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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On the Final Judgment
"Not a Question of Honors and Appearances"
H.H. Benedict XVI
November 23, 2008
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today we celebrate, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. We know that in the
Gospels Jesus rejected the title of king when it was understood in a
political sense, along the lines of “the rulers of nations” (cf.
Matthew 20:24). Instead, during his passion, before Pilate he
claimed a different sort of kingship. Pilate asked Jesus plainly,
“Are you a king?” Jesus answered, “You have said it; I am a king”
(John 18:37). A little before this, however, he had declared, “My
kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).
The kingship of Christ is, indeed, the revelation and the
implementation of the kingship of God the Father, who governs all
things with love and with justice. The Father entrusted the Son with
the mission of giving men eternal life, loving them to the point of
the supreme sacrifice, and at the same time he has given him the
power to judge them, from the moment that he was made Son of Man,
like us in all things (cf. John 5:21-22, 26-27).
Today’s Gospel insists precisely on this universal kingship of
Christ the judge, with the impressive parable of the final judgment,
that St. Matthew presents right before his account of the Passion
(25:31-46). The images are simple, the language is popular, but the
message is extremely important: it is the truth about our ultimate
destiny and lays down the criteria by which we will be judged. “I
was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” and so on (Matthew
25:35).
Who does not know this passage? It has become a part of our
civilization. It has marked the history of peoples of Christian
culture, their hierarchy of values, their institutions, and their
many benevolent and social organizations. In effect, the Kingdom of
God is not of this world, but it brings to fulfillment all the good
that, thanks to God, exists in man and history. If we put love of
our neighbor into practice, according to the Gospel message, then we
are making room for the lordship of God, and his kingdom will
realize itself in our midst. If instead each of us thinks only of
his own interests, the world cannot but be destroyed.
Dear friends, the Kingdom of God is not a question of honors and
appearances, but, like St. Paul writes, it is “justice, peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The Lord has our own good at
heart, that is, that every man have life, and that especially the
“least” of his children be admitted to his feast, which he has
prepared for all. Because of this he has no use for the hypocritical
ones who say “Lord, Lord,” but have neglected his commandments (cf.
Matthew 7:21).
God will accept into his eternal kingdom those who have made the
effort every day to put his word into practice. This is why the
Virgin Mary, the most humble of his creatures, is the greatest in
his eyes and sits as Queen at the right of Christ the King. We
desire to entrust ourselves with filial confidence once again to her
heavenly intercession, so that we might realize our Christian
mission in the world.
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted the crowds in
several languages. In Italian, he said:]
Tomorrow in the city of Nagasaki in Japan, the beatification of 188
martyrs -- all of them Japanese, killed in the early part of the
17th century -- will take place. I pledge my spiritual nearness on
this occasion, which is so significant for the Catholic community,
and for the whole country of the Rising Sun. Also, in Cuba next
Saturday, Fray José Olallo Valdés, of the Hospitaller Order of St.
John of God, will be beatified. I entrust the Cuban people to his
heavenly protection, especially the sick and health workers.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[In English, he said:]
I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at this Angelus.
In today’s Solemnity of Christ the King we pray that the Lord may
reign in our hearts. Sustained by his grace in faith and love, we
trust that by bearing witness to him on earth we may be found worthy
of his promises in heaven. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome
and a blessed Sunday! Let us also rejoice in anticipation with our
brothers and sisters in Japan, who celebrate tomorrow in Nagasaki
the beatification of the Venerable Servants of God Peter Kibe Kasui
and his 187 companion martyrs. May their victory in Christ over sin
and death fill us all with hope and courage!
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