Subject: VISnews 111005
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 170
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2011
SUMMARY:
- The Closeness of God Transforms Reality
- Appeal for Aid for Famine Victims in the Horn of Africa
- In Memoriam
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THE CLOSENESS OF GOD TRANSFORMS REALITY
VATICAN CITY, 5 OCT 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis
during this morning's general audience to Psalm 23 which begins with the
words: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want". "Addressing the Lord in
prayer implies a radical act of confidence, the awareness of entrusting
oneself to God Who is good", he said.
Psalm 23 is an example of such confidence. "The Psalmist expresses his
tranquil certainty that he will be guided and protected, sheltered from all
danger because the Lord is his shepherd. ... The image evokes an atmosphere
of trust, intimacy, tenderness. The shepherd knows his sheep individually,
he calls them by name and they follow him because they recognise and trust
him. He takes care of them, protects them like a treasure, and is ready to
defend them in order to guarantee their wellbeing, to ensure they live in
peace. They shall want nothing if the shepherd is with them".
The Psalm describes the oasis of peace to which the shepherd leads his
flock. The setting is a desert landscape, "yet the shepherd knows where to
find pasture and water, which are essential for life, he knows the way to
the oasis in which the soul can be 'restored' with new energies to start the
journey afresh. As the Psalmist says, God guides him to 'green pastures' and
'still waters' where all things are in abundance. ... If the Lord is the
shepherd, even in the desert, a place of scarcity and death, we do not lose
our certainty in the radical presence of life".
The shepherd adapts his rhythms and his needs to those of his flock. "If
we walk behind the 'Good Shepherd'", the Pope said, " however difficult,
tortuous and long the paths of our life may seem, we too can be certain that
they are right for us, that the Lord guides us and that He is always close".
Hence the Psalmist adds: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I
fear no evil; for you are with me". Benedict XVI explained how, although the
Psalmist here uses a Hebrew expression which evokes the shadows of death, he
nonetheless proceeds without fear because he knows the Lord is with him.
"This is a proclamation of unshakeable trust and encapsulates a radical
experience of faith: the closeness of God transforms reality, the darkest
valley loses all its perils".
This image concludes the first part of the Psalm and opens the way to a
change of scene. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows". The Lord is now
presented "as the One Who welcomes the Psalmist with generous hospitality.
... Food, oil, wine are the gifts that enable us to live, they bring joy
because they lie beyond what is strictly necessary, an expression of the
gratitude and abundance of love". In the meantime the enemies look on
powerlessly because "when God opens His tent to welcome us, nothing can harm
us".
The Psalmist goes on "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life
long". The Psalmist's journey "acquires fresh meaning and becomes a
pilgrimage towards the Temple of the Lord, the holy place in which he wishes
'to dwell' forever". Likewise, living near God and His goodness is what all
believers long for, the Holy Father said.
This Psalm has accompanied the entire history and religious experience of
the People of Israel, but only in Jesus Christ is its evocative strength
"fulfilled and fully expressed: Jesus is the 'Good Shepherd' Who goes in
search of the lost sheep, Who knows His sheep and gives His life for them.
He is the way, the way that leads to life, the light that illuminates the
dark valley and overcomes all our fears. He is the generous host Who
welcomes us and saves us from our enemies, preparing the banquet of His Body
and His Blood for us, and the definitive banquet ... in heaven. He is the
regal Shepherd, King in meekness and mercy, enthroned on the glorious seat
of the cross".
Psalm 23 invites us to renew our trust in God, the Pope concluded, "to
abandon ourselves completely in His hands. Let us, then, trustingly ask the
Lord to allow us always to walk on His paths, even along the difficult paths
of our own times, as a docile and obedient flock; let us ask Him to welcome
us into His house, at His table, and to lead us to 'still waters' so that,
in welcoming the gift of His Spirit, we may drink from His spring, source of
that living water which 'gushes up to eternal life'".
AG/ VIS
20111005 (810)
APPEAL FOR AID FOR FAMINE VICTIMS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
VATICAN CITY, 5 OCT 2011 (VIS) - Following his catechesis during this
morning's general audience the Holy Father launched an appeal to the
international community to help people suffering famine in the Horn of
Africa.
"Dramatic news continues to arrive concerning the famine which has struck
the Horn of Africa", he said. "I greet Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of
the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum', and Bishop Giorgio Bertin O.F.M.,
apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, who are present at this audience with
a number of representatives of Catholic charity organisations. They will
meet to analyse initiatives aimed at resolving this humanitarian emergency;
and their meeting will also be attended by a representative of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who has likewise made a plea in support of the
people affected.
"I renew my heartfelt appeal to the international community to continue
its commitment to these people. At the same time I invite everyone to offer
prayers and concrete support to so many sorely tried brothers and sisters,
particularly to the children of the region who are dying every day because
of the lack of water and food".
Before making his appeal for Somalia, the Pope had greeted a delegation
from the Theology Faculty of the University of Thessaloniki, Greece, which
has awarded him with the Apostle Jason of Thessaloniki Gold Medal. "I am
deeply honoured by this gracious gesture", he said, "which is an eloquent
sign of the growing understanding and dialogue between Catholic and Orthodox
Christians. I pray that it will be a harbinger of ever greater progress in
our efforts to respond in fidelity, truth and charity to the Lord's summons
to unity".
AG/ VIS
20111005 (290)
IN MEMORIAM
VATICAN CITY, 5 OCT 2011 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent
weeks:
- Archbishop Hubert Constant O.M.I., emeritus of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, on 23
September at the age of 80.
- Archbishop Clemente Faccani, apostolic nuncio, on 15 September at the age
of 90.
- Archbishop Philip Mathew Hannan, emeritus of New Orleans, U.S.A., on 29
September at the age of 98.
- Bishop Marcelino Palentini S.C.I. of Jujuy, Argentina, on 18 September at
the age of 68.
- Bishop Joseph Trinh Chinh Truc, emeritus of Ban Me Thuot, Vietnam, on 23
September at the age of 85.
.../ VIS
20111005 (110)
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