that Christian life
is a mystery of communion with Jesus: “Whoever remains in me”, says the Lord, “will
bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15: 5).
The secret of
spiritual fruitfulness is union with God, union that is realized especially in
the Eucharist, also rightly called “Communion”. I like to underline this
mystery of unity and of love at this time of the year, when numerous parish
communities celebrate children’s First Communion.
I would like to
address a special greeting to all of the young people who in these weeks will
be encountering the Eucharistic Jesus for the first time, hoping that they will
become branches of the Vine, which is Jesus, and grow to be his true disciples.
A sure way of
remaining united to Christ, as branches to the vine, is to have recourse to the
intercession of Mary, whom we venerated yesterday, 13 May, in a particular way,
recalling the apparitions at Fatima, where she appeared on several occasions to
three shepherd children, Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia, in 1917.
The message that
she entrusted to them, in continuity with that of Lourdes, was a strong appeal
to prayer and conversion; a truly prophetic message, considering that the 20th
century was scourged by unheard-of destruction caused by war and totalitarian
regimes, as well as widespread persecution of the Church.
Moreover, on 13
May 1981, 25 years ago, the Servant of God John Paul II felt that he was saved
miraculously from death by the intervention of “a maternal hand” - as he
himself said - and his entire Pontificate was marked by what the Virgin had
foretold at Fatima .
Although there
is no lack of anxiety and suffering, and although there are still reasons for
apprehension about the future of humanity, what the “Lady in White” promised
the shepherd children is consoling: “At the end, my Immaculate Heart will
triumph”.
With this
awareness, we now turn with confidence to Mary Most Holy, thanking her for her
constant intercession and asking her to continue to watch over the journey of
the Church and of humanity, especially families, mothers and children.
BENEDICT XVI
Saint Peter’s Square, Fifth Sunday of Easter, 6 May 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A few
days ago the month of May began, which for many Christian communities is the
Marian month par excellence. As such, down the centuries it has become one of
the best-loved popular devotions and has been increasingly appreciated by
Pastors as a favourable occasion for preaching, catechesis and community
prayer.
After
the Second Vatican Council, which emphasized the role of Mary Most Holy in the
Church and in the history of salvation, Marian devotion underwent a profound
renewal. And the month of May, coinciding at least in part with the Easter
Season, is a most favourable time for explaining the figure of Mary as a Mother
who accompanies the community of disciples united in prayer in expectation of
the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1: 12-14).
This
month can thus be an opportunity to return to the faith of the primitive Church
and, in union with Mary, to understand that our mission also today is to
proclaim and witness with courage and joy to the Crucified and Risen Christ,
the hope of humanity.
I would
like to entrust to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church, my upcoming Apostolic
Visit to Brazil
from 9 to 14 May. As did my venerable Predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I
will preside at the opening of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin
American and Caribbean Bishops’ Conferences, which will begin next Sunday at
the important national Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida, in the city of this
name.
First,
however, I will go to the neighbouring metropolis of São Paulo , where I shall meet the young
people and Bishops of the Country and have the joy to add Bl. Friar Anthony of St
Anne Galvão to the roll of the Saints.
This is
my first Pastoral Visit to Latin America and I
am preparing myself spiritually for my meeting with the Latin American
Sub-Continent, where almost half of the entire world’s Catholics live, many of
whom are young. For this reason it has been called the “Continent of Hope”, a
hope that concerns not only the Church but all America and the entire world.
Dear
brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray to Mary Most Holy for this Apostolic
Pilgrimage and in particular for the Fifth General Conference of the Latin
American and Caribbean Bishops’ Conferences, so that all Christians of those
regions may see themselves as disciples and missionaries of Christ, the Way,
the Truth and the Life.
The
challenges of our time are many and diverse: for this reason it is important
that Christians be formed to be a “leaven” of good and a “light” of holiness in
our world.
APOSTOLIC
JOURNEY
TO
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND
VISIT TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ORGANIZATION
HEADQUARTERS
CELEBRATION
OF THE EUCHARIST
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Yankee
Stadium, Bronx , New York
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
In the Gospel we
have just heard, Jesus tells his Apostles to put their faith in him, for he is “the
way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). Christ is the way that leads
to the Father, the truth which gives meaning to human existence, and the source
of that life which is eternal joy with all the saints in his heavenly Kingdom.
Let us take the Lord at his word! Let us renew our faith in him and put all our
hope in his promises!
With this
encouragement to persevere in the faith of Peter (see Lk 22:32; Mt 16:17),
I greet all of you with great affection. I thank Cardinal Egan for his cordial
words of welcome in your name. At this Mass, the Church in the United States celebrates the two hundredth
anniversary of the creation of the Sees of New York, Boston ,
Philadelphia and Louisville from the mother See of Baltimore.
The presence around this altar of the Successor of Peter, his brother bishops
and priests, and deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful from
throughout the fifty states of the Union ,
eloquently manifests our communion in the Catholic faith which comes to us from
the Apostles.
Our celebration
today is also a sign of the impressive growth which God has given to the Church
in your country in the past two hundred years. From a small flock like that
described in the first reading, the Church in America has been built up in
fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor. In this
land of freedom and opportunity, the Church has united a widely diverse flock
in the profession of the faith and, through her many educational, charitable
and social works, has also contributed significantly to the growth of American
society as a whole.
This great
accomplishment was not without its challenges. Today’s first reading, taken
from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks of linguistic and cultural tensions
already present within the earliest Church community. At the same time, it
shows the power of the word of God, authoritatively proclaimed by the Apostles
and received in faith, to create a unity which transcends the divisions arising
from human limitations and weakness. Here we are reminded of a fundamental
truth: that the Church’s unity has no other basis than the Word of God, made
flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord. All external signs of identity, all structures,
associations and programs, valuable or even essential as they may be,
ultimately exist only to support and foster the deeper unity which, in Christ,
is God’s indefectible gift to his Church.
The first
reading also makes clear, as we see from the imposition of hands on the first
deacons, that the Church’s unity is “apostolic”. It is a visible unity,
grounded in the Apostles whom Christ chose and appointed as witnesses to his
resurrection, and it is born of what the Scriptures call “the obedience of
faith” (Rom 1:5; see Acts 6:7).
“Authority” … “obedience”.
To be frank, these are not easy words to speak nowadays. Words like these
represent a “stumbling stone” for many of our contemporaries, especially in a
society which rightly places a high value on personal freedom. Yet, in the
light of our faith in Jesus Christ – “the way and the truth and the life” – we
come to see the fullest meaning, value, and indeed beauty, of those words. The
Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is
found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love. Only by
losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves (see Lk 17:33).
True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds
our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate
happiness in him who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life. “In his
will is our peace”.
Real freedom,
then, is God’s gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his truth, the truth
which makes us free (see Jn 8:32). And this freedom in truth brings in
its wake a new and liberating way of seeing reality. When we put on “the mind
of Christ” (see Phil 2:5), new horizons open before us! In the light of
faith, within the communion of the Church, we also find the inspiration and
strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world. We become the light of
the world, the salt of the earth (see Mt 5:13-14), entrusted with the “apostolate”
of making our own lives, and the world in which we live, conform ever more
fully to God’s saving plan.
This magnificent
vision of a world being transformed by the liberating truth of the Gospel is
reflected in the description of the Church found in today’s second reading. The
Apostle tells us that Christ, risen from the dead, is the keystone of a great
temple which is even now rising in the Spirit. And we, the members of his body,
through Baptism have become “living stones” in that temple, sharing in the life
of God by grace, blessed with the freedom of the sons of God, and empowered to
offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to him (see 1 Pet 2:5). And what is
this offering which we are called to make, if not to direct our every thought,
word and action to the truth of the Gospel and to harness all our energies in
the service of God’s Kingdom? Only in this way can we build with God, on the
one foundation which is Christ (see 1 Cor 3:11). Only in this way can we
build something that will truly endure. Only in this way can our lives find
ultimate meaning and bear lasting fruit.
Today we recall
the bicentennial of a watershed in the history of the Church in the United States :
its first great chapter of growth. In these two hundred years, the face of the
Catholic community in your country has changed greatly. We think of the
successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the Church in America . We
think of the strong faith which built up the network of churches, educational,
healthcare and social institutions which have long been the hallmark of the
Church in this land. We think also of those countless fathers and mothers who
passed on the faith to their children, the steady ministry of the many priests
who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution
made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of
children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to
know God, to love him and to serve him. How many “spiritual sacrifices pleasing
to God” have been offered up in these two centuries! In this land of religious
liberty, Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to
participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to
the public square and cooperating with their neighbors in shaping a vibrant,
democratic society. Today’s celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude
for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to
use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of hope for
coming generations.
“You are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he claims for his own,
to proclaim his glorious works” (1 Pet 2:9). These words of the Apostle
Peter do not simply remind us of the dignity which is ours by God’s grace; they
also challenge us to an ever greater fidelity to the glorious inheritance which
we have received in Christ (see Eph 1:18). They challenge us to examine
our consciences, to purify our hearts, to renew our baptismal commitment to
reject Satan and all his empty promises. They challenge us to be a people of
joy, heralds of the unfailing hope (see Rom 5:5) born of faith in God’s
word, and trust in his promises.
Each day,
throughout this land, you and so many of your neighbors pray to the Father in
the Lord’s own words: “Thy Kingdom come”. This prayer needs to shape the mind
and heart of every Christian in this nation. It needs to bear fruit in the way
you lead your lives and in the way you build up your families and your
communities. It needs to create new “settings of hope” (see Spe Salvi,
32ff.) where God’s Kingdom becomes present in all its saving power.
Praying
fervently for the coming of the Kingdom also means being constantly alert for
the signs of its presence, and working for its growth in every sector of
society. It means facing the challenges of present and future with confidence
in Christ’s victory and a commitment to extending his reign. It means not
losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal. It means
overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false
gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false dichotomy
between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican Council put it, “there
is no human activity – even in secular affairs – which can be withdrawn from
God’s dominion” (Lumen Gentium, 36). It means working to enrich American
society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and never losing
sight of that great hope which gives meaning and value to all the other hopes
which inspire our lives.
And this, dear
friends, is the particular challenge which the Successor of Saint Peter sets
before you today. As “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation”,
follow faithfully in the footsteps of those who have gone before you! Hasten
the coming of God’s Kingdom in this land! Past generations have left you an
impressive legacy. In our day too, the Catholic community in this nation has
been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the
education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in your
midst. On these solid foundations, the future of the Church in America
must even now begin to rise!
Yesterday, not
far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the generous love of Christ
which I saw on the faces of the many young people assembled in Dunwoodie. They
are the Church’s future, and they deserve all the prayer and support that you
can give them. And so I wish to close by adding a special word of encouragement
to them. My dear young friends, like the seven men, “filled with the Spirit and
wisdom” whom the Apostles charged with care for the young Church, may you step
forward and take up the responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before
you! May you find the courage to proclaim Christ, “the same, yesterday, and
today and for ever” and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in
him (see Gaudium et Spes, 10; Heb 13:8). These are the truths
that set us free! They are the truths which alone can guarantee respect for the
inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world –
including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the
mother’s womb. In a world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very
place, reminded us, Lazarus continues to stand at our door (Homily at Yankee
Stadium, October 2, 1979, No. 7), let your faith and love bear rich fruit
in outreach to the poor, the needy and those without a voice. Young men and
women of America ,
I urge you: open your hearts to the Lord’s call to follow him in the priesthood
and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to
follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his
friends (see Jn 15:13)?
In today’s
Gospel, the Lord promises his disciples that they will perform works even
greater than his (see Jn 14:12). Dear friends, only God in his
providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives and
in the life of the Church in the United States . Yet Christ’s promise
fills us with sure hope. Let us now join our prayers to his, as living stones
in that spiritual temple which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
Let us lift our eyes to him, for even now he is preparing for us a place in his
Father’s house. And empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work with renewed zeal
for the spread of his Kingdom.
“Happy are you
who believe!” (see 1 Pet 2:7). Let us turn to Jesus! He alone is the way
that leads to eternal happiness, the truth who satisfies the deepest longings
of every heart, and the life who brings ever new joy and hope, to us and to our
world. Amen.
PILGRIMAGE
OF
HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO
THE HOLY LAND
(8-15
MAY 2009)
BENEDICT
XVI
International
Stadium – Amman
Dear Friends,
During the Mass
I spoke about the prophetic charism of women as bearers of love, teachers of
mercy and artisans of peace. The supreme example of womanly virtue is the
Blessed Virgin Mary: the Mother of Mercy and Queen of Peace. As we turn to her
now, let us seek her maternal intercession for all the families of these lands,
that they may truly be schools of prayer and schools of love. Let us ask the
Mother of the Church to look down in mercy upon all the Christians of these
lands, and with the help of her prayers, may they be truly one in the faith
they profess and the witness they bear. Let us ask her who responded so
generously to the angel’s call, and accepted her vocation to become the Mother
of God, to give courage and strength to all young people today who are discerning
their vocations, so that they too may generously dedicate themselves to
carrying out the Lord’s will.
In this season
of Eastertide, it is with the title Regina Coeli that we call upon the
Blessed Virgin. As a fruit of the Redemption won by her Son’s death and
resurrection, she too was raised to everlasting glory and crowned Queen of
Heaven. With great confidence in the power of her intercession, with joy in our
hearts and with love for our glorious ever-Virgin Mother, we turn to her now
and ask for her prayers.
PILGRIMAGE
OF
HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO
THE HOLY LAND
(8-15
MAY 2009)
HOLY
MASS
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
International
Stadium - Amman
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
I rejoice that
we are able to celebrate this Eucharist together at the beginning of my
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land . Yesterday, from
the heights of Mount Nebo, I stood and looked out upon this great land, the
land of Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist, the land where God’s ancient
promises were fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. This land
witnessed his preaching and miracles, his death and resurrection, and the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, the sacrament of a reconciled
and renewed humanity. As I pondered the mystery of God’s fidelity, I prayed
that the Church in these lands would be confirmed in hope and strengthened in
her witness to the Risen Christ, the Savior of mankind. Truly, as Saint Peter
tells us in today’s first reading, “there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Today’s joyful
celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice expresses the rich diversity of the
Catholic Church in the Holy Land . I greet all
of you with affection in the Lord. I thank His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin
Patriarch of Jerusalem, for his kind words of welcome. My greeting goes also to
the many young people from Catholic schools who today bring their enthusiasm to
this Eucharistic celebration.
In the Gospel we
have just heard, Jesus proclaims: “I am the good shepherd… who lays down his
life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11). As the Successor of Saint Peter, to whom the
Lord entrusted the care of his flock (see Jn 21:15-17), I have long awaited
this opportunity to stand before you as a witness to the Risen Savior, and to
encourage you to persevere in faith, hope and love, in fidelity to the ancient
traditions and the distinguished history of Christian witness which you trace
back to the age of the Apostles. The Catholic community here is deeply touched
by the difficulties and uncertainties which affect all the people of the Middle East . May you never forget the great dignity which
derives from your Christian heritage, or fail to sense the loving solidarity of
all your brothers and sisters in the Church throughout the world!
“I am the good
shepherd”, the Lord tells us, “I know my own, and my own know me” (Jn 10:14).
Today in Jordan
we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we reflect on the Gospel
of the Good Shepherd, let us ask the Lord to open our hearts and minds ever
more fully to hear his call. Truly, Jesus “knows us”, even more deeply than we
know ourselves, and he has a plan for each one of us. We know, too, that
wherever he calls us, we will find happiness and fulfilment; indeed, we will
find our very selves (see Mt 10:39). Today I invite the many young people here
present to consider how the Lord is calling you to follow him and to build up
his Church. Whether it be in the priestly ministry, in consecrated life or in
the sacrament of marriage, Jesus needs you to make his voice heard and to work
for the growth of his Kingdom.
In today’s
second reading, Saint John
invites us to “think of the love that the Father has lavished on us” by making
us his adopted children in Christ. Hearing these words should make us grateful
for the experience of the Father’s love which we have had in our families, from
the love of our fathers and mothers, our grandparents, our brothers and
sisters. During the celebration of the present Year of the Family, the Church
throughout the Holy Land has reflected on the family as a mystery of
life-giving love, endowed in God’s plan with its own proper calling and
mission: to radiate the divine Love which is the source and the ultimate
fulfilment of all the other loves of our lives. May every Christian family grow
in fidelity to its lofty vocation to be a true school of prayer, where children
learn a sincere love of God, where they mature in self-discipline and concern
for the needs of others, and where, shaped by the wisdom born of faith, they
contribute to the building of an ever more just and fraternal society. The
strong Christian families of these lands are a great legacy handed down from
earlier generations. May today’s families be faithful to that impressive
heritage, and never lack the material and moral assistance they need to carry
out their irreplaceable role in service to society.
An important
aspect of your reflection during this Year of the Family has been the
particular dignity, vocation and mission of women in God’s plan. How much the
Church in these lands owes to the patient, loving and faithful witness of
countless Christian mothers, religious Sisters, teachers, doctors and nurses!
How much your society owes to all those women who in different and at times
courageous ways have devoted their lives to building peace and fostering love!
From the very first pages of the Bible, we see how man and woman, created in
the image of God, are meant to complement one another as stewards of God’s
gifts and partners in communicating his gift of life, both physical and
spiritual, to our world. Sadly, this God-given dignity and role of women has
not always been sufficiently understood and esteemed. The Church, and society
as a whole, has come to realize how urgently we need what the late Pope John
Paul II called the “prophetic charism” of women (see Mulieris Dignitatem, 29)
as bearers of love, teachers of mercy and artisans of peace, bringing warmth
and humanity to a world that all too often judges the value of a person by the
cold criteria of usefulness and profit. By its public witness of respect for
women, and its defence of the innate dignity of every human person, the Church
in the Holy Land can make an important
contribution to the advancement of a culture of true humanity and the building
of the civilization of love.
Dear friends,
let us return to the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel. I believe that they
contain a special message for you, his faithful flock in these lands where he once
dwelt. “The good shepherd”, he tells us, “lays down his life for his sheep.” At
the beginning of this Mass, we asked the Father to “give us new strength from
the courage of Christ our shepherd”, who remained steadfast in fidelity to the
Father’s will (see Opening Prayer, Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Easter).
May the courage of Christ our shepherd inspire and sustain you daily in your
efforts to bear witness to the Christian faith and to maintain the Church’s
presence in the changing social fabric of these ancient lands.
Fidelity to your
Christian roots, fidelity to the Church’s mission in the Holy Land, demands of
each of you a particular kind of courage: the courage of conviction, born of
personal faith, not mere social convention or family tradition; the courage to
engage in dialogue and to work side by side with other Christians in the
service of the Gospel and solidarity with the poor, the displaced, and the
victims of profound human tragedies; the courage to build new bridges to enable
a fruitful encounter of people of different religions and cultures, and thus to
enrich the fabric of society. It also means bearing witness to the love which
inspires us to “lay down” our lives in the service of others, and thus to
counter ways of thinking which justify “taking” innocent lives.
“I am the good
shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me” (Jn 10:14). Rejoice that the Lord
has made you members of his flock and knows each of you by name! Follow him
with joy and let him guide you in all your ways. Jesus knows what challenges
you face, what trials you endure, and the good that you do in his name. Trust
in him, in his enduring love for all the members of his flock, and persevere in
your witness to the triumph of his love. May Saint John the Baptist, the patron
of Jordan, and Mary, Virgin and Mother, sustain you by their example and
prayers, and lead you to the fullness of joy in the eternal pastures where we
will experience for ever the presence of the Good Shepherd and know for ever
the depths of his love. Amen.
PASTORAL
VISIT TO TURIN
BENEDICT
XVI
As we are about
to conclude this solemn celebration, let us turn in prayer to Mary Most Holy,
who is venerated in Turin as the principal Patron Saint, with the title of Our
Lady Consolata. To her I entrust this city and all who live in it. O Mary,
watch over the families and over the world of work. Watch over those who have
lost their faith and hope. Comfort the sick, the prisoners and all the
suffering. O Help of Christians, sustain the young, the elderly and people in
difficulty. O Mother of the Church, watch over the Pastors and over the entire
community of believers so that they may be “salt and light” in society.
The Virgin Mary
is the one who, more than any other, contemplated God in the human face of
Jesus. She saw him newborn, when she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid
him in a manger; she saw him just after he died, when, having been taken down
from the Cross, he was wrapped in a shroud and carried to the tomb. Impressed
within her was the image of her tortured Son, but this image was subsequently
transfigured by the light of the Resurrection. Thus, in Mary’s heart the
mystery of the Face of Christ was preserved a mystery of death and of glory.
From her, we can always learn to look at Jesus with love and faith, and to see
in that human face the Face of God.
With gratitude I
entrust to the Most Holy Mother all who worked to prepare my Visit and for the
Exposition of the Shroud. I pray for them and I pray that these events may
promote a profound spiritual renewal.
PASTORAL
VISIT TO TURIN
EUCHARISTIC
CONCELEBRATION
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am happy to be
with you on this festive day and to celebrate this solemn Eucharist for you.
I greet everyone
present and in particular the Pastor of your Archdiocese, Cardinal Severino
Poletto, whom I thank for his warm words to me on behalf of all. I also greet
the Archbishops and Bishops present, the priests, the men and women religious
and the representatives of the Ecclesial Associations and Movements. I address
a respectful thought to Hon. Mr Sergio Chiamparino, the Mayor, with gratitude for
his kind greeting, to the representatives of the Government and to the civil
and military Authorities, with special thanks to those who have generously
offered their cooperation for this Pastoral Visit.
I extend my thoughts to those who are unable to be present, especially the
sick, the lonely and all those in difficulty. I entrust the City of Turin and all its
inhabitants to the Lord in this Eucharistic celebration, which, as it does
every Sunday, invites us to partake as a community in the twofold banquet of
the Word of truth and the Bread of eternal life.
We are in the
Easter Season which is the time of Jesus’ glorification. The Gospel we have
just heard reminds us that this glorification is brought about in the Passion.
In the Paschal Mystery, passion and glorification are closely bound together
and form an indissoluble unity. When Judas leaves the Upper Room to carry out
his scheme of betrayal that will lead to the Master’s death, Jesus says: “now
is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified” (Jn 13: 31): the
glorification of Jesus begins at that very moment. The Evangelist John makes it
quite clear: he does not in fact say that Jesus was glorified only after his
Passion, through his Resurrection; rather he shows that precisely with the
Passion his glorification began. In it Jesus manifests his glory, which is the
glory of love, which gives itself totally. He loved the Father, doing his will
to the very end, with a perfect gift of self; he loved humanity, giving his
life for us. Thus he was already glorified in his Passion and God was glorified
in him. But the Passion as a very real and profound expression of his love is
only a beginning. This is why Jesus says that his glorification is also to come
(see ibid., 13: 32). Then, when he announces his departure from this
world (see ibid., 13: 33), the Lord gives his disciples a new
commandment, as it were a testament, so that they might continue his presence
among them in a new way: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13: 34).
If we love each other, Jesus will continue to be present in our midst, to be
glorified in this world.
Jesus speaks of
a “new commandment”. But what is new about it? In the Old Testament, God had
already given the commandment of love; but this commandment has become new now
because Jesus makes a very important addition to it: “As I have loved you,
that you also love one another”. What is new is precisely this “loving as Jesus
loved”. All our loving is preceded by his love and refers to this love, it fits
into this love and is achieved precisely through this love. The Old Testament
did not present any model of love; it only formulated the precept of love.
Instead, Jesus gave himself to us as a model and source of love a boundless,
universal love that could transform all negative circumstances and all
obstacles into opportunities to progress in love. And in this City’s Saints we
see the fulfilment of this love, always from the source of Jesus’ love.
In past
centuries, the Church in Turin had a rich tradition of holiness and generous
service to the brethren as both the Cardinal Archbishop and Mr Mayor pointed
out thanks to the work of zealous priests and men and women religious of both
active and contemplative life and faithful laypeople. Jesus’ words thus acquire
a special resonance for this Church
of Turin Kingdom of God
I would
therefore like to say a word of encouragement especially to the Priests and
Deacons of this Church, who dedicate themselves generously to pastoral work, as
well as to the men and women Religious. Being a labourer in the Lord’s vineyard
can sometimes be tiring, duties increase, there are so many demands and
problems are not lacking: may you be able to draw daily from this relationship
of love with God in prayer the strength to transmit the prophetic announcement
of salvation; refocus your existence on what is essential in the Gospel;
cultivate a real dimension of communion and brotherhood in the presbyterate, in
your communities, in your relations with the People of God; bear witness in
your ministry to the power of love that comes from on high, that comes from the
Lord present in our midst.
The First
Reading we have heard presents to us precisely a special way of glorifying
Jesus: the apostolate and its fruits. Paul and Barnabas, at the end of their
first apostolic voyage, return to the cities they have already visited and give
fresh courage to the disciples, exhorting them to remain firm in the faith for,
as they say, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts
14: 22). Christian life, dear brothers and sisters, is not easy; I know that
difficulties, problems and anxieties abound in Turin: I am thinking in
particular of those who currently live in precarious conditions, because of the
scarcity of work, uncertainty about the future, physical and moral suffering. I
am thinking of families, of young people, of elderly people who often live
alone, of the marginalized and of immigrants. Yes, life leads to confrontation
with many difficulties, many problems, but it is precisely the certainty that
comes from faith, the certainty that we are not alone, that God loves each one
without distinction and is close to everyone with his love, that makes it
possible to face, live through and surmount the effort of dealing with daily
problems. It was the universal love of the Risen Christ that motivated the
Apostles to come out of themselves, to disseminate the word of God, to spend
themselves without reserve for others, with courage, joy and serenity. The
Risen One has a power of love that overcomes every limit, that does not stop in
front of any obstacle. And the Christian community, especially in the most
pastorally demanding situations, must be a concrete instrument of this love of
God.
I urge families
to live the Christian dimension of love in simple everyday actions in family
relationships, overcoming divisions and misunderstandings; in cultivating the
faith, which makes communion even stronger. Nor, in the rich and diverse world
of the university and of culture, should there be a lack of the witness to love
of which today’s Gospel speaks in the capacity for attentive listening and
humble dialogue in the search for Truth, in the certainty that Truth itself
will come to us and catch hold of us. I would also like to encourage the
frequently difficult endeavours of those called to administer public affairs:
collaboration in order to achieve the common good and to make the City ever
more human and liveable is a sign that Christian thought on man is never
contrary to his freedom but favours a greater fullness that can only find its
fulfilment in a “civilization of love”.
I wish to say to
all, and especially to the young: never lose hope, the hope that comes from the
Risen Christ, from God’s victory over sin, hatred and death.
Today’s Second
Reading shows us precisely the final outcome of Jesus’ Resurrection: it is the
new Jerusalem, the Holy
City
The passage from
Revelation ends with this assertion: “And he who sat upon the throne said: “Behold,
I make all things new’“ (21: 5). The first absolutely new thing made by God was
Jesus’ Resurrection, his heavenly glorification. This is the beginning of a
whole series of “new things” in which we also have a share. “New things” are a
world full of joy, in which there is no more suffering and oppression, there is
no more rancour or hate, but only the love that comes from God and transforms
all things.
Amen.
BENEDICT
XVI
Saint
Peter’s Square, Fifth Sunday of Easter, 22 May 2011
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Gospel of
this Sunday, the Fifth of Easter, proposes a twofold commandment of faith: to
believe in God and to believe in Jesus. In fact, the Lord said to his
disciples: “Believe in God, believe also in me” (Jn 14:1). They are not two
separate acts but one single act of faith, full adherence to salvation wrought
by God the Father through his Only-begotten Son.
The New Testament
puts an end to the Father’s invisibility. God has shown his face, as Jesus’
answer to the Apostle Philip confirms: “He who has seen me has seen the Father”
(Jn 14:9). [In Jn 12:45, Jesus also says “And he who sees me, sees him who sent
me.”] With his Incarnation, death and Resurrection, the Son of God has freed us
from the slavery of sin to give us the freedom of the children of God and he
has shown us the face of God, which is love: God can be seen, he is visible in
Christ.
St Teresa of Avila wrote: “the last
thing we should do is to withdraw from our greatest good and blessing, which is
the most sacred humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (see The Interior Castle,
6, ch. 7). Therefore, only by believing in Christ, by remaining united to him,
may the disciples, among whom we too are, continue their permanent action in
history: “Truly, truly, I say to you,” says the Lord, “he who believes in me
will also do the works that I do” (Jn 14:12).
Faith in Jesus
entails following him daily, in the simple actions that make up our day. “It is
part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually
builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he
becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive
forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again,
he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom
he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our
hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him” (Jesus of
Nazareth II, 2011, p. 276).
Dear friends,
the commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn
14:6), is the main task of the Church. Let us invoke the Virgin Mary that she
may always assist the Pastors and those in the different ministries to proclaim
the Good News of salvation, that the Word of God may be spread and the number
of disciples multiplied (see Acts 6:7).
BENEDICT
XVI
Sunday,
6 May 2012
Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
The
Gospel today, the fifth Sunday of Easter time begins with the image of the
vine. Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vinedresser” (Jn 15:1). In the Bible Israel is often compared to the fertile
vine when it is faithful to God; but if it distances itself from him, it
becomes barren, incapable of producing that “wine to gladden the heart of man”,
as Psalm 104[103] sings (v. 15). The true vine of God, true life, is Jesus who
with his sacrifice of love gives us salvation, opens to us the way to be part
of this vine. And as Jesus remains in the love of God the Father, the disciples
too, wisely pruned by the word of the Master (see Jn 15:2-4), if they remain
profoundly united in him, they become fruitful branches that bear an abundant
harvest.
St
Francis de Sales wrote: “The vine-sprig, united and joined to the stock, brings
forth fruit not by its own power but in virtue of the stock. Now we are united
by charity unto our Redeemer as members to their head, and hence it is that...
good works, drawing their worth from him, merit life everlasting” (Treatise
on the love of God, XI, 6).
On
the day of our Baptism the Church grafts us, as branches, on to the Paschal
Mystery of Jesus, on to his very Person. From this root we receive the precious
sap that enables us to share in the divine life. As disciples, with the help of
the Pastors of the Church, we too develop in the Lord’s vineyard, bound by his
love. “If the fruit we are to bear is love, its prerequisite is this ‘remaining’,
which is profoundly connected with the kind of faith that holds on to the Lord
and does not let go” (Jesus of Nazareth, Doubleday, New York 2007, p.
262).
It
is indispensable to remain ever united to Jesus, to depend on him, because
apart from him we can do nothing (see Jn 15:5). In a letter written to John the
Prophet who lived in the desert
of Gaza
True
“abiding” in Christ guarantees the effectiveness of prayer, the Cistercian Bl.
Guerric of Igny, said: “O Lord Jesus... without you we can do nothing. Indeed
you are the true gardener, creator, cultivator and custodian of your garden,
which you plan with your word, irrigate with your spirit and cause to grow with
your power” (Sermo ad excitandam devotionem in psalmodia, SC, 202, 1973,
522).
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