VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2001 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II celebrated Mass in the Roman parish of St. Angela Merici. In his homily the Holy Father said that the Risen Christ, ascending into heaven "does not definitively leave His disciples; Rather He begins a new type of relationship with them."
"The Liturgy exhorts us today," - solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord - "to contemplate heaven, as did the Apostles at the moment of the Ascension, in order to be credible witnesses of the Risen Christ on earth, collaborating with Him in the growth of God's Kingdom among men. He invites us, moreover, to meditate on the mandate which Jesus, before ascending into Heaven, entrusted to the disciples: to preach conversion and the forgiveness of sins to all the peoples."
The Pope recalled that the parish is experiencing "a profound social transformation and perceives the urgency of adjusting its pastoral action more and more to the changing needs of the people. This is a challenge to which you are already seeking to give concrete answers. You are concerned, in particular, with confronting the many situations of poverty existing in your area. ... I am thinking, for example, of the people who come from countries outside of the European Community, often without work and prevented from living a dignified existence. I think of the many elderly who feel solitude so strongly."
"I am especially pleased," the Pope continued, "with the realization of the Caritas Center, intended as a sign of your response to the immediate needs of the many who too often are forgotten."
The Holy Father concluded his homily emphasizing that "all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ are called to contribute to this action of apostolic commitment and ecclesial renewal."
HML;...;...;ST ANGELA MERICI;VIS;20010528;Word: 300;
"The Liturgy exhorts us today," - solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord - "to contemplate heaven, as did the Apostles at the moment of the Ascension, in order to be credible witnesses of the Risen Christ on earth, collaborating with Him in the growth of God's Kingdom among men. He invites us, moreover, to meditate on the mandate which Jesus, before ascending into Heaven, entrusted to the disciples: to preach conversion and the forgiveness of sins to all the peoples."
The Pope recalled that the parish is experiencing "a profound social transformation and perceives the urgency of adjusting its pastoral action more and more to the changing needs of the people. This is a challenge to which you are already seeking to give concrete answers. You are concerned, in particular, with confronting the many situations of poverty existing in your area. ... I am thinking, for example, of the people who come from countries outside of the European Community, often without work and prevented from living a dignified existence. I think of the many elderly who feel solitude so strongly."
"I am especially pleased," the Pope continued, "with the realization of the Caritas Center, intended as a sign of your response to the immediate needs of the many who too often are forgotten."
The Holy Father concluded his homily emphasizing that "all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ are called to contribute to this action of apostolic commitment and ecclesial renewal."
HML;...;...;ST ANGELA MERICI;VIS;20010528;Word: 300;
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