PASTORAL VISIT TO VELLETRI, 9/23/07
Here is the Vatican translation of the homily delivered by the Holy Father at the Mass yesterday.
Dear brothers and sisters!
I have returned with great pleasure in your midst to preside over this solemn Eucharistic celebration, in response to you repeated invitations. I return with joy to meet your diocesan community, which for many years was also mine in a special way, and which is still very dear to me today. I greet you all with great affection.
First of all I would like to greet Cardinal Francis Arinze, who succeeded me as titular cardinal of this diocese; I greet your pastor, Monsignor Vincenzo Apicella, whom I would like to thank for the courteous words of welcome with which he welcomed me in your name.
I greet the other bishops, priests, men and women religious, and pastoral workers, the youth and all those at work in parishes, movements, associations and various diocesan activities. I greet the prefectorial commissioner of Velletri, the mayors of towns of the Diocese of Velletri-Segni and the other civil and military authorities, who honor us with their presence.
I also greet all those who have come from other places, Germany in particular, to unite themselves to us in this day of celebration. Bonds of friendship link my native land to yours: This bronze column from Marktl am Inn, given to me in September last year in honor of my apostolic trip to Germany, is a testimony of that, and I wished it to remain here, as a further sign of my affection and my goodwill.
[Surely, the Pope must know it is another column, and that it was commissioned for his birthday! I could not hear his words yesterday under the chatter of the EWTN commentator during the homily so I do not know if he actually said what this statement says!]
I know you have prepared for my visit here today with an intense spiritual journey, adopting as the motto a meaningful verse from the First Letter of John: "So we know and believe in the love that God has for us" (4:16).
Deus Caritas Est, God is love: My first encyclical begins with these words, which pertain to the core of our faith - the Christian image of God and the resulting image of man and his journey.
I rejoice in the fact that you have chosen as your guide for the diocese's spiritual and pastoral journey this very expression: "We have known the love that God has for us and we have believed."
Today's liturgy cannot but focus on this essential truth, on the love of God, able to impress upon human existence an absolutely new orientation and value. Love is the essence of Christianity, which renders the believer and the Christian community yeast of hope and peace in every situation, especially attentive to the necessities of the poor and needy. Love brings the Church into existence.
For the past few Sundays, St. Luke, the Gospel writer who more than the others is concerned to show the love Jesus has for the poor, he offered different ideas for reflection on the dangers of an excessive attachment to money, to material goods and to all that impedes us from loving the fullness of our vocation to love God and our brethren.
Also today, through the parable that provokes a certain wonder in us because it speaks of a dishonest manager who ends up being praised (cf. Luke 16:1-13), and the Lord is offering is a salutary teaching.
As he often does, he draws from current events: He speaks about a manager on the verge of being fired for his dishonest management of the affairs of his master and, to guarantee his own future, he tries to slyly come to agreements with his debtors. He is dishonest, but astute: The Gospel does not present him as a model to follow in his dishonesty, but as an example to imitate for his cautious craftiness. In fact, the brief parable ends with these words: "The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly."
What does Jesus want to say to us? The Evangelist follows the parable of the unfaithful steward with a brief series of sayings and admonitions about the relationship we should have with money and the goods of this earth. Brief phrases that invite us to a choice that presupposes a radical decision, a constant interior tension.
Life is in truth always a choice: between honesty and dishonesty, between faithfulness and unfaithfulness, between egoism and altruism, between good and evil. The conclusion of the Gospel selection is incisive and authoritative: "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Luke 16:13).
Mammon is the original Phoenician term that evokes economic security and success in business; we could say that in wealth is found the idol in which one sacrifices everything to reach personal success.
Therefore a fundamental decision is necessary - the choice between the logic of profit as the ultimate criteria of our action and the logic of sharing and solidarity. The logic of profit, if it prevails, increases not only the disproportion between poor and rich, but also the devastating exploitation of the planet.
When, on the other hand, the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails, it is possible to correct the course of action and orient it toward proportional development, for the common good of all. In the end it is a decision between egoism and love, between justice and dishonesty, and a final choice between God and Satan.
If loving Christ and our brethren is not considered as something accessorial and superficial, but moreover the true and final scope of our existence, we must know how to make fundamental choices, to be open to radical renunciations, even martyrdom if necessary. Today, like yesterday, the Christian life demands courage to go against the tide, to love as Jesus did, who ended up sacrificing himself on the cross.
We can say therefore, paraphrasing St. Augustine, that through earthly riches we should obtain those that are true and eternal: If in fact there are people who are ready for any kind of dishonest action to ensure material well-being, which isn't sure, how much more we Christians must try to provide for our eternal happiness with the goods of this earth (cf. "Discourses" 359:10).
Now, the only way our personal gifts and abilities will be fruitful along with the wealth we possess is to share them with our brethren, showing ourselves to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Jesus says: "Whoever is faithful in little, is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in little will be dishonest also in much" (Luke 16:10-11).
The prophet Amos speaks about this fundamental choice to be performed day after day in today's first reading. With strong words, he stigmatizes a typical style of life of someone who lets themselves be drawn in by a selfish search for profit in every possible way and is transformed into a thirst for gain, a contempt for the poor and in exploitation of the poor for their own advantage (cf. Amos 4:5).
The Christian must energetically reject all of this, opening his heart, on the contrary, to feelings of authentic generosity. A generosity that, as St. Paul tells us in today's second reading, is expressed in a sincere love for all and is manifested in the first place in prayer. A grand gesture of charity is to pray for others.
The Apostle invites us first of all to pray for those who carry out tasks of responsibility in the civil community, because - he explains - from their decisions, if they tend toward the common good, result in positive consequences, ensuring peace and "a calm and tranquil life with piety and dignity" for all (1 Timothy 2:2).
Our prayer is just as valuable, a spiritual support for the edification of an ecclesial community faithful to Christ and to the construction of a more just and supportive society.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray, in a special way so that your diocesan community, that is undergoing a series of transformations, because of the transfer of many young families out of Rome, the development of the service industry and the arrival of many immigrants in town centers, may lead to an ever increasingly organic and shared pastoral action, following the indications that your bishop is offering with outstanding pastoral sensitivity.
To this end, his pastoral letter of last December proved to be very opportune with an invitation to attentive and persevering listening to God's word, to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the magisterium of the Church.
We place in the Madonna of Grace's hands, whose image is kept and venerated in this your beautiful cathedral, all of your intentions and pastoral projects. May the maternal protection of Mary accompany the journey of all of you present here and of those who were unable to participate in today's Eucharistic celebration.
In a special way, may the Holy Virgin watch over the sick, the elderly, the children and anyone who feels alone or abandoned or is in particular need.
Free us, Mary, from the greed of wealth, and make it so that lifting our free and pure hands, we can give glory to God with our life (cf. Offertory Prayer). Amen!
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Here is my translation of the Holy Father's homily in Velletri yesterday. I did it after PaxVobiscum (in teh post below) called my attention to the fact that the Vatican translation appeared to be sloppy and very likely incomplete, so I will proceed to translate the homily now, as I would have done anyway if I had not seen the 'official' translation.
Dear brothers and sisters!
I have returned gladly among you to preside at this solemn Eucharistic Celebration, responding to your repeated invitations. I have returned joyfully to meet your diocesan community, which for many years was also, in a particular way, my community, and which will always remain dear to me.
I greet, first of all, Cardinal Francis Arinze, who succeeded me as Titular Cardinal of this diocese. I greet your Pastor, our dear Mons. Vincenzo Apicella, whom I thank for the beautiful words of welcome which he made in your behalf.
I greet the other bishops, priests, religious, pastoral workers, young people and all those who are active in the parishes, movements, associations and various diocesan activities.
I greet the Prefectual Commissar of Velletri, the mayors of the municipalities in the Velletri-Segni diocese, and the other civilian and military authorities who honor us with their presence.
I also greet those who have come from elsewhere, in particular, those from Bavaria, to join us on this day of celebration. Links of friendship link my native land to yours - proof of this is the bronze column given to me in Marktl am Inn last September, during my apostolic voyage to Germany. Recently, I was given - as mentioned earlier [by Mons. Apicella] - by 100 towns and cities of Bavaria,almost a twin of that column which will be erected here in Velletri, as an additional sign of my affection and goodwill. It will be the sign of my spiritual presence among you.
In this connection, I wish to thank the donors, the sculptor, and the mayors of Bavaria whom I see present here with so many friends. Thanks to you all!
Dear brothers and sisters, I know that you prepared yourselves for this visit of mine today through an intense spiritual journey, adopting as a motto a significant passage from the First Letter of John: "We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him"(4,16).
Deus caritas est, God is love. My first encyclical starts with these words, which concern the center of our faith: the Christian image of God and the consequent image of man and his journey.
I am happy that you have chosen this statement to guide the spiritual and pastoral itinerary of the diocese: "We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us."
We have come to believe in love: this is the essence of Christianity. And our liturgical assembly today cannot do other than focus on this essential truth, on God's love, which is capable of imprinting our human existence with an absolutely new orientation and value.
Love is the essence of Christianity, which makes the believer and the Christian community a ferment for hope and peace in every area, being especially attentive to the poor and the neediest. This is our common mission: to be a ferment for hope and peace because we believe in love.
Love keeps the Church alive, and because it is eternal, then faith itself will survive to the end of times.
In the past several Sundays, St. Luke, the evangelist who more than the others was concerned with showing us the love that Jesus had for the poor, has offered us different occasions for reflection on the dangers of excessive attachment to money, to material goods, and to everything that keeps us from fully living our vocation to love God and our brothers.
Even today, through a parable which arouses in us a certain perplexity because it is about a dishonest administrator who gets praise (cfr Lk 16,1-13), on closer look, the Lord gives us here a serious and more than ever salutary teaching for us.
As always, the Lord takes off from the facts of daily life. He tells us of a steward who is about to be dismissed because of his dishonest management of his master's affairs, and in order to save his future, tries cunningly to settle with his master's debtors.
Certainly, the man was dishonest, but astute. The Gospel does not present him as a model to follow in his dishonesty, but as an example to imitate for his shrewd prudence. The brief parable, in fact, ends with these words: "The master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently" (Lk 16,8).
But what did Jesus wish to tell us with this parable? With this surprising conclusion? The evangelist follows the parable with a brief series of statements and admonitions on the relationship that we should have with money and earthly goods.
They are small statements which invite us to a choice that assumes radical decision-making, a constant interior tension. Life is, in fact, always about choice: between honesty and dishonesty, between fidelity and infidelity, between selfishness and altruism, between good and evil.
The concluding words of the Gospel passage are incisive and peremptory: "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other."
And finally, Jesus says, one must decide: "You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is a term of Phoenician origin which connotes economic security and business success; we could say that wealth is considered the idol to which everything is sacrificed in order to attain one's own material success, so that this economic success becomes one's true god.
Therefore, a fundamental decision between God and mammon is necessary: a choice between the logic of profit as the ultimate criterion for our actions, and the logic of sharing and solidarity.
If the logic of profit prevails, it will increase the gap between rich and poor as well as ruinous exploitation of the planet. But when instead, the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails, then it is possible to correct course in order to orient ourselves towards equitable development for the common good of all.
Basically, it is a choice between selfishness and love, between justice and dishonesty, and finally, between God and Satan. If loving Christ and our brothers is not to be considered as merely accessory and superficial, but rather the true and ultimate purpose of our existence, we should know how to make these basic choices, to be ready for radical renunciations, up to martyrdom if need be.
Today, as yesterday, the life of a Christian demands the courage to proceed against the current, to love like Jesus who reached the point of sacrificing himself on the Cross.
We can then say, paraphrasing St. Augustine, that by means of earthly riches, we should obtain those that are true and eternal. If indeed there are people ready for any kind of dishonesty to assure themselves of material wellbeing, which is always uncertain, then all the more we Christians should concern ourselves with providing for our eternal happiness through the resources of this earth ()cfr Discorsi 359,10).
Now, the only way to make our endowments and personal abilities fruitful, like the wealth which we have, is to share them with our brothers, showing ourselves in this way to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
Jesus said, "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones" (Lk 16, 10).
In the first Reading today, the prophet Amos also speaks of this fundamental choice that we must make day to day. With strong words, he stigmatizes a lifestyle typical of someone who allows himself to be absorbed in a selfish quest for profit in every possible way, which translates into a thirst for gain, in contempt for the poor and in an exploitation of their situation to one's own advantage (cfr Am 4,5).
The Christian should resist all this with energy, and instead, open his heart to sentiments of authentic generosity. A generosity that, as the Apostle Paul exhorts us in his second Letter, is expressed in sincere love for all and is manifested in prayer.
Indeed, to pray for others is a great gesture of charity. The Apostle invites us, in the first place, to pray for those who carry positions of responsibility in the civilian community, so that - he explains - their decisions, if intended to do good, will bring positive consequences, assuring peace and "a calm and tranquil life in full piety and dignity" for all (1 Tm 2,2).
We can never minimize what our prayers can do - as a spiritual contribution to the edification of an ecclesial community that is faithful to Christ and to the construction of a more just and fraternal society.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray in particular that your diocesan community - which is undergoing a series of changes because of the arrival of many young families coming from Rome, the development of tertiary services, and the settlement of historic centers by many immigrants - may conduct pastoral activity that is increasingly organic and shared, following the indications that your bishop, with marked pastoral sensitivity, will be giving you.
In this respect, his Pastoral Letter of December 2006 is proving even more timely, in which he invites all to listen with attention and perseverance to the Word of God, to the teachings of Vatican-II, and the Magisterium of the Church.
Let us place every proposal and pastoral plan that you have into the hands of the Madonna of Graces, whose image is kept and venerated in your beautiful Cathedral. May the maternal protection of Mary accompany you, as well as those who were unable to take part in our eucharistic celebration today.
In a special way, may the Virgin Mary watch over the sick, the aged, the children, whoever feels alone and abandoned, or is in particular need. May Mary free us from the greed of wealth so that we may raise clean and pure hands to the heavens, rendering glory to God with our whole life (cfr Collect). Amen!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 25/09/2007 00:51]