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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On the Nearness of the Lord
"He Holds His Hand Out to Us"
H.H. Benedict XVI
August 10, 2008
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
There is a point in Mark's Gospel where he recounts that after days
of stress the Lord said to the disciples: "Come away by yourselves
to a lonely place, and rest a while" (6: 31). And since the Word of
Christ is never connected solely to the moment in which it was
spoken I have applied this invitation to the disciples also to
myself, and I came to this beautiful, tranquil place to rest for a
while. I must thank Bishop Egger and all his collaborators, the
whole City and Region of Bressanone, for preparing this beautiful
quiet place for me in which, during the past two weeks I have been
able to relax, to think of God and of humanity, and thus to recover
fresh energy. May God reward you!
I ought to thank many individuals but I shall do something simpler:
I commend you all to God's Blessing. He knows each one of you by
name and his Blessing will touch each of you personally. I ask this
with all my heart, and may it be my "thank you" to you all!
This Sunday's Gospel brings us back from this place of rest to daily
life. It tells how, after the multiplication of the loaves, the Lord
withdraws to the mountain to be alone with the Father. In the
meantime, the disciples are on the lake and with their poor little
boat are endeavoring in vain to stand up to a contrary wind. To the
Evangelist this episode may have seemed an image of the Church of
his time: like the small barque which was the Church of that period,
he found himself buffeted by the contrary wind of history and it may
have seemed that the Lord had forgotten him. We too can see this as
an image of the Church of our time which in many parts of the earth
finds herself struggling to make headway in spite of the contrary
wind, and it seems the Lord is very remote. But the Gospel gives us
an answer, consolation and encouragement and at the same time points
out a path to us. It tells us, in fact: yes, it is true, the Lord is
with the Father but for this very reason he is not distant but sees
everyone, for whoever is with God does not go away but is close to
his neighbor. And, in fact, the Lord sees them and at the proper
time comes towards them. And when Peter, who was going to meet him,
risks drowning, the Lord takes him by the hand and brings him to
safety on the boat. The Lord is continuously holding out his hand to
us too. He does so through the beauty of a Sunday; he does so
through the solemn liturgy; he does so in the prayer with which we
address him; he does so in the encounter with the Word of God; he
does so in many situations of daily life - he holds his hand out to
us. And only if we take the Lord's hand, if we let ourselves be
guided by him, will the path we take be right and good.
For this reason let us pray to him that we may succeed ever anew in
finding his hand. And at the same time, this implies an exhortation:
that, in his Name we hold our own hand out to others, to those in
need of it, to lead them through the waters of our history.
In these days, dear friends, I have also been thinking over my
experience in Sydney, where I encountered the joyful faces of so
many young men and women from every part of the world. So it was
that a reflection on this event developed in me which I would like
to share with you. In the great metropolis of the young Australian
nation, those youth were a sign of authentic joy, at times
boisterous but always peaceful and positive. Although they were so
numerous, they caused neither disorder nor damage of any kind. In
order to be happy they did not need to have recourse to vulgar or
violent ways, to alcohol or narcotics. In them was the joy of
meeting one another and of discovering a new world together. How is
it possible not to compare them to their peers who, in search of
false escapes, have degrading experiences that all too often result
in overwhelming tragedies? This is a typical product of today's
so-called "society of well-being", which, to fill inner emptiness
and the boredom that goes with it induces people to try new
experiences, more exciting, more "extreme". Even holidays risk
evaporating into a vain pursuit of mirages of pleasure. Yet in this
way the spirit does not rest, the heart does not find joy or peace;
on the contrary, it ends even wearier and sadder than it was at the
start. I have referred to young people because it is they who thirst
most after life and new experiences and are therefore the most at
risk. The reflection, however, applies to us all: the human person
is truly regenerated only in the relationship with God and God is
encountered by learning to listen to his voice in inner stillness
and silence (cf. 1 Kgs 19: 12).
Let us pray that in a society where everyone is always in a rush,
holidays may be days of true relaxation during which it is possible
to carve out times for recollection and prayer that are
indispensable in order to rediscover in depth both oneself and
others. We ask this through the intercession of Mary Most Holy,
Virgin of silence and listening.
[After the Angelus:]
A cause of deep anguish is the ever more dramatic news of the tragic
events in Georgia that, starting in the region of South Ossetia,
have already taken many innocent victims and forced a large number
of civilians to abandon their homes. I earnestly hope that military
operations will immediately cease and that, also in the name of the
common Christian heritage, people will abstain from further
confrontations and violent reprisals that could degenerate into a
conflict on a far larger scale. May the way of negotiation and
respectful and constructive dialogue be taken instead and thereby
spare those beloved peoples further suffering that tears them apart.
I likewise ask the International Community and the countries that
are most influential in the current situation to make every effort
to sustain and promote initiatives that aim to achieve a permanent
peaceful solution, in favour of open and respectful coexistence.
Together with our Orthodox brethren, let us pray intensely for these
intentions which we confidently entrust to the intercession of Mary
Most Holy, Mother of Jesus and of all Christians.
© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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