Vatican
City, 31 December 2012 (VIS) - Today at 5:00pm in the Vatican
Basilica, the Holy Father presided over first vespers for the
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This was followed by the exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament, the singing of the traditional "Te
Deum" of thanksgiving on the conclusion of the calendar year,
and the Eucharistic blessing.
Following
are extracts from the homily given by Pope Benedict XVI:
"We
cannot rely solely on the news if we want to understand the world and
life. We must be able to remain in silence, in meditation, in calm
and prolonged reflection; we must know how to stop and think. In this
way, our mind can find healing from the inevitable wounds of daily
life, can go deeper into the events that occur in our lives and in
the world, and come to the knowledge that allows us to evaluate
things with new eyes. Especially in the recollection of conscience,
where God speaks to us, we learn to look truthfully at our own
actions, even at the evil within us and around us, to begin a journey
of conversion that makes us wiser and better, more capable of
creating solidarity and communion, of overcoming evil with good. The
Christian is a person of hope, even and especially in the face of the
darkness that often exists in the world, not as a consequence of
God’s plans but because of the wrong choices of man, because the
Christian knows that the power of faith can move mountains, the Lord
can brighten even the deepest darkness."
"The
Year of Faith, which the Church is living," the pontiff
continued, "should arouse in the heart of each believer a
greater awareness that the encounter with Christ is the source of
true life and a solid hope. Faith in Jesus allows a constant renewal
of goodness and of the ability to rise from the quicksand of sin and
to begin anew. In the Word made flesh it is always possible to
rediscover our true human identity, to find ourselves destined for
God's infinite love and called to a personal communion with Him. This
truth, which Jesus Christ came to reveal, is the certainty that
compels us to confidently face the year we are about to begin."
"The
Church, which has received from her Lord the mission to evangelize,
knows well that the Gospel is destined to all people, especially the
younger generations, to quench that thirst for truth that everyone
carries in their heart and that is often obscured by all those things
that occupy life. This apostolic commitment is all the more necessary
when the faith risks being obscured in cultural contexts that hinder
its personal roots and its social presence. Rome, too, is a city
where the Christian faith must be proclaimed again and again and
witnessed in a credible manner. On the one hand, there is the growing
number of believers of other religions, the difficulties parish
communities have in attracting young people, the spread of lifestyles
marked by individualism and moral relativism; on the other, the
quest, in so many people, for a sense of their own existence and for
a hope that will not disappoint, that cannot leave us indifferent.
Like the Apostle Paul, all the faithful of this city should consider
themselves under obligation of the Gospel towards the other
inhabitants!"
The
Pope concluded his homily by enjoining the dioceses "to support
and accompany parents in their spiritual life ... in order to keep
the flame of faith alive". To this end it is important "to
build a relationship of cordial friendship with those of the faithful
who, after having baptised their child, distracted by the demands of
everyday life, do not show great interest in living this experience.
They will thus be able to experience the love of the Church who, as a
caring mother, stands by them to promote their spiritual life."
After
the ceremony, Benedict XVI visited the nativity scene at the foot of
the obelisk located at the centre of St. Peter's square.
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