VATICAN CITY, MARCH 23, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Papal household preacher, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, gave a meditation in the presence of John Paul II and his collaborators on «universal reconciliation,» proclaiming «Jesus, our peace.»
On Friday of the Second Week of Lent, while war rages in Iraq, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, meditated on St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians where the apostle speaks of «enmities destroyed» and «walls of division knocked down,» but also noting that «we are obliged to read it at a time when all around us one hears the ‘noises of war.'»
«Enmity seems to triumph at a planetary level, among the allies of yore. But this is precisely a reason to hear again these words of the Letter to the Ephesians: «Christ is our peace,» Father Cantalamessa stressed.
«He came to proclaim peace: peace to those who are near, and peace to those who are far. They are words we have heard resound over these days until the end, on the lips of the Vicar of Christ,» the Capuchin said to the assemblage gathered in the «Redemptoris Mater» Chapel.
The papal household preacher explained that the Word of God is, indeed, the Christian secret «to keep our faith living.»
Father Cantalamessa will offer meditations on Fridays during Lent for the benefit of the Holy Father and other Vatican officials in a spiritual preparation for the liturgical celebration of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ.
The general theme of the meditations, which will be held on March 28, and April 4 and 11, is «Christ Has Loved the Church: A Reflection on the Mystery of the Church.»
