VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is urging the faithful to prepare for the birth of Christ by listening to the voice of God, which he says «resounds in the desert of the world through the sacred Scriptures.»
The Pope said this today in a brief reflection on the figure of John the Baptist during his weekly address before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
«The precursor of Jesus, situated between the Old and the New Covenants, is like a star that shines before the rising of the Sun, of Christ,» the Holy Father reflected.
The Pontiff urged the faithful to likewise «listen to God’s voice, which resounds in the desert of the world through the sacred Scriptures, especially when they are preached with the power of the Holy Spirit.»
«Faith,» he added, «is fortified the more that it is illuminated by the divine Word.»
Benedict XVI offered Our Lady as a model for listening, and quoted his apostolic exhortation «Verbum Domini»: «As we contemplate in the Mother of God a life totally shaped by the word, we realize that we too are called to enter into the mystery of faith, whereby Christ comes to dwell in our lives. Every Christian believer, St. Ambrose reminds us, in some way interiorly conceives and gives birth to the word of God.»
«Let us ask the Virgin Mary,» he concluded, «in whose womb the Son of the Most High dwelt, and for whom on Wednesday, Dec. 8 we celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, to sustain us in this spiritual journey, to welcome the coming of the Lord with faith and with love.»
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Full text: www.zenit.org/article-31159?l=english
