Pope: prayer and solidarity with the countries affected by floods
Appeal of Benedict XVI for Southeast Asia and Latin America. In his general audience he comments on Psalm 119: We are all called to make God the center of our existence. May priests rediscover the beauty and fullness of celibacy.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - We are all called to make God "and his holy will" the center of our existence, especially priests, who are "called to live the Lord and His Word without other securities having him as a source of life. In this light we can understand the free choice of celibacy for the kingdom of heaven, to be rediscovered in all its beauty and in its fullness. " The call to radicality of the Gospel was made today by Benedict XVI in his address before 20 thousand people in St. Peter's Square for the general audience.
An audience which also gave the Pope occasion to speak of those regions of the world "from Central America to Southeast Asia" affected by "floods, and landslides which have caused countless deaths, missing, homeless. Once again - added the Pope - I wish to express my closeness to all those who suffer from these natural disasters, and call for prayer for the victims and their families as well as solidarity, so that the institutions and people of good will work together with a generous spirit, to assist the thousands of people tried by such disasters. "
Earlier, in his address to those present, continuing his series of reflections on the Psalms, Benedict XVI spoke today of Psalm 119, a "very special, unique" prayer, both in length, and above all because the literary style is a reflection on the beauty and the importance of the Torah, the law, the Word of God. This is the "part" assigned to the Psalmist, that is his "legacy" and his "happiness": "to him as to the Levites the word of God was given as part of his inheritance. "
The law, he explained must be understood in its broadest and most complete sense, as "teaching, instruction, a life guide; the Torah is the revelation of the Word of God who speaks to man and provokes man's response of trustful obedience and generous love. And love for the Word of God pervades this Psalm, which celebrates its beauty, its saving power, its ability to give joy and life. Because the law of God is not heavy yoke of slavery, but a gift of grace which makes us free and leads to happiness. "
Everything is born from the Word, "that must be intimately preserved, so that we may mediate on it and love it, just like Mary who, in her heart, safeguarded and pondered on the words that were addressed to her and the wonderful events in which God is revealed, asking for her assent of faith. And if our Psalm begins in the first verses proclaiming blessed is he who walks in the Law of the Lord and he who keeps his teachings, once again it is the Virgin Mary, who completes the perfect picture of the believer described by the Psalmist. "
Divine law, concluded the Pope, "the object of passionate love of the Psalmist and of every believer, is a source of life. The desire to understand it, to observe it, to direct our whole being in accordance with it is the characteristic of the just and faithful to the Lord, who meditates upon it day and night "it is a law, that of God, to keep in our heart."
An audience which also gave the Pope occasion to speak of those regions of the world "from Central America to Southeast Asia" affected by "floods, and landslides which have caused countless deaths, missing, homeless. Once again - added the Pope - I wish to express my closeness to all those who suffer from these natural disasters, and call for prayer for the victims and their families as well as solidarity, so that the institutions and people of good will work together with a generous spirit, to assist the thousands of people tried by such disasters. "
Earlier, in his address to those present, continuing his series of reflections on the Psalms, Benedict XVI spoke today of Psalm 119, a "very special, unique" prayer, both in length, and above all because the literary style is a reflection on the beauty and the importance of the Torah, the law, the Word of God. This is the "part" assigned to the Psalmist, that is his "legacy" and his "happiness": "to him as to the Levites the word of God was given as part of his inheritance. "
The law, he explained must be understood in its broadest and most complete sense, as "teaching, instruction, a life guide; the Torah is the revelation of the Word of God who speaks to man and provokes man's response of trustful obedience and generous love. And love for the Word of God pervades this Psalm, which celebrates its beauty, its saving power, its ability to give joy and life. Because the law of God is not heavy yoke of slavery, but a gift of grace which makes us free and leads to happiness. "
Everything is born from the Word, "that must be intimately preserved, so that we may mediate on it and love it, just like Mary who, in her heart, safeguarded and pondered on the words that were addressed to her and the wonderful events in which God is revealed, asking for her assent of faith. And if our Psalm begins in the first verses proclaiming blessed is he who walks in the Law of the Lord and he who keeps his teachings, once again it is the Virgin Mary, who completes the perfect picture of the believer described by the Psalmist. "
Divine law, concluded the Pope, "the object of passionate love of the Psalmist and of every believer, is a source of life. The desire to understand it, to observe it, to direct our whole being in accordance with it is the characteristic of the just and faithful to the Lord, who meditates upon it day and night "it is a law, that of God, to keep in our heart."
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