VATICAN CITY, 9 MAR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below.
Commenting on today's Gospel reading of the raising of Lazarus, the Pope affirmed that "this was the last great 'sign' accomplished by Jesus, after which the chief priests summoned the Sanhedrin and planned to kill Him; and they also decided to kill Lazarus, who was the living proof of the divinity of Jesus, Lord of life and death".
In this Gospel passage, Christ describes Lazarus as having "fallen asleep" thus using the metaphor of sleep to express "God's point of view on physical death: ... a sleep from which it is possible to awake. Jesus showed an absolute power over such death" said Benedict XVI. Yet "this lordship over death did not prevent Jesus feeling sincere compassion for the pain of separation" for, seeing Lazarus' sisters and friends weeping, He too 'was greatly disturbed' and 'began to weep'".
The Holy Father continued: "Christ's heart is divine-human. In Him God and man came together perfectly, without separation and without confusion. He is the image, indeed the incarnation, of God Who is love, mercy, paternal and maternal tenderness, of God Who is Life".
Jesus asks Lazarus' sister Marta is she believes that He is the resurrection and the life, "a question that Jesus addresses to each one of us - a question that is certainly beyond us, that is beyond our capacity to understand - asking us to entrust ourselves to Him as He entrusted Himself to the Father".
Marta's answer is "exemplary" said the Pope: "'I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world'. ... We too believe despite out doubts", he concluded, "we believe in You because You have words of eternal life; we wish to believe in You Who give us a dependable hope of life after life, of authentic and full life in Your Kingdom of light and peace".
ANG/RESURRECTION/... VIS 20080310 (350)
Commenting on today's Gospel reading of the raising of Lazarus, the Pope affirmed that "this was the last great 'sign' accomplished by Jesus, after which the chief priests summoned the Sanhedrin and planned to kill Him; and they also decided to kill Lazarus, who was the living proof of the divinity of Jesus, Lord of life and death".
In this Gospel passage, Christ describes Lazarus as having "fallen asleep" thus using the metaphor of sleep to express "God's point of view on physical death: ... a sleep from which it is possible to awake. Jesus showed an absolute power over such death" said Benedict XVI. Yet "this lordship over death did not prevent Jesus feeling sincere compassion for the pain of separation" for, seeing Lazarus' sisters and friends weeping, He too 'was greatly disturbed' and 'began to weep'".
The Holy Father continued: "Christ's heart is divine-human. In Him God and man came together perfectly, without separation and without confusion. He is the image, indeed the incarnation, of God Who is love, mercy, paternal and maternal tenderness, of God Who is Life".
Jesus asks Lazarus' sister Marta is she believes that He is the resurrection and the life, "a question that Jesus addresses to each one of us - a question that is certainly beyond us, that is beyond our capacity to understand - asking us to entrust ourselves to Him as He entrusted Himself to the Father".
Marta's answer is "exemplary" said the Pope: "'I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world'. ... We too believe despite out doubts", he concluded, "we believe in You because You have words of eternal life; we wish to believe in You Who give us a dependable hope of life after life, of authentic and full life in Your Kingdom of light and peace".
ANG/RESURRECTION/... VIS 20080310 (350)
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