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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On Christ, the Foundation of Hope
"He Is 'Flesh' Like Us, and Is 'Rock' Like God"
H.H. Benedict XVI
November 29, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear
Brothers and Sisters!
This Sunday we begin, by the grace of God, a new liturgical year,
which opens naturally with Advent, a time of preparation for the
Lord's nativity. In the constitution on the Liturgy, the Second
Vatican Council states that the Church "presents in the annual cycle
the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and the nativity,
to the ascension, the day of pentecost, and the expectation of the
blessed hope and return of the Lord."
In this way, "recalling the mysteries of the redemption, it opens to
the faithful the riches of the salvific actions and the merits of
their Lord, so that they are present in some way in all times, so
that the faithful can approach them and be filled with the grace of
salvation" ("Sacrosantum Concilium," 102).
The council insists on the fact that Christ is the center of the
liturgy. It is similar to the sun, around which rotate the planets.
Around the liturgy rotate the Blessed Virgin Mary -- she is the
closest -- and the martyrs and the other saints that "in heaven sing
to God the perfect praise and intercede for us" (Ibidem, 104).
This is the reality of the liturgical year seen, so to speak, "from
God's side." And from the side -- shall we say -- of man, of history
and of society? What importance can it have? The answer is suggested
properly by the advent journey, which we undertake today.
The contemporary world needs above all hope: It is needed by
developing peoples, but also by those economically developed. We
increasingly see that we are in the same boat and that we must all
be saved together. Above all, seeing so many false securities
crumble, we realize that we need a trustworthy hope, and this is
found only in Christ, who, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, "is
the same yesterday, today and always" (13:8).
The Lord Jesus came in the past, he comes in the present and will
come in the future. He embraces all the dimensions of time, because
he died and rose, he is "the Living One" and, sharing our human
precariousness, remains forever and offers us God's very stability.
He is "flesh" like us, and is "rock" like God.
Whoever desires liberty, justice and peace may now lift himself up,
and raise his head, because in Christ liberation is close (cf. Luke
21:28) -- as we read in today's Gospel. Hence, we can affirm that
Jesus Christ does not only look at Christians, or only at believers,
but at all men, because he, who is the center of faith, is also the
foundation of hope. He is the hope that every human being constantly
needs.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Virgin Mary fully incarnates the
humanity that lives in hope based on faith in the living God. She is
the Virgin of Advent; she is well-rooted in the present, in the
"today" of salvation; she keeps in her heart all the past promises;
and they extend to future fulfillment. Let us enter her school, to
truly enter this time of grace and to welcome, with joy and
responsibility, the coming of God to our personal and social
history.
[After the Angelus, the Holy Father said:]
This coming Dec. 1 the World AIDS Day will be observed. My thought
and my prayer go to all persons affected by this sickness, in
particular children, to the poorest and to those who are rejected.
The Church does not cease to combat AIDS, through her institutions
and the personnel dedicated to it. I exhort everyone to make their
own contribution with prayer and care, so that those who are
affected by the HIV virus will feel the presence of the Lord who
gives support and hope. Finally, I hope that, by multiplying and
coordinating efforts, this sickness will be halted and eradicated.
[Translation by ZENIT]
[The Pope greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In English, he
said:]
I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
the Angelus. On this First Sunday of Advent let us join with Mary in
prayerful trust, watchful for the presence of Jesus in our world,
mindful of our need to grow in compassion and mercy, and ready to
embrace God's will as a sign of hope. Upon you and your families I
invoke God's abundant blessings of joy and peace.
Look
at the One they Pierced!
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Mary
