NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

Take time out daily for silent prayer to hear God's voice, says pope

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
Sept. 9, 2009

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People need to carve time out of their busy day to dedicate to silent prayer or meditation in order to hear what God has to say, said Pope Benedict XVI.

The faithful also have to remember not to become completely caught up in their daily activities and concerns, forgetting that Jesus should be the focus of their lives, he said at his weekly general audience Sept. 9.

Continuing a series of audience talks about influential Christian writers from the Middle Ages, the pope focused his catechesis on the life of St. Peter Damian, an 11th-century monk, cardinal and doctor of the church.

Living an austere, secluded life in a cloister, St. Peter Damian determined that "the hermetic life was the apex of Christian life" because it allowed one to be free from the ego and from worldly concerns, said the pope.

Monastic life offers an important lesson to all Christians -- that it is important to learn how to achieve an inner silence in order to listen to God's voice, he said.

The faithful must take time out of their day to seek out a quiet place, "a sort of sitting parlor, where God can speak to us," he said.

One can learn God's word and the right path to take in life through quiet prayer and meditation, he said.

St. Peter Damian taught that Christ must be at the center of monastic life; Christ must be heard in one's voice, be served in one's life and felt in one's heart, said the pope.

All Christians, not just contemplative religious, must cultivate this intimate union with Christ, Pope Benedict said.

"We shouldn't let ourselves be completely absorbed by our daily activities, problems and worries, forgetting that Jesus must truly be at the center of our lives," he said.

The pope flew to the Vatican by helicopter from Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, to lead the general audience in the Paul VI hall before about 8,000 pilgrims from around the world.

The pope greeted visiting bishops and well-wishers with his right hand, showing he was recovering greater use of his wrist, which he had broken in a fall July 17. The cast and wires used to stabilize the break had been removed Aug. 21.

At the end of the general audience, the pope flew back to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, where he was spending the final weeks of his vacation.