Pope Benedict XVI

Messages

Meditations and prayers by His Eminence cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. Bishop of Hong Kong  

FOREWORD

When I received the invitation from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, conveyed through His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, asking me to prepare the meditations for this year’s Via Crucis on Good Friday at the Colosseum, I did not have the slightest hesitation in accepting the task. I recognized that this was the Holy Father’s way of demonstrating his personal concern for the great Continent of Asia, and in particular, his way of including in this solemn act of Christian piety the faithful people of China for whom the Via Crucis is a deeply felt devotion. The pope wanted me to bring the voice of these distant sisters and brothers to the Colosseum.  Clearly the central figure in this Via Dolorosa is Our Lord Jesus Christ as he is presented to us by the Gospels and the Church’s tradition. Yet behind Him there are many people from the past and the present including ourselves.  In our prayer this evening let us be mindful of the presence of so many brothers and sisters from times past. They, probably more than ourselves, experienced in their bodies the Passion of Jesus. In their flesh, Jesus was newly arrested, maligned, tortured, derided, dragged, and crushed under the weight of the Cross and nailed to that wood like a criminal. Obviously we are not alone at the Colosseum this evening.  Present in the Holy Father’s heart and in our own hearts are all the “living martyrs” of the twenty-first century. “Te martyum candidatus laudat exercitus”. When we think of persecution, let us also remember the persecutors. As I was drafting the text of these meditations, it frightened me to realize how unchristian I am. I had to make a great effort to purify myself of uncharitable sentiments towards those who caused Jesus to suffer and those who are causing our brothers and sisters to suffer in the world today.  Only when I confronted my sins and my own lack of faithfulness, did I succeed in seeing myself among the persecutors; and, then, I was moved to repentance and gratitude for the forgiveness of our merciful Master.  So let us now begin our meditation.  Let us sing and pray to Jesus, and with Jesus, for those who suffer on account of His name, for those who cause him and his brothers and sisters to suffer, and for ourselves, who are sinners and at times also his persecutors.

OPENING PRAYER

The Holy Father:  

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen. 

Jesus our Saviour we are gathered here on this day, at this hour, and in this place, remembering your many servants who were torn to pieces and killed here, centuries ago, amid the roars of the hungry lions and the cries of the spectators for their faithfulness to your name. Today we come here to express to you the gratitude of your Church for the gift of salvation won by your Passion.  Colosseums have multiplied down the centuries wherever our brothers and sisters in different parts of the world continue to be harshly persecuted today prolonging your Passion. Together with you and our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world, we begin this journey along the Via Dolorosa with deep emotion the journey that you once travelled with such great love. 

FIRST STATION

Jesus in agony in the Garden of Olives

V.  Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.  

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (14:32-36):

And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.” And He took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful even to death.  Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, “Abba, Father, to you all things are possible; remove this cup from me, yet not what I will, but what you will.”

MEDITATION  

Jesus experienced fear, anguish, and sorrow even to death.  He took with Him three companions, but soon they fell asleep, and he began to pray alone: “May this hour pass from me, take away this chalice from me … Yet, Father, may your will be done.” He had come into the world in order to do the Father’s will, but never before had he tasted the full depth of the bitterness of sin or felt so helpless.

In his Letter to the Catholics in China, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the vision in the Apocalypse of Saint John where the apostle weeps before the sealed book of human history, the “mysterium iniquitatis.” Only the Lamb that was slain is capable of removing the seal. In many parts of the world, the Bride of Christ is undergoing the dark hour of persecution as Esther once did when threatened by Haman, as did the “Woman” of the Apocalypse, when threatened by the dragon.  Let us be watchful, and let us accompany the Bride of Christ in our prayer.  

PRAYER

Jesus, Almighty God, you chose to become weakness because of our sins. You recognize the cries of the persecuted which are the echo of your agony. They ask, "Why this oppression?  Why this humiliation?  Why this prolonged servitude?  The words of the Psalm come to mind, “Awake, Lord, why do you sleep?  Awake!  Do not cast us off forever!  Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?  For we lie prostrate in the dust, our body cleaves to the ground.  Rise up, come to our help!” (Psalm 43:24-26). No, Lord! You did not have recourse to this Psalm in Gethsemane, but you said, “Your will be done!”  You could have summoned twelve legions of angels, but you did not.  Lord, suffering makes us afraid.  We are tempted once again to grasp at easy means of success.  Help us not to be afraid of fear.H help us to trust in you.

All:   Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Stabat mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa, dum pendebat Filius.    

SECOND STATION  

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and abandoned by his disciples 

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.  

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (14:43a, 45-46, 50-52)  

"And immediately while Jesus was still speaking, Judas came, one of the Twelve.  And he went up to Jesus at once and said, “Master!” And he kissed him.  And they laid hands on Him and seized Him.  And the disciples all forsook him and fled.  And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.  

MEDITATION  

Betrayal and abandonment on the part of those He had chosen as Apostles, those He had entrusted with the secrets of the Kingdom, those He had trusted completely!  Total failure, then. What sorrow, what humiliation! Yet all this took place to fulfil the sayings of the prophets.  Otherwise, how could the ugliness of sin have been exposed which is simply the betrayal of love?  Betrayal causes surprise, especially if it even involves the shepherds of the flock.  How could they do this to him?  The spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak.  Temptations, threats, and blackmail bend the will.  Yet what a scandal!  What great sorrow in the Lord’s heart! Let us not be scandalized! Defections are never lacking at times of persecution.  And afterwards people have often returned to the fold.  In that young man who cast away the linen cloth and ran away naked (cf. Mk 14:51-52), authoritative interpreters have seen the future evangelist Mark.

PRAYER

Lord, those who flee from your Passion are left without dignity. Have mercy on us who stand naked before your Majesty.  Let us place before you our most shameful wounds.  Jesus, to abandon you is to abandon the sun.  If we seek to rid ourselves of the sun, we fall back into cold and darkness. Father, we have distanced ourselves from your house.  We are not worthy to be received back by you.  Yet you have given orders that we should be washed and robed, supplied with sandals and a ring on our finger.

Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Cuius animam gementem, contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius.

THIRD STATION

Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (14:55, 61b-62a, 64b)

Now the chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.  The high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am!” And they all condemned him as deserving death.

MEDITATION

The Sanhedrin was the court of justice of God’s people.  Now this court condemns Christ, the Son of the Blessed One, and judges Him to be deserving of death.  The Innocent One is condemned, “because He has blasphemed,” say the judges, and they tear their garments. Yet we know from the Evangelist that they did so through envy and hatred.  Saint John says that ultimately the high priest had spoken in God’s name.  Only by allowing his innocent Son to be condemned could God the Father save the guilty brothers of Jesus.  Across the centuries, hosts of innocent people have been condemned to atrocious sufferings.  Some cry out against the injustice; but it is they, the innocent, who, in communion with Christ, the Innocent One, atone for the sins of the world.

PRAYER

Jesus, you are not concerned to prove your innocence.   You are solely intent upon restoring to man the righteousness that He lost through sin. We were your enemies. There was no way for us to change our condition.  You let yourself be condemned in order to grant us forgiveness.  Savior, help us to avoid bringing condemnation upon ourselves on the last day.

"Iudex ergo cum sedebit, quicquid latet apparebit; nil inultum remanebit. Iuste iudex ultionis, donum fac remissionis ante diem rationis.”

All:   Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. O quam tristis et afflicta Fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti! 

FOURTH STATION

Jesus is denied by Peter  

V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (14:66-68, 72)

And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

MEDITATION

“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you” (Mk 14:31). 

Peter was sincere when he said this, but he did not know himself; he did not know his own weakness. He was generous, but he had forgotten that he needed the generosity of the Master.  He claimed he would die for Jesus, but it was Jesus who was to die for him to save him.  In making Simon the “rock” on which to build His Church, Christ involved the Apostle in his initiative of salvation.  Peter naively believed that he could give something to the Master; but instead, everything was freely given to him by Christ including forgiveness after his denial. Jesus did not withdraw his choice of Peter as the foundation of His Church.  After repenting Peter was given the capacity to strengthen His brethren.

                          PRAYER

Lord, when Peter speaks, enlightened by the Father’s revelation, he acknowledges you as the Christ, the Son of the living God. When, on the other hand, he trusts his own reason and good will, he becomes an obstacle to your mission. Presumption causes him to deny you, his Master, while humble repentance confirms him once more as the rock on which you build your Church. Your choice to entrust the continuation of the work of salvation to weak and vulnerable men manifests your wisdom and power. Protect the men you have chosen, Lord, so that the gates of the underworld will never prevail against your servants. Direct your gaze upon all of us, as you did that night upon Peter, after the cock crowed. All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Quæ mærebat et dolebat pia mater, cum videbat Nati poenas incliti. FIFTH STATION Jesus is judged by Pilate V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:12-15) And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. MEDITATION Pilate appeared powerful, he was in a position to determine the life or death of Jesus. He enjoyed that ironic reference to the “King of the Jews”, but in truth he was weak, wretched and servile. He was afraid of the Emperor Tiberius, he was afraid of the people, he was afraid of the chief priests, while nevertheless despising them in his heart. He handed Jesus over to be crucified, knowing that he was innocent. In his vain attempt to save Jesus, he ended up granting freedom to a dangerous murderer. To no avail he sought to wash those hands, dripping with innocent blood. Pilate is the image of all those who wield authority as an instrument of power, having no regard for justice. PRAYER Jesus, through your courage in declaring yourself king, you sought to awaken Pilate to the voice of his conscience. Enlighten the consciences of the many people in positions of authority, so that they may recognize the innocence of your followers. Give them the courage to respect religious freedom. The temptation to cultivate the powerful and oppress the weak is very widespread. And the powerful are those who wield authority, those who control trade and the mass media; but there are also people who allow themselves to be easily manipulated by the powerful into oppressing the weak. How could those people cry out “Crucify him!”, after they had known you as a compassionate friend, one who had only ever done good to everyone? Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Quis est homo qui non fleret, matrem Christi si videret in tanto supplicio? SIXTH STATION Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:15b, 17-19)   Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. MEDITATION Scourging as it was practised in those days was a terrible punishment. The dreadful flagellum used by the Romans tore the flesh to shreds. And the crown of thorns, apart from causing the most acute pain, was also a mockery of the divine Prisoner’s kingship, as were the spitting and the blows. Appalling forms of torture continue to emerge from the cruelty of the human heart – and psychological tortures are no less terrible than the physical variety; often the victims themselves become torturers in their turn. Are all these sufferings meaningless? PRAYER No, Jesus, you continue to gather together and sanctify suffering of all kinds: that of the sick, of those who die in hardship, of all who experience discrimination; but the sufferings which shine out over all others are those endured for your name. By the sufferings of the martyrs, bless your Church; may their blood become the seed of new Christians. We firmly believe that their sufferings, even if at the time they seem like total defeat, will bring true victory to your Church. Lord, grant constancy to our persecuted brethren! All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Pro peccatis suæ gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis et flagellis subditum. SEVENTH STATION The Cross is placed upon Jesus’s shoulders   V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:20) And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.   MEDITATION The Cross, that great symbol of Christianity, from being an instrument of shameful punishment has become a glorious victory banner. There are courageous atheists who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the revolution: they are prepared to embrace the cross, but without Jesus. Among Christians there are de facto “atheists” who want Jesus, but without the Cross. Now without Jesus, the cross is unbearable, and without the Cross, no one can claim to be with Jesus. Let us embrace the Cross and let us embrace Jesus, and with Jesus let us embrace all our suffering and persecuted brethren!   PRAYER   O divine Redeemer, with what great joy you embraced the Cross, which you had desired for so long! It weighs heavily upon your wounded shoulders, but it is held up by a heart filled with love. The great Saints understood the saving value of the Cross so deeply that they could cry out: “Either suffer or die!” Give us the grace at least to accept your invitation to carry our cross behind you. You prepared a personal cross for each one of us. We have before our eyes the image of Pope John Paul II, who climbed the “Mount of Crosses” in Lithuania. Every one of those crosses had a story to tell, a story of suffering and joy, of humiliation and triumph, of death and resurrection.   All:   Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Quis non posset contristari, piam matrem contemplari dolentem cum Filio?     EIGHTH STATION   Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross   V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.   A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:21)   And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his Cross.   MEDITATION   Simon of Cyrene was coming in from the country. He stumbled upon the procession of death and was pressed into carrying the Cross together with Jesus. At a later date, he confirmed this act of service, expressing his satisfaction at having been of assistance to the poor condemned prisoner, and he became one of the disciples in the early Church. He was surely the object of admiration and even envy for the special privilege of having comforted Jesus in his sufferings.   PRAYER   Dear Jesus, you would have thanked Simon of Cyrene for his help, even though the Cross was actually owed to him and to each one of us. In this way, Jesus, you are grateful to us every time we help our brothers and sisters to carry their cross, although we are simply doing our duty in order to atone for our sins. Jesus, you are at the origin of this cycle of compassion. You bear our cross, thereby enabling us to assist you in your brothers and sisters to carry the cross. Lord, as members of your Body, we help one another to carry the cross, and we admire the great throng of “Simons of Cyrene” who, even if they do not yet have the faith, generously come to relieve your sufferings in your brothers and sisters. When we come to the aid of our brethren in the persecuted Church, make us mindful that in reality it is we who, to an even greater extent, are being helped by them.   All:   Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Tui Nati vulnerati, tam dignati pro me pati poenas mecum divide.     NINTH STATION   Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem   V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.   A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (23:27-28)   And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”   MEDITATION   Women, especially mothers, derive from their love an immense capacity for endurance in suffering. They suffer through the actions of men, they suffer for their children. Let us think of the mothers of all those young people who are persecuted and imprisoned in the name of Christ. How many long nights those mothers spend awake and in tears! Let us think of the mothers who risk arrest and persecution as they persevere in family prayer, nourishing in their hearts the hope of better times ahead. PRAYER Jesus, despite your sufferings, you were anxious to speak to the women along the Way of the Cross; make your consoling and enlightening voice heard today by so many suffering women. You urge them not to weep for you, but for themselves and for their children. Weeping over you, they weep over sufferings that bring salvation to humanity, and are therefore a cause of joy. What they should weep for, though, are the sufferings due to sin, which make them and their children and all of us like dry wood, worthy only to be tossed onto the fire. Lord, you sent your Mother to repeat this same message to us at Lourdes and at Fatima: “Do penance and pray that the wrath of God may be halted”. Move us at our final hour to accept this urgent appeal with sincere hearts!   All:   Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Eia, mater, fons amoris, me sentire vim doloris fac, ut tecum lugeam.     TENTH STATION   Jesus is crucified   V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.   A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:25, 31, 34) And it was the third hour, when they crucified Jesus. The chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, “He saved others, he cannot save himself”. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” MEDITATION Jesus, stripped of his garments, nailed to the Cross, prey to untold sufferings, mocked by his enemies, feels abandoned even by the Father. This is the hell deserved by our sins. Jesus remained on the Cross, he did not save himself. In him were fulfilled the prophecies of the Suffering Servant: “He had no form or comeliness … no beauty … we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God … all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb” (Is 53:2, 4, 6-7). PRAYER O crucified Jesus, not only on Tabor, but even more on Calvary you revealed to us your true face, the face of a love that endures to the end. Sometimes, out of reverence, you are represented wearing a royal cloak even on the Cross. But we are not afraid to show you to the world just as you were, hanging upon the gibbet that Friday, from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. As we contemplate you on the Cross, we are filled with shame over our unfaithfulness and with gratitude for your infinite mercy. O Lord, how much your love for us has cost you! Putting our trust in the power that comes from your Passion, we promise never more to offend you. We wish one day to have the honour of being placed upon the cross ourselves, like Peter and Andrew. We are encouraged by the serenity and the joy that it has been granted us to see on the faces of your faithful servants, the martyrs of our age.  All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Fac ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum, ut sibi complaceam. ELEVENTH STATION Jesus promises his Kingdom to the Good Thief V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (23:33, 42-43) And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified Jesus, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. One of the criminals said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” MEDITATION He was an evil-doer. He represents all evil-doers, that is to say, all of us. He had the good fortune to be close to Jesus in suffering, but all of us have this good fortune. Like him, let us say: “Lord, remember us, when you come into your kingdom.” We will receive the same reply. And what of those who do not have the good fortune to be close to Jesus? Jesus is close to them, to each and every one. “Jesus, remember us”: let us speak these words to him for ourselves, for our friends, for our enemies, and for the persecutors of our friends. The salvation of all people is the Lord’s true victory. PRAYER   Jesus, remember me when, conscious of my unfaithfulness, I am tempted to despair. Jesus, remember me when, after repeated efforts, I once more find myself deep in the valley of darkness.  Jesus, remember me when everyone is weary of me and no one trusts me any more, and I find myself alone and abandoned. All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Sancta mater, istud agas, Crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide. TWELFTH STATION The mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple at the foot of the Cross V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (19:25-27) Standing by the Cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. MEDITATION Jesus is not thinking of himself even in that moment of supreme suffering: he thinks of his Mother and he thinks of us. Does he first of all entrust his Mother to the disciple, as Saint John seems to suggest, or does he rather entrust the disciple to his Mother? Be that as it may, for the disciple Mary will always be the Mother entrusted to him by his dying Master, and for Mary the disciple will always be the son entrusted to her by her dying Son; she will remain spiritually close to him, especially at the hour of death. Alongside all dying martyrs, then, she, their Mother, will always be standing at the foot of their cross, supporting them. PRAYER Jesus and Mary, you shared suffering even to the end: Jesus on the Cross, and Mary at the foot of the Cross. A spear pierced the Savior’s side and a sword penetrated the heart of the Virgin Mother. In truth, it is we through our sins who have caused such suffering. Accept the repentance of us all, since through our weakness we have always been exposed to the risk of betraying, denying and deserting. Accept the homage of faithfulness from all those who have followed the example of Saint John, who remained courageously at the foot of the Cross. Jesus and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus and Mary, help me in my final agony.  Jesus and Mary, may my last breath be at peace with you. All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Fac me vere tecum flere, Crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero. THIRTEENTH STATION Jesus dies on the Cross V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (23:46) Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”  And having said this, he breathed his last. MEDITATION Jesus truly dies, because he is truly man. He hands over his last breath to the Father. O, how precious is that breath! The breath of life was given to the first man, and it is given to us once more, in a new way, after the resurrection of Jesus, so that we are able to offer every breath to him who gave us breath. What fear we have of death and how enslaved we are by this fear! The meaning and value of a life are determined by the manner in which it is given away. Even for the unbeliever it is not acceptable to cling to life, losing all sense of its meaning. And for Jesus, there is no greater love than that which leads us to lay down our life for our friends. Those who are attached to life will lose it. Those who are ready to sacrifice it will keep it. The martyrs give the supreme testimony of their love. They are not ashamed of their Master before men. The Master will be proud of them before all humanity on the last day. PRAYER Jesus, you assumed human life so that you could give it away. In taking on our sinful human flesh, you, immortal King, became mortal. In accepting the most tragic and dark death, the ultimate fruit of sin, you accomplished the supreme act of complete trust in the Father. “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum.” All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Vidit suum dulcem Natum morientem desolatum, cum emisit spiritum.   FOURTEENTH STATION Jesus is taken down from the Cross and placed in the tomb V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. > R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (15:46) Joseph of Arimathea bought a linen shroud, and taking the body of Jesus down from the Cross, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. MEDITATION Jesus chose not to come down alive from the Cross, but to rise from the tomb. True death, true silence, the Word of Life will be silent for three days. Let us imagine the shock experienced by our first parents upon seeing the lifeless body of Abel, the first victim of death. Let us think of Mary’s sorrow, as she embraces the body of Jesus, now reduced to a heap of wounds, more a worm than a man, no longer capable of returning his Mother’s loving gaze. Now she must consign him to the cold stones of the tomb, after hastily washing him and laying him out. It only remains now to wait. How interminable that wait seems, until the third day. PRAYER Lord, the three days seem so long to us. Our stronger brethren grow weary, our weaker brethren gradually sink lower and lower, while the arrogant hold their heads high. Give perseverance to the strong, Lord, rouse the weak, and lead the hearts of all to conversion. Are we right to be in a hurry, to want to see the victory of the Church straight away? Does our victory not consist rather in our eagerness to see it? Lord, grant us the perseverance to stand alongside the Church of silence and to accept that we will disappear and die like the grain of wheat. Help us always to be mindful of your words, Lord: “Do not be afraid! I have overcome the world. I shall never fail you. I am with you always, until the end of the world.” Lord, increase our faith! All: Pater noster, qui es in cælis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Quando corpus morietur, fac ut anim donetur paradisi gloria. Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Each year Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters.

In the Lenten period, the Church makes it her duty to propose some specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal.  These are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  For this year's Lenten Message, I wish to spend some time reflecting on the practice of almsgiving which represents a specific way to assist those in need; and, at the same time, an exercise in self denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods.

The force of attraction to material riches and just how categorical our decision must be not to make of them an idol, Jesus confirms in a resolute way: "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Lk 16,13). Almsgiving helps us to overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor's needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness. This is the aim of the special collections in favor of the poor which are promoted during Lent in many parts of the world.  In this way, inward cleansing is accompanied by a gesture of ecclesial communion mirroring what already took place in the early Church.  In his Letters, Saint Paul speaks of this in regard to the collection for the Jerusalem community (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27).

According to the teaching of the Gospel, we are not owners but rather administrators, of the goods we possess.  These, then are not to be considered as our exclusive possession but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of His providence for our neighbor. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, material goods bear a social value according to the principle of their universal destination (cf. n. 2404)

In the Gospel, Jesus explicitly admonishes the one who possesses and uses earthly riches only for self. In the face of the multitudes, who, lacking everything, suffer hunger, the words of Saint John acquire the tone of a ringing rebuke: "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?" (1 Jn 3,17). In those countries whose population is majority Christian, the call to share is even more urgent since their responsibility toward the many who suffer poverty and abandonment is even greater. To come to their aid is a duty of justice even prior to being an act of charity.

The Gospel highlights a typical feature of Christian almsgiving: It must be hidden. "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing," Jesus asserts, "so that your alms may be done in secret" (Mt 6,3-4). Just a short while before He said not to boast of one's own good works so as not to risk being deprived of the heavenly reward (cf. Mt 6,1-2). The disciple is to be concerned with God's greater glory. Jesus warns, "In this way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Mt 5,16). Everything, then, must be done for God's glory and not our own. This understanding, dear brothers and sisters, must accompany every gesture of help to our neighbor avoiding that it becomes a means to make ourselves the center of attention. If, in accomplishing a good deed, we do not have as our goal God's glory and the real well being of our brothers and sisters, looking rather for a return of personal interest or simply of applause, we place ourselves outside of the Gospel's vision. In today's world of images, attentive vigilance is required since this temptation is great. Almsgiving, according to the Gospel, is not mere philanthropy, rather it is a concrete expression of charity, a theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and neighbor in imitation of Jesus Christ, who, dying on the cross, gave His entire self for us. How could we not thank God for the many people who silently, far from the gaze of the media world, fulfill, with this spirit, generous actions in support of one's neighbor in difficulty? There is little use in giving one's personal goods to others if it leads to a heart puffed up in vain glory.  For this reason the one who knows that God "sees in secret" and in secret will reward, does not seek human recognition for works of mercy.

In inviting us to consider almsgiving with a more profound gaze that transcends the purely material dimension, Scripture teaches us that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20,35).  When we do things out of love, we express the truth of our being; indeed, we have been created not for ourselves but for God and our brothers and sisters (cf. 2 Cor 5,15).  Every time when, for love of God, we share our goods with our neighbor in need, we discover that the fullness of life comes from love and all is returned to us as a blessing in the form of peace, inner satisfaction, and joy.  Our Father in heaven rewards our almsgiving with His joy. What is more, Saint Peter includes among the spiritual fruits of almsgiving the forgiveness of sins.  "Charity," he writes, "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Pt 4,8). As the Lenten liturgy frequently repeats, God offers to us sinners the possibility of being forgiven. The fact of sharing with the poor what we possess disposes us to receive such a gift. In this moment, my thought turns to those who realize the weight of the evil they have committed and, precisely for this reason, feel far from God, fearful and almost incapable of turning to Him. By drawing close to others through almsgiving, we draw close to God.  It can become an instrument for authentic conversion and reconciliation with Him and our brothers.

Almsgiving teaches us the generosity of love.  Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo forthrightly recommends, "Never keep an account of the coins you give since this is what I always say.  If  in giving alms the left hand is not to know what the right hand is doing, then the right hand, too, should not know what it does itself" (Detti e pensieri, Edilibri, n. 201). In this regard, all the more significant is the Gospel story of the widow who, out of her poverty, cast into the Temple treasury "all she had to live on" (Mk 12,44). Her tiny and insignificant coin becomes an eloquent symbol.  This widow gives to God not out of her abundance, not so much what she has, but what she is. Her entire self.

We find this moving passage inserted in the description of the days that immediately precede Jesus' passion and death, who, as Saint Paul writes, made Himself poor to enrich us out of His poverty (cf. 2 Cor 8,9).  He gave His entire self for us. Lent, also through the practice of almsgiving, inspires us to follow His example.  In His school, we can learn to make of our lives a total gift.  Imitating Him, we are able to make ourselves available, not so much in giving a part of what we possess, but our very selves. Cannot the entire Gospel be summarized perhaps in the one commandment of love?  The Lenten practice of almsgiving thus becomes a means to deepen our Christian vocation.  In gratuitously offering himself, the Christian bears witness that it is love and not material richness that determines the laws of his existence.  Love then gives almsgiving its value; it inspires various forms of giving according to the possibilities and conditions of each person.

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent invites us to "train ourselves" spiritually also through the practice of almsgiving in order to grow in charity and recognize in the poor Christ Himself.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the Apostle Peter said to the cripple who was begging alms at the Temple gate: "I have no silver or gold but what I have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk" (Acts 3,6). In giving alms, we offer something material, a sign of the greater gift that we can impart to others through the announcement and witness of Christ in whose name is found true life.  Let this time, then, be marked by a personal and community effort of attachment to Christ in order that we may be witnesses of His love.  May Mary, Mother and faithful Servant of the Lord, help believers to enter the "spiritual battle" of Lent, armed with prayer, fasting and the practice of almsgiving, so as to arrive at the celebration of the Easter Feasts renewed in spirit. With these wishes, I willingly impart to all my Apostolic Blessing.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we approach the great feast of Christmas, the liturgy encourages us to intensify our preparation placing at our disposal numerous biblical texts from the Old and the New Testaments which serve to motivate us to focus on the significance and value of this annual celebration.

On the one hand, Christmas is a commemoration of the incredible miracle of the birth of God's only son, born of the Virgin Mary, in a cave in Bethlehem.  On the other hand, Christmas exhorts us to keep watch and pray waiting for our Redeemer who will come 'to judge the living and the dead.'

Perhaps we today, even we believers, truly await the Judge. We all await justice. We see so much injustice in the world, in our small world, at home, in our neighborhoods, as well as in the large world of states, of societies. And we wait for justice to be done.

Justice is an abstract concept. We await the coming of the very one who can effect justice.  In this context we pray, 'Come, Lord, Jesus Christ, as judge, come as you must.' The Lord knows how to enter the world and bring justice.

We ask the Lord, the Judge, to respond, to truly effect justice in the world.  We await justice, but our demands with respect to others cannot be the only expression of this waiting. The Christian significance of waiting for justice implies that we begin to live under the eyes of the Judge according to the criteria of the Judge; that we begin to live in his presence rendering justice in our lives. By being just, putting ourselves in the presence of the Judge, we await justice.

This is the meaning of Advent, of vigilance. The vigilance of Advent means to live under the eyes of the Judge and to prepare ourselves and the world for justice.  By living under the eyes of the God-Judge, we can open the world to the arrival of His Son, preparing our heart to welcome 'the Lord who comes.'

The Child, adored 2,000 years ago by the shepherds in a cave in Bethlehem, never stops visiting us in our daily life, as we, like pilgrims, walk toward the Kingdom.  As He waits, the believer becomes the spokesperson for the hopes of all humankind.  Humanity longs for justice; and thus, though often unaware, waits for God, waits for the salvation that only God can give us.

For us Christians, the wait is marked by assiduous prayer as indicated by the particularly evocative series of invocations that are proposed to us in these days of the Christmas novena, in the Mass, in the Gospel, and in the celebration of vespers, before the canticle of the Magnificat. Each appeal that implores the coming of Wisdom, the Sun of Justice, and God-With-Us, contains a prayer directed to the Awaited one of the nations so that His arrival be hastened.

To invoke the gift of the birth of the promised Savior also means to commit myself to prepare the way, to prepare a worthy home not only in the environment around us, but above all in our souls. With the guidance of the Evangelist John, we try to turn our thoughts and hearts to the eternal Word, to the Logos, to the Word that has become flesh and has given us grace after grace (cf. 1:14,16).

This faith in the Creator Logos, in the Word that created the world, in the one who came like a Child, this faith and its great hope seem to be far from our daily public and private reality.  It seems this truth is too great.  We manage the best we can so it seems at least.  But the world is becoming more chaotic and violent.  We witness this every day.  And the light of God, the light of Truth, is put out.  Life becomes dark and without a compass.

It is therefore very important that we are true believers, and as believers, that we reaffirm forcefully, with our lives, the mystery of salvation that comes with the celebration of Christ's birth.  In Bethlehem, the Light which illumines our life was made manifest to the world.  The Way which leads to the fullness of our humanity was revealed to us. What sense does it make to celebrate Christmas if we don't acknowledge that God has become man?  The celebration becomes empty.

Before all else, we Christians have to reassert with deep and heartfelt conviction the truth of Christ's birth in order to bear witness before all, the awareness of an unparalleled gift that enriches not only us, but everyone.

The duty of evangelization is to convey this eu-angelion, the good news. This was recalled by the document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith entitled Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization which I would like to offer for your reflection and personal as well as communal study.

Dear friends, in these days of preparation leading up to Christmas, the prayer of the Church intensifies so that the hopes for peace, salvation, justice, and all that the world urgently needs, be made a reality. We ask God that violence be defeated by the power of love, that opposition be replaced by reconciliation, that the desire to dominate be transformed into desires for forgiveness, justice, and peace.

May the wishes of kindness and love that we exchange in these days reach all sectors of our daily lives. May peace be in our hearts so that we can be open to the action of God's mercy. May peace live in all families, and may they spend Christmas united before the crib and the tree decorated with lights.  May the Christmas message of solidarity and welcome contribute to create a deeper sensibility toward old and new types of poverty and toward the common good that we are all called to share.

May all family members, especially the children and the elderly, the weakest ones, feel the warmth of this feast, and may that warmth spread out through every day of the year.  May Christmas be a celebration of peace and joy, joy for the birth of the Savior, the Prince of Peace. Like the shepherds, we hasten our steps toward Bethlehem.  In the heart of the Holy Night, we will be able to contemplate the 'infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger', together with Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:12,16).

We ask the Lord to open our soul so that we can enter the mystery of his birth.  May Mary, who gave her virginal womb to the Word of God, who contemplated the child between her arms, and who offers Him to everyone as the Redeemer of the world, help us make Christmas a moment of growth in the knowledge and love of Christ. This is the wish that I warmly extend to you all, to your families. and your dear ones.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

In this general audience I would like to reflect on my recent apostolic journey to Brazil from May 9-14. After the first two years of my pontificate, I finally had the joy of going to Latin America, a place I love dearly and where a great number of the world's Catholics live.

The central destination of my journey was Brazil, but I also extended my embrace to the entire Latin American continent because the ecclesial event that called me there was the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

I wish to reiterate my profound gratitude for the welcome I received from my dear brother bishops, in particular those of São Paulo and Aparecida.  I thank the president of Brazil and the other civil authorities for their cordial and generous cooperation; and with great affection I thank the Brazilian people for the warmth with which they welcomed me - it was great and moving - and for the attention they paid to my words.

My journey was an act of praise to God for the wonders he has done in the midst of the peoples of Latin America, for the faith that has animated their lives and their culture for more than 500 years. It was also a pilgrimage culminating at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil.

The theme of the relationship between faith and culture was always in the hearts of my venerated predecessors Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. I also wished to take up this theme to confirm the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean in their walk of faith that has been and still is a living history as we see in popular piety, art, in dialogue with the rich pre-Columbian traditions, as well as numerous European influences, and influences from other continents.

A look back at a glorious past cannot ignore the shadows that accompanied the work of evangelization of the Latin American continent. It is impossible to forget the sufferings and injustices inflicted by colonizers on the indigenous peoples who often had their basic human rights trampled on.  But the very mention of these unjustifiable crimes, crimes that were condemned at the time by missionaries such as Bartolomé de Las Casas, and theologians such as Francisco de Vitoria of the University of Salamanca, must not stop us from expressing gratitude for the wonderful work carried out by divine grace among those populations in these past five centuries.

Brazil is a great country which has deeply rooted Christian values but is experiencing enormous social and economic problems. To help resolve these problems, the Church must mobilize all of the moral and spiritual energies of its communities to find points of convergence with the healthy energies of the country.

Among the positive elements to point out are the creativity and the fecundity of the Church there from which many new movements and institutes of consecrated life are born.  No less worthy of praise is the generous dedication of the many lay faithful who show themselves to be very active in the various initiatives promoted by the Church.

Brazil is also a country that can offer the world a new model of development: The Christian culture can facilitate a reconciliation between men and creation beginning with the recovery of personal dignity in the relationship to God the Father.

An eloquent example of this is the Fazenda da Esperança, a network of rehabilitation centers for young people who wish to come out of the dark tunnel of drug abuse. At the one I visited, taking away a profound impression that I will keep alive in my heart, I noticed the importance of the presence of the Poor Clares.

This appeared symbolic for the world of today which is in need of a psychological and social rehabilitation and an even deeper spiritual rehabilitation.

Also symbolic was the canonization, celebrated in joy, of the first native Brazilian saint, Father Antonio de Sant'Ana Galvão. This Franciscan priest of the 18^th century, devoted to the Blessed Virgin, an apostle of the Eucharist, and of confession, was called while living as a man of peace and charity. His witness is yet another confirmation that holiness is the true revolution which can promote the authentic reform of the Church and society.

In the Cathedral of São Paulo, I met with the Brazilian bishops which is  the largest bishops' conference in the world. Conveying to them the support of the Successor of Peter was one of the major goals of my mission because I know the great challenges that the proclamation of the Gospel faces in that country.

I encouraged my brother bishops to promote and strengthen the task of the new evangelization exhorting them to develop in a methodical way the spreading of God's word so that the innate and widespread religiosity of populations can deepen and become a mature faith adhering personally and communally to the God of Jesus Christ.

I encouraged them to recover the style of life of the first Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles dedicated to catechesis, the sacramental life, and works of charity.

I know the dedication of these faithful servants of the Gospel, the Gospel they wish to present without reductions or confusion, keeping watch over the deposit of faith with discernment, and their constant goal of promoting social development mainly through the formation of the laity who are called to assume responsibility in political and economic fields. I thank God for allowing me to deepen my communion with the Brazilian bishops, and I continue to remember them in my prayers.

Another important moment of the journey was without a doubt the meeting with young people; hope not only for the future, but a vital force also for the present for the Church and for society. This vigil, animated by them in São Paulo, was a festival of hope, illuminated by Christ's words to the rich young man who asked Him: "Master, what good must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16).

Jesus points out above all the commandments as the way of life, and then invites him to leave everything to follow Him. The Church does the same thing today: First of all, it proposes the commandments, the true education of freedom for personal and social good, and above all, it proposes the first commandment, that of love, because without love even the commandments cannot give full meaning to life and procure true happiness.

Only the person who experiences the love of God in Christ and places himself on this path to live it among humanity becomes his disciple and missionary.  I invited the young people to be apostles of their peers and to therefore take great care of their own human and spiritual formation, to have great esteem for marriage and the way that leads to marriage in chastity and responsibility, and to be open to the call to consecrated life for God's kingdom. To summarize, I encouraged them to take advantage of the great riches of their youth and to be the young face of the Church.

The high point of the journey was the inauguration of the 5^th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida. The theme for this important meeting, which will continue until the end of the month, is Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ So That Our People Might Have Life in Him -- I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

"Disciples and missionaries" corresponds to what the Gospel of Mark says concerning the call of the Apostles, "(Jesus) called the twelve that were with Him and sent them out to preach" (Mark 3:14-15).

The word "disciple" recalls the aspects of formation and following in communion and friendship with Jesus.  The term "missionary" expresses the fruit of discipleship, that is, the witness and communication of the lived experience of the truth and love that is known and assimilated.

To be disciples and missionaries implies a close link with the Word of God, with the Eucharist, and the other sacraments, living in the Church, and listening obediently to His teachings.  Joyously renewing the desire to be Jesus' disciples, to stay with him, is the primary condition for being his missionaries "beginning again with Christ," according to Pope John Paul II's mandate to the Church after the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

My venerated predecessor always insisted on an evangelization that was "new in its ardor, its methods and its expression," as he said when speaking to CELAM [Latin American Bishops' Council] on March 9, 1983, in Haiti (Insegnamenti VI/1 [1983], 698).

With my apostolic journey, I wished to exhort them to continue along this path holding up the encyclical Deus Caritas Est as a unified perspective, an inseparable social and theological perspective, summarized in this expression: "It is love that gives life."

"God's presence, friendship with the Son of God incarnate, the light of His Word, are always fundamental conditions for the presence and efficacy of justice and love in our societies" (Inaugural speech of the 5^th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, 4: L'Osservatore Romano, May 14-15, 2007, p. 14).

I entrust the fruits of this unforgettable apostolic journey to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary who is venerated as Our Lady of Guadalupe and patroness of all Latin America, and to the new Brazilian saint, Father Antonio of Sant'Ana Galvão.

Pope Benedict XVI

Trip to Bavaria

September, 2006

"I am an old man.  I don't know how much time the Lord will grant me.  At least one more time I am getting to see my homeland."

My wish is that all my countrymen in Bavaria and Germany together actively participate in the handing down of the foundational values of the Christian faith to the citizens of tomorrow."

Pope Benedict XVI General Audience

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Trip to Bavaria

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I wish to recall again different moments of the pastoral trip that the Lord allowed me to undertake last week to Bavaria. On sharing with you the emotions and sentiments felt when returning to those dearly beloved places, I feel the need first of all to thank God for having made possible this second visit to Germany and for the first time to Bavaria my native land.

I also sincerely thank all those who worked with dedication and patience - pastors, priests, pastoral agents, public authorities, organizers, security forces and volunteers - so that each one of the events would unfold in the best possible way.  As I said on my arrival at Munich Airport on Saturday, September 9, the purpose of the trip remembering all those who contributed to form my personality was to reaffirm and confirm as Successor of the Apostle Peter the close bonds that unite the See of Rome with the Church in Germany.

Therefore the trip was not simply a return to the past but also a providential opportunity to look to the future with hope. Those who believe are never alone. The motto of the visit was meant to be an invitation to reflect on every baptized person's membership in the one Church of Christ within which one is never alone but in constant communion with God and all brothers.

The first stage was the City of Munich known as "the metropolis with a heart" ("Weltstadt mit Herz"). In its historical center is the "Marienplatz," Mary's Square, in which arises the "Mariensaeule," the Virgin's Column, at the summit of which is the golden bronze statue of Mary.

I wished to begin my stay with homage to the Patroness of Bavaria because for me it has a highly significant value.  In that Square and before that Marian image I was welcomed as archbishop some 30 years ago, and I began my episcopal mission with a prayer to Mary. I returned there at the end of my mandate before leaving for Rome. This time I wished to place myself once again at the foot of the "Mariensaeule" to implore the intercession and blessing of the Mother of God not only for the City of Munich and for Bavaria but for the whole Church and the entire world.

The following day, Sunday, I celebrated the Eucharist in the esplanade of the "Neue Messe" (New Fair) of Munich among the faithful gathered in great numbers from different parts. Allowing myself to be guided by the Gospel passage of the day, I reminded everyone that especially today there is suffering from a certain "deafness" to God. We Christians have the task of proclaiming and witnessing to all in a secularized world the message of hope that faith offers us.  In Jesus crucified, God, merciful Father, calls us to be his children and to overcome every form of hatred and violence in order to contribute to the definitive triumph of love.

"Make Us Strong in the Faith" was the motto of the meeting on Sunday afternoon with the First Communion children and their young families with the catechists and the other pastoral agents and persons who collaborate in the evangelization of the Diocese of Munich. Together we celebrated Vespers in the historic cathedral, known as "Our Lady's Cathedral," where the relics of Saint Benno are kept, patron of the city in which I was ordained bishop in 1977.

I reminded the little ones and adults that God is not far from us in some unreachable place of the universe; on the contrary, in Jesus, He came to establish a relationship of friendship with each one of us. Thanks to the constant commitment of its members, every Christian community, and, in particular, the parish, is called to become a great family able to advance united on the path of true life.

The day of Monday, September 11, was dedicated in large part to the visit to Altoetting, in the Diocese of Passau. This small city is known as the "Heart of Bavaria" ("Herz Bayerns"), and there is kept the "Black Virgin," venerated in the "Gnadenkapelle" (Chapel of Graces), the object of numerous pilgrimages from Germany and nations of Central Europe.

In the vicinity is the Capuchin monastery of Saint Anne where Saint Konrad Birndorfer lived and was canonized by my venerated predecessor Pope Pius XI in the year 1934. With numerous faithful present at the Holy Mass celebrated in the square next to the shrine, we reflected together on Mary's role in the work of salvation to learn from her helpful kindness, humility, and the generous acceptance of the divine will.

Mary leads us to Jesus. This truth was even more visible at the end of the divine sacrifice with the procession. With the statue of the Virgin, we went to the chapel of Eucharistic adoration ("Anbetungskapelle") inaugurated on this occasion. The day closed with solemn Marian Vespers in the Basilica of Saint Anne of Altoetting with the presence of religious of Bavaria together with members of the Work for Vocations.

The following day, Tuesday, in Regensburg, a diocese established by Saint Boniface in 739 and which has Saint Wolfgang as its patron, three important meetings took place. In the morning, Holy Mass at Islinger Feld in which taking up again the theme of the pastoral visit, "Those who believe are never alone," we reflected on the content of the symbol of faith.  God, who is Father, wills to gather through Christ the whole of humanity in one single family, the Church.  For this reason, those who believe are never alone. Those who believe need not be afraid of coming to a dead end.

Then, in the afternoon, I was in the Cathedral of Regensburg, known also for its choir of white voices, the Domspatzen (sparrows of the cathedral), who take pride in their 1,000 years of activity and which for 30 years was directed by my brother, Georg. The ecumenical celebration of Vespers took place there in which numerous representatives of different churches and ecclesial communities in Bavaria and members of the Ecumenical Commission of the German episcopal conference participated. It was a providential occasion to pray together to accelerate full unity among all Christ's disciples and to confirm the duty to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ without attenuation but in a total and clear manner above all in our behavior of sincere love.

It was an especially beautiful experience for me that day to deliver a conference before a large auditorium of professors and students at the University of Regensburg at which I was professor for many years.  With joy I was able to once again meet with the university world which was my spiritual homeland during a long period of my life.

I had chosen as a topic the question of the relationship between faith and reason. To introduce the auditorium to the dramatic and timely character of the argument, I quoted some of the words of a Christian-Islamic dialogue of the 14^th century in which the Christian interlocutor, the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, in an incomprehensibly brusque way for us, presented to the Islamic interlocutor the problem of the relationship between religion and violence.

Unfortunately this quotation has given room to a misunderstanding. For the careful reader of my text, it is clear that I did not wish at any time to make my own the negative words uttered by the medieval emperor in this dialogue, and that its controversial content does not express my personal conviction.  My intention was very different, and was based on what Manuel II affirms afterward in a very positive way, with very beautiful words, about rationality in the transmission of the faith. I wished to explain that religion is not united to violence but to reason.

The topic of my conference - responding to the mission of the university - was therefore the relationship between faith and reason. I wished to invite the Christian faith to dialogue with the modern world and to dialogue with all cultures and religions. I hope that on different occasions of my visit, as for example in Munich where I underlined the importance of respecting what others consider sacred, my deep respect for the great religions, in particular for Muslims who adore the one God and with whom we are engaged in "preserving and promoting together for all mankind social justice, moral values, peace and freedom" ("Nostra Aetate," No. 3) -- emerged clearly.

Therefore, I trust that, after the reactions of the first moment, my words at the University of Regensburg will represent an impulse and encouragement to a positive dialogue including self-critical both among religions as well as between modern reason and Christians' faith.

In the morning of the following day, September 13, in the "Alte Kapelle" ("Old Chapel") of Regensburg, in which the miraculous image of Mary is kept painted according to local tradition by the Evangelist Luke, I presided over a brief liturgy on the occasion of the blessing of the new organ.

Making use of the structure of this musical instrument made up of many pipes of different dimension but all well harmonized among themselves, I reminded those present of the need for all the various ministries, gifts, and charisms in the ecclesial community to contribute, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to the formation of a unique harmony in praise of the Lord and in love for brothers.

The last stage, Thursday, September 14, was the City of Freising. I feel particularly linked to it as I was ordained priest there precisely in its cathedral dedicated to Mary Most Holy and Saint Corbinian, the Evangelizer of Bavaria. And precisely in the cathedral, the last programmed ceremony was held - the meeting with priests and permanent deacons.

Reliving the emotions of my priestly ordination, I reminded those present of the duty to collaborate with the Lord to awaken new vocations that place themselves as the service of the "harvest," which also today is "plentiful," and I exhorted them to cultivate the interior life as pastoral priority so as not to lose contact with Christ source of joy in the daily exertion of the ministry.

In the farewell ceremony, while once again thanking all those who had cooperated in the realization of the visit, I again confirmed its main purpose to propose again to my fellow countrymen the eternal truths of the Gospel and to confirm believers in adherence to Christ, Son of God incarnated, dead and risen for us.

May Mary, Mother of the Church, help us to open our hearts and minds to the One who is "The Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:16). I have prayed for this, and that is why I invite you all, dear brothers and sisters, to continue praying, and I thank you for the affection with which you support me in my daily pastoral ministry. Thank you all.