Category: Pope Benedict XVI

CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Saint Teresa of Avila – Pope Benedict XVI General Audience Feb. 2, 2011” – VaticanVa

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“In the course of the Catecheses that I have chosen to dedicate to the Fathers of the Church and to great theologians and women of the Middle Ages I have also had the opportunity to reflect on certain Saints proclaimed Doctors of the Church on account of the eminence of their teaching.

Today I would like to begin a brief series of meetings to complete the presentation on the Doctors of the Church and I am beginning with a Saint who is one of the peaks of Christian spirituality of all time — St Teresa of Avila [also known as St Teresa of Jesus].

St Teresa, whose name was Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515. …”

Pope Benedict XVI, in a General Audience on Feb. 2, 2011, reflected on the life and thinking of Saint Teresa of Avila. Click here for the full text of his remarks: vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110202.html

A full Vatican news release from that date follows:

TERESA OF AVILA: CONTEMPLATIVE AND INDUSTRIOUS

VATICAN CITY, 2 FEB 2011 (VIS) – During his general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke about St. Teresa of Avila, who lived from 1515 to 1582.

Teresa de Ahumada was born in the Spanish city of Avila, said Benedict XVI. Although as an adolescent she read works of profane literature which led her towards a life in the world, she later turned to spiritual works which “taught her meditation and prayer. At the age of twenty she entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation, also in Avila”.

St. Teresa saw her struggle against her own physical ailments as “a struggle against her weakness and resistance before the call of God. … In Lent 1554, at the age of thirty-nine, Teresa reached the pinnacle of her fight against her own debilities”.

“In parallel with the maturation of her interior life, the saint also began to give concrete form to her idea of reforming the Carmelite order. In 1562, with the support of Bishop Alvaro de Mendoza of Avila, she founded the first reformed Carmelite convent. … Over the following years she continued to found new Carmelite convents, reaching a total of seventeen. Her meeting with St. John of the Cross proved fundamental and with him, in 1568, she founded the first convent of Discalced Carmelites, at Duruelo near Avila”. Teresa died in 1582. She was beatified by Paul V in 1614 and canonised in 1622 by Gregory XV. In 1970 Servant of God Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church.

The Holy Father noted how “Teresa of Avila had no academic education, however she always gave great weight to the teaching of theologians, men of letters and spiritual masters”. Her major works include an autobiography in which she presents her soul to St. John of Avila, and the “Way of Perfection” intended as a spiritual guide for her own nuns. However, “St. Teresa’s most famous mystical work is the ‘Interior Castle'”, said the Pope, in which “she codifies the possible development of Christian life towards perfection. … To her activity as founder of the Reformed Carmelites, Teresa dedicated another work, the ‘Book of Foundations'”.

Referring then to the spirituality of Teresa, the Holy Father made particular mention of her interest in “the evangelical virtues as the foundation of all Christian and human life”. He also noted how she laid great emphasis on “profound harmony with the great biblical figures” and on “listening to the Word of God. … The saint also highlights the importance of prayer”, he said, “she teaches readers of her works to pray, and she herself prays with them”.

“Another question very dear to this saint was the centrality of Christ’s humanity. … This lay at the basis of the importance she attributed to meditation on the Passion, and to the Eucharist as the presence of Christ in the Church, for the life of all believers and as the heart of the liturgy. St. Teresa’s love for the Church was unconditional”, said the Pope, identifying another essential part of her doctrine in “perfection as the aspiration and final goal of all Christian life”.

The Holy Father concluded by saying that “St. Teresa of Avila is an authentic teacher of Christian life for the faithful in all times. In our society, often lacking in spiritual values, St. Teresa teaches us to be tireless witnesses of God, of His presence and His work. … May the example of this profoundly contemplative and industrious saint, encourage us to dedicate adequate time to daily prayer, to openness to God in order to discover His friendship and so to discover true life. … Time spent in prayer is not lost; it is a time in which we open the way to life, learning to love God and His Church ardently, and to show real charity towards our neighbours”.

AG/ VIS 20110202 (650)

Published by VIS – Holy See Press Office – Wednesday, February 02, 2011

News release also appeared at visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/02/teresa-of-avila-contemplative-and.html bearing the following notice:

Copyright © VIS – Vatican Information Service

In accordance with international regulations on Intellectual Property and Author’s Rights, VIS authorises reproduction of news items issued by the Vatican Information Service, partially or in their entirety, on condition that the source (VIS – Vatican Information Service) is quoted.

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CATHOLIC VIDEO: Pope Benedict XVI at Ground Zero, Prayers and Blessings

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File Photo of Southern Manhattan at Nightfall With Twin Shafts of Light Where World Trade Center Stood, adapted from image at tsa.gov by Steven C. Welsh :: www.stevencwelsh.com :: www.stevencwelsh.info

Pope Benedict XVI, in 2008, visited Ground Zero at the site of the World Trade Center, offering Prayers and Blessings. The full text of his prayer and the Vatican news release follow below, after the video.

“O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
 
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here –
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on 11 September 2001.
 
We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.
 
We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
 
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.”

[featured images are file photos]

Vatican Information Service Press Release Follows

POPE AT GROUND ZERO: GOD BRING PEACE TO OUR VIOLENT WORLD

VATICAN CITY, 20 APR 2008 (VIS) – In New York at 9.30 a.m. local time today, the Pope visited Ground Zero, the name now used to refer to the site once occupied by the twin towers of the World Trade Centre.

On 11 September 2001 two aircraft crashed into the twin towers, destroying them and a number of neighbouring buildings in a terrorist attack which cost the lives of 2,896 people. The site today is a vast 80-metre deep crater, surrounded by a fence and marked with a cross.

In 2002 the reconstruction of the World Trade Centre was put out for tender in a competition won by the architect Daniel Libensky. Today, Ground Zero is a construction site where work is scheduled to finish in the year 2012. The main building of the new complex will be the “Freedom Tower”, 541 metres high.

Benedict XVI arrived at Ground Zero accompanied by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York. Awaiting him there were Michael Bloomberg, mayor of the city; David A. Paterson and John Corzine, respectively governors of New York and of New Jersey; 24 people representing the forces that responded to the attack of 11 September, and a number of injured and relatives of the victims.

The Holy Father kneeled for a few minutes of silent prayer for the victims of the attack, then lit a candle before pronouncing the following prayer:

“O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.

“We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here –
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on 11 September 2001.

“We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

“We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

“God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.

“God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all”.

The prayer over, the Pope greeted survivors of the attack, relatives of some of the victims, and members of the rescue squads. Finally, he imparted his blessing to those present.

After the ceremony, the Holy Father returned to his residence where he bid farewell to the staff of the Holy See permanent mission to the United Nations in New York before having lunch in private.
PV-U.S.A./PRAYER GROUND ZERO/NEW YORK VIS 20080420 (620)

Copyright © VIS – Vatican Information Service
In accordance with international regulations on Intellectual Property and Author’s Rights, VIS authorises reproduction of news items issued by the Vatican Information Service, partially or in their entirety, on condition that the source (VIS – Vatican Information Service) is quoted.

 

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Saint Bartholomew – Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, 4 October 2006” – vatican.va

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“… Bartholomew … has traditionally been identified with Nathanael …. Nathanael’s retort ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ … highlights God’s freedom, which baffles our expectations by causing him to be found in the very place where we least expect him. … Jesus was not exclusively ‘from Nazareth’ but was born in Bethlehem … and came ultimately from Heaven, from the Father who is in Heaven. Nathanael’s reaction suggests another thought to us: in our relationship with Jesus we must not be satisfied with words alone. In his answer, Philip offers Nathanael a meaningful invitation: ‘Come and see!’ …. Our knowledge of Jesus needs above all a first-hand experience: someone else’s testimony is of course important, for normally the whole of our Christian life begins with the proclamation handed down to us by one or more witnesses. However, we ourselves must then be personally involved in a close and deep relationship with Jesus …. the Evangelist tells us that when Jesus sees Nathanael approaching, he exclaims: ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile!’ … [which] provokes the curiosity of Nathanael who answers in amazement: ‘How do you know me?’ …. * * * [There is] a twofold, complementary aspect of Jesus’ identity … recognized both in his special relationship with God the Father, of whom he is the Only-begotten Son, and in his relationship with the People of Israel, of whom he is the declared King … Jesus’ heavenly dimension … [and] His concrete place in history ….”

Click here for “Saint Bartholomew – Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, 4 October 2006” – vatican.va

[featured images are file photos]

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “Saint Dominic Guzmán – Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, 3 February 2010” – vatican.va

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“… [A] Saint … who made a fundamental contribution to the renewal of the Church of his time: St Dominic, the Founder of the Order of Preachers, also known as Dominican Friars. … [born in Spain, ca. 1170], distinguished himself … for his interest in the study of Sacred Scripture and … love of the poor …. * * * [T]he Pope … asked Dominic to devote himself to preaching to the Albigensians, a heretical group which upheld a dualistic conception of reality …. Dominic … devoted the rest of his life to [the] mission of preaching the Good News. … This great Saint reminds us that in the heart of the Church a missionary fire must always burn. … a constant incentive to make the first proclamation of the Gospel and, wherever necessary, a new evangelization. Christ, in fact, is the most precious good that the men and women of every time and every place have the right to know and love! …  [With] the Order of Preachers …. Dominic … used the ancient Rule of St Augustine, adapting it to the needs of apostolic life that led him and his companions to preach as they traveled from one place to another but then returning to their own convents and places of study, to prayer and community life. Dominic wanted to give special importance to two values he deemed indispensable for the success of the evangelizing mission: community life in poverty and study. First of all Dominic and the Friars Preachers presented themselves as mendicants … without vast estates …. Secondly … Dominic wanted his followers to acquire a sound theological training [including academic study] …. Dominic, who wished to found a religious Order of theologian-preachers, reminds us that theology has a spiritual and pastoral dimension that enriches the soul and life. … find[ing] profound ‘inner joy’ in contemplating the beauty of the truth that comes from God, a truth … ever timely and ever alive. … a pastoral yearning in the contemplative study of this truth because of the need to communicate to others the fruit of one’s own contemplation. * * * Marian devotion … he fostered tenderly …. his spiritual sons … in the history of the Church, have had the great merit of disseminating the prayer of the Holy Rosary … rich in Gospel values: a true school of faith and piety. … Dominic … believed unquestioningly in the value of prayers of intercession for the success of the apostolic work. …. Dear brothers and sisters, may the life of Dominic de Guzmán spur us all to be fervent in prayer, courageous in living out our faith and deeply in love with Jesus Christ. Through his intercession, let us ask God always to enrich the Church with authentic preachers of the Gospel. …”

Click here for: “Saint Dominic Guzmán – Audience of Pope Benedict XVI, 3 February 2010” – vatican.va

[featured images are file photos]

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CATHOLIC FAITHWATCH: “[The Multiplication of Loaves and Feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John] – Pope Benedict XVI Angelus, July 29, 2012” – VaticanVa

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“… the multiplication of the loaves … Jesus later comments on … pointing to himself as the ‘Bread’ which gives Life. Jesus’ actions are on a par with … the Last Supper. He ‘took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated,’ … the topic of ‘bread,’ … shared out, and on thanksgiving (v. 11, in Greek eucharistesas), recall the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice for the world’s Salvation. * * * Priest Lifting Large HostThe Eucharist is the human being’s ongoing, important encounter with God in which the Lord makes Himself our Food and gives Himself to transform us into Him. … [F]ive loaves and two fish …. The miracle was not worked from nothing, but from a first modest sharing of what a simple lad had brought …. Jesus does not ask us for what we do not have. … God is capable of multiplying our small acts of love and making us share in his gift. The crowd was impressed by the miracle …. However the people stopped at the material element …. [L]et us ask the Lord to enable us to rediscover the importance of feeding ourselves not only on bread but also on Truth, on Love, on Christ, on Christ’s Body, taking part faithfully and with profound awareness in the Eucharist so as to be ever more closely united with Him. … ‘It is not the Eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to Himself ….’ (Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 70). Let us [also] pray … that … bread necessary for a dignified life may never be lacking … that inequalities … be demolished … with sharing and with love. …”

Click here for: “[The Multiplication of Loaves and Feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospel of John] – Pope Benedict XVI Angelus, July 29, 2012” – VaticanVa

 

 

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Saint Anthony of Padua: Example to preachers and one of our most popular Saints ― Pope Benedict XVI

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Stained Glass Window of Dove with Golden Rays and Dark Edging, Bernini's Gloria from Saint Peter's Basilica, adapted from image at cia.gov

[first posted by Faith Central on March 5, 2010]

The Holy Father used his Feb. 10, 2010, general audience as an opportunity to teach about Saint Anthony of Padua. The Franciscan lived 35 years, from 1195-1231.

Building upon a central Franciscan theme of Divine Love, Saint Anthony defined prayer “as a relationship of love, which leads man to a dialogue with the Lord,” and described four “attitudes” which must characterize prayer: “trustingly opening our hearts to God, affectionately conversing with Him, presenting Him our needs, and giving Him praise and thanks.

In times of economic challenges, Saint Anthony preached on Christian Charity and the need to comprehend true wealth. Pope Benedict pointed out how this theme also is important amidst the economic downturn of today.

Saint Anthony also preached a series of Sermons on the lives of the Saints as an itinerary for Christian Life. Another set of his Sermons became known as Sunday Sermons.

At first, Saint Anthony apparently felt called to enter Mission work to help convert the Muslims; yet his health required him to undertake apostolic labors closer to home.

The full text of the Vatican news release follows.

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA, AN EXAMPLE TO PREACHERS

VATICAN CITY, 10 FEB 2010 (VIS) – Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis during this morning’s general audience to St. Anthony of Padua, “one of the most popular saints of the Catholic Church.”

St. Anthony was born to a noble family in Lisbon around the year 1195. Following a period spent with the Augustinian Canons, he entered the Friars Minor in the hope of travelling to Morocco to work as a missionary. However he fell sick and returned to Italy where he dedicated himself to intense and effective apostolic labours. He died in Padua in 1231 and was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1232.

“Anthony,” the Pope explained, “made a significant contribution to the development of Franciscan spirituality with his outstanding gifts of intelligence, balance, apostolic zeal and, especially, mystic fervour. … He was also one of the first, if not the first, master of theology among the Friars Minor.”

The saint wrote two cycles of sermons, one entitled “Sunday Sermons” the other “Sermons on the Saints,” in which he presented “a true itinerary of Christian life. Such is the wealth of spiritual teachings contained in the ‘Sermons’ that in 1946 Venerable Pope Pius XII proclaimed Anthony a Doctor of the Church, giving him the title of ‘Doctor Evangelicus’ because all the freshness and beauty of the Gospel emerges in his writings,” said the Holy Father.

Anthony of Padua, or of Lisbon as he is also known, defined prayer “as a relationship of love, which leads man to a dialogue with the Lord,” and he described four “attitudes” which must characterise it: “trustingly opening our hearts to God, affectionately conversing with Him, presenting Him our needs, and giving Him praise and thanks. In this teaching of St. Anthony,” the Pope explained, “we see one of the specific traits of Franciscan theology; … that is, the central role of divine love which enters the sphere of the affections, of the will, of the heart, and which is the source of a spiritual knowledge that surpasses all other knowledge.”

But the “Doctor Evangelicus” also knew the defects of human nature, such as “the tendency to fall into sin, and so he continually exhorted people to combat the inclination to avarice, pride and impurity. … At the beginning of the thirteenth century, in a context of expanding cities and flourishing trade, a growing number of people were insensitive to the needs of the poor. For this reason, Anthony frequently invited the faithful to turn their thoughts to true wealth, that of the heart” and to seek the friendship of those most in need.

“Is this not”, the Pope asked, “also an important lesson for us today, as the financial crisis and serious economic imbalances impoverish many people, and create situations of distresss?” He then went on to comment on one another aspect of Franciscan theology, Christocentrism, which “invites us to contemplate the mysteries of the Lord’s humanity,” especially His Nativity and Crucifixion.

“The vision of the crucified Lord,” said the Holy Father, inspired in Anthony “feelings of recognition towards God and of respect for the dignity of the human person.” In that vision “everyone, believers and non-believers, may find a meaning that enriches life”. This, he explained, “is the importance of the crucifixion in our culture and our humanity, which are born of the Christian faith, … because God considers us so important as to be worthy of His suffering.”

The Pope concluded his catechesis by calling on St. Anthony to intercede for the whole Church, and in particular for “those who dedicate their lives to preaching. Drawing inspiration from his example, may they unite sound and healthy doctrine, sincere and fervent piety, and incisive communication. In this Year for Priests, let us pray that priests and deacons eagerly carry out their ministry of announcing and contextualising the Word of God for the faithful, especially in liturgical homilies.”

AG/ANTHONY OF PADUA/… VIS 100210 (660)
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source: V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

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CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Homily Of His Holiness Benedict XVI, Holy Mass on the Solemnity Of All Saints 2006” – VaticanVa

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“… The liturgy invites us to share in the heavenly jubilation of the Saints, to taste their joy. The Saints are not a small caste of chosen souls but an innumerable crowd to which the liturgy urges us to raise our eyes. This multitude not only includes the officially recognized Saints, but the baptized of every epoch and nation who sought to carry out the divine will faithfully and lovingly. We are unacquainted with the faces and even the names of many of them, but with the eyes of faith we see them shine in God’s firmament like glorious stars. …”

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CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Saint Francis of Assisi – Benedict XVI General Audience 1.27.10” – VaticanVa

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“… Dear friends, Francis was a great Saint and a joyful man. His simplicity, his humility, his faith, his love for Christ, his goodness towards every man and every woman, brought him gladness in every circumstance. Indeed, there subsists an intimate and indissoluble relationship between holiness and joy. A French writer once wrote that there is only one sorrow in the world: not to be saints, that is, not to be near to God. Looking at the testimony of St Francis, we understand that this is the secret of true happiness: to become saints, close to God! …”

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CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “Saint Boniface, the Apostle of the Germans” – Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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“… Centuries later, what message can we gather today from the teaching and marvelous activity of this great missionary and martyr? For those who approach Boniface, an initial fact stands out: the centrality of the Word of God, lived and interpreted in the Faith of the Church, a word that he lived, preached and witnessed to until he gave the supreme gift of himself in martyrdom. He was so passionate about the Word of God that he felt the urgent need and duty to communicate it to others, even at his own personal risk. This word was the pillar of the faith which he had committed himself to spreading at the moment of his episcopal ordination: ‘I profess integrally the purity of the holy Catholic faith and with the help of God I desire to remain in the unity of this faith, in which there is no doubt that the Salvation of Christians lies” (Epist. 12, in S. Bonifatii Epistolae, ed. cit., p. 29). The second most important proof that emerges from the life of Boniface is his faithful communion with the Apostolic See. … Boniface also deserves our attention for a third characteristic: he encouraged the encounter between the Christian-Roman culture and the Germanic culture. Indeed, he knew that humanizing and evangelizing culture was an integral part of his mission as Bishop. In passing on the ancient patrimony of Christian values, he grafted on to the Germanic populations a new, more human lifestyle, thanks to which the inalienable rights of the person were more widely respected. …”

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