|
Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On World Mission Sunday
"Prayer Is the First Missionary Duty of Each One of Us"
H.H. Benedict XVI
October 19, 2008
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
After the solemn Eucharistic celebration and the traditional
Supplication of the Madonna of Pompeii, following our customary
Sunday practice, we once again turn our gaze to Mary with recitation
of the Angelus, and we entrust to her the great petitions of the
Church and of humanity.
We especially pray for the ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops
that is taking place in Rome and that has “The Word of God in the
Life and Mission of the Church” as its theme, that it might bear the
fruit of authentic renewal in every Christian community.
Another special prayer intention is offered to us by World Mission
Day, which in this Pauline Year proposes for our meditation these
celebrated words of the Apostle of the Gentiles: “Woe to me if I do
not preach the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
In this month of October, the month of missions and of the rosary,
how many faithful and how many communities offer the holy rosary for
missionaries and for evangelization! For this reason I am very glad
to find myself today here in Pompeii, in the most important shrine
dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary. This gives me the
opportunity to emphasize with greater insistence that prayer is the
first missionary duty of each one of us. It is first of all through
prayer that the way for the Gospel is prepared; it is through prayer
that hearts are opened to the mystery of God and that souls are
disposed to receive his Word of salvation.
On this day there is yet another happy coincidence to mention. Today
in Lisieux, France, Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin are being
beatified, the parents of Thérèse of the Child Jesus, whom Pius XI
declared patroness of the missions. Through their prayer and their
evangelical witness St. Thérèse’s parents accompanied and shared the
journey of their daughter, who was called by the Lord to
unconditionally consecrate herself to him within the walls of
Carmel. It was there, in the obscurity of the cloister, that St.
Thérèse realized her vocation “to be love in the heart of the
Church” ("Manuscrits autobiographiques," Lisieux 1957, 229).
With the beatification of the Martins in mind, I would like to
recall another intention that is close to my heart: the family,
whose role is fundamental in nurturing in their children a universal
spirit, open and responsive to the world and its problems, and in
forming vocations to missionary life. And so, following in our heart
the pilgrimage that so many families made a month ago to this
shrine, we call upon the maternal protection of the Madonna of
Pompeii for all the families of the world, already looking forward
to the 4th World Family Meeting that is being planned for Mexico
City in January 2009.
[The Pope continued in French]
On this World Mission Day, we especially join with the pilgrims
gathered in Lisieux for the beatification of Louis and Zélie Martin,
the parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, patroness of the
missions.
They proclaimed the Gospel of Christ through their exemplary married
life. They lived their faith ardently and transmitted it to their
family and all around them. May their prayers be a source of joy and
hope for all parents and all families.
© Copyright 2008 - 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
