FROM VATICAN
BLOGS
Because who can easily smile to an enemy and have a free heart, despite someone else’s hatred, in order to give truly good intentions to such a man. Extraordinary freedom to do good, to think well about others…. This is a perspective of being happy. Not an illusionary one but the one based on a positive thinking, in which one is forced to think well. He truly makes the human heart able to have freedom in love…it does not come quickly but through difficulties which we experience. The man who is looking for good, is not a weak man but, on the contrary. He can always oppose the evil which is trying to destroy good.
Archbishop
The president of the USA Ronald Reagan was right to note that everybody who are for abortion have already been born. So those who received life themselves want to take away life from others in the early phase of development? Why do some people become the victims so that others could live? Justifying the killing contradicts not only the autonomy of God, but also the very ethics as well as bioethics. The paradox of the evil is that it is loudly told about despite the fact that it is vain inside, similarly as a bell. Emotions and hedonism will never stifle the truth. The truth defends itself. In vitro kills.
POPE HAS LISTENED TO THE ‘ORATORIUM AUGUSTINUS’
On 26 September the Holy Father listened to the ‘OratoriumAugustinus’ on the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. The concert was dedicated to the Pope by the Wurzburg diocese and was at the same time as the international congress in Rome devoted to St. Augustine.
The Pope defined the ‘OratoriumAugustinus’ as an unusual masterpiece. He reminded that it is called ‘a clear mosaic’ in which thanks to many voices, various music and tunes, there appears a musical portrait of St. Augustine. He pointed out that this oratorium is ‘seven musical pictures’ which show that if one wants to get to know this saint person, one cannot focus only on a kind of one aspect but one should look at both his thoughts and works, as well as his life. The Pope also referred to the fact that the hero does not appear in the oratorium but others tell about him. – And just through this absence Augustine becomes more present and universal – pointed out Benedict XVI at the end of this exceptional concert in Castel Gandolfo.
The General Audience
Liturgy as a school of prayer
During the general audience on 26 September this year on St. Peter Square in Rome Benedict XVI referred to the catechesis given in the last months and emphasized that reading and reflecting on the Holy Scripture is an important school of prayer. He noted that a different ‘space’ of growing up is liturgy in the prayer in which God speaks to each of us, here and now and expects our answer. It is a ministry fulfilled by people or for the sake of people who were formed thanks to the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, a people who do not exist due to the family relation, territory, national relations but it is always born from the work of God’s Son and communion with Father which He gives to us. In liturgy the One who acts is the very God and we are encouraged by this God’s action – emphasized the Pope. – We serve to the liturgy and experience it well only when we are in the prayer attitude, uniting with the mystery of Christ and His dialogue, Son with Father – said Benedict XVI. He emphasized that deeper experiencing liturgy allows for our hearts to rise internally towards the heights, towards the truth and love, towards God.
Benedict XVI is teaching
Although the more and more serious economic situation is worrying in the world, a Christian is appointed to act and express his opinion in a prophetic spirit, that is, reading out the mysterious presence of God in the changes taking place in the history and undertaking his responsibility trustfully and with hope.
From the speech to a group of Christian democrats, 22 September 2012.
God’s logics is always ‘different’ from ours, like the very God revealed it through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: ‘Because my thoughts are not your thoughts nor your roads are my roads’ (Is 55.8). For this reason the persecution of Lord requires a deep religious conversion from the man, change of the way of thinking and life, requires openness of heart to listening, so as to get enlightened and internally changed. The key point in which the man differs from God is pride: in God there is no pride because He is an utter fullness and is whole in order to love and give life; whereas in us, people, pride is internally rooted and requires constant vigilance and clearness. We, who are little, want to seem to be great, first, whereas God is not afraid to be humble and become the last one. Virgin Maryja is perfectly in ‘harmony’ with God: let’s ask Her trustfully to teach us follow Jesus faithfully on the way to love and humility.
During a prayer ‘Angelus’, 23 September 2012.
70 years in one parish
After the Sunday prayer ‘Angelus’, on 23 September, Benedict XVI welcomed Fr. Alessandro de Sanctisa in a summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, who is 94 years old and has worked in the same parish, in Frosinone province, in Filettino, for 70 years, on an area where there is, among the others, an abbey on Monte Cassino.
This record – absolute, as far as Italy is concerned – made the Pope invite the elderly priest. He thanked him for what he had done so far and encouraged him to be still contributing to the life of our Church. In response the celebrator of the Jubilee invited Benedict XVI to his parish, where since 1942 he has celebrated 47 thousand holy masses. At that time he also got to know eight popes: at the age of 11, as an alumnus of a seminary, Benedict XVI. He also remember the meeting with John Paul II whom he had invited to the nearby centre of winter sports Campo Staffi.
(AA)
"Niedziela" 41/2012