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Pope Benedict XVI- Apostolic Journey to the Holy Land |
"Like Moses, We Too Have Been Called by Name"
Address
at Mount Nebo
H.H. Benedict XVI
Basilica of the Moses Memorial at Mount Nebo
May 9, 2009
Father Minister General,
Father Custos,
Dear Friends,
In this holy place, consecrated by the memory of Moses, I greet all
of you with affection in our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank Father José
Rodríguez Carballo for his warm words of welcome. I also take this
occasion to renew my gratitude, and that of the whole Church, to the
Friars Minor of the Custody for their age-old presence in these
lands, their joyful fidelity to the charism of Saint Francis, and
their generous concern for the spiritual and material welfare of the
local Christian communities and the countless pilgrims who visit the
Holy Land each year. Here I wish to remember also, with particular
gratitude, the late Father Michele Piccirillo, who devoted his life
to the study of Christian antiquity and is buried in this shrine
which was so dear to him.
It is appropriate that my pilgrimage should begin on this mountain,
where Moses contemplated the Promised Land from afar. The
magnificent prospect which opens up from the esplanade of this
shrine invites us to ponder how that prophetic vision mysteriously
embraced the great plan of salvation which God had prepared for his
People. For it was in the valley of the Jordan which stretches out
below us that, in the fullness of time, John the Baptist would come
to prepare the way of the Lord. It was in the waters of the River
Jordan that Jesus, after his baptism by John, would be revealed as
the beloved Son of the Father and, anointed by the Holy Spirit,
would inaugurate his public ministry. And it was from the Jordan
that the Gospel would first go forth in Christ's own preaching and
miracles, and then, after his resurrection and the descent of the
Spirit at Pentecost, be brought by his disciples to the very ends of
the earth.
Here, on the heights of Mount Nebo, the memory of Moses invites us
to "lift up our eyes" to embrace with gratitude not only God's
mighty works in the past, but also to look with faith and hope to
the future which he holds out to us and to our world. Like Moses, we
too have been called by name, invited to undertake a daily exodus
from sin and slavery towards life and freedom, and given an
unshakeable promise to guide our journey. In the waters of Baptism,
we have passed from the slavery of sin to new life and hope. In the
communion of the Church, Christ's Body, we look forward to the
vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, where God will be
all in all. From this holy mountain Moses directs our gaze on high,
to the fulfilment of all God's promises in Christ.
Moses gazed upon the Promised Land from afar, at the end of his
earthly pilgrimage. His example reminds us that we too are part of
the ageless pilgrimage of God's people through history. In the
footsteps of the prophets, the apostles and the saints, we are
called to walk with the Lord, to carry on his mission, to bear
witness to the Gospel of God's universal love and mercy. We are
called to welcome the coming of Christ's Kingdom by our charity, our
service to the poor, and our efforts to be a leaven of
reconciliation, forgiveness and peace in the world around us. We
know that, like Moses, we may not see the complete fulfilment of
God's plan in our lifetime. Yet we trust that, by doing our small
part, in fidelity to the vocation each of us has received, we will
help to make straight the paths of the Lord and welcome the dawn of
his Kingdom. And we know that the God who revealed his name to Moses
as a pledge that he would always be at our side (cf. Ex 3:14) will
give us the strength to persevere in joyful hope even amid
suffering, trial and tribulation.
From the earliest times, Christians have come on pilgrimage to the
sites linked to the history of the Chosen People, the events of
Christ's life and the nascent Church. This great tradition, which my
present pilgrimage is meant to continue and confirm, is grounded in
the desire to see, to touch, and to savor in prayer and
contemplation the places blessed by the physical presence of our
Savior, his Blessed Mother, the apostles and the first disciples who
saw him risen from the dead. Here, in the footsteps of the countless
pilgrims who have preceded us in every century, we are challenged to
appreciate more fully the gift of our faith and to grow in that
communion which transcends every limit of language, race and
culture.
The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds
us of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people.
From the beginning, the Church in these lands has commemorated in
her liturgy the great figures of the Patriarchs and Prophets, as a
sign of her profound appreciation of the unity of the two
Testaments. May our encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for
the canon of Sacred Scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles
to the reconciliation of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and
cooperation in the service of that peace to which the word of God
calls us!
Dear friends, gathered in this holy place, let us now raise our eyes
and our hearts to the Father. As we prepare to pray the prayer which
Jesus taught us, let us beg him to hasten the coming of his Kingdom
so that we may see the fulfilment of his saving plan, and
experience, with Saint Francis and all those pilgrims who have gone
before us marked with the sign of faith, the gift of untold peace -
pax et bonum - which awaits us in the heavenly Jerusalem.
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