8-9). All these verbs are in the indicative, because a new reality has =
come
about in Christ's resurrection, a reality to which faith opens the door.
'This is the Lord's doing', says the Psalm (Ps 118:23), and 'it is =
marvelous
in our eyes', the eyes of faith.
=20
Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full =
spiritual
light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul =
II.
Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints =
and
blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, =
Subject: VISnews 110501
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
thereby
forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the
Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the
Church, Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God - =
bishops,
priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious - are making our =
pilgrim
way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us,
associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of =
Christ
and the Church. Karol Wojtyla took part in the Second Vatican Council, =
first
as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Krakow. He was fully =
aware
that the Council's decision to devote the last chapter of its =
Constitution
on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up =
as an
image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire =
Church.
This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as =
a
young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. =
A
vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified =
Christ
with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John
(19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal =
coat-of-arms of
Karol Wojtyla: a golden cross with the letter 'M' on the lower right and =
the
motto 'Totus tuus', drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie
Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyla found a guiding light for =
his
life: 'Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea =
omnia.
Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria - I belong entirely to you, and all that I =
have
is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart' (Treatise =
on
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).
In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: 'When, on 16 October 1978, =
the
Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, =
Cardinal
Stefan Wyszynski, said to me: "The task of the new Pope will be to lead =
the
Church into the Third Millennium"'. And the Pope added: 'I would like =
once
again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of =
the
Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church - and
especially with the whole episcopate - I feel indebted. I am convinced =
that
it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the =
treasures
that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a =
Bishop
who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to
entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the =
future
to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who =
has
enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years =
of
my Pontificate'. And what is this 'cause'? It is the same one that John =
Paul
II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter's Square in the
unforgettable words: 'Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to
Christ!' What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself =
the
first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened =
up
to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan - a strength which =
came
to him from God - a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of
faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, =
this
exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be
afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the
Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is =
the
guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the
strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the
Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the =
thread
which runs though all the others.
When Karol Wojtyla ascended to the throne of Peter, he brought with =
him a
deep understanding of the difference between Marxism and Christianity, =
based
on their respective visions of man. This was his message: man is the way =
of
the Church, and Christ is the way of man. With this message, which is =
the
great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its 'helmsman', the
Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across =
the
threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to
call 'the threshold of hope'. Throughout the long journey of preparation =
for
the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the
future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly =
affecting
it. He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had =
in
some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He =
restored
to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in =
history
in an 'Advent' spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence =
directed to
Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings =
for
justice and peace.
=20
Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the =
gift
of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had =
known
him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning =
in
1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for =
the
Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the
more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the
richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed =
and
edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands =
of
his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord
gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a 'rock', as
Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with =
Christ,
enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a
message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength
declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation =
of
every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he =
daily
receives and offers in the Eucharist.
Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed!
Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God's =
people.
How many time you blessed us from this very square. Holy Father, bless =
us
again from that window. Amen".
HML/ VIS
20110501 (2200)
GREETINGS TO PARTICIPANTS AT BEATIFICATION
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAY 2011 (VIS) - At the end of the beatification Mass =
and
before the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims and the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding area.
Speaking in French the Pope asked that "the life and work of Blessed =
John
Paul II be the source of a renewed dedication to the service of all =
persons
and all humankind. I ask him to bless the efforts of all in building a
civilization of love, respecting the dignity of each person, created in =
the
image of God, with special attention to those who are weakest".
Then, addressing the pilgrims in English, Benedict XVI expressed the =
wish
that the new Blessed's "example of firm faith in Christ, the Redeemer of
Man, inspire us to live fully the new life which we celebrate at Easter, =
to
be icons of divine mercy, and, and to work for a world in which the =
dignity
and rights of every man, woman, and child are respected and promoted".
"I invite you", he continued in Spanish, "to follow the example of
faithfulness and love for Christ and Church that he left us as a =
precious
inheritance. May his intercession always accompany us from heaven, so =
that
the faith of Your peoples remain solid at its roots and that peace and
harmony sustain the necessary progress of Your peoples".
On greeting the Polish dignitaries the Pope asked that their fellow
countryman "obtain for you and your earthy nation the gift of peace, =
unity,
and every prosperity".
Benedict XVI finished by thanking the Italian authorities for their
collaboration in organizing the day. "I extend my most heartfelt =
greetings
to all the pilgrims - those gathered here in St. Peter's Square, the
adjoining streets, and other places around Rome - and all those who have
joined in via radio and television; ... to the ill and the elderly, with
whom the new Blessed felt particularly close".
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Holy Father, =
accompanied by
the concelebrating cardinals, walked inside the Vatican basilica to =
venerate
the new Blessed. Then the various dignitaries present, along with the
bishops, entered, following which the other faithful present also had =
the
opportunity to venerate the new Blessed.
ANG/ VIS
20110501 (370)
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