On St. Augustine's Search for Truth

On St. Augustine's Search for Truth

"Faith and Reason Are the Two Forces That Lead Us to Knowledge "

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the third in a series on St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo.

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Dear friends,

After the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we return today to the great figure of St. Augustine. In 1986, on the 1,600th anniversary of his conversion, my beloved predecessor John Paul II dedicated a long and detailed document to St. Augustine, the apostolic letter "Augustinium Hipponensem."

The Pope himself chose to describe this text as "thanksgiving to God for the gift he bestowed on the Church and on all humanity with that wonderful conversion" (AAS, 74, 1982, p. 802). I would like to return to the subject of his conversion in a future audience. It is a fundamental subject, not only for St. Augustine's own personal life but for ours too. In last Sunday's Gospel, the Lord himself summarized his preaching with the words "be converted." In following the path of St. Augustine we can consider what this conversion revolves around: It is definitive, decisive, but the fundamental decision must be developed and must be accomplished throughout our lives.

Today instead, the catechesis is dedicated to the subjects of faith and reason, which are the defining themes of St. Augustine's biography. As a child he learned the Catholic faith from his mother Monica. As an adolescent he abandoned the faith because he could not see how it could be reasoned out and did not want a religion that was not also for him an expression of reason -- that is to say, truth.

His thirst for truth was radical and led him away from the Catholic faith. His radicality was such that he was not satisfied with philosophies that did not reach truth itself, and that did not reach God -- not a God as a last cosmological hypothesis, but the true God, God who gives life and joins our very lives.

The intellectual and spiritual itinerary of St. Augustine is also a valid model for today in the relationship between faith and reason, a topic not only for faithful individuals, but for every person who seeks the truth, a central theme for the equilibrium and destiny of every human being.

These two dimensions, faith and reason, should not be separated nor opposed, but rather go forward together. As Augustine himself wrote after his conversion, faith and reason are "the two forces that lead us to knowledge" ("Contra Academicos," III, 20, 43).

To this end the two famous Augustinian formulas ("Sermons," 43, 9) express this coherent synthesis between faith and reason: "Crede ut intelligas" (I believe in order to understand) -- faith opens the way to step through the door of truth -- but also, and inseparably, "intellige ut credas" (I understand in order to believe), in order to find God and believe, you must scrutinize truth.

The two assertions of St. Augustine express the synthesis of this problem in which the Catholic Church sees its own approach expressed with depth and immediacy. Historically speaking, this synthesis was formed even before the coming of Christ, with the coming together of the Jewish faith and Greek thought in Hellenistic Judaism. Subsequently, this synthesis was taken up again and developed by many Christian thinkers. The harmony between faith and reason means above all that God is not far away; he is not far from our reasoning or from our lives; he is close to every human being, close to our hearts and close to our reason if we truly follow his path.

It is precisely this closeness of God to man that Augustine experienced with extraordinary force. The presence of God in man is deep and at the same time mysterious. It can however be discovered and recognized deep down in oneself: Don't look outside of yourself, says the converted one, "but go back into yourself -- truth resides in the interior man, and if you find that your nature is changeable, transcend yourself. But remember, when you transcend yourself, that you transcend a soul which reasons. Then reach beyond -- to where the light of reason is lit" ("De vera religione," 39, 72).

He emphasizes this with a well-known assertion at the beginning of the "Confessions," a spiritual autobiography written in the praise of God: "You made us for you, and our heart is restless until it rests in you" (I, 1, 1).

Distance from God means distance from oneself. Addressing his words directly to God he acknowledges ("Confessions," III, 6, 11): "You are more intimately present to me than my inmost being and higher than the highest element in me," -- "interior intimo meo et superior summo meo" -- so that, he adds in another passage remembering the time preceding his conversion, "you were in front of me, but I, instead, had gone far from myself and could not find myself again, and even less could I find you again" (Confessiones, V, 2, 2).

Because Augustine personally experienced this intellectual and spiritual journey, he managed to convey it in his writings with immediacy, depth and wisdom; in another two famous passages of the "Confessions" (IV, 4, 9 and 14, 22), he acknowledged that man is "a great enigma" (magna quaestio) and "a deep abyss" (grande profundum), an enigma and an abyss that Christ alone enlightens and saves.

This is important: A man who is distant from God is also distant from himself, estranged from himself, he can find himself only by meeting God. This path leads to himself, to his true self and identity.

In "De Civitate Dei" (XII, 27) Augustine underlines the fact that the human being is by nature a social animal, but antisocial in his vices. Man is saved by Christ, the only mediator between God and humanity, and as repeated by my predecessor John Paul II ("Augustinium Hipponensem," 21), he is "the universal path to freedom and salvation."

In the same text, Augustine affirms that "no one has ever found freedom or will ever find freedom" ("De Civitate Dei," X, 32, 2) other than by following this path which has always been accessible to man. Christ, as the only route to salvation, is head of the Church and inscrutably united with it. Augustine affirms, "We have become Christ. In fact, if he is the head of man and we are the body, together we make up the whole" ("In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus," 21, 8).

People of God and house of God: The Church in the Augustinian vision is closely associated with the concept of the Body of Christ, based on the Christological rereading of the Old Testament and on the sacramental life centered on the Eucharist, in which the Lord gives us his Body and transforms us in his Body. It is then essential that the Church -- people of God in the Christological and not sociological sense -- be really placed in Christ, who "prays for us, prays in us, is prayed to by us," as Augustine affirms beautifully on the written page: "He prays for us as our priest, he prays in us as our chief, he is prayed to by us as our God: so we recognize in him our voice, and in ours, his" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos," 85, 1).

In the conclusion of the apostolic letter "Augustinum Hipponensem," John Paul II asked St. Augustine what he would say to the men of today, and he answers with the words that Augustine dictated in a letter shortly after his conversion: "It seems to me that men have to be guided toward the hope of finding the truth" (Epistulae, 1, 1); that truth is Christ himself, true God, to whom is dedicated one the most beautiful and famous prayers of the Confessions (X, 27, 38):

"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new,
late have I loved you!
You were within me, but I was outside,
and it was there that I searched for you.
In my unloveliness
I plunged into the lovely things which you created.
You were with me, but I was not with you.
Created things kept me from you;
yet if they had not been in you
they would have not been at all.
You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness.
You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.
You breathed your fragrance on me;
I drew in breath and now I pant for you.
I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.
You touched me, and I burned for your peace."

So Augustine found God and throughout his life experienced God to the point that this reality -- which was above all an encounter with a person, Jesus Christ -- changed his life, just as it changed the lives of so many men and women who have had the grace to meet him.

Let us pray that God grants us this favor and in so doing allows us to find his peace.

[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in six languages. In Italian, he said:]

I extend a warm welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet the bishops who came for the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Community of Sant'Egidio, I pray that everyone strengthens the firm wish to announce Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world to all men.

I extend a particularly special welcome to the faithful of the Parish of Santa Caterina of Nardo -- which I am told has a beautiful sea -- with a special thought for the young musicians.

Dear friends, I thank you for your presence here and I hope that this meeting increases in each of you the desire to witness with joy the Gospel in your every day life. I accompany you with my prayer, so that you may build your projects on the solid foundation of faithfulness to God. I also greet the Caritas staff from the Diocese of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto, and I encourage them to continue with generosity their work for the those most in need.
Finally, I address the young, the sick and the newlyweds.
Tomorrow we celebrate the liturgical memorial of St. John Bosco, a priest and educator. Dear young people, look to him as a true master of life, especially those of you preparing for confirmation from Serroni di Battipaglia. Dear sick ones, learn from his spiritual experience to trust in Christ whatever the circumstances. And you, dear newlyweds, ask for his intercession to help you engage in your mission of marriage with generous enthusiasm.

[Translation by Laura Leoncini]

[In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we continue our catechesis on Saint Augustine of Hippo, I wish today to consider some of the teachings of this great Doctor of the Church. A passionate believer, he recognized the importance of bringing together faith and reason. It was he who taught that we should believe in order to understand, and understand in order to believe. God makes himself known to our reason, although he always transcends what we can know through reason alone. As Augustine beautifully expressed it, God is "more intimately present to me than my inmost being" and "higher than the highest element in me."

Saint Augustine taught that by belonging to the Church, we are so closely united to Christ that we "become" Christ, the head whose members we are. As our head, Christ prays in us, yet he also prays for us as our priest, and we pray to him as our God. If we ask what particular message Saint Augustine has for the men and women of today, it is perhaps his emphasis on our need for truth. Listen to the way he describes his own search for God's truth: "You were within me and I sought you outside, in the beautiful things that you had made. You were with me, but I was not with you. You called me, you cried out and broke open my deafness. I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for you." Let us pray that we too may discover the joy of knowing God's truth.

I am pleased to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's Audience, including groups from England, Scotland, Hong Kong and the United States of America. I greet especially the representatives of the Pontifical Mission Societies and the group who are preparing to be ordained deacons. Upon all of you, and upon your families and loved ones, I invoke God's blessings of joy and peace.

(c) Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Prayer of Saint Francis de Sales

Prayer of Saint Francis de Sales

Lord, I am yours,
and I must belong to no one but you.
My soul is yours,
and must live only by you.
My will is yours,
and must love only for you.
I must love you as my first cause,
since I am from you.
I must love you as my end and rest,
since I am for you.
I must love you more than my own being,
since my being subsists by you.
I must love you more than myself,
since I am all yours and all in you.
AMEN.

from Treatise on the Love of God by Saint Francis de Sales

source

Direction of Intention
My God, I give you this day. I offer you, now, all of the good that I shall do and I promise to accept, for love of you, all of the difficulty that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself during this day in a manner pleasing to you. Amen.

source

Spiritual Directory of St. Francis de Sales
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Welcome to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Toledo-Detroit ...
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

Zenit: B16--St. Augustine's Last Days

St. Augustine's Last Days

"Though the World Grows Old, Christ Is Forever Young"

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 16, 2007 JAN. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the second in a series on St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, as I did last Wednesday, I would like to discuss the great bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine. Four years before he died, he wanted to nominate his successor. To this end, on Sept. 26, 426, he gathered the people in the Basilica of Peace in Hippo so he could present them with his choice for this task.

He said: "We are all mortal, but no individual can be sure of his last day in this life. In any case, in childhood we hope to reach adolescence, in adolescence we aspire toward adulthood, in adulthood toward middle age and in middle age we look to reaching old age. We are never sure we will get there, but that is our hope.

"Old age, however, is not followed by another stage of life toward which we can aspire; its duration is unknown. I arrived in this city in the vigor of my life, but now my youth has gone and I am an old man" (Ep. 213,1).

At this point Augustine told them the name of his chosen successor, the priest Heracles. The people burst into applause of approval and repeated 23 times: "Thanks be to God! Praise be to Christ!" They continued to exclaim approval when Augustine told them of his plans for the future. He wanted to dedicate his remaining years to a deeper study of holy Scripture (Ep. 213,6).

The following four years were indeed of an extraordinary intellectual activity: Augustine carried out important works, he undertook new ones that were no less demanding, he held discussions with the heretics -- he always sought dialogue -- and he intervened to promote peace in the African provinces that were harassed by the southern barbarian tribes.

For this reason he wrote to Count Darius, who had come to Africa to put an end to the disagreement between Count Boniface and the Imperial Court, which the Mauri tribes were taking advantage of for their raids. "A greater title for glory," he affirmed in his letter, "is to kill war with words, rather than to kill men with the sword, and to get or maintain peace through peace and not through war. Certainly the fighters, if they are good, are also seeking peace, but at the cost of shedding blood. You, on the contrary, have been sent to prevent blood being spilt on any side" (Ep. 229, 2).

Unfortunately, the hope for peace in the African territories was not fulfilled: In May 429, the Vandals, invited to Africa out of spite by Boniface himself, crossed the Gibraltar strait and entered Mauritania. The invasion rapidly spread to other rich African provinces. In May or June 430, "the destroyers of the Roman Empire," as Possidius called these barbarians ("Vita," 30,1), laid siege to Hippo.

Boniface also sought shelter in town; he had reconciled too late with the Court and was now trying to stop the invaders, but to no avail. The biographer Possidius describes Augustine's pain: "More than usual, his tears became his bread day and night, and arriving almost to the end of his life, he was, more than others, dragging his old age into bitterness and mourning" ("Vita," 28,6). He explains: "That man of God was in fact witnessing the massacre and destruction of the cities; homes in the countryside destroyed and residents killed by the enemy, or forced to flee; churches deprived of their priests and ministers; sacred virgins and monks displaced; among them, some were tortured and killed, others murdered by the sword, others taken prisoners; they lost faith and the integrity of their soul and body, reduced to a grievous and long slavery by their enemies" (ibid., 28,8).

Despite being old and tired, Augustine remained strong, providing comfort for himself and others through prayer and meditation on the mysteries of God's will. He spoke of "the world's old age" -- and this Roman world really was old. He spoke of this old age as he had done years earlier to console the Italian refugees when the Goths from Alaric invaded the city of Rome. In old age sickness abounds: coughs, catarrh, anxiety, exhaustion. Though the world grows old, Christ is forever young.

So he invited them: "Don't refuse to be young again united with Christ, even in an old world. He tells you: Do not fear, your youth will be renewed like the eagle's youth" (cf. Serm. 81,8). Therefore, the Christian should not be let down even in difficult situations, but he must help those in need. This is what the great doctor advised, answering Honoratus, bishop of Tiabe, who had asked him whether a bishop, a priest or any man of Church could flee to save his life when under barbarian invasions: "When the danger is shared by all -- bishops, clergymen and laymen -- those in need should not be left alone. In this case they should all be transferred to safe places; but if some need to stay, they should not be left alone by those who have the duty to assist them with the sacred ministry, so either they all save themselves together, or together they bear the disaster that the Father wants them to suffer" (Ep. 228, 2).

And he concluded: "This is the supreme test of charity" (ibid., 3). How could we not recognize, in these words, the heroic message that many priests have embraced and identified with along the centuries?

Meanwhile, the town of Hippo held fast. Augustine's house-monastery had opened its doors to the colleagues in the episcopate who were seeking refuge. Among them was Possidius, already his disciple, who managed to leave us a direct account of those final, dramatic days. "In the third month of that siege," he tells us, "he was struck by fever: That was his last illness" ("Vita," 29,3). The holy, venerable, old man decided to dedicate his remaining time to intense prayer. He used to affirm that no one, bishop, monk or layman, however irreproachable his conduct may have been, could confront death without adequate penitence. That's why between tears he continually repeated the penitential psalms, that he had so often recited with his people (cf. ibid., 31,2).

As he worsened, the more the dying bishop felt the need for solitude and prayer: "About 10 days before he left his body, in order not to be troubled in his concentration, he begged us to not let anyone enter his room outside of the medical visiting hours or the eating time schedule. His wishes were carried out and during all that time he prayed" (ibid., 31,3). He died Aug. 28, 430: His great heart finally rested in God.

"We assisted in the removal of his body," Possidius informs us, "dedicated to God, and then he was buried" (Life, 31,5). At a certain point -- date unknown -- his body was transferred to Sardinia, and from there to Pavia around 725, to the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'oro, where he rests today.

His first biographer has the following conclusive judgment about him: "He left a large clergy to the Church, as well as male and female monasteries with people dedicated to the obedience of their superiors. He left us libraries with books and speeches by him and other holy men from which, with God's grace, we can deduce his merit and stature in the Church, and in which the faithful always rediscover him (Possidius, "Vita," 31, 8).

We can associate ourselves with this judgment: In his writings we also "rediscover him." When I read St. Augustine's works, I don't have the impression that he died more or less 1,600 years ago, I feel he is a modern man: a friend, a contemporary who speaks to me, he speaks to us with his fresh and modern faith.

In Saint Augustine, who speaks to us -- who speaks to me at us in his writings -- we see the permanent actuality of his faith; of the faith that comes from Christ, eternal word made flesh, Son of God and son of man. This faith does not belong to yesterday, though it was preached yesterday. It is always of today, because Christ is truly yesterday, today and always. He is the way, the truth and the life. St. Augustine encourages to entrust ourselves to the living Christ and to find through him the way to life.

[Translation by Laura Leoncini]

[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in six languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our catechesis this week is again centered on the life and writings of the great Doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine. Some four years before he died, Augustine designated his successor in the See of Hippo, desiring to devote the rest of his life to the study of the Scriptures. Nevertheless, those proved to be years of extraordinary activity, as the aged Bishop sought to reconcile divided Christians and to bring peace to the troubled African provinces of the Empire. During the Vandal invasion of Africa, Augustine found solace in reflection on the mystery of God's providence. The world, he said, is growing old and failing, yet Christ remains eternally young and brings renewed youth to those who put their faith in him. Amid the calamities of the time, he encouraged the clergy not to abandon their flock, but to offer the supreme witness of Christian charity. Augustine died in 431, during the siege of Hippo, having devoted his last days to penance and prayer. At last his great heart found its rest in God. Today, as in past centuries, may Augustine's example and the rich treasury of his writings be a source of instruction, inspiration and strength as the Church makes her pilgrim way to the fullness of God's Kingdom.

I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today's Audience, including the students from Australia, Ireland, and the United States of America. May your time in Rome be one of uplifting spiritual renewal. Upon all of you I invoke God's abundant blessings of joy and peace.

[In Italian, he said:]

The day after tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 18, marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year has special significance because a hundred years have passed since its inception. The theme is the invitation of St. Paul to the Thessalonians: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17); an invitation which I gladly make my own and address to the whole Church.

It is indeed necessary to pray without ceasing, insistently asking God for the great gift of unity among all the Lord's disciples. May the endless strength of the Holy Spirit move us to a sincere commitment to seek unity, so that all together we may profess that Jesus is the one Saviour of the world.

(c) Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Zenit: B16--On Christ's Baptism

On Christ's Baptism


"Jesus Began Taking Upon Himself the Guilt of All Humanity"



VATICAN CITY, JAN. 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

With today's feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the liturgical season of Christmas comes to a close. The child, whom the Magi came from the East to venerate in Bethlehem offering their symbolic gifts, we find now as an adult, in the moment in which he is baptized in the Jordan by the great prophet John (cf. Matthew 3:13). The Gospel notes that when Jesus, having received baptism, comes out of the water, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends upon him as a dove (cf. Matthew 3:16). A voice was then heard from heaven that said: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

That was his first public appearance after 30 years of a hidden life in Nazareth. The eyewitnesses of this singular event were, besides the Baptist, his disciples, some of whom would from that moment become followers of Christ (cf. John 1:35-40). We have at the same time a Christophany and Theophany: Above all, Jesus manifests himself as the "Christ," the Greek term that is used as the translation of the Hebrew "Messiah," which means "anointed." He was not anointed with oil, in the matter of the kings and high priests of Israel, but with the Holy Spirit. At the same time, together with the Son of God, there appeared the signs of the Holy Spirit and of the heavenly Father.

What is the meaning of this deed, which Jesus wanted to accomplish, overcoming the resistance of the Baptist, to obey the Father's will (cf. Matthew 3:14-15)? The profound meaning will emerge only at the end of the earthly event of Christ, that is, in his death and resurrection. Receiving baptism from John together with sinners, Jesus began taking upon himself the weight of the guilt of all humanity, as the Lamb of God who "takes away" the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29).

This is a task that he will only bring to completion on the cross, where he also receives his "baptism" (cf. Luke 12:50). Dying, in fact, he "immerses" himself in the love of the Father and pours out the Spirit so that those who believe in him can be reborn from that inexhaustible font of new and eternal life. Christ's whole mission is summarized in this: We are baptized in the Holy Spirit to be liberated from the slavery of death and "have the heavens opened to us," that is, have access to the true and full life, which will be "a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy" ("Spe Salvi," No. 12).

This is also what happened for the 13 babies to whom I administered the sacrament of baptism this morning in the Sistine Chapel. For them and for their families we invoke the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy. And we pray for all Christians, that they may understand more and more the gift of baptism and commit themselves to living it with consistency, witnessing to the love of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[After the Angelus, the Holy Father said the following:]

Today is the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which this year is focusing attention on young migrants. In fact, there are numerous young people who are forced for various reasons to live far from their families and countries. Girls and minors are especially at risk. Some children and adolescents are born and grow up in "refugee camps": They too have a right to a future!

I express my appreciation for those who commit themselves to help young migrants, their families and the integration of their work and study; I invite ecclesial communities to welcome with sympathy the young and the very young with their parents, trying to understand their stories and helping them to become assimilated. Dear young migrants! Commit yourselves together with your contemporaries to building a more just and fraternal society, fulfilling your duties, respecting the laws and not allowing yourselves to be caught up in violence. I entrust all of you to Mary, Mother of all humanity.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

[Then, the Holy Father greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:]

To all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims here today, I extend affectionate greetings. On this feast of the Lord's Baptism, Jesus descends into the waters of the Jordan , taking upon himself the weight of our sins; then he rises from the water, as the Spirit comes down upon him and the Father's voice declares: "This is my beloved Son". Let us rejoice that the Son of God came to share our human condition, so that we might rise with him to everlasting life. Upon all who are here today, and upon your families and loved ones at home, I invoke God's abundant blessings.

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Benedict XVI's homily at the Mass for the feast of the Epiphany

The Church's Diplomacy Has a Fixed Star: That of the Magi
In the new year address to the diplomatic corps, Benedict XVI took stock of the Vatican's politics in the world. But to the faithful, at the Mass of the Epiphany, he said much more. He preached his theology of history – and here it is

by Sandro Magister






ROMA, January 8, 2008 – The Monday after the Epiphany, in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Vatican Palace, pope Benedict XVI delivered to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See the traditional inaugural address for the new year.

In addresses like this, observers find a synthesis of the Church's geopolitics. And in effect, the text that the pope read to the diplomats was the painstaking product of the Vatican offices that handle relations with states and with international bodies.


But at the end of the address, the personal touch of Benedict XVI was unmistakable. With these words:

"Diplomacy is, in a certain sense, the art of hope. It lives from hope and seeks to discern even its most tenuous signs. Diplomacy must give hope. The celebration of Christmas reminds us each year that, when God became a little child, Hope came to live in our world, in the heart of the human family."

It's a dizzying leap from the arts of diplomacy to that "little child" who is Jesus. And yet it is entirely here – according to Benedict XVI – that is found the original mission of the Church, its vision of the world, its theology of history.

The pope gave the diplomats just a fleeting glimpse of this grandiose vision.

But twenty-four hours earlier, preaching to the faithful in the homily for the Mass of the Epiphany that he celebrated in the basilica of Saint Peter, Benedict XVI unfolded this vision in its entirety, with a power of synthesis and imagination that is, perhaps, unequalled in his previous preaching.

The Magi who found Jesus by following the star – the pope said – did the opposite of what happened at Babel. The Epiphany is already Pentecost. It is the blessing of God, who saves and reconciles men and nations. In the child of Bethlehem, the "last times" have begun. The Church "fulfills its mission completely only when it reflects in itself the light of Christ the Lord, and so helps the peoples of the world along the way of peace and authentic progress."

The pope delivered the homily in Italian, and the Vatican offices have not provided any translations into other languages. And yet this is a text of capital importance for understanding this pontificate, a text without which the address to the diplomatic corps on Monday, January 7 remains halting and incomprehensible.

Here, from the first word to the last, is the homily of Benedict XVI at the Mass celebrated in Saint Peter's basilica on January 6, 2008, the feast of the Epiphany:


"We all need the courage of the Magi..."

by Benedict XVI


Dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate Christ, the light of the world, and his revelation to the nations. On Christmas the message of the liturgy resounded in this way: "Hodie descendit lux magna super terram," today a great light descends upon the earth (Roman Missal). In Bethlehem, this "great light" appeared to a small nucleus of persons, a miniscule "remnant of Israel": the Virgin Mary, her husband Joseph, and some shepherds. A humble light, as is the style of the true God; a little flame kindled in the night: a fragile newborn baby, wailing away in the silence of the world... But that hidden, unobserved birth was accompanied by the hymn of praise of the celestial choirs, who sang of glory and peace (cf. Luke 2:13-14).

Thus that light, as modest as its appearance upon the earth was, blazed forth powerfully in the heavens: the birth of the King of the Jews had been announced by the appearance of a star that was visible from very far away. This was the testimony of "some Magi" who had come from the East to Jerusalem shortly after the birth of Jesus, at the time of King Herod (cf. Matthew 2:1-2).

Once again there is a call and response between heaven and earth, between the cosmos and history. The ancient prophecies find confirmation in the language of the stars. "A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel" (Numbers 24:17), the pagan seer Balaam had announced, who had been called upon to curse the people of Israel, but instead blessed them, because – as God revealed to him – " they are blessed" (Numbers 22:12).

Relating Balaam to the Magi, in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew Chromatius of Aquileia writes: "He prophesied that Christ would come; they glimpsed him with the eyes of faith." And he adds an important observation: "The star was seen by all, but all did not understand its meaning. In the same way, our Lord and Savior was born for all, but all did not welcome him" (ibid, 4:1-2). This shows the meaning, in the historical perspective, of the light that appeared at the birth of Christ: it expresses the special blessing of God upon the descendants of Abraham, destined to be extended to all the peoples of the earth.

The Gospel event that we recall at Epiphany – the visit of the Magi to the Child Jesus in Bethlehem – thus draws us back to the origins of the history of the people of God, to the calling of Abraham.

We are in chapter 12 of the book of Genesis. The first 11 chapters are like grand frescoes that respond to some of humanity's fundamental questions: what is the origin of the universe and of the human race? Where does evil come from? Why are there different languages and civilizations?

Among the initial accounts of the Bible, there appears a first "covenant," which God established with Noah after the flood. This is a universal covenant, which concerns all of humanity: the new pact with the family of Noah is, at the same time, a pact with "all flesh."

Then, before the calling of Abraham, there is another grand fresco that is very important for understanding the meaning of the Epiphany: the account of the tower of Babel. The sacred text affirms that in the beginning, "The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words" (Genesis 11:1). Then men said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth" (Genesis 11:4). The consequence of this sin of pride, analogous to that of Adam and Eve, was the confusion of languages and the dispersal of humanity all over the earth (cf. Genesis 11:7-8). This is what "Babel" means, and it was a sort of curse, similar to the expulsion from the earthly paradise.

It is at this point that the history of the blessing begins, with the calling of Abraham: there begins the great plan of God to make humanity into a family, through the covenant with a new people, chosen by Him that they might be a blessing among all the nations (cf. Genesis 12:1-3).

This divine plan is still unfolding, and had its culminating moment in the mystery of Christ.

It was then that the "last times" began, in the sense that the plan was fully revealed and realized in Christ, but it needs to be incorporated into human history, which remains always a story of faithfulness on God's part, and unfortunately of unfaithfulness on the part of us men. The Church itself, depository of the blessing, is holy and made up of sinners, and is marked by the tension between "already" and "not yet." In the fullness of time, Jesus Christ came to bring the covenant to fulfillment: He himself, true God and true man, is the Sacrament of God's faithfulness to his plan of salvation for all humanity, for all of us.

The arrival of the Magi from the East in Bethlehem, to adore the newborn Messiah, is the sign of the manifestation of the universal King to the people and to all men who seek the truth.

It is the beginning of a movement in the opposite direction of that of Babel: from confusion to understanding, from dispersion to reconciliation. We thus discover a link between Epiphany and Pentecost: if the Birth of Christ, who is the Head, is also the Birth of the Church, his body, we see in the Magi the peoples that are joined to the remnant of Israel, foreshadowing the great sign of the "polyglot Church," performed by the Holy Spirit fifty days after Easter. The faithful and steadfast love of God, who never falls short of his covenant from generation to generation, is the "mystery" of which Saint Paul speaks in his letters, including in the selection of the Letter to the Ephesians just proclaimed in the Mass. The Apostle affirms that this "mystery" "was made known to [him] by revelation" (Ephesians 3:2), and he was charged with making it known.

This "mystery" of God's faithfulness constitutes the hope of history. Of course, it is opposed by forces of division and oppression, which wound humanity through sin and conflicts of egoism. The Church is, in history, at the service of this "mystery" of blessing for all of humanity. In this mystery of the faithfulness of God, the Church fulfills its mission completely only when it reflects in itself the light of Christ the Lord, and so helps the peoples of the world along the way of peace and authentic progress.

In fact, the word of God revealed through the prophet Isaiah remains always valid: "Darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples, but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory" (Isaiah 60:2). What the prophet proclaims to Jerusalem is fulfilled in the Church of Christ: "Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance" (Isaiah 60:3).

With Jesus Christ, the blessing of Abraham has been extended to all peoples, to the universal Church as the new Israel that welcomes all of humanity into its bosom.

Today as well, nonetheless, what the prophet said remains true in many ways: "thick clouds cover the peoples" and our history. It cannot be said, in fact, that globalization is synonymous with world order; on the contrary. Conflicts for economic supremacy and the hoarding of energy, water, and basic material resources make difficult the work of those who, at every level, struggle to build a just and amicable world.

There is a need for a greater hope that makes it possible to prefer the common good of all to the wealth of few and the misery of many. "This great hope can only be God... Not any god, but the God who has a human face" (Spe Salvi," no. 31): the God who manifested himself in the Child of Bethlehem and in the Crucified and Risen One.

With great hope, one can persevere in sobriety. If true hope is lacking, one seeks happiness in intoxication, in the superfluous, in excess, and ruins oneself and the world. Moderation is not, then, only an ascetic rule, but also a way of salvation for humanity. It is now evident that only by adopting a sober lifestyle, accompanied by serious commitment to an equal distribution of wealth, that it will be possible to create a just and sustainable order of development.

For this reason, there is a need for men who can nourish great hope, and therefore possess much courage: the courage of the Magi, who undertook a long voyage following a star, and who knew to kneel down before a Child and offer him their precious gifts. We all need this courage, anchored by a solid hope. May Mary obtain this for us, accompanying us in our earthly pilgrimage with her maternal protection. Amen!

On St. Augustine

On St. Augustine


"All the Roads of Christian Latin Literature Lead to Hippo"




VATICAN CITY, JAN. 9, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the first in a series on St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

After the Christmas holidays I would like to turn to the meditations on the Fathers of the Church and speak today of the greatest Father of the Latin Church, St. Augustine: a man of passion and faith, of high intelligence and untiring pastoral zeal. This great saint and doctor of the Church is often well-known, at least by name, even by those who ignore Christianity, or who are little acquainted with it, because he made a deep impression on the cultural life of the Western world, and the world in general.

Due to his exceptional importance, St. Augustine has been enormously influential, so much so that it could be said, on one hand, that all the roads of Christian Latin literature lead to Hippo (today’s Annaba, on the Algerian coast), the place where he was a bishop, and on the other hand, that from this town of Roman Africa, where Augustine was bishop from 395 to 430, branch out many other roads of future Christianity and of Western culture itself.

Rarely has a civilization encountered a figure so great, capable of embracing its values and of proclaiming its intrinsic richness, formulating ideas and methods that serve to nurture successive generations, as Paul VI also underlined: "One can say all of antiquity’s philosophy converge in his work, and from it derive currents of thought pervading the doctrinal tradition of the next centuries" (AAS, 62, 1970, p. 426).

Moreover, Augustine is the Father of the Church who has left the greatest number of writings. His biographer Possidius says: It seemed impossible that a man could write so much during his life. We will talk about his various works in a future session. Today we will focus on his life, a life that we can reconstruct from his writings, and in particular from the "Confessions," his extraordinary spiritual autobiography written in praise of God, and which is his most popular work.

Precisely because of the attention paid to interiority and psychology, Augustine's "Confessions" is a unique model in Western and non-Western literature, even including nonreligious literature, right through to modern times. The focus on spiritual life, on the mystery of self, on the mystery of God that hides in the self, is an extraordinary thing without precedent and remains, so to speak, a spiritual "vertex."

But, returning to his life, Augustine was born in Tagaste -- in the Roman province of Africa -- on Nov. 13, 354, to Patrick, a pagan who then became a catechumen, and Monica, a zealous Christian. This passionate woman, venerated as a saint, was a big influence on her son and educated him in the Christian belief. Augustine also received salt, as a mark of welcome in the catechumenate. He was always charmed by the figure of Jesus Christ; he says he had always loved Jesus, but he had grown more and more apart from the faith and practice of the Church, as happens with a lot of young people today.

Augustine also had a brother, Navigius, and a sister, whose name we do not know, and who, when widowed, became the head of a female monastery.

Augustine had a sharp intelligence and received a good education, though he was not always a model student. He studied grammar, first in his hometown and then in Madaurus, and beginning in 370 he took rhetoric in Carthage, capital of Roman Africa. He came to master Latin, but did not do as well in Greek or Punic, the language of his fellow countrymen.

It was in Carthage that he read "Hortensius" for the first time, a work by Cicero -- subsequently lost -- and which started him on the road to conversion. The text awakened in him a love of wisdom, as confirmed in his writings as a bishop in the "Confessions": "The book changed my feelings," so much so that "suddenly, every vain hope became empty to me, and I longed for the immortality of wisdom with an incredible ardor in my heart" (III, 4, 7).

But, since he was convinced that without Jesus truth cannot really be found, and because in that fascinating book his name was missing, he immediately set to reading Scripture, the Bible. But he was disappointed. Not only was the Latin translation of the sacred Scripture insufficient, but also the content itself did not seem satisfactory.

In the narrations of wars and other human events, he could not find the heights of philosophy, the splendor of its search for the truth. Nevertheless, he did not want to live without God, and so he sought a religion that matched his desire for truth and his desire to be close to Jesus.

He fell into the net of the Manichaeans, who presented themselves as Christians and promised a totally rational religion. They confirmed that the world is divided into two principles: that of good and evil. This explained the complexity of human history. St. Augustine also liked the dualistic morality, because it entailed a very high morality for the chosen ones: and for those, like him, who adhered to it, it was possible to live a life more suited to the times, especially for a young man. He therefore became a Manichaean, convinced that he had found the synthesis between rationality, the search for the truth and the love of Jesus Christ.

And his private life benefited as well: Being a Manichaean opened career possibilities. To adhere to this religion, which included many influential personalities, allowed him to pursue a relationship he started with a woman, and to continue his career.

With this woman he had a son, Adeodatus, who was very dear to him, extremely intelligent, and who later on will be present in Augustine's preparation for baptism in Lake Como, forming part of the "Dialogues" that St. Augustine has passed on to us. Unfortunately, the boy died prematurely.

After teaching grammar in his hometown at the age of 20, he soon returned to Carthage, where he became a brilliant and celebrated master of rhetoric. With time, however, Augustine distanced himself from the Manichaean faith. It disappointed him intellectually as it was not capable of resolving his doubts. He moved to Rome, and then to Milan, where he obtained a prestigious place in the imperial court, thanks to the recommendations of the prefect of Rome, the pagan Symmachus, who was hostile to the bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose.

At first with the purpose of enriching his rhetorical repertoire, Augustine began attending the impressive lectures of Bishop Ambrose, who had been a representative of the emperor in Northern Italy; he was charmed by his words, not only because of their eloquence, but because they touched his heart. The main problem of the Old Testament -- the lack of oratory and philosophical elevation -- resolved itself in the lectures of St. Ambrose thanks to the typological interpretation of the Old Testament: Augustine understood that the Old Testament is a journey toward Jesus Christ. So he found the key to understanding the beauty, the philosophic depth of the Old Testament, and he understood the unity of the mystery of Christ in history, as well as the synthesis between philosophy, rationality and faith in the Logos, in Christ, the eternal Word that became flesh.

Quickly, Augustine realized the allegorical reading of Scripture and the neo-Platonic philosophy practiced by the bishop of Milan helped him resolve the intellectual difficulties he encountered at a younger age, when he first approached the biblical texts, that he believed to be insuperable.

Augustine continued to read the writings of the philosophers along with Scripture, and especially the letters of St. Paul. His conversion to Christianity, Aug. 15, 386, is therefore placed at the apex of a long and tormented inner journey of which we will speak in another catechesis; The African moved to the country north of Milan near Lake Como -- with his mother Monica, his son Adeodatus, and a small group of friends -- to get ready for baptism. At 32, Augustine was christened by Ambrose on April 24, 387, during Easter vigil in the Milan Cathedral.

After his baptism Augustine decided to return to Africa with his friends, with the idea of putting into practice a communal monastic life, in the service of God. But in Ostia, while waiting to leave, his mother suddenly fell sick and a little later died, leaving her son's heart in torment.

Back in his homeland he settled in Hippo to found a monastery. In this town on the African coast he was ordained Presbyter in 391, despite his refusal, and began a monastic life with some companions, dividing his time between praying, studying and preaching. He wanted to serve truth alone, he didn’t feel called to the pastoral life; then he understood that God’s call was to be a shepherd among others, and to offer the others the gift of truth.

Four years later, in 395, he was consecrated bishop in Hippo. Deepening the study of Scripture and the texts of the Christian tradition, Augustine was an exemplary bishop in his untiring pastoral commitment: He preached to the faithful several times a week, he helped the poor and the orphans, he followed the education of the clergy and the organization of female and male monasteries.

In short, he affirmed himself as one of the most important representatives of Christianity of the time: Very active in the administration of his diocese -- with considerable civic results too -- in over 35 years of episcopate, the bishop of Hippo had an immense influence in the leadership of the Catholic Church in Roman Africa and, in general, in the Christianity of his time, facing Manichaeism, Donatism and Pelagianism, that were endangering the Christian faith and the one and only God full of grace.

Augustine entrusted himself to God every day, right up until the very end of his life. He was struck by fever, while Hippo was being besieged by invaders. The bishop -- as his friend Possidius tells us in the "Vita Augustini" -- asked to transcribe in large characters the penitential psalms, "and he had the sheets pinned to the wall, so that during his illness he could read them while in bed, and he cried endlessly warm tears" (31,2); this is how Augustine spent his last days. He died on Aug. 28, 430, at the age of 75. We will dedicate the next sessions to his works, his message and his interior experience.

[Translation by Laura Leoncini]

[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in six languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our weekly catechesis, we now turn to the towering figure of Saint Augustine of Hippo. The great intellectual heritage of antiquity found expression in Augustine’s many writings, which then became a rich source of inspiration and teaching for centuries to come. Augustine’s spiritual autobiography -- "The Confessions" -- tells the story of his Christian upbringing, his secular education, his decision to devote his life to the pursuit of truth, and his eventual abandonment of the faith. Attracted at first by Manichean dualism, he gradually recovered the faith of his childhood, thanks to the prayers of his mother, Saint Monica, and the brilliant teaching of Saint Ambrose, then Bishop of Milan. "The Confessions" recount the tormented interior journey which led to his moral and intellectual conversion, culminating in his baptism by Ambrose. Returning to Africa to lead a monastic life, Augustine became a priest and then the Bishop of Hippo. In his thirty years as Bishop, he proved himself an exemplary pastor, an assiduous preacher and an influential champion of the Catholic faith. In coming weeks, we will turn our attention to the writings and the thought of this great Doctor of the Church.

I am pleased to welcome the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially the student groups from Australia and the United States. I greet the group of deacons from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and I thank the choir for their praise of God in song. Upon all of you I invoke God’s abundant blessings of joy and peace.

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Father Rosica's Address to Canadian University Students

Father Rosica's Address to Canadian University Students


"Is There Room for God in Our World Today?"




CALGARY, Alberta, JAN. 8, 2008 (Zenit.org.- Here is the Dec. 30 address given by Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, director of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, at the Catholic Christian Outreach 2007 Rise Up conference, held in Calgary. He delivered "An Extreme Revolution of Holiness: An Insider's Look at Citizenship With the Saints" on Dec. 30.

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Your Excellencies, Archbishops Miller and Prendergast,

Brother Priests and Sisters,

Dear Friends of Catholic Christian Outreach,

In our first session today Professor Reginald Bibby addressed the state of religion and the practice of faith in our country with sociological statistics that may be surprising for some and consoling for others. Faith, religion and spirituality are still hot topics in Canada! The year that is now coming to an end has raised a serious question across the globe and especially in our vast “home and native land” -- Is there room for God in our world today? The reasonable-accommodation debate in Quebec is about ancestral roots and immigration, history and culture, but it is also very much about the place of religion and faith in Quebec and in Canada. Thank God that Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec City has put religion and faith back on the front burner over the past few months, not only in Quebec, but also in Canada.

Is there room for God and room for holiness in Canada today? What kind of revolution is required to bring God back into our society and how can we rediscover those extreme revolutionaries of holiness of Canada’s early history and our own Church history? Is there room for new revolutionaries of holiness in Canada and in the world today? Every crisis that the Church faces, every crisis that the world faces, is a crisis of holiness and a crisis of saints. Holiness is crucial because it is the real face of the Church.

Long ago in his letter to the community at Ephesus, St. Paul wrote: "So then you are no longer sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are also built in for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" [Ephesians 2:19-22.]

What is the "holy temple" that we are called to build? What is this new revolution? How are we to become citizens with the saints? In my presentation, I would like to consider this extreme revolution of holiness and give you an insider’s look at this second citizenship that we all hold!

Life in Christ is holy living

The founding story of Christianity is the life of Christ. The Christian religion continues to consist of people's response to Christ's coming as the revelation of God's love: attention to his words; contemplation of his life, his death, and his Resurrection; and obedience to his desire that love of him should be expressed in love for all human beings: no one is to be left out of the circle of that love.

The liturgy of the Catholic Church includes a year-long "reliving" of the events of the life of Christ, one after the other, and a constant reminder of the stories of people who have paid attention to it, heroically. The liturgical cycle we are experiencing this week is a perfect example of this “reliving” of the events of Christ’s life: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is immediately followed by the feast of Stephen’s martyrdom, the feast of the mystical Evangelist John, the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents, the feast of another great martyr- St. Thomas à Becket, and today’s feast of the Holy Family. The Church teaches us that we cannot tarry at the stable in Bethlehem but hasten to Galilee and then to the hill of Calvary in Jerusalem where the whole story reaches its extreme moment and summit. As we pass from feast to feast, we move from being admirers to imitators of Jesus, we grow in our discipleship and holiness.

The Beatitudes: Blueprint for Holiness

The beatitudes in Christ's Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5:1-12] are a recipe for this extreme holiness. Holiness is a way of life that involves commitment and activity. It is not a passive endeavor but rather a continuous choice to deepen one's relationship with God and to then allow this relationship to guide all of one's actions in the world. Holiness requires a radical change in mindset and attitude. The acceptance of the call to holiness places God as our final goal in every aspect of our lives. This fundamental orientation towards God even envelops and sustains our relationship with other human beings. Sustained by a life of virtue and fortified by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God draws us ever closer to Himself and to that day when we shall see Him face to face in Heaven and achieve full union with Him.

A saint is a friend of God who takes the beatitudes seriously in his or her life. Each of us is called to become God's friend. We grow in friendship with God as we do with others: by being present to God, talking with God, and being generous with God. Here and now, we can find holiness in our personal experience of putting forth our best efforts in the work place, patiently raising our children, and building good relationships at home, at school and at work. If we make all of these things a part of our loving response to God, we are on the path of holiness. This need for good examples is also important in the area of Christian living. For this purpose, the Church encourages devotion to the saints. A saint is one who "has lived [or is living] in the practice of the virtues of his or her state after a manner...that is faithful, constant, ready -- to the point of heroism."

Many think that sainthood is a privilege reserved only for the chosen few. Actually, to become a saint is the task of every Christian, and what's more, we could even say it's the task of everyone! How many times have we thought that the Saints are merely "eccentrics" that the Church exalts for our imitation; people who were so unrepresentative of and out of touch with the human scene? It is certainly true of all those men and women who were "eccentric" in its literal sense: they deviated from the centre, from usual practice, the ordinary ways of doing things, the established methods. Another way of looking at the saints is that they stood at the "radical centre."

We need the example of these holy women and men who had no moderation but only exuberance! They were people with ordinary affections, who took God seriously and were therefore free to act with exuberance. Not measured or moderate, the Saint's response to God's extravagant love is equally immoderate, marked by fidelity and total commitment. G. K. Chesterton said: "[such] people have exaggerated what the world and the Church have forgotten".

"Saints," as the word is used among Catholic Christians today, are those who, in the opinion of other people, have succeeded in this enterprise. The Roman Catholic Church "canonizes" certain saints, placing them on a list (canon) of those given the seal of its approval, after long study and a process of discernment. There are far more saints not in the canon than there are in it; and many a saint in the canon receives little or no veneration from people today: it is always the people who finally decide that someone is, for them, a hero. And if there was ever an age when young men and women needed authentic heroes, it is our age. The Church understands that saints, their prayers, their lives, are for people on earth, that sainthood, as an earthly honor, is not coveted by the saints themselves. A saint's life is always new and surprising on one hand, but always "the same" on the other hand. The lives of the saints are told and retold on behalf of the listeners, in order to clarify the issues for them, to inspire them, and to confront them with choices that only they can make, for themselves.

Pope John Paul II: the Pope of Holiness

The beauty of Christianity is that one can achieve greatness without fame or far-flung adventure. The Church recognizes the valiant endurance of men and women who bear witness to the Gospel in a world growing more overtly hostile to Christians every day. In the nearly 27 years of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II gave the Church 1338 Blesseds and 482 Saints. There are some within the Church, who criticize John Paul II for creating an "inflation" of saints and blessed. I disagree with those voices, especially after many years of working with young people like you in this room. You have a desperate need for real heroes and heroines, models and witnesses of faith and virtue that the world of sports, cinema, science and music cannot provide.

John Paul II reminded us that the heroes and heroines the world offers to young people today are terribly flawed. They leave us so empty. The real "stars" of the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II are the Saints and Blesseds who did not try to be regarded as heroes, or to shock or provoke. To believe greatness is attainable, we need successful role models to emulate.

Karol Wojtyla himself was an extraordinary witness who, through his devotion, heroic efforts, long suffering and death, communicated the powerful message of the Gospel to the men and women of our day. A great part of the success of his message is due to the fact that he has been surrounded by a tremendous cloud of witnesses who stood by him and strengthened him throughout his life. For John Paul II, the call to holiness excludes no one; it is not the privilege of a spiritual elite.

The Servant of God John Paul II spoke much to young people about the call to holiness and the vocation to be saints. Remember his message for World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. He wrote to his dear young friends throughout the world unforgettable words that became the rallying cry for the Jubilee’s greatest celebration:

“Young people of every continent, do not be afraid to be the saints of the new millennium! Be contemplative, love prayer; be coherent with your faith and generous in the service of your brothers and sisters, be active members of the Church and builders of peace. To succeed in this demanding project of life, continue to listen to His Word, draw strength from the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance. The Lord wants you to be intrepid apostles of his Gospel and builders of a new humanity.”

Two years later for our World Youth Day in Canada, John Paul II took up once again the theme of holiness and saints in his message to us:

“Just as salt gives flavor to food and light illumines the darkness, so too holiness gives full meaning to life and makes it reflect God’s glory. How many saints, especially young saints, can we count in the Church’s history! In their love for God their heroic virtues shone before the world, and so they became models of life which the Church has held up for imitation by all. Let us remember only a few of them: Agnes of Rome, Andrew of Phú Yên, Pedro Calungsod, Josephine Bakhita, Thérèse of Lisieux, Pier Giorgio Frassati, Marcel Callo, Francisco Castelló Aleu or again Kateri Tekakwitha, the young Iroquois called "the Lily of the Mohawks". Through the intercession of this great host of witnesses, may God make you too, dear young people, the saints of the third millennium!”

At the concluding Mass at Downsview Park on Sunday, July 28, 2002, Pope John Paul issued that stirring challenge:

“And if, in the depths of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross! At difficult moments in the Church's life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question of age; it is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit, just as Kateri Tekakwitha did here in America and so many other young people have done.”

Pope Benedict XVI continued the momentum of John Paul’s invitations and exhortations to holiness at World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Germany. At the opening ceremony on August 18, 2005, Benedict addressed the throng of young people from the entire world:

“Dear young people, the Church needs genuine witnesses for the new evangelization: men and women whose lives have been transformed by meeting with Jesus, men and women who are capable of communicating this experience to others. The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity. Many have gone before us along this path of Gospel heroism, and I urge you to turn often to them to pray for their intercession.”

The Holy Father continued this theme at the great vigil on Saturday evening August 20, 2005 at Marienfeld:

“It is the great multitude of the saints - both known and unknown - in whose lives the Lord has opened up the Gospel before us and turned over the pages; he has done this throughout history and he still does so today. In their lives, as if in a great picture-book, the riches of the Gospel are revealed. They are the shining path which God himself has traced throughout history and is still tracing today.

Then Pope Benedict XVI cried out in that apocalyptic assembly of over one million young people gathered in prayer at Marienfeld: “The saints…are the true reformers. Now I want to express this in an even more radical way: only from the saints, only from God does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world.”

Shortly before Christmas this year, Pope Benedict addressed the Italian Catholic Action Movement in Italy. He mentioned the Italian child Antonia Meo, whose heroic virtues has just been promulgated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Antonia, known as Nennolina, died of bone cancer in 1937 shortly before her seventh birthday. The Holy Father recalled how during her brief life she "showed special faith, hope and charity" and, presenting her as a model for the young people and he affirmed that "her existence, so simple and yet so important, shows that sanctity is for all ages: for babies and for young people, for adults and for the elderly."

Benedict said: "She traveled quickly down the 'highway' that leads to Jesus ... Who is, in fact, the true 'path' that leads to the Father, and to His and our definitive home which is heaven." "Jesus is the way that leads to the true life, the life that never ends. It is often a steep and narrow way but, if one allows oneself to be attracted by Him, it is always stupendous, like a mountain path: the higher one climbs the easier it becomes to gaze down upon new panoramas, ever more beautiful and vast. The journey is tiring but we are not alone. ... What is important is not to lose our way, not to miss the path, otherwise we risk falling into an abyss or getting lost in the woods.”

The Pope’s words to describe holiness and sanctity are clear, simple and unmistakable: traveling quickly "down the 'highway' that leads to Jesus… a road that is always stupendous, like a mountain path: the higher one climbs the easier it becomes to gaze down upon new panoramas, ever more beautiful and vast. The journey is tiring but we are not alone.”

CCO and the new revolution

Young men and women of CCO, you are friends of the saints! I joined many of you for our great, historic pilgrimage in the footsteps of the saints and blessed in August 2005. Who can forget our encounter with the cloistered Carmelite community in Cologne that was home to Jewish-born Edith Stein, of the great saints of the last century began a journey, which finally led to the death camp at Auschwitz. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross teaches us about seeking the truth in everything, and loving Jesus, the man of the Cross. She shared in the fate of her Jewish brothers and sisters in Auschwitz, rather than using her baptism to escape the reality of the Holocaust.

Journeying on to Munich, we reflected on the Saints and Blesseds of the World War II and the Nazi period. Blessed Rupert Mayer, S.J., was a German Jesuit priest best known for his preaching and apostolic endeavors in Munich between the First and Second World Wars. Fr. Mayer lit the city of Munich on fire with God's love.

When we visited the renown University of Munich, we went as pilgrims and seekers, desiring to profess our Christian faith in the manner of the “White Rose Martyrs”- Kurt Huber, Hans and Sophie Scholl and their peers. They were youths rich in faith, with a profound ecumenical vision. Although they lived at a different time, they are of enormous importance. Many of their young friends associated with the group and also lost their lives for resisting the Nazi war machine and ideology. The “White Rose” students serve as an example that not all Germans blindly went along with Hitler.

When we crossed the border into northern Italy, we were guests of the family of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the athletic young man who died at the age of 24 in Turin in 1925. In his day the young Frassati embodied political activism, solidarity, work for social justice and the poor, authentic piety and devotion, humanity and goodness, holiness, ordinariness, faith and charity. No wonder that at his Beatification in 1990, Pope John Paul II called him: "Man of the Eight Beatitudes."

In the Lombardy town of Mesero near Milan we reflected for two days on the life and witness of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. The young mother's final decision for the life of her daughter Gianna Emmaunela was the natural flowering and culmination of an extraordinary life of virtue and holiness, selflessness and quiet joy. Who can ever forget the veritable communion of saints spread for us by St. Gianna's husband, Pietro Molla, and his children!

Continuing on to Assisi we reflected on the lives of two beloved Umbrian saints Francis and Clare. For Francis, the standard was always Christ and Christ alone. In the little church of San Damiano which was then dilapidated, Francesco heard these words spoken to him from the cross: "Go, repair my house, as you can see it is in ruins." Benedict XVI summed up Francis' mission: "That "house" was above all his own life, which had to be "repaired" through an authentic conversion; it was the Church, not the one made of bricks, but of living people, which always needs purification."

As we heard the story of Clare, Francis' beloved friend, we realized that wherever the Franciscans established themselves throughout Europe, there also went the Poor Clares, depending solely on alms, forced to have complete faith on God to provide through people. Clare and Francis teach us about the meaning of holy friendship, purity and devotion.

Arriving in the Eternal City of Rome for the final leg of the journey, we spent four days at the Vatican. There the generation of Vatican II discovered the life of the architect and dreamer of the Second Vatican Council, Angelo Roncalli - Blessed John XXIII. From the very beginning "Papa Giovanni" endeared himself to millions of people throughout through his infectious warmth and vision. He stressed the relevance of the church in a rapidly changing society and made the church's deepest truths stand out in the modern world.

Four More Co-nationals in God’s Kingdom

Today I would like to offer you four more holy women and men for your CCO face book who blaze a path for us along the highway to heaven. We need their life, vision and example to sustain us, encourage us, and help us to become revolutionaries of holiness in our own day.

Mary: Our Lady of Lourdes and the Immaculate Conception

It is said about the Blessed Mother that love has given her a thousand names and titles. One of the important titles and dogmas by which we know Mary, is the “Immaculate Conception.” On February 11, 1858, a 14-year-old local girl, Bernadette Soubirous claimed a beautiful lady appeared to her in the remote grotto of Massabielle outside of the town of Lourdes in the southwestern part of France. The lady later identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception” and appeared to Bernadette 18 times.

Even the initial skepticism of the local church authorities served as a time of purification of the great message of Lourdes that continues to resound throughout the world. There are very few pilgrimage places on earth where one can experience the mystery of the Cross and the meaning of redemptive suffering that are at the heart of the Christian life.



Many people still wrongly assume that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Christ. In fact, it refers to the belief that Mary, by special divine favor, was without sin from the moment she was conceived. Without the awareness of original sin, the Immaculate Conception makes no sense. Through the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, God was present and moving in Mary’s life from the earliest moments. God’s grace is greater than sin; it overpowers sin and death.



When we honor the Mother of God under the title “Immaculate Conception”, we recognize in her a model of purity, innocence, trust, childlike curiosity, reverence, and respect, living peacefully alongside a mature awareness that life isn’t simple. It’s rare to find reverence and sophistication, idealism and realism, purity, innocence and passion, inside the same person as we find in Mary. Something inside us yearns always for innocence, purity, freshness and trust. If we lose these we find ourselves cynical and disillusioned with an unhappiness that comes precisely from having “been around,” from having had our eyes opened, from having knowledge without innocence. We need to hold that innocence and experience in a proper tension. Through the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Lourdes, we have an image of humanity and divinity at home. God is indeed comfortable in our presence and we in God’s.



Recently Pope Benedict XVI authorized special indulgences to mark the 150th anniversary celebrations of Our Lady of Lourdes that are now underway. Today I ask Our Lady of Lourdes to continue to shower down upon CCO simplicity and reverence, idealism and realism, purity and innocence, passion and conviction… those very gifts which were once poured out on a young peasant girl of Lourdes who had an incredible vision and dialogue with the Lord’s own mother. That vision and dialogue continue to bring the suffering world such healing and hope.

St. Joseph: Patron of the Universal Church and of Canada;

Model of Masculinity and Fatherhood

The second great example and role model for us is one whom we often take for granted at this time of year. St. Joseph is often overshadowed by the glory of Christ and the purity of Mary. But he, too, waited for God to speak to him and then responded with obedience. We are told that Joseph was a carpenter, (more likely a builder), a man who worked to provide for his family. St. Joseph revealed in his humanity the unique role of fathers to proclaim God's truth by word and deed. The present challenges to fatherhood and masculinity cannot be understood in isolation from the culture in which we live. The effect of fatherlessness on children is deeply alarming. How many of you in this room have been affected by crisis of fatherhood and paternity in our day? How many have been deprived of a father or grandfather in your life?

St. Joseph is a great example of manhood, masculinity and fatherhood. His paradoxical situation of "foster father to Jesus" draws attention to the truth about fatherhood. First, because he stood as father to a boy who was his son only in the legal sense, he was keenly aware, as every father should be, that he served as the representative of God the Father. Second, St. Joseph understood that he, a mere man conceived and born in sin, had been entrusted with the headship of that family of Nazareth. He neither neglected this authority, nor used it for selfish gain. Rather, he exercised his headship in perfect humility, in the service of his family. Third, Joseph protected and provided for Jesus and Mary. He named Jesus, taught him how to pray, how to work, how to be a man. While no words or texts are attributed to him, we can be sure that Joseph pronounced two of the most important words that could ever be spoken when he named his son "Jesus" and called him "Emmanuel."

Joseph, the "foster-father" of the Lord reveals that fatherhood is more than a mere fact of biological generation. A man is a father most when he invests himself in the spiritual and moral formation of his children. Real fathers and real men are those who communicate paternal strength and compassion. They are men of reason in the midst of conflicting passions; men of conviction who always remain open to genuine dialogue about differences; men who ask nothing of others that they wouldn't risk or suffer themselves. Joseph is a chaste, faithful, hardworking, simple and just man. He reminds us that a home, a community or a university chaplaincy are not built on power and possessions but goodness; not on riches and wealth, but on faith, fidelity, purity and mutual love.

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter: Martyr for the Truth

A third striking role model and fellow citizen for us is the Austrian farmer and layman Franz Jägerstätter. Born in 1907 in Austria, Franz was a fun-loving youth who chased after girls, rode a motorcycle, and once fathered a child out of wedlock. After marrying, however, his religious faith deepened. Jägerstätter became one of the outstanding figures of Christian resistance to National Socialism and the Anschluss (annexation of Austria by Germany in March 1938). Franz married and settled down to a typical peasant life. In addition to his farm and household duties, Jägerstätter became sacristan of the parish church of St. Radegund, and was known for his diligent and devout service.

In 1940, at the age of 33, he was conscripted into the German armed forces and underwent basic training. After returning home in 1941 on an exemption as a farmer, he began examining closely the religious reasons for refusing to carry out military service. In 1943 he reported to his army base and stated his refusal to serve. A military court rejected his assertion that he could not be both a Nazi and a Catholic, and condemned him to death for undermining military morale. His offer to serve as a military paramedic was ignored. His refusal to serve in the Nazi army was not supported by his parish priest, his bishop or most of his Catholic friends. Particularly because he had a wife and three daughters, many advised him to think of his family and put aside his conscientious objection to the Nazi war machine.

Early on August 9, 1943, Franz Jägerstätter was taken from Berlin to the concentration camp at Brandenburg/Havel. At midday he was told his death sentence had been confirmed and it would be carried out at 4 p.m. Just before his brutal execution he wrote: "I am convinced that it is best that I speak the truth, even if it costs me my life." That afternoon at 4 p.m., Franz was beheaded, the first of 16 victims, for his refusal to serve in the armies of the Third Reich. He was martyred on the one-year anniversary of St. Edith Stein's execution at Auschwitz. Three years later his remains were brought back to his homeland and buried near his beloved parish church in St. Radegund.

His life is a remarkable story, especially in this time when war and violence are raging in many parts of the world. Franz, the humble sacristan of St. Radegund, offered an example of how to live the Christian faith fully and radically, even when there are extreme consequences. "He is a shining example in his fidelity to the claims of his conscience -- an advocate of nonviolence and peace," the Austrian bishops said, praising Jägerstätter for standing up to "the inhuman and godless system of Nazism." On October 26, 2007, in the presence of his 94 year-old wife Franziska, his three daughters and 5000 others in the Cathedral of Linz, Austria, Franz Jägerstätter was beatified as a martyr, which means he was killed out of hatred for the faith. May he give us courage and honesty as we seek to live extreme holiness in our day.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: one of us after all

The final example I hold up for you is the life Albanian born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known to the world as Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa's life was not a sound byte. Her life was a metaphor for selfless devotion and holiness. That is why so many young women and men from nearly every corner of the world continue to enter the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Order that now numbers more than 4500 women ministering in more than 100 countries. They run over 500 homes, hospices and shelters for thousands of dying and destitute people, plus hundreds more schools, mobile clinics, leprosy homes and AIDS hospices.

There are the critics in the Church who say that Mother Teresa personified a pre-Vatican Council view of faith and did not address systemic evils such as defense spending. They criticize her and her followers for their relentless condemnation of abortion. I know religious women and men in our own country and elsewhere who say that there was absolutely no element of prophetic criticism to be found in Mother Teresa’s teachings and her lifestyle. Some say that she was a "safe" model- going so far as to say that every priest and bishop could put her on a pedestal and say to women: 'Be docile, do your womanly thing, but don't go out and criticize anything else.'

When Mother Teresa speaks of 'sharing poverty,' she defies the logic of institutions that prefer agendas for the poor, not communion with individual poor people. Communion disregards conventional approaches. It may never find a job for someone, much less ever get that person shaped up. Thus the agents of communion are called irrelevant. Or they may end up, like Mother Teresa, in being labeled “saint.” Once when this frail, little nun was asked point-blank by journalist how she felt being called holy around the world, she answered bluntly: "Holiness is not a luxury; it is a necessity."

Though she left this world scene ten years ago this past August, this tiny nun made the news big time this past fall with the publication of her letters. Many journalists, magazine editors, television newscasters got the story all wrong with their sensational headlines: “Mother Teresa’s secret life: crisis and darkness,” or “Calcutta’s Saint was an atheist,” or even “Mother and the Absent One.” Some commentators wrote: “She lost her faith and the Church rewards her for it.” These people seem unaware that those who prepared Mother’s Beatification in 2003 cited the letters as proof of her exceptional faith and not the absence of it.

What the church looks for in saints is not just good works -- for that there are Nobel Peace Prizes -- but solid evidence that the candidate for canonization or beatification was transformed, inwardly and outwardly, by God’s grace. From her now-published letters we can say that Mother Teresa was a special breed of saint: a genuine mystic. Mother Teresa tells us in those deeply moving messages that she once felt God’s powerful presence and heard Jesus speak to her. Then God withdrew and Jesus was silent. What Mother Teresa experienced thereafter was faith devoid of any emotional consolation. In the end Mother Teresa had to rely on raw faith, hope and charity. These are the virtues of all Christians, not just the spiritual elite. She was one of us after all!

Years ago when I first met Mother Teresa of Calcutta after a celebration in Rome, she placed firmly into my hands one of her famous business cards unlike any calling card I had ever seen. On the front of the card were printed these words: "The fruit of silence is PRAYER. The fruit of prayer is FAITH. The fruit of faith is LOVE. The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE. God bless you. Mother Teresa" I still carry that card with me. There was no address, phone number of FAX on the card then. Today, in fact, we don't need any of her contact information. She is available to all of us in the communion of saints.

Conclusion

Let me go back to my original question: Is there room for God in our world today? Is there room for God in Canada today? Is there room for more extreme revolutionaries of holiness in our culture today? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Young people of Catholic Christian Outreach, le me ask you: “Why should Christians and Catholics in this country be reticent about declaring themselves Christian, Catholic, or an extreme revolutionary for holiness? Why should we behave as though our message could be harmful or that we have a word and story but don’t know how to announce it? Do we fear indifference, hostility, being ridiculed or sidelined? If that is the case, let me remind you of the response of the young Bernadette of Lourdes to the chief of police who said that she did not convince him of the events that had taken place at a grotto near the river. Bernadette said: “The Lady did not instruct me to convince you, but to tell you.”

The core of the proclamation of the Saints and Blesseds was always hope, even in the midst of the darkest moments of history. And the core of our own proclamation and announcement must be hope. “Spe salvi” -- in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). At the times when the Church hits its low points God raises up tremendous saints to bring the Church back to its real mission. It's almost as if in those times of darkness the light of Christ shines ever more brightly. We are living through one of those times, and the Lord is still taking applications for his extreme form of holiness and sanctity. And I have a strong feeling that the Lord has been beaming for the past 28 years as he looked out over the throngs of young people gathered in Rome, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Częstochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, again in Rome, then Toronto, Cologne and soon in Sydney. “Ha ha…” the Lord says: “World Youth Days are the employment office for extreme holiness. There are some candidates down there for my work force.”

And the Lord has been delighting big time in Canada as he has been part of these great Rise Up Conferences for the past 8 years, and part of CCO for the past 19 years. “Ha ha… I will find among those Canadian young people successors of Sts. Jean de Brébeuf, Noël Chabanel, Anthony Daniel, Charles Garnier, Isaac Jogues, Gabriel Lalemant, René Goupil and Jean de Lalande. I see new agents who will take up the vision and work of Sts. Marguerite d'Youville and Marguerite Bourgeoys, and their winning team of Blesseds: André Grasset, Kateri Tekakwitha, Marie de l'Incarnation, François de Laval, Marie-Rose Durocher, André Bessette, Marie-Léonie Paradis, Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Frédéric Janssoone, Catherine de Saint-Augustin, Dina Bélanger, Marie-Anne Blondin, Émilie Tavernier Gamelin, Nykyta Budka, Basil Velychkovsky.” To that the Lord would likely add: “There are lots of Francophones and others on this list. I want some young people from English-speaking Canada to apply for the job!”

Today we must thank God for giving the Church in Canada such impressive founders and models. They challenge us to undertake a new evangelization. They encourage us by their devotion to Christ, as well as by their courageous zeal and spirit of prayer along the highway to heaven. These Martyrs, Saints and Blesseds remind us that on this highway to heaven, we are never finished; we are only and always on the way. When we think of holiness in these terms -- as a kind of direction, rather than a destination -- we have a sense that what unites us with the saints, our fellow travelers, is much deeper than all that sets us apart.

Last week during the Christmas Midnight Mass at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI offered the world this wonderful insight:

“Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart. And the heart of God, during the Holy Night, stooped down to the stable: the humility of God is Heaven. And if we approach this humility, then we touch Heaven. Then the Earth too is made new. With the humility of the shepherds, let us set out, during this Holy Night, towards the Child in the stable! Let us touch God's humility, God's heart! Then his joy will touch us and will make the world more radiant.”

There could be no better words to sum up the mission of extreme revolutionaries of holiness than these words of the Pope. The primary mission of each of us is a matter of the geography of the heart. To be a fellow citizen of the saints guarantees us benefits truly out of this world, but also the assurance that we will taste heaven here below! God has stooped down to embrace us in this lowly child in a stable. Let us accept God’s invitation and embrace this magnificent humility. Let us undertake our mission peacefully, joyfully and courageously. Then the world will glimpse and taste heaven through us. That is the mission and vocation of the Saints, the Blesseds, and of the nearly 500 extreme revolutionaries of holiness who are gathered here in Calgary for Rise Up 2007.

Thank you.

B16: Christ is Our Trustworthy Hope

Papal Homily at Vespers on Dec. 31


"Christ Is Our Trustworthy Hope"



VATICAN CITY, JAN. 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI delivered Dec. 31 at vespers and the Te Deum.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As this year is also ending, we are gathered in the Vatican Basilica to celebrate First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. The liturgy makes this important Marian feast coincide with the end and the beginning of the solar year.
Our hymn of gratitude for 2007 which is drawing to a close and for 2008 which we are already glimpsing is therefore combined with contemplation of the mystery of the divine motherhood. Time passes and its inexorable passing induces us to raise our gaze in deep gratitude to the One who is eternal, to the Lord of time. Let us thank him together, dear brothers and sisters, on behalf of the entire diocesan community of Rome.
I address my greeting to each one of you. In the first place, I greet the Cardinal Vicar, the Auxiliary Bishops, the priests and consecrated persons as well as all the lay faithful who are gathered here.
I greet Mr Mayor and the Authorities present, and I extend my thoughts to the entire population of Rome and in a special way to all those in conditions of difficulty and hardship. I assure them all of my cordial closeness, strengthened by constant remembrance in prayer.

In the short Reading from the Letter to the Galatians that we have just heard, speaking of the liberation of man brought about by God with the mystery of the Incarnation, St Paul very discreetly mentions the One through whom the Son of God entered the world: "when the time had fully come", he wrote, "God sent forth his Son, born of woman" (Galatians 4: 4). The Church contemplates in the "woman" the features of Mary of Nazareth, a unique woman because she was called to carry out a mission that brought her into very close contact with Christ: indeed, it was an absolutely unique relationship, because Mary is Mother of the Saviour. Just as obviously, however, we can and must affirm that she is our Mother because, by living her very special maternal relationship with the Son, she shared in his mission for us and for the salvation of all people. In contemplating her, the Church makes out her own features: Mary lives faith and charity; Mary is also a creature saved by the one Saviour; Mary collaborates in the initiative of the salvation of all humanity.
Thus, Mary constitutes for the Church her truest image: she in whom the Ecclesial Community must continually discover the authentic sense of its own vocation and its own mystery.

The Incarnate Word changes life

This short but intense Pauline passage then continues, showing how the fact that the Son assumed human nature unfolds the perspective of a radical change of the actual human condition. Paul says in it that "God sent forth his Son ... to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). The Incarnate Word transforms human life from within, sharing with us his being as Son of the Father. 
He became like us in order for us to become like him: children of the Son, hence, people free from the law of sin. Is this not a fundamental reason to raise our thanksgiving to God? A thanksgiving which can only be even more motivated at the end of a year, considering the many benefits and his constant assistance that we have experienced over the period of the past 12 months.

This is why every Christian community gathers together this evening and sings the Te Deum, a traditional hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity. This is what we shall also do at the end of this liturgical meeting of ours, before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
As we sing we will pray: "Te ergo, quæsumus, tuis famulis subveni, quos pretioso sanguine redemisti: Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood". This is our prayer this evening: Come with your mercy, Lord, to the aid of the inhabitants of our City in which, as elsewhere, serious needs and poverty weigh on the lives of people and families, preventing them from looking with trust to the future. Many, especially young people, are attracted by a false exaltation or rather, by the profanation of the body and the trivialization of sexuality; so it is difficult to list the many challenges bound up with consumerism and secularism which call into question believers and people of good will.

To say it in a word, in Rome one also notes that lack of hope and trust in life that constitutes the "obscure" evil of modern Western society. But if the deficiencies are evident, there is no lack of light and reasons for hope on which to implore special divine blessings. Precisely in this perspective, in singing the Te Deum we shall pray: "Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuæ -- Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance".
O Lord, look upon and protect the diocesan community in particular, committed on the educational front to responding ever more vigorously to that great "educational emergency" of which I spoke last 11 June when I met the participants in the diocesan convention, or in other words, the increasing difficulty encountered in transmitting the basic values of life and upright conduct to the new generations (cf. Address to the Diocese of Rome Convention, 11 June 2007; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 20 June, p. 3). 
Let us calmly and with patient trust face this emergency first of all in the context of the family. Moreover, it is certainly comforting to note that the work undertaken in recent years by parishes, movements and associations for the pastoral care of the family is continuing to develop and bear fruit.

Missionary initiatives by youth

Also protect, Lord, the missionary initiatives which involve the world of youth: they are increasing and there are now an important number of young people who are assuming responsibility and the joy of proclamation and Gospel witness in the first person. In this context, how can we fail to thank God for the precious pastoral service offered to the world by the Roman universities? It would be appropriate to start something similar in schools, despite the numerous difficulties. Bless, Lord, the many young men and adults who in recent decades have been ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Rome. At the present time there are 28 deacons who are awaiting priestly ordination, scheduled for next April. Thus, the average age of the clergy is rejuvenated and it is also possible to respond to the increase in pastoral needs, such as going to the help of other dioceses. Especially in the suburbs, the need for new parish complexes is growing, and there are eight currently under construction, after I myself had the pleasure not long ago of consecrating the one most recently completed: the Parish of Santa Maria del Rosario ai Martiri Portuensi.

It is lovely to be able to tangibly feel the joy and gratitude of the inhabitants of a neighbourhood as they enter their own new church for the first time. "In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in æternum -- Lord, show us your love and mercy; for we put our trust in you". The majestic hymn of the Te Deum ends with this cry of faith, of total trust in God, with this solemn proclamation of our hope. Christ is our "trustworthy" hope, and to this theme I dedicated my recent Encyclical entitled "Spe Salvi."
But our hope is always essentially also hope for others, and only thus is it truly hope for each one of us (cf. No. 48).
Dear brothers and sisters of the Church of Rome, let us ask the Lord to make each one of us authentic leaven of hope in our various milieus, so that it will be possible to build a better future for the whole city. This is my wish for everyone on the eve of a New Year, a wish that I entrust to the motherly intercession of Mary, Mother of God and Star of Hope. Amen!

[Translation of the Italian original by L'Osservatore Romano]