VATICAN CITY, 5 OCT 2008 (VIS) - At 9.30 a.m. today in the Roman basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls, the Pope presided at a Eucharistic concelebration with the Synod Fathers, for the opening of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will be meeting to consider the theme: "The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church".
In his homily, the Holy Father commented upon today's Gospel reading of the image of the vineyard, indicating that it "calls upon our way of thinking and acting; in a special way, it calls upon the people who have received the proclamation of the Gospel. If we look at history", he said, "we are forced to notice the frequent coldness and rebellion of incoherent Christians".
"Today, nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture. There are those that, having decided that 'God is dead', declare themselves 'god', believing themselves to be the only creator of their own fate, the absolute owners of the world. ... But when man eliminates God from his horizon, when he declares God to be 'dead', is he truly happier? Does he truly become more free? ... Is it not more likely - as demonstrated by news headlines every day - that the arbitrary rule of power, selfish interests, injustice and exploitation, and violence in all its forms, will extend their grip? Man's final destination, in the end, is to find himself more alone and society more divided and confused".
After highlighting how "there is a promise in the words of Jesus: the vineyard will not be destroyed", Pope Benedict went on: "The consolatory message we gather from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death will not have the last word, but it will be Christ who wins in the end. Always! The Church will never tire of proclaiming this Good News, as is happening today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles who was the first to spread the Gospel in vast tracts of Asia Minor and Europe".
"Only the Word of God can change the depths of man's heart, and so it is important that with it both individual believers and the community enter into an ever-growing intimacy. The Synodal Assembly will direct its attention to this truth which is fundamental to the life and the mission of the Church. Nourishing herself with the Word of God is for her the first and fundamental responsibility".
The Holy Father continued: "in this Year dedicated to St. Paul, we will hear the urgent cry of the Apostle of the Gentiles: "Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel"; a cry which becomes for every Christian an insistent invitation to place oneself at the service of Christ".
"'The harvest is rich' the Divine Teacher repeats even today", he added. "Many have not met Him yet and are waiting for the first proclamation of His Gospel; others, though having received Christian formation, their enthusiasm has weakened and they maintain only a superficial contact with the Word of God; still others have fallen away from the practice of their faith and are in need of a new evangelisation. Nor is there a lack of righteous persons asking essential questions on the meaning of life and death, questions to which only Christ can supply a fulfilling response. It becomes therefore indispensable for Christians on every continent to be ready to respond to whomever asks the reason for the hope that is within them, announcing the Word of God with joy and living the Gospel without compromise".
The Pope concluded by saying: "The Lord will help us to interrogate ourselves, during these next weeks of the Synod, on how to render ever more effective the proclamation of the Gospel in this our time. We all sense how necessary it is to place the Word of God at the centre of our life, to welcome Christ as our only Redeemer, as the Kingdom of God in person, to allow His light to enlighten every sphere of humanity: from the family to school, to culture, to work, to free time and to other sectors of society and of our life".
HML/WORD OF GOD/ST. PAUL'S OUTSIDE-THE-WALLS VIS 20081006 (730)
In his homily, the Holy Father commented upon today's Gospel reading of the image of the vineyard, indicating that it "calls upon our way of thinking and acting; in a special way, it calls upon the people who have received the proclamation of the Gospel. If we look at history", he said, "we are forced to notice the frequent coldness and rebellion of incoherent Christians".
"Today, nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture. There are those that, having decided that 'God is dead', declare themselves 'god', believing themselves to be the only creator of their own fate, the absolute owners of the world. ... But when man eliminates God from his horizon, when he declares God to be 'dead', is he truly happier? Does he truly become more free? ... Is it not more likely - as demonstrated by news headlines every day - that the arbitrary rule of power, selfish interests, injustice and exploitation, and violence in all its forms, will extend their grip? Man's final destination, in the end, is to find himself more alone and society more divided and confused".
After highlighting how "there is a promise in the words of Jesus: the vineyard will not be destroyed", Pope Benedict went on: "The consolatory message we gather from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death will not have the last word, but it will be Christ who wins in the end. Always! The Church will never tire of proclaiming this Good News, as is happening today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles who was the first to spread the Gospel in vast tracts of Asia Minor and Europe".
"Only the Word of God can change the depths of man's heart, and so it is important that with it both individual believers and the community enter into an ever-growing intimacy. The Synodal Assembly will direct its attention to this truth which is fundamental to the life and the mission of the Church. Nourishing herself with the Word of God is for her the first and fundamental responsibility".
The Holy Father continued: "in this Year dedicated to St. Paul, we will hear the urgent cry of the Apostle of the Gentiles: "Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel"; a cry which becomes for every Christian an insistent invitation to place oneself at the service of Christ".
"'The harvest is rich' the Divine Teacher repeats even today", he added. "Many have not met Him yet and are waiting for the first proclamation of His Gospel; others, though having received Christian formation, their enthusiasm has weakened and they maintain only a superficial contact with the Word of God; still others have fallen away from the practice of their faith and are in need of a new evangelisation. Nor is there a lack of righteous persons asking essential questions on the meaning of life and death, questions to which only Christ can supply a fulfilling response. It becomes therefore indispensable for Christians on every continent to be ready to respond to whomever asks the reason for the hope that is within them, announcing the Word of God with joy and living the Gospel without compromise".
The Pope concluded by saying: "The Lord will help us to interrogate ourselves, during these next weeks of the Synod, on how to render ever more effective the proclamation of the Gospel in this our time. We all sense how necessary it is to place the Word of God at the centre of our life, to welcome Christ as our only Redeemer, as the Kingdom of God in person, to allow His light to enlighten every sphere of humanity: from the family to school, to culture, to work, to free time and to other sectors of society and of our life".
HML/WORD OF GOD/ST. PAUL'S OUTSIDE-THE-WALLS VIS 20081006 (730)
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