ANGELUS TODAY
In his first vacation Angelus this summer, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the parable of the Good Samaritan in today's Gospel, saying that for Christians, our 'neighbor' is anyone in need, especially those who are most marginalised.
He also paid tribute to St. Benedict whom the liturgy commemorates today, calling him 'the great patron of my Pontificate'.
And finally, the world's parish priest reminded the faithful to use their summer holiday to renew both body and spirit.
This is what he said in English:
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this Angelus prayer. Today’s Liturgy reminds us that to be Christians means to be faithful to the words and example of Jesus, especially by living a life of love of God and neighbour.
May the Lord give us grace and courage so that we may always respond generously, as good Samaritans, to the needs of all who suffer, near and far. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Castel Gandolfo and Rome and a blessed Sunday!
Here is a full translation of the Holy Father's words:
Dear brothers and sisters,
As you see, I have left Rome to spend the summer in Castel Gandolfo. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to rest. I address a heartfelt greeting to the dear residents of this beautiful little city, to which I always return gladly.
The Gospel this Sunday opens with a question from a doctor of the law to Jesus: "Master, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" (Lk 10,25).
Knowing that his questioner was an expert in Sacred Scriptures, the Lord asked the man himself to answer, who then, in fact, formulates his answer perfectly by citing the two principal commandments: love God with all your heart, mind and powers; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Then the doctor of the law asks, almost in self-justification: "And who is my neighbor?" (Lk 10,29). This time, Jesus responds, with the famous parable of the Good Samaritan (cfr Lk 10,30-37), that it is for us to make ourselves 'neighbor' to whoever needs help.
Indeed, the Samaritan takes responsibility for the condition of an unknown man, whom bandits had left half dead on the highway - even as a priest and a Levite had simply walked on past him, perhaps thinking that contact with blood, according to a religious precept, would contaminate them.
The parable should lead us to change our mentality in order to be in accordance with the logic of Christ, which is the logic of charity: God is love, and to worship him means to serve our brothers with sincere and generous love.
This evangelical narrative offers us the 'standard of measure', namely, the 'universality of love directed towards the needy whom one encounters 'by chance' (cfr Lk 10,31).
Alongside this universal rule, there is also a specifically ecclesial demand: that "in the Church itself, insofar as it is a family, no member should suffer out of need" (ibid.) The program of the Christian, learning from the teaching of Jesus, is 'a heart that sees' where love is needed, and acts accordingly (cfr ivi,31).
Dear friends, I also wish to recall that today, the Church commemorates St. Benedict of Nursia - the great patron of my Pontificate - father and legislator of Western monasticism. As St. Gregory the Great wrote, "he was a man with a blessed life - by name and by grace" (Dialogi, II, 1: Bibliotheca Gregorii Magni IV, Roma 2000, p. 136).
"He wrote a Rule for monks - the mirror of a Magisterium incarnated in his person: in fact, the saint could absolutely not have been able to teach differently from how he lived" (Ivi, II, XXXVI: cit., p. 208).
Pope Paul VI proclaimed St. Benedict Patron of Europe on October 11, 1964, recognizing the wondrous work that he had carried out in the formation of European civilization.
Let us entrust our journey of faith to the Virgin Mary, especially during this season of holidays, so that our hearts may never lose sight of the Word of God and of our brothers in difficulty.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 11/07/2010 19:36]