Holy Father Friday
Pope Benedict XVI, at center under white umbrella, on his way with other prelates to celebrate mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. The pontiff rejoiced over conversions to Christianity a day after he baptized a prominent Muslim, marking Easter Sunday in a rain-drenched appearance he used to renew calls for peace in Iraq, the Holy Land and Tibet. On Easter, Christians celebrate their belief in the resurrection of Jesus two days after he was crucified. Thanks to the apostles' preaching about the resurrection, "thousands and thousands of persons converted to Christianity," Benedict said. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) (AP)
From Pope Benedict's Easter Homily:
Dear Christian brothers and sisters in every part of the world, dear men and women whose spirit is sincerely open to the truth, let no heart be closed to the omnipotence of this redeeming love! Jesus Christ died and rose for all; He is our hope - true hope for every human being. Today, just as He did with His disciples in Galilee before returning to the Father, the risen Jesus now sends us everywhere as witnesses of His hope, and He reassures us: I am with you always, all days, until the end of the world (cf. Mt 28:20). Fixing the gaze of our spirit on the glorious wounds of His transfigured body, we can understand the meaning and value of suffering, we can tend the many wounds that continue to disfigure humanity in our own day. In his glorious wounds we recognize the indestructible signs of the infinite mercy of the God of whom the prophet says: it is He who heals the wounds of broken hearts, who defends the weak and proclaims the freedom of slaves, who consoles all the afflicted and bestows upon them the oil of gladness instead of a mourning robe, a song of praise instead of a sorrowful heart (cf. Is 61:1,2,3). If with humble trust we draw near to Him, we encounter in His gaze the response to the deepest longings of our heart: to know God and to establish with Him a living relationship in an authentic communion of love, which can fill our lives, our interpersonal and social relations with that same love. For this reason, humanity needs Christ: in Him, our hope, "we have been saved" (cf. Rom 8:24).
To read all the Holy Father's homilies from Holy Week go here.
Comments (3)
Notice the beautiful golden cross that Pope Benedict is carrying. I found out the story on this from angelqueen.org, "Pope Benedict's new papal staff?"
"It is called a ferula, or 'pastoral staff.' This particular ferula was first used by Pope Pius XI for the opening of the Holy Doors in 1925 and by his successor twenty-five years late for the same purpose. Pope John XXIII was the last pontiff to be seen using it."
Let's hope that His Holiness keeps this ferula, and buries that ugly bent cross his predecessor carried.
Posted by Cyprian
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March 28, 2008 11:13 PM
Posted on March 28, 2008 23:13
“That ugly bent cross” must appeal to some. There is some religious art that I really do not find attractive at all, but if others find it inspiring or devotional, well, to each his own.
The problem with the bent cross is that it is not a true representation of the Cross which did not bend under the weight of the sins of the world, but rigidly refused to offer the least bit of conformity to Our Lord’s bruised body.
Posted by Felicitas | March 30, 2008 3:29 PM
Posted on March 30, 2008 15:29
Good point, Felicitas. The bent cross is neither a true representation nor symbolically correct.
Posted by Cornelius | March 31, 2008 8:48 PM
Posted on March 31, 2008 20:48