Pope Benedict XVI- Homilies |
Homily
at Mass of
the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul
"The Unity of the Church is Rooted in its Unity
with Christ"
Mass of Imposition of the Pallium on New Metropolitan
Archbishops
St. Peter's Basilica
June 29, 2010
zenit.org
Dear brothers and sisters!
The biblical texts of this Eucharistic Liturgy of
the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, in their great
wealth, highlight a theme that could be summarized
thus: God is close to his faithful servants and
frees them from all evil, and frees the Church from
negative powers. It is the theme of the freedom of
the Church, which has a historical aspect and
another more deeply spiritual one.
This theme runs through today's Liturgy of the Word.
The first and second readings speak, respectively,
of St Peter and St Paul, emphasizing precisely the
liberating action of God in them. Especially the
text from the Acts of the Apostles describes in
abundant detail the intervention of the Angel of the
Lord, who releases Peter from the chains and leads
him outside the prison in Jerusalem, where he had
been locked up, under close supervision, by King
Herod (cf. at 12.1 to 11). Paul, however, writing to
Timothy when he feels close to the end of his
earthly life, takes stock which shows that the Lord
was always near him and freed him from many dangers
and frees him still by introducing him into His
eternal Kingdom ( see 2 Tim 4, 6-8.17-18). The theme
is reinforced by the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33), and
also finds a particular development in the Gospel of
Peter's confession, where Christ promises that the
powers of hell shall not prevail against his Church
(cf. Mt 16:18).
Observing closely we note a certain progression
regarding this issue. In the first reading a
specific episode is narrated that shows the Lord's
intervention to free Peter from prison. In the
second Paul, on the basis of his extraordinary
apostolic experience, is convinced that the Lord,
who already freed him "from the mouth of the lion
"delivers him" from all evil", by opening the doors
of Heaven to him. In the Gospel we no longer speak
of the individual Apostles, but the Church as a
whole and its safekeeping from the forces of evil,
in the widest and most profound sense. Thus we see
that the promise of Jesus -- "the powers of hell
shall not prevail" on the Church -- yes, includes
the historical experience of persecution suffered by
Peter and Paul and other witnesses of the Gospel,
but it goes further, wanting to protect especially
against threats of a spiritual order, as Paul
himself writes in his Letter to the Ephesians: " For
our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with
the principalities, with the powers, with the world
rulers of this present darkness, with the evil
spirits in the heavens"(Eph 6:12).
Indeed, if we think of the two millennia of Church
history, we can see that -- as the Lord Jesus had
announced (cf. Mt 10.16-33) -- Christians have never
been lacking in trials, which in some periods and
places have assumed the character of real
persecution. These, however, despite the suffering
they cause, are not the greatest danger for the
Church. In fact it suffers greatest damage from what
pollutes the Christian faith and life of its members
and its communities, eroding the integrity of the
Mystical Body, weakening its ability to prophesy and
witness, tarnishing the beauty of its face. This
reality is already attested in the Pauline Epistle.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians, for example,
responds to some problems of divisions,
inconsistencies, of infidelity to the Gospel which
seriously threaten the Church. But the Second Letter
to Timothy -- of which we heard an excerpt - speaks
about the dangers of the "last days", identifying
them with negative attitudes that belong to the
world and can infect the Christian community:
selfishness, vanity, pride, love of money, etc. (cf.
3.1 to 5). The Apostle’s conclusion is reassuring:
men who do wrong -- he writes -- "will not make
further progress, for their foolishness will be
plain to all" (3.9). There is therefore a guarantee
of freedom promised by God to the Church, it is
freedom from the material bonds that seek to prevent
or coerce mission, both through spiritual and moral
evils, which may affect its authenticity and
credibility.
The theme of the freedom of the Church, guaranteed
by Christ to Peter, also has a specific relevance to
the rite of the imposition of the pallium, which we
renew today for thirty-eight metropolitan
archbishops, to whom I address my most cordial
greeting, extending with it affection to all who
have wanted to accompany them on this pilgrimage.
Communion with Peter and his successors, in fact, is
the guarantee of freedom for the Church's Pastors
and the Communities entrusted to them. It is
highlighted on both levels in the aforementioned
reflections. Historically, union with the Apostolic
See, ensures the particular Churches and Episcopal
Conferences freedom with respect to local, national
or supranational powers, that can sometimes hinder
the mission of the ecclesial Church. Furthermore,
and most essentially, the Petrine ministry is a
guarantee of freedom in the sense of full adherence
to truth and authentic tradition, so that the People
of God may be preserved from mistakes concerning
faith and morals. Hence the fact that each year the
new Metropolitans come to Rome to receive the
pallium from the hands of the Pope, must be
understood in its proper meaning, as a gesture of
communion, and the issue of freedom of the Church
gives us a particularly important key for
interpretation. This is evident in the case of
churches marked by persecution, or subject to
political interference or other hardships. But this
is no less relevant in the case of communities that
suffer the influence of misleading doctrines or
ideological tendencies and practices contrary to the
Gospel. Thus the pallium becomes, in this sense, a
pledge of freedom, similar to the "yoke" of Jesus,
that He invites us to take up, each on their
shoulders (Mt 11:29-30). While demanding, the
commandment of Christ is "sweet and light" and
instead of weighing down on the bearer, it lifts him
up, thus the bond with the Apostolic See – while
challenging -- sustains the Pastor and the portion
of the Church entrusted to his care, making them
freer and stronger.
I would like to draw a final point from the Word of
God, in particular from Christ's promise that the
powers of hell shall not prevail against his Church.
These words may also have a significant ecumenical
value, since, as I mentioned earlier, one of the
typical effects of the Devil is division within the
Church community. The divisions are in fact symptoms
of the power of sin, which continues to act in
members of the Church even after redemption. But the
word of Christ is clear: " Non praevalebunt -- it
will not prevail" (Matt. 16:18). The unity of the
Church is rooted in its union with Christ, and the
cause of full Christian unity -- always to be sought
and renewed from generation to generation - is well
supported by his prayer and his promise. In the
fight against the spirit of evil, God has given us
in Jesus the 'Advocate', defender, and after his
Easter, "another Paraclete" (Jn 14:16), the Holy
Spirit, which remains with us always and leads the
Church into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn 14:16;
16:13), which is also the fullness of charity and
unity. With these feelings of confident hope, I am
pleased to greet the delegation of the Patriarchate
of Constantinople, which, in the beautiful custom of
reciprocal visits, participates in the celebrations
of the patron saints of Rome. Together we thank God
for progress in ecumenical relations between
Catholics and Orthodox, and we renew our commitment
to generously reciprocate to God's grace, which
leads us to full communion.
Dear friends, I cordially greet all of you:
Cardinals, Brother Bishops, Ambassadors and civil
authorities, in particular the Mayor of Rome,
priests, religious and lay faithful. Thank you for
your presence. May the Saints Peter and Paul help
you to grow in love for the holy Church, the
Mystical Body of Christ the Lord and messenger of
unity and peace for all men. May they also help you
to offer the hardships and sufferings endured for
fidelity to the Gospel with joy for her holiness and
her mission. May the Virgin Mary, Queen of Apostles
and Mother of the Church, always watch over you and
especially over the Ministry of metropolitan
archbishops. With her heavenly help may you always
live and act in that freedom that Christ has won for
us. Amen.
Look
at the One they Pierced!
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