In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict spoke about Advent as the opening of a new liturgical year, and about Christ as the center of the liturgy. He said that the contemporary world needs hope. He described Christ as a "trustworthy hope", saying:
"Above all, seeing so many false securities crumble, we realize that we
need a trustworthy hope, and this is found only in Christ, who, as the
Letter to the Hebrews says, "is the same yesterday, today and always"
(13:8)."
In his homily for last night's first vespers of Advent, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the meaning of the word "Advent", which he said "can be translated as 'presence', 'arrival', 'coming'." He spoke about the joy of waiting in hope, in the presence of the eternal. Here is an excerpt:
"Advent invites and stimulates us to
contemplate the Lord who is present. Should not the certainty of his
presence help us to see the world with different eyes? Should it not
help us to consider all of our existence as a 'visit', as a way in
which He can come to us and be near to us in every situation?"
In this week's catechesis for the General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about Hugh and Richard of St. Victor. Both were from the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris during the early 12th century, where he said "a happy synthesis was made between the two forms of doing
theology . . . namely, monastic theology, mainly oriented to the contemplation of the
mysteries of the faith in Scripture, and scholastic theology, which
used reason to attempt to scrutinize these mysteries with innovative
methods, to create a theological system."
Here is the Pope's synthesis of the catechesis in English:
"In our continuing catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle
Ages, we now turn to two outstanding twelfth-century theologians
associated with the monastery of Saint Victor of Paris. Hugh of Saint
Victor stressed the importance of the literal or historical sense of
sacred Scripture as the basis of theology's effort to unite faith and
reason in understanding God's saving plan. His treatise On the
Sacraments of the Christian Faith offered an influential definition of
a sacrament, stressing not only its institution by Christ and its
communication of grace, but also its value as an outward sign. Richard
of Saint Victor, a disciple of Hugh, stressed the allegorical sense of
the Scriptures in order to present a spiritual paedagogy aimed at human
maturity and contemplative wisdom. Richard's work On the Trinity sought
to understand the mystery of the triune God by analyzing the mystery of
love, which entails a giving and receiving between two persons and
finds its perfection in being bestowed upon a third person. These great
Victorines, Hugh and Richard, remind us that theology is grounded in
the contemplation born of faith and the pursuit of understanding, and
brings with it the immense joy of experiencing the eternal love of the
Blessed Trinity."
"I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at
this Angelus on the Solemnity of Christ the King. His Kingdom is not
built upon the power of this world but comes to us when we accept the presence
of God in our hearts and live in his light. Let us strive to follow closely in
the footsteps of Christ the Servant King and bear constant witness to his
merciful love and his saving truth! God’s blessings upon you all!"
In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI gave a wonderful catechesis about medieval Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, drawing from them a lesson about beauty that raises our minds and hearts to God, and about faith that inspired such great works of art. His presentation was in preparation for a meeting with artists scheduled for November 21, and was also a continuation of his series of catecheses on Medieval theology and history.
Here is his English language greeting from what I think is one of the best of his Wednesday audience series this year:
"I have been speaking in recent weeks about medieval theology, and would now
like to turn my attention to how the Christian faith of the Middle Ages inspired
some of the greatest works of art of all time: the cathedrals of Europe.
Romanesque cathedrals are distinctive for their size and for introducing to
churches beautiful sculpture, including the image of Christ as the Universal
Judge and the Gate of Heaven. By entering through Him, as it were, the faithful
enter a space and even a time different from everyday life, somewhere they can
anticipate eternal life through their participation in the liturgy. Gradually,
Gothic architecture replaced the Romanesque, adding height and luminosity to the
previous style. The Gothic cathedral translates the aspirations of the soul into
architectural lines, and is a synthesis between faith, art and beauty which
still raises our hearts and minds to God today. When faith encounters art, in
particular in the liturgy, a profound synthesis is created, making visible the
Invisible, and the two great architectural styles of the Middle Ages demonstrate
how beauty is a powerful means to draw us closer to the Mystery of God. May the
Lord help us to rediscover that "way of beauty", surely one of the
best ways to know and to love Almighty God."
_____________
There are a few earlier posts about faith and beauty, and about Medieval architecture on this blog. See the categories Art and Architecture and Worship.
In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the meaning of Christ's words from today's Gospel reading for Mass "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). He compared this reference to the eternity of His words to the parable of the seeds and the sower in Mark 4, and pointed to Mary as "the living sign of this truth", who "received the Word of God with full disposition, so that her whole existence, transformed by the image of the Son, was introduced to eternity, body and soul, anticipating the eternal calling of every human being."
In his words in English following the Angelus prayer, he said:
"I extend heartfelt greetings to the English-speaking visitors here today. During this month of November, we remember especially the Holy Souls in Purgatory. In recent days we prayed for those who lost their lives in war, and on this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we pray for all who have been killed or injured in road accidents. As we commend their souls to the loving mercy of Almighty God, we also invoke his consolation upon their families and loved ones. For those of you who have travelled long distances to be here today, I pray that you may have a safe homeward journey. May God bless all of you, and your families and friends."
Benedetto XVI Forum and Zenit have full English translations. The Vatican Press Office's Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text with greetings in various languages.
"In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to
the monastic reform linked to the great monastery of Cluny. Founded eleven
hundred years ago, Cluny restored the strict observance of the Rule of Saint
Benedict and made the Church’s liturgy the centre of its life. It stressed the
solemn celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and Holy Mass, and enriched the
worship of God with splendid art, architecture and music. The monastic liturgy,
seen as a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy, was accompanied by a daily regime
marked by silence and intercessory prayer. Cluny’s reputation for sanctity and
learning caused its influence to spread to monasteries throughout Europe. Exempt
from interference by feudal authorities, the monastery freely elected its abbots
and flourished under a series of outstanding spiritual leaders like Saints Odo
and Hugh. Cluny also contributed to the reform of the universal Church by its
concern for holiness, the restoration of clerical celibacy and the elimination
of simony. At a formative time of Europe’s history, Cluny helped to forge the
Continent’s Christian identity by its emphasis on the primacy of the spirit,
respect for human dignity, commitment to peace and an authentic and integral
humanism."
Today, Pope Benedict XVI has been in Brescia and Conesio, in northern Italy, paying tribute to his predecessor Pope Paul VI in the place where Paul VI was born and raised.
The Vatican page on the journey provides the program and texts of the Holy Father's homily at Mass, words at the Angelus, and speeches. Now available in Italian, those texts will be available in English translation, and translations to several other languages, from that same page when the translations are ready.
Benedetto XVI Forum has an English translation of the Pope's homily at Mass and his words at the Angelus. In his homily, the Holy Father spoke about the widow's mite from today's Gospel reading for Mass (Mark 12:38-44). He spoke about the widow in the Temple, as a place of worship, pilgrimage, and rabbinical disputes. Jesus, he said, "showed that he loved the Temple as a house of prayer, and because of this, he wished to purify it." He also spoke of the significance for Jesus' own mystery, "in which he himself would become the new and definitive Temple." Jesus teaches us to pay attention to the teaching in the detail of the widow's action, in which she gave everything, and thus gave herself. The Pope then delivered a meditation on the centrality of the Church, drawing from the Gospel and from the writings of Pope Paul VI. He bega, "The Church is a spiritual organism that
prolongs in space and time the oblation (offering) made by the Son of
God, a sacrifice apparently insignificant compared to the dimensions of
the world and history, but decisive in the eyes of God."
Zenit has an English translation of the Pope's words at the Angelus, in which he spoke of Pope Paul VI's devotion for the Virgin Mary.
In today's General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard, describing the monastic and scholastic approaches to theology.
Zenit and Bened have full English translations. The Daily Bulletin has the original Italian text and summaries in various languages. Asia News has an article, and Vatican Information Service has a press release. Here is the Holy Father's English language summary:
"Today we continue our comparison of the monastic and scholastic approaches to
theology which we began last week, by looking again at Saint Bernard of
Clairvaux, this time in comparison with Abelard. Both of them considered
theology as "faith seeking understanding"; but whereas Bernard placed
the accent on "faith", Abelard emphasized "understanding".
Bernard, for whom the aim of theology was to have a living experience of God,
cautioned against intellectual pride which makes us think we can grasp fully the
mysteries of faith. Abelard, who strove to apply the insights of philosophy to
theology, saw in other religions the seeds of an openness to Christ. The
respective approaches of Bernard and Abelard—one a "theology of the heart"
and the other a "theology of reason"—were not without tension. They
therefore illustrate the importance of healthy theological discussion and humble
obedience to ecclesial authority. Theology must respect the principles it
receives from revelation as it uses philosophy to interpret them. Whenever a
theological dispute arises, everyone, and in a particular way the Magisterium,
has a responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the faith. As we strive to
deepen our understanding of the Gospel, may God strengthen us to extol its truth
in charity."
In his words at today's midday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about today's celebration of the Feast of All Saints and tomorrow's celebration of the Feast of All Souls. He spoke about the communion of the saints as a comforting reality that "we are never alone". Rather, he said, "We are part of a spiritual
'company', where deep spiritual solidarity prevails: the good of each
is to the benefit of all and, conversely, common happiness radiates in
individuals."
Here is the Holy Father's English language summary:
"I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for this
Angelus. Today we celebrate the great solemnity of All Saints. In honouring all
of the holy men and women gone before us marked with the sign of faith, and who
are now united with the Lord in Heaven, we are encouraged to pray and work with
pure hearts as we anticipate with joy seeing the Lord as he really is. Upon each
of you and your loved ones at home, I invoke God’s abundant blessings!"
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