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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
On
St. John the Baptist
"The Great Prophet Asks Us to Prepare the Way of the Lord"
H.H. Benedict XVI
November Dec 9, 2007
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the
liturgy invited us to turn our gaze to Mary, mother of Jesus and our
mother, Star of Hope for every man. Today, the second Sunday of
Advent, the liturgy presents us with the austere figure of the
precursor, whom the evangelist Matthew introduces in this way: "John
the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 3:1-2).
His mission was to smooth out the roads before the Messiah, calling
the people of Israel to repent of their sins and to correct every
iniquity. John the Baptist announced the imminent judgment with
demanding words: "Every tree that does not produce good fruit will
be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). He challenged
the hypocrisy of those who felt secure simply because they belonged
to the chosen people: Before God, he said, no one has a right to
boast, but must bear "good fruit as evidence of conversion" (Matthew
3:8).
As we pursue the journey of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate the
birth of Christ, John the Baptist's call to conversion resounds in
our communities. It is a pressing invitation to open our hearts and
welcome the Son of God who comes into our midst to make the divine
judgment manifest.
The Father, writes the evangelist John, judges no one, but rather
has entrusted the power to judge to the Son of Man (cf. John 5:22,
27). And it is today, in the present, that our future destiny is at
stake; it is the concrete way we conduct ourselves in this life that
decides our eternal fate. At the sunset of our days on earth, at the
moment of death, we will be evaluated according to whether or not we
resemble the Child who is about to be born in the lowly cave in
Bethlehem, since he is the criterion by which God measures humanity.
The heavenly Father, who in the birth of his only-begotten Son
manifests his merciful love to us, calls us to follow in his
footsteps, making our existence, as he did, a gift of love. And the
fruits of love are the "good fruits of conversion" to which John the
Baptist refers, when he directs his pointed words at the Pharisees
and Sadducees who were in the crowds at Christ's baptism.
Through the Gospel, John the Baptist continues to speak down the
centuries, to every generation. His clear and hard words are more
than ever salutary for us men and women of today, in whom even the
way to live and perceive Christmas is, unfortunately, very often
affected by a materialistic mentality.
The "voice" of the great prophet asks us to prepare the way of the
Lord who comes in the deserts of today, external and interior
deserts, thirsty for the living water that is Christ.
May the Virgin Mary guide us to a true conversion of heart, that we
may make the choices necessary to make our mentalities to be in tune
with the Gospel.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[After the Angelus the Holy Father spoke the following words in
English:]
I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and
visitors present at today's Angelus. In this holy season of Advent,
I pray that the glory of the Lord's coming will fill your hearts
with redeeming hope. Upon you and your loved ones, I invoke the
grace and peace of Jesus Christ!
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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