‘Rise up!’ Pope Benedict tells Africa at close of Synod

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2009 / 10:01 am (CNA).-

Pope Benedict XVI’s homily for the close of the Synod of Bishops for African concluded the Lord of history does not tire of renewing oppressed humanity since the time of Moses. “Rise up, African continent, the land which received the Savior when as a child he had to flee with Joseph and Mary to Egypt so as to save his life from the persecution of King Herod,” Pope Benedict proclaimed.

Benedict XVI’s homily turned to Sunday’s first reading from Jeremiah. In the Book of Lamentations, there is an announcement of hope for the people of Israel, laid low by the invasion of the army of Nebuchadnezzar, the devastation of Jerusalem and the Temple and the deportation to Babylon.

In the Gospel, Jesus encounters along the road to Jerusalem Bartimaeus, who has lost his sight. “God is light and creator of light,” the Pope explained. “Man is the son of light, made to see light, but has lost his sight and wanders.”

“Brothers, we give thanks because this ‘mysterious meeting of our poverty and the greatness’ of God is realized also in the Synodal Assembly for Africa, which today concludes,” he added. “God has renewed his call: ‘Courage! Rise up…”

“And also the Church in Africa, through the bishops, come from all the Countries of the Continent, from Madagascar and the other islands, has received the message of hope and light to walk the way leading to the Kingdom of God,” the Holy Father continued. “Bartimaeus becomes a witness to the light, giving a firsthand account of healing, renewal, regeneration.”

“This is the Church in the world, a community of persons reconciled, workers of justice and peace, ‘salt and light’ amid a society of men and nations… Moving testimony has demonstrated to us that even in these most dark moments of human history, the Holy Spirit is at work transforming the hearts of victims and persecutors so that they recognize brothers.”

The Pontiff directed the synod fathers to the example of the encyclical “Populorum progressio,” elaborated by the Servant of God Paul VI and which missionaries have realized and continue to realize promoting a respectful development of local culture and locale. The Pope added, “After more than forty years, this appears to be the only logic capable of freeing the African people from the slavery of hunger and sickness.”

Before the Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict spoke of the rich reality of the local Churches presented by the Synod Fathers. Animated by the Word of God and the Eucharist, he explained, the Church works so that “no one is without the necessities to live and so that all can have an existence worthy of a human being.”

Benedict XVI said he shared the joys of the Christian communities, “which continue to grow in quantity and quality.” He added, “Naturally, the actual problems of Africa and the great need of reconciliation, justice and peace were immersed in the Assembly.”

“Today I desire to address all the African populations, especially those that share the Christian faith, so as to ideally entrust to them the ‘Final Message’ of the Synodal Assembly,” the Holy Father continued. “Dear brothers and sisters who hear me in Africa, I entrust in a special way to your prayers the fruit of this work of the Synod Fathers and I encourage you with the words of the Lord Jesus: You are the salt and light of the beloved African land!”

The Holy Father concluded by recalling next year’s Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, for which the “instrumentum laboris” will be presented during his visit to Cyprus.

After the Angelus prayer, the Pontiff extended his greeting to thousands of faithful gathered outside of Milan, Italy’s cathedral for the beatification of Father Carlo Gnocchi:

“Father Gnocchi worked ‘to restore the human person,’ gathering children orphaned and mutilated by the Second World War and offering them help and education. He gave his all until the very end and dying, donated his corneas to two blind children. His work has continued to develop and today the Father Gnocchi Foundation offers rehabilitation therapy to needy people of all ages. While I greet Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, and rejoice with the entire Ambrosian Church, I make my own the theme of this beatification: ‘Alongside life, forever.’”

DI TRINTA DJADUMINGU SIKLO B

Promé Lektura : Yeremias 31, 7-9
Salmo : Salmo 126, 1-6
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 5, 1-6
Evangelio : Marko 10, 46-52

E pasashi aki tin komo sentro aktitutnan di Bartimeo, pa loke ta parse importante pa nos analisá e aktitutnan aki, ku Marko ta presentá komo modelo pa e kristian ku ke sigui Hesus. E promé aktitut di e siegu ta un akto di reflekshon interno: Bartimeo ta rekonosé ku e no por mira, i e sa ku su situashon por ta mihó. E di dos aktitut ta di rekonosé den Hesus e hende ku por kambia su bida, Bartimeo tin fe den Hesus i ta p'esei e ta realisá su di tres akshon: grit’é i kana bai serka djE, no ta import’é kibra ku skema òf stroba, e tabata sa ku Hesus lo por a salb’é. Por último, despues di haña den Hesus sanashon pa su sieges , Bartimeo ta sigui Hesus riba e kaminda.
Ademas di e aktitutnan di Bartimeo, ta signifikativo akshon di e komunidat ku ta aktua mas komo opstákulo ku komo yudansa p'asina e siegu por mira: nan no ta lag'é papia ni aserká Hesus, tampoko nan ta intersedé p’e, sino ku nan ta preferá pa e keda siegu i pa e no “molostiá” Hesus. (Esaki ta duna nos base pa reflekshoná riba nos aktitut dilanti di hopi hende ku ke sali di nan sieges i no ta haña den nos aliento pa sigui dilanti.)

Kuantu siegu awe ta kana sin ku ta rekonosé nan komo tal? Siegunan ku no ke mira nesesidat di nan próhimo, siegunan ku ta buska felisidat den plaser i inresponsabilidat, siegunan ku ta kana sin sa pa unda nan ta dirigí nan mes, siegunan ku no ta mira loke nan tin i por lo tantu no ta duna loke nan mester, siegunan pa trabou, siegunan pa alkohòl i bisio, siegunan pa nan egoismo, siegunan ku no ke rekonosé nan kulpa den pleitu di famia, siegunan ku no por mira den felisidat di nan pareha e fuente di nan felisidat, siegunan ku no por haña den Kristu e fuente di nan amor, siegunan pa nan forma mediokre di biba bida. Enfin, ta parse ku tin hopi Bartimeo entre nos i talbes kada un nos por identifiká nos mes ku algun tipo di sieges. Pa nos tur e pasashi aki tin un palabra: na promé lugá bo mester por rekonosé bo sieges; di dos, lo bo tin ku vense e flohera ku ta indusí bo pa sigui biba den e sieges aki; i di tres, kere den Hesus, asérkE, no tene miedu pa pidié su salbashon; i por último, disidí di siguié.

Hesus no por sana nos sin nos mes , Hesus lo a pasa bai i e siegu nunka lo a mira si e no a pone di su parti; Hesus tabatin mester di akshon di e siegu pa por a kur’é. Pero loke ta mas importante ta loke ta sosedé na final, e siegu, unabes ku e por a mira, a sigui Hesus. Si nos aserka Hesus únikamente pa E por resolvé nos sieges, pero si unabes E yuda nos, nos alehá nos mes di dJE, e ora ei nos no por bisa ku nos a kaba ku nos sieges.

Rekuperá nos bista, o ser salbá pa Hesus, ta enserá un kambio di bida, un kambio di aktitut, ku ta tradusí su mes den siguimentu de Kristu. Ora un hende yega na mira, i e duna su mes kuenta di e hopi ku el a pèrdè pasobra e tabata leu di Kristu, e no por hasi nada otro ku bras’é i siguié. Esaki ta biba serka di djE, den orashon, pa medio di su Palabra, asta den Komunion; i tambe sirbiE, den solidaridat, mizerikòrdia i hustisia.

Pues laga nos aserká Hesus, rekonosiendo nos “siegesnan”, pidiend’ E su salbashon i pa nos disidí di kana riba su kaminda, kaminda di goso inmenso, di inmenso amor i pas; pero tambe di kompromiso, responsabilidat i solidaridat.