HOMILIES, ANGELUS, AND OTHER SPIRITUAL TEXTS

Wednesday 23 November 2005

I hope that you like this idea: I've posted here today audience's text , these are the words that Papa said for english pilgrims:

? Sintesi della catechesi in lingua inglese


Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s canticle, found at the beginning of the Letter to the Ephesians, is a hymn of praise which has at its centre the figure of Christ in whom the work of God the Father is revealed and accomplished. In Jesus we are chosen and through him we are lavished with grace; indeed in this way the Son becomes the epiphany of the Father’s love which envelops and transforms us.
Such unconditional and limitless love reveals to us the glorious depths of the mystery of God’s will which intends to gather all creation and history into the fulness wished by him: "a plan to be carried out in Christ ... to bring all things into one" (Eph. 1:10), healing divisions and overcoming human weaknesses.
Reflecting on this depiction of the history of creation and salvation, Saint Irenaeus affirms that, since the Word of God truly becomes man, sin and death are defeated and all people are renewed in Christ. Together with Saint Irenaeus let us rejoice at the marvels of God’s loving plan for each of us!

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims here today, including groups from England, Australia, the Philippines and the United States of America. May you have a memorable stay in Rome and a safe return to your homes. Upon all of you, I invoke the peace and joy of Jesus Christ our Lord!

Thanks, Ratzigirl. You are spoiling us with all your kind attention.

thanks Ratzigirl!!

....from yesterday's audience....



Beauty red!!!

After Angelus, Pope said these words to english pilgrims:

"On the First Sunday of Advent I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for our Angelus prayer. May this season of joyful expectation and spiritual preparation for Lord’s coming be a time of sincere conversion and interior renewal for all Christians. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God’s blessings of wisdom, joy and peace."

thanks! one more day and Audience time again..hmm,i wonder if theyll transfer to PaulV1 hall for this one.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Psalm 136, the subject of this week’s catechesis, is a song of lamentation for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile, a heartfelt prayer for liberation and an expression of longing for the Holy City. Its evocation of Babylon as a place of slavery and sorrow can be seen as a symbolic foreshadowing of the horrors of the death camps of the last century, in which the Jewish people were destined to extermination. In their grief, the exiles are no longer able to sing "the songs of the Lord," which can only rise up to God in freedom and in the setting of liturgical prayer. During this Advent season, the Church reads this Psalm, with its plea for liberation and its nostalgic yearning for the Holy City, as an expression of her own prayerful hope for the Lord’s coming. As Saint Augustine tells us, we are called not only to sing this Psalm, but to live it, by lifting up our hearts with profound religious longing for the heavenly Jerusalem.

I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, and in particular to the various student groups. May this Advent be for all of you a time of reflection, prayer and joyful expectation in preparation for the mystery of Christmas. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God’s abundant blessings of joy and peace.


[I don't think that he can tranfer audience in Aula Paolo VI because there are ever much more people!!!! ]

If you missed it at 4 a.m. today (EWTN also had it then)- the replay started 5 minutes ago - 10 a.m. New York time.

Giorgio holds the cape up


Is this Cardinal Maradiaga of Honduras? He spent some time with the Pope at the end of the GA, handed him a thick book, they
conversed, and then CTV faded out on the scene because the hour was up!

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yup,that Card. Madriaga..i hope i can see this week's audience on EWTN this friday or sunday

At the end of celebration Pope said this word to english pilgrims:

I greet all those present for today’s Angelus. On this Second Sunday of Advent, Christians throughout the world are called to "prepare a way for the Lord". May we always make a place for him in our hearts and in our lives. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, I invoke the blessings of Almighty God.

Cara Ratzigirl!
You are really kind, posting all these messages in English for us. It's good that we have this "togetherness" on the forum.

I was wondering when the audiences are likely to be transferred to the Paul VI hall. During August the general audience was held in there on two occasions, I think it was. Was that because it was too hot in Saint Peter's Square?
Now they will surely have to go indoors for the winter. But I don't know - it may not get much colder in Rome. You can tell us that. All I know is that Rome is exactly ten degrees latitude farther south than where I live: I am at 51 degrees north and Rome is 41 north!
With the numbers that have been attending the audiences recently, they will never all fit into that hall and many people will be disappointed.

Do let us know if you have any information.

Un abbraccio a tutti voi!
Mary x

we'll see later!!

These are Pope's words at today's audience:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today I would like to reflect with you on Psalm one hundred and thirty-seven, a hymn of thanksgiving. From the temple in Jerusalem, the psalmist lifts his voice in praise and adoration of God. Despite trials and tribulations, he is confident that the ever faithful God will hear him.

What began as the psalmist’s personal prayer becomes a song of praise from "all the kings of the earth", giving glory to God who "looks on the lowly" and comes to the aid of the oppressed.

Finally the psalmist prays that the Lord will continue to watch over him and to protect him from danger in the future. In the words of Saint Ephraim, "Praise to you, for whom all things are possible; praise to you from all those who understand your truth".

I welcome the English-speaking pilgrims here today, from Australia, Canada, England, Finland, and the United States of America. A special greeting to the newly-professed Missionaries of Charity, to the English priests who are celebrating their tenth anniversary of ordination and to the choir members from Veteli in Finland. I pray that your visit to Rome will strengthen your faith and your love for the Lord. May God bless you all.

So symbollical...

Maklara, If you had not already done so, I was going to post the same picture here, because I too found it strikingly symbolic - the morning sun setting the cross ablaze.

Ratzigirl earlier posted this picture of Papa with the sun striking his forehead, and she captioned it "Truth casts its light on Papa so that he can bring the True Word to all the world."

he truly is a light,a beam for Jesus!

If you miss watching the Angelus and the Wednesday audiences "live," Search Google for mexicosiemprefiel-
and click on "Benedicto XVI, Portal..." which will get you to the home page of one of the best Benedict sites anywhere. They will usually have the latest Angelus or Audience replay within a few days of the event (in the case of the Angelus, almost immediately).

TODAY'S ANGELUS--THE NATIVITY SCENE VS. SANTA CLAUS

This morning, Papa suggested that parents should dust off the nativity scene and emphasize the events of the first Christmas instead of focusing on endless shopping.

www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=4847

Missed the live broadcast today because I did not preset to CTV before going to bed - but Vatican RAdio reports that more than 18,000 pilgrims braved the cold today (although the sun was out)
for Papa's general audience. Earlier, CTV's pre-announcements of upcoming December events had stated the location of the 12/14 audience as the Aula Paolo VI, which only holds 7,000 at a maximum.

Great photographs from Catholic Press Photo so far - Here are a few thumbnails (photos by Alessia Giuliani):

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I should have known - Sylvie as usual has already completed a montage of the CPP photos. These photomontages get better all the time!

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I find this Angelus meditation particularly significant because the subject is the Pope's name saint, to whom he had referred in one of his first Angelus meditations as Pope last May on the occasion of Labor Day in Europe (St. Joseph is the patron saint of laborers). In this meditation, the Pope refers to John Paul's devotion to St. Joseph, who was also his name saint (In case you have forgotten, JPII's full secular name was Karol Josef Wojtyla).

The Figure of St. Joseph
His Silence Shows "Fullness of Faith"

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before reciting the midday Angelus from the window of his study together with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters!

In these days of Advent, the liturgy invites us to contemplate in a special way the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, who lived with a unique intensity the time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus. Today I want to direct our gaze toward the figure of St. Joseph. In today's Gospel, St. Luke presents the Virgin Mary as "betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David," (Luke 1:27). Yet, the one who gives the most importance to the adoptive father of Jesus is the Evangelist Matthew, emphasizing that, thanks to him, the Child was legally introduced into the lineage of David, fulfilling the Scriptures, in which the Messiah was prophesized as the "son of David."

But the role of Joseph could not be reduced to this legal aspect. He is the model of a "righteous" man (Matthew 1:19), who in perfect harmony with his spouse welcomes the Son of God made man and watches over his human growth. Hence, in these days the precede Christmas, it is particularly fitting to establish a kind of spiritual dialogue with St. Joseph so that he helps us live to the fullest this mystery of faith.

The beloved Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St. Joseph, left us an admirable meditation dedicated to him in the apostolic exhortation "Redemptoris Custos" (Custodian of the Redeemer). Among the many aspects that he emphasized, he dedicates a particular importance to the silence of St. Joseph. His silence is permeated with the contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to the divine will.

In other words, the silence of St. Joseph does not demonstrate an empty interior, but rather the fullness of faith that he carries in his heart, and that guides each of his thoughts and actions. A silence through which Joseph, together with Mary, guard the Word of God, known through sacred Scripture, comparing it continually to the events of the life of Jesus; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of boundless confidence in his providence. It is not exaggerated to say that Jesus will learn -- on a human level -- precisely from "father" Joseph this intense interior life, which is the condition of authentic righteousness, the "interior righteousness," which one day he will teach to his disciples (cf. Matthew 5:20).

Let's allow ourselves to be "infected" by the silence of St. Joseph! It is so lacking in this world which is often too noisy, which is not favorable to recollection and listening to the voice of God. In this time of preparation for Christmas, let us cultivate interior recollection so as to receive and keep Jesus in our lives.

[Translation of the original Italian by ZENIT]

[After praying the Angelus, the Pope greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In English he said:]

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for the Angelus. As the celebration of Our Lord's birth draws near let us join with Mary in prayerful trust, ready to embrace God's will as a sign of hope for our world. During these last days of the holy season of Advent, I invoke upon you and your families God's abundant blessings of joy and peace.

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I don't know what to think about the camauro bonnet! Papa is obviously going to wear all the papal accessories and I don't blame him. Also, he should keep his head warm!
Come to think of it - Santa Claus doesn't stand a chance as long as our Papa wears a hat like this!
Any thoughts from you, girls? We can't see his hair.....that's a big minus!
But, dearest Papa, you'll always be first in MY heart, whatever you wear!
I was also pleased to see you were wearing the ivory-coloured coat and the cloak.....and I think a sweater under all that. So, at least you won't catch cold!
Keep warm, Papa!
Love, Mary x PAPA LOVE

Lieber Heiliger Vater, ich liebe Sie, ganz gleich, was Sie tragen und ich möchte nicht, dass Sie frieren.
Einen schönen Menschen entstellt nichts, aber Lieber Gott, bitte mach, das es in Rom wieder etwas wärmer wird !
Sorry, dear sisters, but I couldn’t find the right words in english, I’m so excited…

What Simone just posted in German was:

Dear Holy Father, I love you all the same, whatever you are wearing, and I do not wish you to catch cold. Nothing can detract from a beautiful man, but please, dear God, let it be warmer in Rome!"

Aber was soll er aufsetzen, wenn's so kalt ist ?
Die Baseballkappe, die er im Sommer getragen hat, passt wahrscheinlich nicht zum übrigen Outfit, aber sie könnten ihm doch so eine Art Baskenmütze machen lassen, als Kardinal hat er immer so nett ausgesehen mit der Baskenmütze....

Hallo, Ihr Verantwortlichen im päpstlichen Haushalt, hier lesen !!!!
Mal über die Baskenmütze nachdenken !!! Natürlich in weiß !!!




Sorry, dear sisters, next time in my terrible english again

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Simone, I love your German. It's my favourite language - I wonder why?! I can't quite understand everything you write, but.......sorry I can't write well enough to reply auf Deutsch!
I was thinking, I'm sure I've seen pictures of John XXIII wearing the camuaro bonnet. I don't think John Paul II did - but then he didn't bother much with papal accessories. He did have an off-white coat, but was always in those brown shoes.
Now, our Papa Joseph has decided to go the "whole hog" and wear anything that protocol dictates and I'm so glad - it makes our lives more interesting too!
Our dear Joseph used to go around in his black coat and professor's black beret in the winter; now he has access to finer clothes, why not wear them? And, yes Simone, I'm sure that red hat keeps his head nice and warm. I'm amazed that the audiences are still being held in the square. How cold does it have to get before he decides they should adjourn to the Paul VI hall?
Simone, in England kann Man weissen Baskenmuetzen kaufen - in Monsoon/Accessorize!!!! Aber es ist ein Kaufhaus fuer Damen; macht nichts - wir koennen ihm eine dort Kaufen. Ich habe mir dort eine schwarze Baskenmuetze gekauft!
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I love Sylvie's montage from last week's audience - many thanks!
May we hope for another one, from today's audience?
Liebe und Freude! Frohe Weihnachten!
Mary x

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Translating from German -
"What should he wear then when it is so cold? The baseball cap he wore last summer does not go with his outfit today, but they could make him a Basque beret - as a cardinal, he always used to look good when he wore a beret....
Hello!!! Anyone responsible out there in the papal household,
read this! Think about the Basque beret - in white, of course!!!"

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Great suggestion, Simone, but I think since our dear Ratzi is such a traditionalist - and the Papal tradition is the camauro, not the beret - maybe we won't get to see him in a white beret unless there's an informal unofficial occasion (as when he was on vacation). The other Papal headgear that might help in cold weather is the brimmed hat of red felt that Pope JP-II sometimes wore with the red cape when travelling (and which Papa still has to wear), but I think it's not prescribed for general audiences.

In the past 8 months, starting with reviving the pallium as it was in the 4th century, Papa has shown himself to be such a stickler for Papal tradition in clothing, vestments, and accessories, as prescribed for various official and liturgical occasions - far more than any Pope since photography was invented.

For instance, JP-II (who didn't even wear red shoes) never wore choir dress and stole (Papa's standard outfit when he's greeting visitors formally or presiding at liturgies other than the Mass or Adoration) as often as Papa does. He (JPII) received state visitors in the usual white cassock, for instance, and I don't remember him in choir dress during all those trips abroad. Papa has even worn a variety of ceremonial capelets the past several days - in velvet(with or without ermine), in satin, in wool, with gold braid or without, and in different shades ranging from tomato-red to maroon!

But, now I know to prepare for surprises all the time from Papa, including what he wears, traditional or otherwise!

THE HAT NEEDS TO GO

Devoted though I am to Papa and aware of his strong ties to tradition, I am afraid I have to say that it is time to update papal attire. Just because a pope wore a certain outfit in the 1500s does not make it necessary for all popes forever to wear the same outfit despite changes in fabrics and fashions.

Obviously, because of the huge crowds of people wanting to attend the audiences, Papa is continuing to hold them outdoors regardless of the cold weather. However, it seems that nobody knows how to dress him properly for that kind of cold. Even the white overcoat is too thin so they are putting the red cape on top of the coat. The papal tailors need to come up with one thick white coat that will keep Papa sufficiently warm without the need for multiple coverings.

Regarding the hat, certainly something both tasteful and warm can be devised. Joseph Ratzinger has always been innovative in his thinking and his use of words. There's nothing wrong with him being innovative in his clothing too. If nothing else were available, I see no harm in his wearing what he did on Mt. Blanc--a white parka and padded baseball cap (with white earmuffs if need be). That red thing with ermine trim does not do him justice, especially pulled down covering his hair. If it had been pushed back a bit, maybe it wouldn't have looked so dowdy but really the tailors need to come up with something warm and sporty. He is a man of this century and this world, not a relic from the Renaissance.

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i go for the white beret! not saying he didnt look good on the camauro but i wanna see his hair

he has multiple layers of clothing underneath the ivory coat..as long as those keep him warm.

also for GG who it seemed wasnt wearing an overcoat yesterday

Pre-Christmas Reflection
"May Our Spirits Open to the True Spiritual Light"

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 21, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at today's general audience. The Pope dedicated the address to the mystery of Christmas.

* * *

Today's audience takes place in an atmosphere of joy and longing expectation of the now imminent Christmas festivity. The Lord Jesus is coming! We repeat these days in prayer, preparing our hearts to experience the joy of the Redeemer's birth. In particular, in this last week of Advent, the liturgy accompanies and supports our interior journey with repeated invitations to receive the Savior, recognizing him in the humble Child lying in a manger.

This is the mystery of Christmas, which we can understand better through so many symbols. Among these symbols is that of light, which is one of the richest in spiritual meaning and on which I would like to reflect briefly.

The feast of Christmas coincides, in our hemisphere, with the time of the year in which the sun ends its descending parabola and begins the phase in which the time of daylight increases gradually, according to the successive course of the seasons. This helps us to understand better the subject of light that prevails over darkness. It is a symbol that evokes a reality that affects man's inner being: I am referring to the light of good that overcomes evil, of love that overcomes hatred, of life that conquers death.

Christmas makes us think of this interior light, of the divine light that presents to us again the proclamation of the definitive victory of the love of God over sin and death. For this reason, in the novena of holy Christmas that we are now living, there are many and significant references to light.

We were also reminded of it by the antiphon sung at the beginning of our meeting. The Savior awaited by the nations is greeted as the Rising Sun, the star that indicates the way and the guide of people, wayfarers amid the darkness and dangers of the world toward the salvation promised by God and realized in Jesus Christ.

In preparing to celebrate the birth of the Savior with joy in our families and ecclesial communities -- while a certain modern and consumer culture tries to make the Christian symbols of the celebration of Christmas disappear -- let us assume the commitment to understand the value of the Christmas traditions, which are part of the patrimony of our faith and our culture, in order to transmit them to the new generations.

In particular, on seeing the streets and squares of our cities adorned with glittering lights, let us remember that these lights evoke another light, invisible to our eyes, but not to our hearts. Contemplating them, when lighting the candles of churches or the Nativity and Christmas tree lights in our homes, may our spirits open to the true spiritual light brought to all men and women of good will. The God with us, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary is the Star of our lives!

"Rising Sun, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, illuminate those who lie in darkness and in the shadows of death." On assuming this invocation of today's liturgy, let us pray to the Lord to hasten his glorious coming among us, among all those who are suffering, as only in him can they find the answer to the authentic expectations of the human heart.

May this Star of light that never sets, communicate to us the strength to follow always the path of truth, justice and love! Let us live intensely these days that precede Christmas together with Mary, the Virgin of silence and listening. May she, who was totally enveloped by the light of the Holy Spirit, help us to understand and to live fully the mystery of Christ's Christmas.

With these sentiments, exhorting you to keep alive the interior wonder in the fervent expectation of the now close celebration of the birth of the Lord, with joy I wish all of you here present, your families, your communities, and your loved ones a holy and happy Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all!

[Translation by ZENIT]

[At the end of the audience, the Holy Father read the following summary in English:]

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today's audience takes place in an atmosphere of great joy as we await the celebration of our Lord's birth. Among the many symbols that help us to understand Christmas, light is of particular spiritual significance.

Indeed, today's antiphon refers to the Rising Sun, the splendor of eternal light, who comes to enlighten us, guiding us to the salvation promised by God and realized in Jesus Christ.

As we prepare to celebrate the Savior's birth let us keep our Christian traditions to the fore. Let the lights of our streets and the candles of our churches remind us that God is with us, born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary; he is the light of our lives and of the world! With Mary let us, in awe, await his coming!

I extend a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims here today. May your stay in Rome, during this most special of seasons, be a time of uplifting spiritual joy. I wish you, and your loved ones at home, a happy and holy Christmas!