Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On One of the Most Beautiful Passages of the Bible
"Charity Is the Christian Difference"
H.H. Benedict XVI
January 31, 2010
www.zenit.org
Dear brothers and sisters!
In this Sunday’s liturgy is read one of the most beautiful passages
of the New Testament and of the whole Bible: St. Paul’s so-called
hymn to charity (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13). In the First Letter to
the Corinthians, after having explained, using the image of the
body, that the different gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the
benefit of the one Church, Paul shows the “way” of perfection. This
way, he says, does not consist in possessing exceptional qualities:
speaking new languages, knowing all the mysteries, having a
prodigious faith, or doing heroic deeds. It consists rather in
charity -- “agape” -- that is, in authentic love, that love that God
revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Charity is the “greatest” gift, which confers worth on others, and
yet “does not boast, does not puff up with pride,” indeed, “it
rejoices in truth” and the good of others. He who truly loves “does
not seek his own interests,” “does not keep track of evil received,”
“bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things” (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
In the end, when we will meet God face to face, all the other gifts
will disappear; the only one that will remain in eternity will be
charity, because God is love and we will be like him, in complete
communion with him.
For now, while we are in this world, charity is the Christian
difference. The Christian’s whole life is summed up by charity: what
he believes and what he does. For this reason, at the beginning of
my pontificate, I wanted to dedicate my first encyclical precisely
to the theme of love: “Deus caritas est.” As you will remember, in
this encyclical there are two parts that correspond to the two
components of charity: its meaning and its practice. Love is the
essence of God himself, it is the meaning of creation and history,
it is the light that gives goodness and beauty to every man’s
existence.
At the same time, love is the “style,” of God and the believer, it
is the comportment of him who, responding to God’s love, makes his
own life a gift of self to God and neighbor.
In Jesus Christ these two aspects form a perfect unity: He is Love
incarnate. This love is fully revealed to us in Christ crucified.
Fixing our gaze upon him, we can confess with the Apostle John: “We
have seen the love that God has for us and we have believed in it”
(cf. 1 John 4:16; “Deus Caritas Est,” 1).
Dear friends, if we think of the saints, we see the variety of their
spiritual gifts, and also their human characters. But the life of
each of them is a hymn to charity, a living canticle to God’s love!
Today, Jan. 31, we especially remember St. John Bosco, founder of
the Salesian family and patron saint of young people. In this Year
for Priests I would like to invoke his intercession so that priests
always be educators and fathers for young people; and that,
experiencing this pastoral charity, many young people will welcome
the call to give their life for Christ and the Gospel. May Mary Our
Help, model of charity, obtain these graces for us.
[After the Angelus the Pope greeted the pilgrims in various
languages. In Italian he said:]
The last Sunday of January is World Leprosy Day. Our thoughts
immediately turn to Father Damien de Veuster, who gave his life for
these brothers and sisters, and whom I proclaimed a saint last
October. To his heavenly protection I entrust all those people who,
unfortunately still today, suffer from this disease, and all those
health workers and volunteers who give themselves for the sake of a
world without leprosy. I greet in particular the Italian Association
of the Friends of Raoul Follereau.
Today the second Day of Intercession for Peace in the Holy Land is
celebrated as well. In communion with the Latin Patriarch of
Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land, I spiritually unite
myself to the prayer of many Christians in every part of the world,
and I greet from my heart all those who have come today for this
observance.
The economic crisis is causing the loss of numerous jobs, and this
situation requires a great sense of responsibility on the part of
everyone: entrepreneurs, workers, government officials. I think of
some hard realities in Italy, like those we see in the towns of
Termini Imerese and Portovesme, for example. I join with the Italian
bishops’ conference, which has asked that everything possible be
done to protect and increase employment, assuring families of
dignified work and adequate support.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[In English he said:]
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors
present for this Angelus prayer. In today’s Liturgy we are reminded
that Jesus, like the prophets who came before him, was not well
received in his homeland and among his relatives and friends. His
message brings great joy but also requires open minds and generous
hearts. Let us ask for the grace and courage to be always faithful
to Jesus in words and deeds. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome
and a blessed Sunday!
©Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look
at the One they Pierced!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary