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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On the Church in the Czech Republic
"May Mary Keep the Flame of Faith Alive in All of You"
H.H. Benedict XVI
September 27, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
We have come to the end of this solemn celebration, and the midday
hour invites us to pray the Angelus. I am pleased to do so here, in
the heart of Moravia, Bohemia's sister territory, a land marked for
many centuries by the Christian faith, a land that reminds us of the
courageous mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
Twenty years ago, when Pope John Paul II decided to visit Central
and Eastern Europe after the fall of Communist totalitarianism, he
chose to being his pastoral journey in Velehrad, the place where the
famous Unionist Congresses were held, those precursors of ecumenism
among the Slav peoples, a place known throughout the Christian
world. I am sure you also remember another of his visits, in 1995,
when he went to Svatı Kopeček near Olomouc for an unforgettable
meeting with young people. I should like to make my own the ideas
put forward by my venerable predecessor, as I invite you to remain
faithful to your Christian vocation and to the Gospel, so as to
build together a future of solidarity and peace.
Moravia is blessed with a number of Marian shrines that are visited
by crowds of pilgrims throughout the year. At this moment I should
like to make a pilgrimage in spirit to the mountainous forest shrine
of Hostın, where you venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary as your
protectress. May Mary keep the flame of faith alive in all of you, a
faith that is nourished by traditions of popular piety with deep
roots in the past, which you rightly take care to maintain, so that
the warmth of family conviviality in villages and towns may not be
lost. At times one cannot help noticing, with a certain nostalgia,
that the pace of modern life tends to diminish some elements of a
rich heritage of faith. Yet it is important not to lose sight of the
ideal expressed by traditional customs, and above all to maintain
the spiritual patrimony inherited from your forebears, to guard it
and to make it answer to the needs of the present day. May the
Virgin Mary assist you in this, as we renew the entrustment to her
of your Church and of the entire Czech nation.
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims from
Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria. Here is a Vatican translation
of his words:]
[I warmly welcome the pilgrims who have come from neighbouring
Slovakia. Dear brothers and sisters, today's Liturgy of the Word
challenges us to recognize Jesus Christ as our one hope. I invite
you to bear faithful witness to this message before the world. From
my heart I bless you and your families at home. May Jesus Christ be
praised!]
[I extend cordial greetings to the Poles taking part in this Mass. I
thank you for coming, and for the support of your prayers. May the
Pope's pastoral visit to the Church in the Czech Republic bear
abundant fruits of faith and love in your hearts. May God bless
you!]
[I extend heartfelt greetings to the pilgrims from Germany and
Austria. I am glad that you have come here to pray and to celebrate
alongside your brothers and sisters in the Czech Republic. Even more
than the bonds of neighbourliness, it is faith in Jesus Christ that
brings us together and unites us. And today our common witness is
more necessary than ever, if we are to proclaim in new and powerful
ways the message of salvation: the crucified and risen Lord - Jesus
Christ, the hope of humanity! The experience that Christ does not
abandon his friends, but helps them to live lives of happiness, must
not leave us cold and indifferent towards our fellow men and women
who are seeking truth and love and longing for true life. Let us
show them the way to Jesus Christ, who gives us life in its
fullness. With joy we seek to live day by day from our faith and our
hope and we work together in building up a society on the
foundations of goodness, justice and fraternity, on love of God and
neighbour. May God bless our endeavours.]
[Dear friends, it is a great joy for me to be here with you in Brno,
in the heart of Moravia. I also greet those who are following our
celebration through the media. In a particular way, I think with
affection of the elderly, the suffering and the sick. I ask you to
remember me in your prayers, just as I assure you of my own
spiritual closeness. May Almighty God grant you abundant heavenly
graces and blessings.]
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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