ANGELUS TODAY
Here is a translation of the Holy Father's words at the Angelus today:
THE HOLY FATHER'S ANGELUS MESSAGES
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today, with the first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. This invites us to reflect on the dimension of time, which always exercises a great fascination on us.
As Jesus liked to do, I wish nonetheless to start from a very concrete observation: we all say "We do not have time" because the rhythm of daily life has become so frenetic for everyone. But even in this respect, the Church brings 'good news': God gives us his time.
We always have too little time. Especially for the Lord, we do not know how to find the time - or sometimes, we don't want to.
Well, God has time for us! This is the first thing that the start of a liturgical year makes us rediscover with fresh wonder. Yes, God gives us his time, because he entered history with his Word and his work of salvation, to open it up to the eternal, to make it become a story of alliance with him.
In this perspective, time is already in itself a fundamental sign of God's love - a gift which man, as he can with any other thing, can either value or waste; he can comprehend its significance, or ignore it out of obtuse superficiality.
There are three great 'hinges' of time that mark the story of salvation: in the beginning is creation; in the center, incarnation-redemption; and in the end, parousia, the Final Coming of the Lord which also includes the Universal Judgment.
But these three instances are not to be understood simply as a chronological succession.
Indeed, creation is at the beginning of everything, but it is also continuous and takes place along the entire course of cosmic becoming, to the very end of time.
Likewise, incarnation-redemption took place at a specific historical moment - Jesus's passage through earth - but its range of action extends to the preceding time and to that which follows.
In their turn, the Final Coming and the last Judgment - which were anticipated decisively on the Cross of Christ - exercise their influence on the conduct of men in every age.
The liturgical season of Advent celebrates the coming of God, in both its instances: First, it invites us to reawaken our expectation of the glorious return of Christ. Thus, as Christmas approaches, it calls us to welcome the Word-made-flesh for our salvation.
But the Lord continually comes into our life. How very timely then is Jesus's appeal which is powerfully re-proposed to us on this first Sunday of Advent: "Be watchful!" (Mk 13,33.35.37) It was addressed to his disciples, but also 'to everyone", because each of us, at a time known only to God, will be called to account for our own existence.
This implies proper detachment from earthly goods, sincere repentance for our errors, active charity towards our neighbor, and above all, a humble and confident entrusting of oneself into the hands of God, our kind and merciful Father.
The icon of Advent is the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. Let us invoke her so that she may help us to become an extension of mankind for the Lord who is coming.
After the Angelus prayers, he said this:
November 20 is the Feast Day of the Apostle St. Andrew, brother of Simon Peter. Both were followers of John the Baptist, but after the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, they became his disciples, having recognized in him the Messiah.
St. Andrew is the patron of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and therefore the Church of Rome feels itself bound to that of Constantinople by a bond of special brotherhood.
Following what has now become a tradition on this happy occasion, a delegation of the Holy See, led by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is visiting Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
With all my heart, I address my greeting and my best wishes to him and the faithful of the Patriarchate, invoking on all the abundance of heavenly blessings.
I wish to invite you now to join in prayers for the numerous victims of the brutal terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and of the deadly encounters that have just erupted in Jos, Nigeria, for all those who were injured and who were in any way affected by these events.
The causes and the circumstances of these tragic events are diverse, but the horror and deploration for the explosion of such cruel and senseless violence must be common.
Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those who delude themselves that violence is the way to resolve local or international problems, and let us feel impelled to give an example of kindness and love in order to build a society that is worthy of God and of man.
In English, he said:
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus prayer. I offer a special welcome to the participants in the Youth Meeting at the European University of Rome.
Today, the First Sunday of Advent, the Church begins a new liturgical year. The Gospel invites to be prepared as faithful servants for the coming of Christ.
May Advent be a time of preparation that leads us to a life centred on our Christian hope. May God bless you all!
To Polish-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I welcome the Poles, with a particular greeting to the participants in the Roman Encounter of Youth, who have gathered here from different countries in order to seek together from the teachings of John Paul II inspiration and perspectives for a fruitful life.
In this effort to construct a future of ha[[happiness, may you be sustained by the protection of Mary. May God bless all present.
Pope condemns violence
in India and Nigeria
VATICAN CITY, Nov. 30 (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI has condemned terrorist attacks in India and sectarian fighting in Nigeria as "cruel and senseless."
Addressing a crowd in St. Peter’s Square after his traditional Sunday blessing, Benedict denounced the "brutal terrorist attacks" in Mumbai as well as the ethnic and religious clashes that have rocked the central Nigerian city of Jos.
"The causes and circumstances of those tragic events are different, but both should be met with horror and disapproval for the explosion of so much cruel and senseless violence," Benedict said.
The Pope asked the faithful to pray that God would "touch the heart of those who delude themselves by thinking that this is the way to solve local and international problems."
He also called for prayers for the dead, the wounded and all those caught up in the violence.
At least 174 people have been killed in the shooting attacks on 10 sites in Mumbai, while more than 300 people are dead after a dispute over local elections turned into sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims in Jos, Nigeria.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 30/11/2008 21:19]