More papal lessons for bishops:
'Constant union with God
ensures fruitful ministry'
VATICAN CITY, 21 SEP 2009 (VIS) - At midday today in Castelgandolfo the Pope received participants in a congress, regularly held at this time of year, for recently-consecrated bishops.
The congress is jointly sponsored by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Orienetal Churches.
Addressing them, the Holy Father recalled the importance of "not forgetting that one of a bishop's essential tasks is that of helping priests - by example and fraternal support - to follow their vocation faithfully and to work enthusiastically and lovingly in the Lord's vineyard".
Priests, said the Pope, must "remain united to the Lord; this is the secret of the fruitfulness of their ministry".
Increased workload, difficulties, and the new requirements of pastoral care "must never distract us from intimate and personal union with Christ. Our readiness and openness to people must never diminish or overshadow our readiness and openness towards the Lord.
"The time that priests and bishops consecrate to God in prayer is always time well spent", he added. "This is because prayer is at the heart of pastoral work, it is the 'lymph' which gives it strength, it is a support in moments of uncertainty and discouragement, and an endless source of missionary fervour and of fraternal love towards everyone".
The Holy Father went on: "At the heart of priestly life is the Eucharist". In this context he indicated how "one special way to prolong the mysterious sanctifying action of the Eucharist throughout the day is the devout recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, as is Eucharistic adoration, 'lectio divina' and the contemplative prayer of the Rosary."
The holy 'Cure of Ars'", he concluded, "showed us the importance of priests' immersing themselves in the Eucharist and of educating the faithful in the Eucharistic presence and in communion".
Here is a translation of the Pope's full address to the bishops:
THE POPE'S REMARKS
TO THE NEW BISHOPS
Dear brothers in the Episcopate!
I thank you from the heart for your visit on the occasion of the convention for bishops who have recent begun their pastoral ministry.
These days of reflection, prayer and bringing yourselves up to date are truly propitious for helping You, dear brothers, to familIarize yourselves better with the tasks that you are called on to carry out as pastors of your diocesan communities.
They are also days of friendly living together that constitute a singular experience of that collegialitas affectiva that unites all bishops in one apostolic body, together with the Successor of Peter, "perpetual and visible foundation of unity"(Lumen gentium, 23).
I thank Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, for the courteous words that he addressed to me in your name. I greet Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, and I express my acknowledgment to all those who have worked together in various ways to organize this annual encounter.
This year, your conference takes place in the context of the Year for Priests, decreed for the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney. As I wrote in the letter sent on the occasion to all priests, this special year is intended to contribute towards "promoting the commitment to interior renewal of all priests to enable them to give stronger, more incisive evangelical testimony in today's world".
Imitating Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is for every priest, the obligatory way to one's own sanctification, and the essential condition for responsibly exercising the pastoral ministry.
And if this goes for priests, it is even more applicable to us, dear brother bishops. Indeed, it is important not to forget that one of the essential tasks of the Bishop is precisely to help his priests - with his example and fraternal support - to faithfully follow their calling, and to work with enthusiasm and love in the vineyard of the Lord.
In this respect, my venerated predeecessor John Paul II, in his post-synodal exhortation Pastores gregis, observed that the priest's gesture of putting his own hands into the hands of the Bishop on the day of his priestly ordination, commits both of them, priest and Bishop.
The new priest chooses to entrust himself to his Bishop, and on his part, the Bishop commits himself to look after these hands (cfr No. 47). This is a solemn task which ,for the Bishop, is a paternal responsibility to protect and promote the priestly identity of those who are entrusted to his pastoral care, an identity that today, unfortunately, we see being put to a hard test by growing secularization.
Thus, the Bishop, Pastores gregis goes on to say, "must always act with his priests like a father and brother who loves them, who welcomes them, corrects them, comforts them, seeks their collaboration, and as much as possible, applies himself towards their human, spiritual, ministerial and economic wellbeing (Ibid, 47).
The Bishop is called on, in a special way, to nourish the spiritual life of his priests, to promote in them a harmony between prayer and the apostolate, following the example of Jesus and the Apostles, whom he had called specially 'to be with him' (Mk 3,14).
The indispensable condition, in fact, for producing fruits of goodness, is that the priest remains united with the Lord. This is the secret of fecundity for his ministry: He can only bear fruit if he is incorporated into Christ, who is the true Vine.
The mission of the priest - and for more reason, of a bishop - today involves a mountain of work which tends to absorb him continually and totally. Difficulties grow and encumbrances tend to mutiply, if only because of new realities and pastoral demands that have grown considerably.
Nonetheless, attention to the problems of everyday and the initiatives taken to lead men along the way to God should never distract us from intimate and personal union with Christ.
Being at the disposition of the faithful should not diminish or obscure our availability to the Lord. The time that the priest and the Bishop consecrate to God in prayer is always time that is best spent, because prayer is the soul of pastoral activity, the 'lymph' that instills strength into it, support in times of uncertainty and discouragement, and the inexhaustible spring of missionary fervor and fraternal love for all.
At the center of the priest's life is the Eucharist. In the Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis. I underlined how "Holy Mass is formative in the most profound sense of the term, insofar as it promotes conformation to Christ and reinforces the priest in his vocation" (No. 80).
So may the Eucharistic celebration illumine youe entire day and that of your priests, conferring its grace and spiritual influence on moments that are sad or joyous, agitated or peaceful, action or contemplation.
A privileged way of prolonging through the day the mysterious sanctifying action of the Eucharist is the devout recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, along with Eucharistic Adoration, lectio divina, and the contemplative praying of the Rosary.
The Holy Curate of Ars teaches us how precious is the priest's identification with the Eucharistic presence and communion.
It was with the Word and the Sacraments - as I noted in the letter to all priests - that St. Jean Marie Vianney edified his people. The Vicar General of the Diocese of Bllay, when naming him parish priest of Ars, told him: "There is not much love for God in that parish, but you will bring it there." And that parish was transformed.
Dear new bishops, thank you for the service that you render to the Church with dedication and love. I greet you all with affection and assure you of my constant support joined to prayer that you may "go and bear fruit that will remain" (Jn 15,16).
For this, I invoke the intercession of Mary Queen of Apostles, and from my heart, I impart to you, your priests and your diocesan communities a special Apostolic Blessing.
Heavy workloads must not let bishops
forget to make time for Christ
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Sept. 21 (CNS) -- As priests and bishops juggle an ever-increasing workload attending to their pastoral and administrative duties, they must never forget to make time for Christ, Pope Benedict XVI said.
The secret to a fruitful ministry is being fully "incorporated by Christ," he said during a Sept. 21 audience with newly ordained bishops. The bishops were participating in a special meeting hosted by the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops.
Priests and bishops today face a huge amount of work "that tends to continually and totally absorb them," said the Pope.
The number of tasks and difficulties they face has multiplied, in part, because of "new realities and growing pastoral needs," he said.
"Nevertheless, the attention paid to everyday problems and initiatives aimed at leading people along the path to God must never distract us from an intimate and personal union with Christ," he said.
"To be available to the people must never diminish or overshadow our availability to the Lord," he added.
Spending time in prayer with God is still time well spent, he said, because prayer is the soul of pastoral activity and the lifeblood that infuses it with strength.
Prayer is one's "tower of strength for moments of uncertainty and discouragement, and is the inexhaustible source of missionary zeal and brotherly love toward all," said Pope Benedict.
Celebrating the Eucharist also brings light to one's day with its "mysterious sanctifying action," he said.
The Eucharist offers its "grace and spiritual influence to moments that are sad or joyous, troubled or soothing, full of action or contemplative," said the Pope.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 22/09/2009 00:38]