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Pope Benedict XVI- Apostolic Journey to the Holy Land |
"Build up Your Local Churches, Making Them Workshops of Dialogue,
Tolerance and Hope"
Homily
in Bethlehem's Manger Square
H.H. Benedict XVI
In front of the Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem
May 13, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I thank Almighty God for giving me the grace to come to Bethlehem,
not only to venerate the place of Christ's birth, but also to stand
beside you, my brothers and sisters in the faith, in these
Palestinian Territories. I am grateful to Patriarch Fouad Twal for
the sentiments which he has expressed on your behalf, and I greet
with affection my brother Bishops and all the priests, religious and
lay faithful who labor daily to confirm this local Church in faith,
hope and love. In a special way my heart goes out to the pilgrims
from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and
your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the
hardship and the suffering you have had to endure. Please be assured
of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which
now lies ahead, and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted.
"Do not be afraid; for behold I proclaim to you good news of great
joy ... today in the city of David a Savior is born for you" (Lk
2:10-11). The message of Christ's coming, brought from heaven by the
voice of angels, continues to echo in this town, just as it echoes
in families, homes and communities throughout the world. It is "good
news", the angels say "for all the people". It proclaims that the
Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of David, has been born "for
you": for you and me, and for men and women in every time and place.
In God's plan, Bethlehem, "least among the clans of Judah" (Mic
5:2), has become a place of undying glory: the place where, in the
fullness of time, God chose to become man, to end the long reign of
sin and death, and to bring new and abundant life to a world which
had grown old, weary and oppressed by hopelessness.
For men and women everywhere, Bethlehem is associated with this
joyful message of rebirth, renewal, light and freedom. Yet here, in
our midst, how far this magnificent promise seems from being
realized! How distant seems that Kingdom of wide dominion and peace,
security, justice and integrity which the Prophet Isaiah heralded in
the first reading (cf. Is 9:7), and which we proclaim as
definitively established in the coming of Jesus Christ, Messiah and
King!
From the day of his birth, Jesus was "a sign of contradiction" (Lk
2:34), and he continues to be so, even today. The Lord of hosts,
"whose origin is from old, from ancient days" (Mic 5:2), wished to
inaugurate his Kingdom by being born in this little town, entering
our world in the silence and humility of a cave, and lying, a
helpless babe, in a manger. Here, in Bethlehem, amid every kind of
contradiction, the stones continue to cry out this "good news", the
message of redemption which this city, above all others, is called
to proclaim to the world. For here, in a way which surpassed every
human hope and expectation, God proved faithful to his promises. In
the birth of his Son, he revealed the coming of a Kingdom of love: a
divine love which stoops down in order to bring healing and lift us
up; a love which is revealed in the humiliation and weakness of the
Cross, yet triumphs in a glorious resurrection to new life. Christ
brought a Kingdom which is not of this world, yet a Kingdom which is
capable of changing this world, for it has the power to change
hearts, to enlighten minds and to strengthen wills. By taking on our
flesh, with all its weaknesses, and transfiguring it by the power of
his Spirit, Jesus has called us to be witnesses of his victory over
sin and death. And this is what the message of Bethlehem calls us to
be: witnesses of the triumph of God's love over the hatred,
selfishness, fear and resentment which cripple human relationships
and create division where brothers should dwell in unity,
destruction where men should be building, despair where hope should
flourish!
"In hope we were saved", the Apostle Paul says (Rom 8:24). Yet he
affirms with utter realism that creation continues to groan in
travail, even as we, who have received the first-fruits of the
Spirit, patiently await the fulfillment of our redemption (cf. Rom
8:22-24). In today's second reading, Paul draws a lesson from the
Incarnation which is particularly applicable to the travail which
you, God's chosen ones in Bethlehem, are experiencing: "God's grace
has appeared", he tells us, "training us to reject godless ways and
worldly desires, and to live, temperately, justly and devoutly in
this age", as we await the coming of our blessed hope, the Savior
Jesus Christ (Tit 2:11-13).
Are these not the virtues required of men and women who live in
hope? First, the constant conversion to Christ which is reflected
not only in our actions but also in our reasoning: the courage to
abandon fruitless and sterile ways of thinking, acting and reacting.
Then, the cultivation of a mindset of peace based on justice, on
respect for the rights and duties of all, and commitment to
cooperation for the common good. And also perseverance, perseverance
in good and in the rejection of evil. Here in Bethlehem, a special
perseverance is asked of Christ's disciples: perseverance in
faithful witness to God's glory revealed here, in the birth of his
Son, to the good news of his peace which came down from heaven to
dwell upon the earth.
"Do not be afraid!" This is the message which the Successor of Saint
Peter wishes to leave with you today, echoing the message of the
angels and the charge which our beloved Pope John Paul II left with
you in the year of the Great Jubilee of Christ's birth. Count on the
prayers and solidarity of your brothers and sisters in the universal
Church, and work, with concrete initiatives, to consolidate your
presence and to offer new possibilities to those tempted to leave.
Be a bridge of dialogue and constructive cooperation in the building
of a culture of peace to replace the present stalemate of fear,
aggression and frustration. Build up your local Churches, making
them workshops of dialogue, tolerance and hope, as well as
solidarity and practical charity.
Above all, be witnesses to the power of life, the new life brought
by the Risen Christ, the life that can illumine and transform even
the darkest and most hopeless of human situations. Your homeland
needs not only new economic and community structures, but most
importantly, we might say, a new "spiritual" infrastructure, capable
of galvanizing the energies of all men and women of good will in the
service of education, development and the promotion of the common
good. You have the human resources to build the culture of peace and
mutual respect which will guarantee a better future for your
children. This noble enterprise awaits you. Do not be afraid!
The ancient Basilica of the Nativity, buffeted by the winds of
history and the burden of the ages, stands before us as a witness to
the faith which endures and triumphs over the world (cf. 1 Jn 5:4).
No visitor to Bethlehem can fail to notice that in the course of the
centuries the great door leading into the house of God has become
progressively smaller. Today let us pray that, by God's grace and
our commitment, the door leading into the mystery of God's dwelling
among men, the temple of our communion in his love, and the
foretaste of a world of eternal peace and joy, will open ever more
fully to welcome, renew and transform every human heart. In this
way, Bethlehem will continue to echo the message entrusted to the
shepherds, to us, and to all mankind: "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth, peace to those whom he loves"! Amen.
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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