| | | ___________________________________________________________
PRAYER AND MISSIONARY ZEAL: JOHN PAUL II'S "TWO PILLARS"
VATICAN CITY, 9 APR 2011 (VIS) - On Saturday afternoon Benedict XVI attended a screening of the documentary "Pilgrim in White", by the Polish director Jaropslaw Szmidt and produced by Artrama. The film narrates key moments during the pontificate of John Paul II, with accounts from religious leaders and figures from the media and the fields of culture, science and politics. The screening was also attended by various cardinals and other guests, including the makers of the documentary, who the Holy Father thanked. He said, "For the seriousness with which it has been prepared and the quality of its production, this documentary constitutes one of the most valid contributions offered to the public on the occasion of my beloved predecessor's upcoming beatification". He continued, "There are by now numerous audiovisual works on the life of John Paul II ... This film ... sets out to faithfully render both the personality of the Pope and his tireless work throughout his long pontificate". Benedict XVI emphasised the "two pillars" of the life and ministry of the Polish Pope: "prayer and missionary zeal. John Paul II was a great scholar and great apostle of Christ. God chose him for the Chair of Peter and granted him long life in order that he might accompany the Church into the third millennium. By his example, he guided us all in this pilgrimage and continues to do so from above". BXVI-film/ VIS 20110411 (240)
ANGELUS: CHRIST BREAKS DOWN THE WALL OF DEATH VATICAN CITY, 10 APR 2011 (VIS) - At midday today, before praying the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI remarked on the readings of today's Mass, dedicated to the Resurrection, "not yet that of Jesus Christ, which breaks through as something entirely new, but that of our own resurrection, to which we aspire and which Christ Himself gave us, rising from the dead", said the Pope. "In fact", the Holy Father continued, "death represents for us a wall we are unable to see over; even though our hearts reach out beyond, and even though we cannot know what it hides ... we imagine it, expressing our desire for eternity through symbols". However, "even among Christians, faith in the resurrection and in eternal life is often accompanied by many doubts and great confusion, as it concerns a reality beyond the limits of reason and requires an act of faith". "In today's Gospel, the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus says to Martha, the dead Lazarus' sister, 'Your brother will rise again', and she answers, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day'. Jesus replies, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die'. This is the real truth, which breaks through and overcomes every barrier!" exclaimed the Pope. "Christ breaks down the wall of death, and in Him there resides the fullness of God, which is life, eternal life. Therefore death had no power over Him; the resurrection of Lazarus is a sign of his full dominion over mortal death, which is like sleep before God". "But there is another death, against which Christ fought hard; and for which he paid on the cross: spiritual death, sin, which threatens to ruin the existence of every man. To defeat this death, Christ died, and his Resurrection was not a return to his previous life but the beginning of a new life, a 'new earth', finally reunited with God's heaven", the Pope concluded. After the Angelus prayer, Benedict XVI addressed the Polish pilgrims who today commemorate the anniversary on of the Smolensk air crash on April 10 last year, in which the president of Poland Lech Kazinsky and several other officials lost their lives while travelling to Katyn to pay homage to the Polish soldiers and civilians massacred in the area by the Soviet army during the Second World War. "I join you in your nation's prayer", the Pope said, "that Christ, who is our new life and resurrection, receive them in His glory and that he comfort you in this painful experience. I bless your country and the Polish people with all my heart". ANG/ VIS 20110411 (470)
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.