VATICAN CITY, 20 NOV 2010 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Basilica this morning, Benedict XVI celebrated the third ordinary public consistory of his pontificate, during which he created twenty-four new cardinals.
Following the liturgical greeting, the Holy Father read the formula of creation and solemnly proclaimed the names of the new cardinals. The first of them, Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, then thanked the Pope in the name of all the others.
After a Gospel reading, the Holy Father pronounced his homily.
From now on the new members of the College of Cardinals will, he said, "be part of that 'coetus peculiaris' which offers Peter's Successor more immediate and assiduous collaboration, supporting him in the exercise of his universal ministry".
Commenting on today's Gospel reading, the Holy Father explained that "it places before our eyes the image of Jesus as Messiah - foretold by Isaiah - Who comes not to be served, but to serve. The manner of His life becomes the foundation for new relations within the entire Christian community, and for a new way of exercising authority".
"What path", the Pope asked, "must then be followed by those who wish to be disciples? The path of the Master is the path of complete obedience to God", he said.
Pope Benedict highlighted how "in the Church no-one is proprietor; rather, all are called, all are invited, all are touched and guided by divine grace. This is also our security! Only be listening again to the word of Jesus which tells us 'come and follow me', only by returning to the original vocation, is it possible to understand our presence and mission in the Church as true disciples".
"The fundamental criterion of greatness and primacy according to God is not dominion, but service. The diaconate is the fundamental law of the disciple and of the Christian community. ... The Son of man came to serve. He defined His mission under the category of service, understood not in generic terms but in the concrete sense of the cross, of the total giving of life as 'ransom' and redemption for many, and He indicates this as a condition for following Him. This message applies to the Apostles, it applies to the entire Church, above all it applies to those who have the task of guiding the People of God. It is not the logic of domination, of power according to human criteria which lies at the basis of the exercise of authority, but the logic of bending to wash the feet, the logic of service, the logic of the cross. At all times the Church is committed to conforming herself to this logic, to bearing witness to it in order to reveal the true 'Lordship of God', that of love".
The Holy Father told the new cardinals that the mission to which God has called them today "requires an ever stronger will to imitate the style of the Son of God. ... This means following Him in his donation of humble and total love to the Church, His Bride, on the cross. ... This requires ever more profound and solid roots in Christ. An intimate relationship with Him ... is the primary requirement to ensure that our service remains serene and joyful, and can give produce the fruits the Lord expects from us".
At the end of the homily the new cardinals made the profession of faith before the people of God, swearing their faithfulness and obedience to the Pope and his successors.
One by one, in the order in which they were created, the new cardinals then came and knelt before the Holy Father who imposed the red "biretta" or hat and assigned them a titular or diaconate church in Rome as a sign of their participation in the Pope's pastoral concern for the city.
The Pope gave each new cardinal his Bull of Creation and exchanged an embrace of peace with them. The cardinals then exchanged the same embrace with each other
The celebration concluded with the prayer of the faithful, the recitation of the Our Father and the final blessing.
BXVI-CONSISTORY/ VIS 20101122 (700)
Following the liturgical greeting, the Holy Father read the formula of creation and solemnly proclaimed the names of the new cardinals. The first of them, Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, then thanked the Pope in the name of all the others.
After a Gospel reading, the Holy Father pronounced his homily.
From now on the new members of the College of Cardinals will, he said, "be part of that 'coetus peculiaris' which offers Peter's Successor more immediate and assiduous collaboration, supporting him in the exercise of his universal ministry".
Commenting on today's Gospel reading, the Holy Father explained that "it places before our eyes the image of Jesus as Messiah - foretold by Isaiah - Who comes not to be served, but to serve. The manner of His life becomes the foundation for new relations within the entire Christian community, and for a new way of exercising authority".
"What path", the Pope asked, "must then be followed by those who wish to be disciples? The path of the Master is the path of complete obedience to God", he said.
Pope Benedict highlighted how "in the Church no-one is proprietor; rather, all are called, all are invited, all are touched and guided by divine grace. This is also our security! Only be listening again to the word of Jesus which tells us 'come and follow me', only by returning to the original vocation, is it possible to understand our presence and mission in the Church as true disciples".
"The fundamental criterion of greatness and primacy according to God is not dominion, but service. The diaconate is the fundamental law of the disciple and of the Christian community. ... The Son of man came to serve. He defined His mission under the category of service, understood not in generic terms but in the concrete sense of the cross, of the total giving of life as 'ransom' and redemption for many, and He indicates this as a condition for following Him. This message applies to the Apostles, it applies to the entire Church, above all it applies to those who have the task of guiding the People of God. It is not the logic of domination, of power according to human criteria which lies at the basis of the exercise of authority, but the logic of bending to wash the feet, the logic of service, the logic of the cross. At all times the Church is committed to conforming herself to this logic, to bearing witness to it in order to reveal the true 'Lordship of God', that of love".
The Holy Father told the new cardinals that the mission to which God has called them today "requires an ever stronger will to imitate the style of the Son of God. ... This means following Him in his donation of humble and total love to the Church, His Bride, on the cross. ... This requires ever more profound and solid roots in Christ. An intimate relationship with Him ... is the primary requirement to ensure that our service remains serene and joyful, and can give produce the fruits the Lord expects from us".
At the end of the homily the new cardinals made the profession of faith before the people of God, swearing their faithfulness and obedience to the Pope and his successors.
One by one, in the order in which they were created, the new cardinals then came and knelt before the Holy Father who imposed the red "biretta" or hat and assigned them a titular or diaconate church in Rome as a sign of their participation in the Pope's pastoral concern for the city.
The Pope gave each new cardinal his Bull of Creation and exchanged an embrace of peace with them. The cardinals then exchanged the same embrace with each other
The celebration concluded with the prayer of the faithful, the recitation of the Our Father and the final blessing.
BXVI-CONSISTORY/ VIS 20101122 (700)
What a beautiful homily!
ReplyDeleteListening to Pope Benedict XVI is listening to someone who gushes over his Beloved, our LORD JESUS The CHRIST. Pope B XVI loves his GOD so deeply as to be able to clearly state HIS MIND and HIS HEART.
I love you Pope Benedict - thank you for showing us how to love and serve our sweet LORD more deeply and more closely. . . with courage.
MABUHAY PAPA BENEDICT XVI!