» 11/01/2011 17:09 VATICAN Pope: all saints and all souls remind us that the destiny of man is God At the Angelus, Benedict XVI recalls that we are all called to holiness. Looking at the Church not in its temporal and human aspect, marked by weakness, but as Christ willed it, “a communion of saints".
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Today's Feast of All Saints, as well as the Feast of All Souls tomorrow, reminds us that holiness is the destiny of man, it is "rejoicing in the presence of God in eternity” remarked Benedict XVI today, during the Angelus, to 10 thousand people in St. Peter's Square.
"The solemnity of All Saints is a favourable opportunity to lift our gaze from earthly realities, marked by time, to the dimension of God, the dimension of eternity and holiness. Today's liturgy reminds us that holiness is the original vocation of every baptized person. For Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is the Holy one, loved the Church as his bride and gave himself for her, to sanctify her. For this reason all members of the People of God are called to become saints, according to the words of the Apostle Paul: "This is the will of God, your sanctification." We are thus invited to look at the Church, not in its temporal and human aspect, marked by weakness, but as Christ willed it, that is as 'a communion of saints”. In the Creed we profess her as "holy", as is the Body of Christ, an instrument for participation in the sacred mysteries, primarily the Eucharist, and of the Holy Family, to whose protection we are entrusted on the day of our Baptism. "
"Today we venerate this countless community of All Saints, who, through their different walks of life, show us different paths to holiness, united by a common denominator: to follow Christ and adhere to Him, the ultimate goal of our human life. In fact, all states of life may become, by the action of grace and with the commitment and perseverance of each one of us, a path to sanctification. "
"The Commemoration of All Souls, tomorrow, November 2nd, helps us to remember our loved ones who have left us, and all the souls on their way to the fullness of life, on the horizon of the Heavenly Church, which today’s solemnity holds on high. From the early days of the Christian faith, the Church on earth, recognizing the communion of the whole mystical body of Jesus Christ, has honoured the memory of the dead with great respect and paid suffrage to them. Our prayer for the dead is not only useful but necessary, because it not only can help them, but at the same time renders effective their intercession on our behalf. Even a visit to the cemetery, which represents bonds of affection with those who loved us in this life, reminds us that we all tend to another life beyond death. Tears, the result of earthy detachment, will not prevail on the certainty of the resurrection, the hope of reaching the bliss of eternity, "supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality" (Spe Salvi, 12) . The object of our hope is rejoicing in the presence of God in eternity. "
