VATICAN CITY, NOV 23, 2005 (VIS) - In the general audience held this morning in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to the opening canticle of the Letter to the Ephesians, "God the Savior." It belongs, he said, to the category of "blessings that appear in the Old Testament and that were further spread by the Jewish tradition."
It is, said the Pope, "a constant stream of praise rising up to God, Who in the Christian faith is celebrated as 'Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' It is for this reason that, in our hymn of praise, the central figure is that of Christ, in Whom the work of God the Father is revealed and accomplished."
The Holy Father went on to refer to the verbs used in St. Paul's hymn, the first of which is "to choose." God "'chose us in Him,' this is our vocation to sanctity, to the status of adoptive children, and hence to fraternity with Christ. ... The second verb ... designates the gift of grace. ... The grace the Father gives us in the only begotten Son is, then, the epiphany of His love which envelops and transforms us.
"Thus we come to the third fundamental verb of the Pauline hymn. It too has as its object in divine grace which is 'lavished upon us.' What we have, then, is a verb of fullness, we could say (keeping to its original sense) of excess, of giving without limit or reserve."
"And so we reach the infinite and glorious depths of the mystery of God, opened and revealed by grace to those who were called through grace and love. ... The mystery of divine will has a center that is destined to coordinate all existence and all history, leading them to the fullness desired by God. This is the 'plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things' in Christ."
"We are looking at the great fresco of the history of creation and of salvation, which we may consider more deeply through the words of St. Irenaeus who recognized that since the Word of God truly becomes man, sin and death are defeated and all people are renewed in Christ."
Following the audience, the Pope addressed a special greeting to representatives of the Italian National Anti-Usury Consultancy, which is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its creation. "Your presence in such large numbers," he told them, "gives me the opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation for the courageous and generous activity you carry out in support of the families of people hit by the deplorable social plague of usury. I hope that many people will stand alongside you to support your worthy commitment in the field of prevention, solidarity and education."
The Holy Father also spoke to Polish pilgrims, recalling the recent celebration of the day dedicated to communities of contemplative life. "They represent a great wealth for the Church," he said, "let us thank the nuns and monks for their prayers and for their silent accompaniment of a restless world."
AG/LETTER EPHESIANS/... VIS 20051123 (520)
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