VATICAN CITY, 1 NOV 2010 (VIS) - On today's Solemnity of All Saints, which "invites us to raise our gaze to heaven and meditate on the fullness of divine life which awaits us", the Holy Father prayed the Angelus with thousands of faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"Sanctity, impressing Christ into one's own self, is the goal of Christian life", said Pope Benedict. "We have a foretaste of the gift and beauty of sanctity each time we participate in the Eucharistic liturgy, in communion with that 'immense multitude' of blessed spirits who are in heaven eternally acclaiming the salvation of God and the Lamb. 'The lives of the saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them'.
"Consoled by this communion of the great family of saints", he added, "tomorrow we will commemorate All Souls Day. The liturgy of 2 November and the pious practice of visiting cemeteries reminds us that Christian death is part of the journey of assimilation to God, and will disappear when God becomes everything in everyone. Separation from our earthly affections is certainly painful, but we must nor fear it because, accompanied by the prayer of the Church, it cannot break the profound bond that unites us in Christ".
Following the Marian prayer the Pope spoke of the attack on the Syro-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad on 31 October which caused many injuries and deaths, including two priests and a group of faithful attending Sunday Mass.
"I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, all the more ferocious because it targeted defenceless people gathered in the house of God, which is a house of love and reconciliation. I express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, which has been struck once again, and encourage pastors and faithful to be strong and united in hope. In the face of such cruel episodes of violence, which continue to afflict the people of the Middle East, I would like to renew my heartfelt appeal for peace. Peace is a gift of God, but also the result of the efforts of men and women of goodwill, of national and international institutions. May everyone unite their efforts to put an end to all violence".
ANG/ VIS 20101103 (420)
"Sanctity, impressing Christ into one's own self, is the goal of Christian life", said Pope Benedict. "We have a foretaste of the gift and beauty of sanctity each time we participate in the Eucharistic liturgy, in communion with that 'immense multitude' of blessed spirits who are in heaven eternally acclaiming the salvation of God and the Lamb. 'The lives of the saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them'.
"Consoled by this communion of the great family of saints", he added, "tomorrow we will commemorate All Souls Day. The liturgy of 2 November and the pious practice of visiting cemeteries reminds us that Christian death is part of the journey of assimilation to God, and will disappear when God becomes everything in everyone. Separation from our earthly affections is certainly painful, but we must nor fear it because, accompanied by the prayer of the Church, it cannot break the profound bond that unites us in Christ".
Following the Marian prayer the Pope spoke of the attack on the Syro-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad on 31 October which caused many injuries and deaths, including two priests and a group of faithful attending Sunday Mass.
"I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, all the more ferocious because it targeted defenceless people gathered in the house of God, which is a house of love and reconciliation. I express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, which has been struck once again, and encourage pastors and faithful to be strong and united in hope. In the face of such cruel episodes of violence, which continue to afflict the people of the Middle East, I would like to renew my heartfelt appeal for peace. Peace is a gift of God, but also the result of the efforts of men and women of goodwill, of national and international institutions. May everyone unite their efforts to put an end to all violence".
ANG/ VIS 20101103 (420)
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