Entry 0326: Reflections on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
by Pope Benedict XVI
On eight
occasions during his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI delivered reflections on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, on 22 January 2006, 21 January 2007,
27 January 2008, 25 January 2009, 24 January 2010, 23 January 2011, 22 January 2012,
and 27 January 2013. Here are the texts
of eight brief reflections delivered prior to the recitation of the Angelus
on these occasions.
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 22 January 2006
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday
falls in the middle of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, celebrated every
year from 18-25 January. It is an initiative that began at the start of the last
century and which has undergone a positive development, becoming more and more an
ecumenical reference point where Christians of the various confessions worldwide
pray and reflect on the same biblical text.
The passage
chosen this year is taken from Chapter 18 of the Gospel of St Matthew, which refers
to some of Jesus’ teachings regarding the community of disciples. Among other things,
he affirms: “If two of you agree on earth
about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where
two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18: 19-20).
How much
trust and hope these words of the Lord Jesus inspire! They especially spur Christians
to ask God together for that full unity among them, for which Christ himself prayed
to the Father with heartfelt insistence during the Last Supper (see Jn 17: 11, 21,
23).
We understand
well, therefore, how important it is that we Christians invoke the gift of unity
with persevering fidelity. If we do so with faith, we can be sure that our request
will be granted. We do not know when or how, as it is not for us to know; but we
must not doubt that one day we will be “one”, as Jesus and the Father are united
in the Holy Spirit.
The prayer
for unity is the soul of the ecumenical movement which, thanks be to God, advances
throughout the world. Certainly, difficulties and trials are not lacking; but these
too have their spiritual usefulness because they push us to exercise patience and
perseverance and to grow in fraternal charity.
God is love,
and only if we are converted to him and accept his Word will we all be united in
the one Mystical Body of Christ.
The expression
“God is love”, in Latin “Deus caritas est”, is the title of my first Encyclical,
which will be published this Wednesday, 25 January, Feast of the Conversion of St
Paul. I am pleased that it coincides with the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity.
On that
day, I will be going to St Paul ’s
Basilica to preside at Vespers, in which Representatives of the other churches and
ecclesial communities will take part. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
intercede for us.
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 21 January 2007
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday
occurs during the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, which, as is well known,
is celebrated each year in our hemisphere between 18 and 25 January. The theme for
2007 is a citation from Mark’s Gospel and refers to people’s amazement at the healing
of the deaf-mute accomplished by Jesus: “He makes the deaf hear and the mute
speak” (Mk 7: 37).
I intend
to comment more broadly on this biblical theme this 25 January, the liturgical Feast
of the Conversion of St Paul, when at 5: 30 p.m. I will preside at the celebration
of Vespers for the conclusion of the “Week of Prayer” in the Basilica of St Paul
Outside-the-Walls. I expect many of you to come to that liturgical encounter because
unity is achieved above all by praying, and the more unanimous the prayer, the more
pleasing it is to the Lord.
This year
the initial project for the “Week”, subsequently adapted by the Joint International
Committee, was prepared by the faithful in Umlazi , South Africa
As heirs
of the divisions that came about in past epochs, on this occasion they have wished
to launch an appeal: Christ can do all things, “he makes the deaf hear and the
mute speak” (Mk 7: 37). He is capable of imbuing Christians with the ardent
desire to listen to the other, to communicate with the other and, together with
him, speak the language of reciprocal love.
The Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity thus reminds us that ecumenism is a profound dialogical
experience, a listening and speaking to one another, knowing one another better;
it is a task within everyone’s reach, especially when it concerns spiritual ecumenism,
based on prayer and sharing which is now possible among Christians.
I hope that
the longing for unity, expressed in prayer and brotherly collaboration to alleviate
human suffering, may spread increasingly in parishes and ecclesial movements as
well as among Religious institutes.
I take this
opportunity to thank the Ecumenical Commission of the Vicariate of Rome and the
city’s parish priests who encourage the faithful to celebrate the “Week”.
More generally,
I am grateful to all who pray and work for unity with conviction and constancy in
every part of the world. May Mary, Mother of the Church, help all the faithful to
allow themselves in their innermost depths to be opened by Christ to reciprocal
communication in charity and in truth, to become one heart and one soul (see Acts
4: 32) in him.
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 27 January 2008
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
In today’s
liturgy the Evangelist Matthew, who will accompany us throughout this liturgical
year, presents the beginning of Christ’s public mission. It consisted essentially
in preaching the Kingdom
of God Jerusalem . But the Prophet
Isaiah had foretold that this land, assigned to the tribes of Zebulun and Napthali,
would have a glorious future: the people immersed in darkness would see a great
light (see Is 8: 23-9: 2). In Jesus’ time, the term “gospel” was used by Roman emperors
for their proclamations. Independently of their content, they were described as
“good news” or announcements of salvation, because the emperor was considered lord
of the world and his every edict as a portent of good. Thus, the application of
this phrase to Jesus’ preaching had a strongly critical meaning, as if to say God,
and not the emperor, is Lord of the world, and the true Gospel is that of Jesus
Christ.
The “Good
News” which Jesus proclaims is summed up in this sentence: “The Kingdom of God
- or Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom
of God
Let us pray
to Mary Most Holy that she will always obtain for the Church the same passion for
God’s Kingdom which enlivened the mission of Jesus Christ: a passion for God, for
his lordship of love and life; a passion for man, encountered in truth with the
desire to give him the most precious treasure: the love of God, his Creator and
Father.
FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL
AND CONCLUSION OF THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 25 January 2009
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
In the Gospel
this Sunday the words of Jesus’ first preaching in Galilee
resound: “This is the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom of God
Paul’s conversion
matured in his encounter with the Risen Christ; it was this encounter that radically
changed his life. What happened to him on the road to Damascus is what Jesus asks in today’s Gospel:
Saul is converted because, thanks to the divine light, “he has believed in the Gospel”.
In this consists his and our conversion: in believing in Jesus dead and risen and
in opening to the illumination of his divine grace. In that moment Saul understood
that his salvation did not depend on good works fulfilled according to the law,
but on the fact that Jesus died also for him the persecutor and has risen. This
truth by which every Christian life is enlightened thanks to Baptism completely
overturns our way of life. To be converted means, also for each one of us, to believe
that Jesus “has given himself for me”, dying on the Cross (see Gal 2: 20) and, risen,
lives with me and in me. Entrusting myself to the power of his forgiveness, letting
myself be taken by his hand, I can come out of the quicksands of pride and sin,
of deceit and sadness, of selfishness and of every false security, to know and live
the richness of his love.
Dear friends,
the invitation to conversion, confirmed by St Paul’s witness, resounds today, at
the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, as particularly important
also on the ecumenical level. The Apostle indicates to us the spiritual attitude
appropriate to being able to progress along the way of communion. He writes to the
Philippians, “It is not that I have reached it yet, or have already finished my
course; but I am racing to grasp the prize if possible, since I have been grasped
by Christ [Jesus] (3: 12). Certainly, we Christians still have not reached the goal
of full unity, but if we let ourselves be continually converted by the Lord Jesus,
we will surely reach it. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the one holy Church,
obtain for us the gift of a true conversion, so that as soon as possible the desire
of Christ “Ut unum sint” will be realized. To you we entrust the prayer
meeting at which I will preside this afternoon in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls,
and in which will participate, as every year, the representatives of the Churches
and Ecclesial Communities present at Rome .
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 24 January 2010
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
Among the
biblical readings in today’s Liturgy is the famous text from the First Letters
to the Corinthians, in which St Paul
compares the Church to a human body. The Apostle writes: “For just as the body is
one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body
Jews or Greeks, slaves or free and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor
12: 12-13). The Church is perceived as a body, of which Christ is the head, and
with him she forms a whole. Yet what the Apostle is eager to communicate is the
idea of unity among the multiplicity of charisms, which are the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. Thanks to these, the Church appears as a rich and vital organism not uniform
fruit of the one Spirit who leads everyone to profound unity, because she welcomes
differences without eliminating them and thus bringing about a harmonious unity.
She extends the presence of the Risen Lord throughout history, specifically through
the Sacraments, the word of God and the charisms and ministries distributed among
the community. Therefore, it is in Christ and in the Spirit that the Church is one
and holy, that is, that she partakes in an intimate communion that transcends and
sustains human intelligence.
I wish to
emphasize this aspect as we are currently observing the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity, which will conclude tomorrow, the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. In
keeping with tradition, I will celebrate Vespers tomorrow afternoon in the Basilica
of St Paul Outside-the-Walls, at which Representatives of other Churches and ecclesial
Communities present in Rome
will participate. We will ask God for the gift of full unity for all the disciples
of Christ and, in particular, in keeping with this year’s theme, we will renew our
commitment to be witnesses together of the crucified and Risen Lord (see Lk 24:
48). The communion of Christians, in fact, makes the proclamation of the Gospel
more credible and effective, just as Jesus himself affirmed while praying to the
Father on the eve of his death: “That they may all be one... so that the world may
believe” (Jn 17: 21).
In conclusion,
dear friends, I wish to recall the figure of St Francis de Sales, whom the Liturgy
commemorates on 24 January. Born in Savoy in 1567,
he studied law in Padua and Paris and then, called by the Lord, became a priest.
He dedicated himself to preaching and to the spiritual formation of the faithful
with great success. He taught that the call to holiness was for everyone and that
each one as St Paul
says in his comparison of the Church to the body has a place in the Church. St Francis
de Sales is the patron Saint of journalists and of the Catholic press. I entrust
to his spiritual assistance the Message for World Communications Day, which
I sign every year on this occasion and that was presented yesterday at the Vatican .
May the
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, obtain that we may always progress in communion,
in order to pass on the beauty of all being one in the unity of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter’s Square, Sunday, 23 January 2011
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
The Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity is being held in these days, from 18 to 25 January.
This year its theme is a passage from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles that
sums up in a few words the life of the first Christian community of Jerusalem: “And
they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). It is very significant that this theme was
suggested by the Churches and Christian Communities of Jerusalem, reunited in an
ecumenical spirit.
We know
how many trials our brothers and sisters of the Holy Land and of the Middle East must face. Their service is therefore all the
more precious, strengthened by a witness which in some cases has even gone so far
as the sacrifice of their life. Therefore, as we joyfully welcome the ideas offered
for reflection by the Communities that live in Jerusalem , we gather round them and this becomes
a further factor of communion for all.
Today too,
if we Christians are to be in the world a sign and instrument of close union with
God and of unity among men we must found our life on these four “hinges”: a life
founded on the faith of the Apostles passed on through the living Tradition of the
Church, brotherly communion, the Eucharist and prayer. Only in this way, by remaining
firmly united to Christ, can the Church carry out her mission effectively, despite
the limitations and shortcomings of her members, despite the divisions which the
Apostle Paul already had to face in the community of Corinth as the Second Reading
from the Bible this Sunday recalls, where he says: “I appeal to you, brethren, by
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions
among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor
1:10).
In fact,
the Apostle knew that in the Christian community of Corinth discord and divisions had developed; therefore,
with great firmness he added: “Is Christ divided?” (1:13). By so saying he affirmed
that every division in the Church is an offence to Christ; and, at the same time,
that it is always in him — the one Head and Lord — that we can find ourselves once
again united, through the inexhaustible power of his grace.
Here then
is the ever timely appeal of today’s Gospel: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven Rome , a meeting session of the Commission
for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox
Churches
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St. Peter’s Square, Sunday, 22 January 2012
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
This Sunday
falls in the middle of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which is celebrated
from 18 to 25 January. I cordially invite everyone to join in the prayer that Jesus
addressed to the Father on the eve of his Passion: “that they may all be one...
so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). This year in particular our meditation
during the Week of Prayer for Unity refers to a passage of St Paul’s First Letter
to the Corinthians, from which the theme was formulated: “We will all be changed
by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (see 1 Cor 15:51-58). We are called to
contemplate Christ’s victory over sin and death, that is, his Resurrection, as an
event that radically transforms all who believe in him and gives them access to
incorruptible and immortal life. In addition, recognizing and accepting the transforming
power of faith in Jesus Christ sustains Christians in the search for full unity
among themselves.
This year
the resource material for the Week of Prayer for Unity has been prepared by a Polish
group. Indeed Poland
has lived through a long history of courageously fighting various adversities and
time and again has given proof of great determination, motivated by faith. For this
reason the words of the above-mentioned theme have special resonance and effectiveness
in Poland .
Down the centuries Polish Christians have spontaneously perceived a spiritual dimension
in their desire for freedom and have understood that true victory can only be achieved
if it is accompanied by a profound inner transformation. They remind us that our
quest for unity can be realistically conducted if the change takes place within
us first of all and if we let God act, if we let ourselves be transformed into the
image of Christ, if we enter into new life in Christ who is the true victory.
The visible
unity of all Christians is always a task that comes from on high, from God, a task
that demands the humility of recognizing our weakness and of receiving the gift.
However, to use a phrase which Bl. John Paul II liked to repeat, every gift also
becomes a commitment. The unity that comes from God therefore demands of us the
daily commitment to open ourselves to each other in charity.
The Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity has been a central feature in the Church’s ecumenical
activity for many decades. The time that we devote to prayer for the full communion
of Christ’s disciples will enable us to understand more deeply that we will be transformed
by his victory, by the power of his Resurrection.
Next Wednesday,
as is the custom, we shall conclude the Week of Prayer with the solemn celebration
of Vespers on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, in the Basilica of St Paul
Outside-the-Walls at which representatives of other Churches and Christian Communities
will also be present. I expect many of you to come to this liturgical encounter
to renew together our prayer to the Lord, the source of unity, with filial trust,
to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 27 January 2013
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
Today’s
Liturgy brings together two separate passages of Luke’s Gospel and presents them
to us. The first (1:1-4) is the Prologue, addressed to a certain “Theophilus”. Since
this name in Greek means “friend of God” we can see in him every believer who opens
himself to God and wants to know the Gospel. Instead the second passage (4:14-21)
presents Jesus who, “in the power of the Spirit”, goes to the Synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath. As
a strict observer, the Lord does not disregard the pattern of the weekly liturgy
and joins the assembly of his fellow citizens in prayer and in listening to the
Scriptures. The ritual provides for the reading of a text from the Torah or the
Prophets, followed by a commentary. That day Jesus stood up to read and found a
passage from the Prophet Isaiah that begins this way: “The spirit of the Lord God
is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted”
(61:1-2). Origen’s comment was: “It is no coincidence that he opened the scroll
and found the chapter of the reading that prophesies about him, this, too, was the
work of God’s providence” (Homilies on the Gospel of Luke, 32, 3). In fact
when the reading was over in a silence charged with attention, Jesus said, “Today
this scripture has [now] been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). St Cyril of
Alexandria says
that “today”, placed between the first and the final coming of Christ, is related
to the believer’s ability to listen and to repent (see PG 69, 1241). But
in an even more radical sense, Jesus himself is “the today” of salvation in history,
because he brings to completion the work of redemption. The word “today”, very dear
to St Luke (see 19:9, 23:43), brings us back to the Christological title preferred
by the Evangelist himself, namely: “Savior” (sōtēr). Already in the infancy
narratives, it is present in the words of the Angel to the shepherds: “For to you
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:11).
Dear friends,
this Gospel passage also challenges us “today”. First of all, it makes us think
about how we live Sunday, a day of rest and a day for the family. Above all, it
is the day to devote to the Lord, by participating in the Eucharist, in which we
are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ and by his life-giving Word. Second,
in our diversified and distracted time, this Gospel passage invites us to ask ourselves
whether we are able to listen. Before we can speak of God and with God we must listen
to him, and the liturgy of the Church is the “school” of this listening to the Lord
who speaks to us. Finally, he tells us that every moment can be the propitious “day”
for our conversion. Every day (kathçmeran) can become the today of our salvation,
because salvation is a story that is ongoing for the Church and for every disciple
of Christ. This is the Christian meaning of “carpe diem”: seize the day in
which God is calling you to give you salvation!
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