VATICAN CITY, FEB. 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming that the world of today is nostalgic for God, even in places where he is denied.
The Pope stated this Saturday in his homily during a Mass for the episcopal ordination of five clergy.
The newly ordained prelates include: Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci, secretary of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes; Archbishop Celso Morga Iruzubieta, secretary of the Congregation for Clergy; Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, apostolic nuncio; and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, apostolic nuncio to Pakistan.
“Even if it can seem that large sections of the modern world, of the men of today, turn their back on God and regard faith as something of the past — there nevertheless exists the desire for the establishment of justice, love, peace, the desire that poverty and suffering be overcome, that men find joy,” the Pontiff observed.
He continued: “This desire is present in the world of today, the desire for what is great, for what is good.
“It is the nostalgia for the Redeemer, for God himself, even there where he is denied.”
“Precisely in this hour working in God’s fields is especially urgent,” the Holy Father stated, “and precisely in this hour the truth of Jesus’ words — ‘The laborers are few’ — weighs painfully upon us.”
He affirmed that “John of the Cross compared the world of faith to a mine in which we are always discovering new treasures.”
“As pastors of the Church we live this faith and in this way we announce it as the glad tidings that make us secure in God’s love and in being loved by him,” Benedict XVI said.
Profound communion
He affirmed that “the Holy Eucharist is the center of the Church and must be the center of our being Christians and of our priestly life.”
The Pope continued: “The Lord gives himself to us. The Risen One enters into me and wants to transform me and make me enter into profound communion with him.
“In this way he also opens me to all others: We, the many, are one bread and one body.”
The Pontiff urged, “Let us try to celebrate the Eucharist with a dedication, with an ever deeper fervor, let us try to shape our days according to its measure, let us try to let ourselves be formed by it.”
He noted that breaking the bread “also expresses sharing, transmitting our love to others.”
“The social dimensions, sharing, is not the moral apex of the Eucharist, but it is part of it,” the Holy Father added.
He exhorted, “We must be careful that the faith always express itself in love and in justice toward each other and that our social practice is inspired by faith: that faith be lived in love.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: http://zenit.org/article-31675?l=english
