VATICAN CITY, 29 NOV 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father received a group of students from the pontifical seminaries of the Italian regions of the Marche, Puglie, Abruzzo and Moliese. The audience marked the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the foundation of these regional seminaries.
The mission of priests, said the Holy Father, "is to scatter with open hands the Word of God over the fields of the world". This Word, "which brings eternal life, is Christ Himself, the only One Who can change the human heart and renew the world. And yet we may ask ourselves: does modern man still feel the need for Christ and His message of salvation?"
"In a climate sometimes marked by a rationalism which closes in on itself and considers the empirical sciences as the only paradigm of knowledge, all the rest becomes subjective and, as a consequence, religious experience also risks being seen as a subjective choice, not essential and decisive for life", Said Benedict XVI.
He then went on to highlight how "contemporary man often seems confused and concerned about his future, seeking certainties and eager for secure points of reference. Mankind of the third millennium, as in all ages, has need of God and sometimes seeks Him without even realising". In this context he emphasised the fact that Christians, "and especially priests" are called "to respond to this profound longing of the human heart and to offer everyone, using means and methods in keeping with the needs of the time, the unchangeable Word of eternal life which is Christ, Hope of the world.
"In the light of this important mission", he added, "the years spent in the seminary assume great importance, a time dedicated to formation and discernment, years in which priority must be given to the constant search for a personal relationship with Jesus".
In this year dedicated to St. Paul, the Pope suggested the seminarians take the Apostle as "a model from which to draw inspiration in your preparation for the apostolic ministry", and he called upon the future priests to imitate St. Paul in tirelessly seeking "Jesus through listening to, reading and studying Sacred Scripture, through prayer and individual meditation, through the liturgy and all daily activities".
The Holy Father concluded by expressing the hope that the regional seminaries may "also become 'houses' in which to welcome vocations, so as to give even greater momentum to vocational pastoral care, with particular concern for the world of youth, educating young people to the great evangelical and missionary ideals".
AC/.../SEMINARIANS VIS 20081201 (440)
The mission of priests, said the Holy Father, "is to scatter with open hands the Word of God over the fields of the world". This Word, "which brings eternal life, is Christ Himself, the only One Who can change the human heart and renew the world. And yet we may ask ourselves: does modern man still feel the need for Christ and His message of salvation?"
"In a climate sometimes marked by a rationalism which closes in on itself and considers the empirical sciences as the only paradigm of knowledge, all the rest becomes subjective and, as a consequence, religious experience also risks being seen as a subjective choice, not essential and decisive for life", Said Benedict XVI.
He then went on to highlight how "contemporary man often seems confused and concerned about his future, seeking certainties and eager for secure points of reference. Mankind of the third millennium, as in all ages, has need of God and sometimes seeks Him without even realising". In this context he emphasised the fact that Christians, "and especially priests" are called "to respond to this profound longing of the human heart and to offer everyone, using means and methods in keeping with the needs of the time, the unchangeable Word of eternal life which is Christ, Hope of the world.
"In the light of this important mission", he added, "the years spent in the seminary assume great importance, a time dedicated to formation and discernment, years in which priority must be given to the constant search for a personal relationship with Jesus".
In this year dedicated to St. Paul, the Pope suggested the seminarians take the Apostle as "a model from which to draw inspiration in your preparation for the apostolic ministry", and he called upon the future priests to imitate St. Paul in tirelessly seeking "Jesus through listening to, reading and studying Sacred Scripture, through prayer and individual meditation, through the liturgy and all daily activities".
The Holy Father concluded by expressing the hope that the regional seminaries may "also become 'houses' in which to welcome vocations, so as to give even greater momentum to vocational pastoral care, with particular concern for the world of youth, educating young people to the great evangelical and missionary ideals".
AC/.../SEMINARIANS VIS 20081201 (440)
No comments:
Post a Comment