Pope's encounter with the clergy of the Diocese of Rome

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VATICAN - Pope's encounter with the clergy of the Diocese of Rome (4) - The relationship between the Word of God and Marian devotion, indulgences, and other devotions in general

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - As is customary at the beginning of Lent, on Thursday, February 26, the Holy Father Benedict XVI met in the Blessings Hall in the Vatican with the parish priests and clergy of the Diocese of Rome. The encounter took place in a question-answer dialogue between the Holy Father and the participants, which was opened by the Vicar, Cardinal Agostino Vallini. We offer several passages on the various themes that the Pope addressed.

The relationship between the Word of God and Marian devotion

"Mary is truly the woman who listens: we see this in her encounter with the Angel, and we see it again throughout the events in her life, from the wedding at Cana, to the Cross, and to the day of Pentecost, when she is in the midst of the Apostles precisely in order to receive the Spirit. She is the symbol of openness, of the Church that awaits the coming of the Holy Spirit.

"In the moment of the annunciation, we can already perceive the attitude of listening – of a true listening, a listening that should be cultivated in our interior, that does not simply say yes, but assimilates the Word, takes the Word – and then true obedience follows, as a Word assimilated inside me, that is to say, that it becomes Word in me and for me, almost my way of life. This seems very beautiful to me: see this active listening, a listening that attracts the Word in a such a way that it enters and becomes Word in me, reflecting on it and accepting it in the most intimate corner of my heart. This is how the Word becomes incarnate.

"We see the same in the Magnificat. We know that it is a fabric woven with words from the Old Testament. We saw that Mary is truly the woman who listens, who knew Scripture by heart. She was not simply familiar with a few passages. Rather, she was so identified with the Word that the words of the Old Testament, resumed, become a song in her heart and on her lips. We see that her life was penetrated by the Word; she had entered into the Word, she had assimilated it, and it had become life in her, transforming itself once more into a Word of praise and of proclamation of God's grandeur.

"I believe Saint Luke, in referring to Mary, says at least 3 or 4 times that she assimilated and kept the Words in her heart. For the Fathers, she is the model of the Church, the model of the believer who conserves the Word, carrying the Word within her; not only reading it, but interpreting it with her intellect, to know what it was at that time, what the philological problems are. All this is interesting and important, however it is even more important to perceive the Word that should be kept and that should become Word in me, life in me and presence of the Lord. Therefore, I find the connection between Mariology and theology of the Word very important and it is a topic that has been addressed as well by the Synodal Fathers and one that we will address in the post-synodal document."

Indulgences and devotions

"They are realities that the Council has not addressed, but that exist within the Church. They live in the Church and develop. Now is not the moment to enter into the expansive area of indulgences. Paul VI has explained the topic and given us the clues to understand it. I would say that it is simply an exchange of gifts, that is to say, in that the Church exists for the good of all men. With this key of the indulgence, we can enter into this communion of goods of the Church. Protestants oppose, affirming that the only treasure in Christ. But I find that the wonderful thing is that Christ, who is really more than enough in His infinite love, in his divinity and humanity... He does not only consider us objects of His mercy, but He makes us subjects of His mercy and love, together with Him, almost as though – although not quantitatively, at least in a mysterious sense – He would like to include us in the great treasure of the Body of Christ. He wishes to be the Head with the Body. And He desires that the body complete the mystery of His Redemption. Jesus desires the Church as His Body, in which the wealth of all He has done, can be carried out. From this mystery comes the "tesaurus ecclesiae," which the Body, as well as the Head, gives so much and we can give ourselves to one another.

"This is also true for the other things, as well. For example, the Fridays of the Sacred Heart. This is a very beautiful thing in the Church. They are not necessary, but arise from the rich meditation of the mystery. Thus, the Lord offers us these possibilities to us in the Church. I do not think now is the time to enter into all kinds of details. Each one can more or less understand what is more important that something else; however, no one should despise these treasures, which have arisen over the centuries as an offering and as a multiplication of lights within the Church. The light of Christ is One. It appears in all of its colors and as multiplication of the wealth of His gift, the interaction between the Head and the Body, the interaction between the members, in such a way that we can truly be united in a living organism, in which each one gives of himself to everyone and everyone gives themselves to the Lord, the One who has given of Himself entirely.

(4th and final part) (SL) (Agenzia Fides 6/3/2009)

Links:
Complete text of the priests' questions and the Holy Father's responses, in Italian
http://www.fides.org/ita/magistero/bxvi/udienza_vat_260209.html

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Blessings+
Deacon John

Sent from: Orlando FL United States.

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