GENERAL AUDIENCE
August 29, 2012
'There can be no compromise
on Christ or on the Truth'
The liturgical memorial of John the Baptist’s martyrdom, “reminds us Christians of our time that we cannot compromise the love of Christ, his Word, the Truth. The Truth is the Truth and there is no compromise”, said Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday during his general audience held in the inner courtyard of Castel Gandolfo.
In addition to the faithful in the courtyard, 2,000 French altar servers – girls and boys – were among the thousands gathered in the city's Freedom Square in front of the Apostolic Palace, to hear Pope Benedict’s catechesis dedicated to John the Baptist and the lesson he teaches us that Christian witness is fed by prayer.
“Christian life”, he said “requires, so to speak, the daily martyrdom of fidelity to the Gospel - the courage to let Christ grow in us and direct our thinking and our actions”.
This courage, he said, can only come from a solid relationship with God: “Prayer is not a waste of time, it does not rob much space from our activities, not even apostolic activities, it does the exact opposite: only if we are able to have a life of faithful, constant, confident prayer will God Himself give us the strength and capacity to live in a happy and peaceful way, to overcome difficulties and to bear witness with courage. St. John the Baptist,intercede for us, so that we always maintain the primacy of God in our lives”.
