Catechesis With Pope Benedict Xvi

Pope Benedict XVI: "In the context of the Year for Priests, it is in my heart to pause to underline the apostolic zeal of St John Eudes, particularly directed to the formation of diocesan clergy. The saints are the true interpretation of Sacred Scripture. The saints have verified, in the experience of life, the truth of the Gospel; thus they introduce us into knowing and understanding the Gospel. The Council of Trent, in 1563, had issued norms for the erection of diocesan seminaries and for the formation of priests, as the Council was well aware that the whole crisis of the reform was also conditioned by an insufficient formation of priests, who were not prepared for the priesthood in a just way, intellectually and spiritually, in the heart and soul. This was in 1563; but since the application and realization of the norms were delayed both in Germany and in France, St John Eudes saw the consequences of this lack. Moved by a lucid awareness of the grave need for spiritual help, in which souls lay precisely bec

Pope Benedict XVI: "She, who “believed” in the announcement of the Angel and made herself instrument so that the eternal Word of the Most High could be incarnated, also welcomed in her heart the wonderful prodigy of the human-divine birth, she meditated on it, she paused in reflection on what God was working in her, so as to welcome the divine will in her life and respond to it. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and of Mary’s motherhood is so great that it requires a process of interiorization, it is not only something physical that God works in her, but is something that demands an interiorization on the part of Mary, who seeks to deepen its intelligence, to interpret its meaning, to understand its aspects and implications. Thus, day after day, in the silence of ordinary life, Mary continued to keep in her heart the successive marvellous events of which she was witness, all the way to the extreme test of the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection. Mary lived fully her existence, her daily dut

Papa Benedetto: "Colei, quindi, che “ha creduto” all’annuncio dell’Angelo e si è fatta strumento perché la Parola eterna dell’Altissimo potesse incarnarsi, ha anche accolto nel suo cuore il mirabile prodigio di quella nascita umano-divina, lo ha meditato, si è soffermata nella riflessione su quanto Dio stava operando in Lei, per accogliere la volontà divina nella sua vita e corrispondervi. Il mistero dell’incarnazione del Figlio di Dio e della maternità di Maria è così grande da richiedere un processo di interiorizzazione, non è solo qualcosa di fisico che Dio opera in Lei, ma è qualcosa che esige una interiorizzazione da parte di Maria, che cerca di approfondirne l’intelligenza, di interpretarne il senso, di comprenderne i risvolti e le implicazioni. Così, giorno dopo giorno, nel silenzio della vita ordinaria, Maria ha continuato a custodire nel suo cuore i successivi eventi mirabili di cui è stata testimone, fino alla prova estrema della Croce e alla gloria della Risurrezione. Maria ha vissuto pienamente la

Pope Benedict XVI: "Since the first centuries of Christianity, this feast has always been deeply felt by the Christian people; as is well known, it celebrates the glorification, also bodily, of that creature whom God chose as Mother and whom Jesus on the Cross gave as Mother to all humanity. The Assumption evokes a mystery that interests each one of us because, as the Second Vatican Council affirms, Mary "shines here below as sign of sure hope and consolation for the people of God who are on the pathway" (Lumen Gentium, 68). However, we are so caught up in the events of each day as to sometimes forget this consoling spiritual reality, which constitutes an important truth of faith. How then can we make this luminous sign of hope be perceived more and more by all of us and by today's society? There are those today who live as if they would never have to die or as is everything must end with death; others, holding that man is the unique architect of his own destiny, behave as if God did not exist, sometimes even

Papa Benedetto: "Questa festa è stata sempre molto sentita dal popolo cristiano, fin dai primi secoli del cristianesimo; essa, com’è noto, celebra la glorificazione anche corporale di quella creatura che Dio si è scelto come Madre e che Gesù sulla Croce ha dato per Madre a tutta l’umanità. L’Assunzione evoca un mistero che interessa ciascuno di noi perché, come afferma il Concilio Vaticano II, Maria "brilla quaggiù come segno di sicura speranza e consolazione per il popolo di Dio che è in cammino" (Lumen gentium, 68). Si è però talmente presi dalle vicende di ogni giorno da dimenticare talora questa consolante realtà spirituale, che costituisce un’importante verità di fede. Come far sì allora che questo segno luminoso di speranza sia percepito sempre più da noi tutti e dall’odierna società? C’è oggi chi vive come se non dovesse mai morire o come se tutto dovesse finire con la morte; alcuni si comportano ritenendo che l’uomo sia l’unico artefice del proprio destino, come se Dio non esistesse, giungendo qualche

Pope Benedict XVI: "Dear friends, this is the central question: what is really necessary in my life? I respond with St Alphonsus: “Health and all the graces that we need for that” (ibid); naturally, he means not only the health of the body, but above all that of the soul, which Jesus gives us. More than anything else we need his liberating presence which renders our existence truly fully human and hence full of joy. And only through prayer can we welcome Him, his Grace, which, by illuminating us in every situation, makes us discern the true good and, by strengthening us, also renders our will efficacious, that is, renders it capable of carrying out the known good. We often recognize the good but are not capable of doing it. With prayer we come to accomplish/arrive at accomplishing it. The Lord's disciple knows he is always exposed to temptation and never fails to ask in prayer for God’s help, so as to overcome it." (General Audience, 1 August 2012) For much more, visit Totus2us - dedicated to Our Lady, it is

Papa Benedetto: "Cari amici, questa è la questione centrale: che cosa è davvero necessario nella mia vita? Rispondo con sant’Alfonso: «La salute e tutte le grazie che per quella ci bisognano» (ibid); naturalmente, egli intende non solo la salute del corpo, ma anzitutto anche quella dell’anima, che Gesù ci dona. Più che di ogni altra cosa abbiamo bisogno della sua presenza liberatrice che rende davvero pienamente umano, e perciò ricolmo di gioia, il nostro esistere. E solo attraverso la preghiera possiamo accogliere Lui, la sua Grazia, che, illuminandoci in ogni situazione, ci fa discernere il vero bene e, fortificandoci, rende efficace anche la nostra volontà, cioè la rende capace di attuare il bene conosciuto. Spesso riconosciamo il bene, ma non siamo capaci di farlo. Con la preghiera arriviamo. Il discepolo del Signore sa di essere sempre esposto alla tentazione e non manca di chiedere aiuto a Dio nella preghiera, per vincerla." (Udienza generale, 1 agosto 2012) For much more, visit Totus2us - dedicated to

Pope Benedict XVI: "St Alphonsus, above all in his main work entitled Moral Theology, proposes a balanced and convincing synthesis between the demands of God’s law, engraved on our hearts, fully revealed by Christ and authoritatively interpreted by the Church, and the dynamics of man's conscience and freedom, which precisely in adherence to truth and goodness allow the maturation and realization of the person. Alphonsus recommended to pastors of souls and to confessors that they be faithful to Catholic moral doctrine, while at the same time assuming a charitable, understanding, sweet attitude so that penitents could feel accompanied, supported, encouraged on their pathway of faith and Christian life. St Alphonsus never tired of repeating that priests are a visible sign of the infinite mercy of God, who forgives and illuminates the mind and heart of the sinner so that he may be converted and change his life. In our epoch, in which there are clear signs of the loss of moral conscience and — it must be recognize

Pope Benedict XVI: "Dear friends, the solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of all the faithful departed tell us that only the one who can recognize a great hope in death can also live a life starting from hope. If we reduce man exclusively to his horizontal dimension, to that which can be perceived empirically, life itself loses its profound meaning. Man needs eternity and every other hope is too brief, too limited for him. Man is only explainable if there is a Love that overcomes every isolation, even that of death, in a totality that transcends even space and time. Man is explainable, he finds his deepest meaning, only if there is God. And we know that God came out of his distance and made himself close, entered into our life and tells us: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies he shall live; whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11, 25-26). Let us for a moment think of the scene of Calvary and let us listen again to the words that Jesus, from the

Pope Benedict XVI: "But now let us ask ourselves: what does Mary Queen mean? Is it only a title united to others, the crown, an ornament among others? What does it mean? What is this royalty? As already shown, it is a consequence of her being united to the Son, of her being in Heaven, that is in communion with God; she participates in God’s responsibility for the world and in God’s love for the world. There is a vulgar, common idea of a king or queen: this would be a person with power, riches. But this is not the type of royalty of Jesus and Mary. Let us think of the Lord; Christ's royalty and being king is interwoven with humility, service, love: it is above all to serve, to help, to love. Let us remember that Jesus was proclaimed king on the cross with this inscription written by Pilate: “King of the Jews” (cf Mk 15, 26). In that moment on the cross it is shown that He is king; and how is He King? By suffering with us, for us, by loving to the very end, and thus He governs and creates truth, love, justice.

Papa Benedetto: "Che cosa vuol dire Maria Regina? E' solo un titolo unito ad altri, la corona, un ornamento con altri? Che cosa vuol dire? Che cosa è questa regalità? Come già indicato, è una conseguenza del suo essere unita al Figlio, del suo essere in Cielo, cioè in comunione con Dio; Ella partecipa alla responsabilità di Dio per il mondo e all'amore di Dio per il mondo. C'è un'idea volgare, comune, di re o regina: sarebbe una persona con potere, ricchezza. Ma questo non è il tipo di regalità di Gesù e di Maria. Pensiamo al Signore: la regalità e l'essere re di Cristo è intessuto di umiltà, di servizio, di amore: è soprattutto servire, aiutare, amare. Ricordiamoci che Gesù è stato proclamato re sulla croce con questa iscrizione scritta da Pilato: «re dei Giudei» (cfr Mc 15,26). In quel momento sulla croce si mostra che Egli è re; e come è re? soffrendo con noi, per noi, amando fino in fondo, e così governa e crea verità, amore, giustizia. O pensiamo anche all'altro momento: nell'Ultima Cena si china a lavar

Pope Benedict XVI: "These reflections, characteristic of a lover of Jesus and Mary like St Bernard, in a salutary way provoke still today not only theologians, but all believers. Sometimes one pretends to have resolved the fundamental questions about God, about man and about the world with the sole forces of reason. Instead St Bernard, solidly founded on the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, reminds us that without a profound faith in God, nourished by prayer and contemplation, by an intimate relationship with the Lord, our reflections on the divine mysteries risk becoming a vain intellectual exercise, and lose their credibility. Theology refers to the "science of the saints", to their intuition of the mysteries of the living God, to their wisdom, gift of the Holy Spirit, which become a point of reference for theological thought. Together with Bernard of Clairvaux, we too must recognize that man better seeks and more easily finds God "with prayer than with discussion". In the end, the truest figure of a th

Papa Benedetto: "Queste riflessioni, caratteristiche di un innamorato di Gesù e di Maria come san Bernardo, provocano ancor oggi in maniera salutare non solo i teologi, ma tutti i credenti. A volte si pretende di risolvere le questioni fondamentali su Dio, sull’uomo e sul mondo con le sole forze della ragione. San Bernardo, invece, solidamente fondato sulla Bibbia e sui Padri della Chiesa, ci ricorda che senza una profonda fede in Dio, alimentata dalla preghiera e dalla contemplazione, da un intimo rapporto con il Signore, le nostre riflessioni sui misteri divini rischiano di diventare un vano esercizio intellettuale, e perdono la loro credibilità. La teologia rinvia alla “scienza dei santi”, alla loro intuizione dei misteri del Dio vivente, alla loro sapienza, dono dello Spirito Santo, che diventano punto di riferimento del pensiero teologico. Insieme a Bernardo di Chiaravalle, anche noi dobbiamo riconoscere che l’uomo cerca meglio e trova più facilmente Dio “con la preghiera che con la discussione”. Alla fi

Pope Benedict XVI: "Man is by his nature religious, he is homo religiosus just as he is homo sapiens and homo faber: “The desire for God” the Catechism further affirms, “is written in the heart of man, because man is created by God and for God” (n 27). The image of the Creator is imprinted on his being and he feels the need to find a light so as to give an answer to the questions that concern the profound meaning of reality; an answer that he cannot find in himself, in progress, in empirical science. The homo religiosus does not stand out only in the ancient worlds, he traverses the whole history of humanity. In this regard, the rich terrain of human experience has seen arise various forms of religiosity, in the attempt to respond to the desire for fullness and happiness, to the need for salvation, to the search for meaning. The “digital” man, like the cave man, seeks in the religious experience ways to overcome his finiteness and to secure his precarious earthly adventure. Moreoever, life without a transcend

Papa Benedetto XVI: "L’uomo è per sua natura religioso, è homo religiosus come è homo sapiens e homo faber: “il desiderio di Dio – afferma ancora il Catechismo – è inscritto nel cuore dell’uomo, perché l’uomo è stato creato da Dio e per Dio” (n 27). L’immagine del Creatore è impressa nel suo essere ed egli sente il bisogno di trovare una luce per dare risposta alle domande che riguardano il senso profondo della realtà; risposta che egli non può trovare in se stesso, nel progresso, nella scienza empirica. L’homo religiosus non emerge solo dai mondi antichi, egli attraversa tutta la storia dell’umanità. A questo proposito, il ricco terreno dell’esperienza umana ha visto sorgere svariate forme di religiosità, nel tentativo di rispondere al desiderio di pienezza e di felicità, al bisogno di salvezza, alla ricerca di senso. L’uomo “digitale” come quello delle caverne, cerca nell’esperienza religiosa le vie per superare la sua finitezza e per assicurare la sua precaria avventura terrena. Del resto, la vita senza un

Pope Benedict XVI: "Dear friends, in these examples of prayers from different epochs and civilizations emerges the awareness that the human being has of his condition as a creature and of his dependence on an Other superior to him and source of every good. The man of every age prays because he cannot help but wonder what is the meaning of his existence, which remains obscure and bleak, if it is not put in relation to the mystery of God and of his plan for the world. Human life is an intertwining of good and evil, of undeserved suffering and of joy and beauty, which spontaneously and irresistibly impels us to ask God for that light and inner strength which help us on earth and disclose a hope that goes beyond the confines of death. The pagan religions remain an invocation which, from the earth, awaits a word from Heaven. Proclus of Constantinople, one of the last great pagan philosophers, who lived in an epoch already fully Christian, gives voice to this expectation, saying: “Unknowable, no one contains you. A

Papa Benedetto XVI: "Cari amici, in questi esempi di preghiere delle diverse epoche e civiltà emerge la consapevolezza che l’essere umano ha della sua condizione di creatura e della sua dipendenza da un Altro a lui superiore e fonte di ogni bene. L’uomo di tutti i tempi prega perché non può fare a meno di chiedersi quale sia il senso della sua esistenza, che rimane oscuro e sconfortante, se non viene messo in rapporto con il mistero di Dio e del suo disegno sul mondo. La vita umana è un intreccio di bene e male, di sofferenza immeritata e di gioia e bellezza, che spontaneamente e irresistibilmente ci spinge a chiedere a Dio quella luce e quella forza interiori che ci soccorrano sulla terra e dischiudano una speranza che vada oltre i confini della morte. Le religioni pagane rimangono un’invocazione che dalla terra attende una parola dal Cielo. Uno degli ultimi grandi filosofi pagani, vissuto già in piena epoca cristiana, Proclo di Costantinopoli, dà voce a questa attesa, dicendo: “Inconoscibile, nessuno ti con

Pope Benedict XVI: "What made the Curé of Ars holy was his humble faithfulness to the mission to which God had called him; it was his constant abandonment, full of trust, into the hands of divine Providence. He succeeded in touching people's hearts not by strength of his own human gifts, nor by relying exclusively on an effort, however laudable, of his will; he conquered souls, even the most refractory ones, by communicating to them that which he lived intimately, namely, his friendship with Christ. He was "in love" with Christ, and the true secret of his pastoral success was the love that he nourished through the eucharistic Mystery, announced, celebrated and lived, which became love for Christ's flock, for Christians and for all people who were seeking God. His testimony reminds us, dear brothers and sisters, that for each baptized person, and even more for the priest, the Eucharist "is not simply an event with two protagonists, a dialogue between God and me. Eucharistic Communion tends to a total transform

Pope Benedict XVI: "In this first meeting I would like first of all to dwell upon the name that I chose on becoming Bishop of Rome and universal Pastor of the Church. I wanted to call myself Benedict XVI so as to connect myself in spirit to venerated Pope Benedict XV, who guided the Church in a period troubled because of the First World War. He was a courageous and authentic prophet of peace and strove with strenuous courage first to avert the tragedy of the war and then to limit its harmful consequences. In his footsteps I desire to place my ministry at the service of reconciliation and harmony between men and peoples, profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is above all God's gift, a precious and unfortunately fragile gift that needs to be prayed for, protected and built up day after day with the contribution of everyone. The name "Benedict" evokes furthermore the extraordinary figure of the great "Patriarch of Western monasticism", St Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe together with saints C

Pope Benedict XVI: "On the one hand the Nativity, a central point of Christ's love for humanity, but equally the vision of the Crucified One inspires in Anthony thoughts of gratitude to God and of esteem for the dignity of the human person, thus that everyone, believers and non-believers, can find in the Crucified One and in his image a meaning that enriches life. St Anthony writes: "Christ, who is your life, is hanging before you, so that you may look in the cross as in a mirror. There you will be able to know how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine could heal except that of the blood of the Son of God. If you look closely, you will be able to realize how great are your human dignity and your worth .... In no other place can man better realise how much he is worth than by looking at himself in the mirror of the cross"" (General Audience, 10 February 2010) Music: To the Ends of the Earth by Fr Rob Galea - ℗ 2011 Robert Galea - used with permission. Visit Totus2us.com for much more - dedicated to Our Lad