NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

A full translation of the Pope's Homily at Vespers and his after-dinner address to the seminarians afterwards has been posted in HOMILIES, DISCOURSES, MESSAGES.












Priesthood is a wonderful adventure,
Pope tells Roman seminarians
By SALVATORE MAZZA
Translated from the
2/2/08 issue of



To be a priest? It's out of fashion. Even worse. Because "the life of a priest could not attract the interest of most people today".

But actually, "the priesthood is the most interesting adventure and most necessary for the world today, the adventure of showing and making present the fullness of life to which everyone aspires".

These were the words of the Bishop of Rome last night to the young students of 'his' Major Seminary, to whom he underscored how exalting was their choice of a vocation which, besides being interesting and necessary, is also "a very demanding adventure - and cannot be otherwise because the priest is called on to imitate Jesus."

Nonetheless, Pope Benedict XVI said, the priesthood is always 'a wonderful adventure', in which the parents and family members of the seminarians themselves take part.

Addressing himself to the parents, he said: "probably you must have been the most surprised of all for what happened and what is happening to your sons. Perhaps you imagined a mission for them other than what they are now preparing for."

But he said, "it is inevitable that the vocation of the sons also becomes somehow the vocation of the parents. In seeking to understand them and to follow what they are doing, even you, dear Papas and Mammas, have found yourselves often involved in this journey, in which your own faith is strengthened and renewed."

It was indeed a 'familial' encounter last night, when the students of Rome's Major Seminary and their families met with Benedict XVI, who was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Camillo Ruini and Mons. Giovanni Tani, seminary rector.



In the homily that the Pope pronounced at the Vespers on the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Trust [also the Feast of the Presentation], he addressed the parents: "How many times you must find yourselves reflecting on your sons! - about when they were babies, then children; the times they first showed signs of their vocation; or even in some cases, the years when their lives seemed so remote from the Church. What happened? What encounters influenced their choice? What interior lights lit up the path for them? How could they have abandoned perhaps even the most promising prospects for secular life?"

According to the Pope, the answer was to be found in looking at Mary's trust, she whom the Gospel 'makes us understand...found herself having so many questions about her son Jesus and meditating long and hard about him."

Then, addressing the aspiring priests themselves, the Pope underscored how "these years of formation constitute an important time to prepare yourself for the exalting mission to which the Lord calls you."

He said he wished to emphasize particularly "two aspects which characterize your present experience." Above all, he said, the seminary years "bring a certain detachment from ordinary life, a certain 'desert', to allow the Lord to speak to your heart. His voice is never loud, but subdued - it is the voice of silence, and therefore, in order to be heard, it requires an atmosphere of silence. For this, the seminary offers space and time for daily prayer; great attention is given to liturgy, meditation on the Word of God, and Eucharistic adoration. At the same time, it asks you to dedicate long hours to study. Praying and studying, you can build in yourself the man of God that you should be and that people expect a priest to be."

The second aspect, he said, was the community life in the seminary, an aspect which is of great importance. "The Apostles were 'trained' together, following Jesus," he said. "Your communion with each other is not limited to the present but is also for the future. The pastoral action which awaits you requires that you act together as a body, in an order, that of the priesthood, which with the bishop takes the responsibility of caring for the Christian community. Love this 'life in family' which for you is an anticipation of that 'sacramental brotherhood' which should characterize every diocesan priesthood."

In conclusion, he said, "All this is a reminder that God calls you to be saints, that holiness is the secret of true success in your priestly ministry, and that holiness should be the objective of your every choice and decision."

Avvenire, 2 febbraio 2008