S
stbruno
Guest
zenit.org/article-23820?l=english “Today, nations once rich in faith and vocations are losing their own identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture. There are those that, having decided that ‘God is dead’, declare themselves ‘god’, believing themselves to be the only creator of their own fate, the absolute owners of the world. … But when man eliminates God from his horizon, when he declares God to be ‘dead’, is he truly happier? Does he truly become more free? … Is it not more likely - as demonstrated by news headlines every day - that the arbitrary rule of power, selfish interests, injustice and exploitation, and violence in all its forms, will extend their grip? Man’s final destination, in the end, is to find himself more alone and society more divided and confused”.
After highlighting how “there is a promise in the words of Jesus: the vineyard will not be destroyed”, Pope Benedict went on: “The consolatory message we gather from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death will not have the last word, but it will be Christ who wins in the end. Always! The Church will never tire of proclaiming this Good News, as is happening today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles who was the first to spread the Gospel in vast tracts of Asia Minor and Europe”.
“Only the Word of God can change the depths of man’s heart, and so it is important that with it both individual believers and the community enter into an ever-growing intimacy. The Synodal Assembly will direct its attention to this truth which is fundamental to the life and the mission of the Church. Nourishing herself with the Word of God is for her the first and fundamental responsibility”
After highlighting how “there is a promise in the words of Jesus: the vineyard will not be destroyed”, Pope Benedict went on: “The consolatory message we gather from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death will not have the last word, but it will be Christ who wins in the end. Always! The Church will never tire of proclaiming this Good News, as is happening today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles who was the first to spread the Gospel in vast tracts of Asia Minor and Europe”.
“Only the Word of God can change the depths of man’s heart, and so it is important that with it both individual believers and the community enter into an ever-growing intimacy. The Synodal Assembly will direct its attention to this truth which is fundamental to the life and the mission of the Church. Nourishing herself with the Word of God is for her the first and fundamental responsibility”
