zondag 15 november 2009
Jesus Christ’s words are eternal amidst a creation ‘destined to end,’ Pope Benedict says
With thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI focused his address on Sunday’s Mass reading from the Gospel of St. Mark. While creation is “destined to end,” he said, Jesus’ words are "eternal."
On the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year, Pope Benedict expressed his thanks to God for another year in “the great family of the Church” almost complete: “It is an inestimable gift, which permits us to live in history the mystery of Christ, welcoming in the paths of our personal and communal existence the seed of the Word of God, an eternal seed that from the inside transforms this world and opens it to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
St. Mark, he added, today presents us a part of the discourse of Jesus on the end times: “In this discourse, there is a sentence that is striking for its clear synthesis: ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’”
The expression “Heaven and earth,” Benedict XVI explained, appears frequently in the Bible to indicate all the universe, the entire cosmos. “Jesus,” he added, “declares that all that is destined to pass away, not only earth, but Heaven, which is included here in the cosmic sense, not as synonymous of God.”
“Sacred Scripture is unambiguous. All creation is destined to end, including elements divinized by ancient mythology. There is no confusion between creation and the Creator, but a clear difference.”
“With such clear distinction, Jesus affirms his words ‘will not pass away,’ which stand by the part of God and accordingly, are eternal,” the Pope expounded. “Pronounced with the concreteness of his early existence, these are prophetic words par excellence, as Jesus affirms (in the Gospel of St. John) when he turns to the heavenly Father: ‘the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.’”
In a well-known parable in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus compares himself to a sower and explains that the seed is the Word. “The ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit” are part of the Kingdom of God, the Holy Father said.
“That is, they live under his rule, remaining in the world, but no longer part of the world. They bear in themselves…a principle of transformation that already now manifests itself in a good life, animated by love, and in the end, will produce the resurrection of the body. Behold the power of the Word of God.”
The Pontiff concluded by explaining that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the living sign of this truth: “Her heart was “good earth” that welcomed with complete openness the Word of God, such that all her existence, transformed according to the image of the Son, was introduced to eternity, soul and body, anticipating the eternal vocation of each human being.”
“Now, in prayer, let us make our own her response to the Angel ‘may it be done to me according to your word,’ so that following Christ along the way of the cross, we too can reach the glory of the resurrection.”
Catholic charity is not mere social work, Vatican dicastery warns
Vatican City, Nov 15, 2009 / (CNA).-
The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican dicastery responsible for coordinating Catholic charitable organizations around the world, issued a statement on Saturday recalling that Catholic Christian charity is not merely social work, and that workers in Catholic organizations need to be renewed in their faith.
At the end of its 28th Plenary Assembly, held at the Vatican on November 12-14, the President of Cor Unum, Cardinal Paul Joseph Cordes, said that “two key guidelines have emerged from those responsible of the Church's charitable activity: first, that the ultimate goal of our work is to bear Christian witness by means of helping the poorest, but to witness Christ means to first have encountered him.”
Second, “to evangelize requires first to be constantly educated, otherwise, along the work of charity operators, there is the risk of assuming the priorities established by other international organizations alien to the Church, The Church cannot silence its own foundation in Faith,” the statement ads.
On Friday Nov. 13, upon receiving the members of Cor Unum, Pope Benedict XVI highlighted that “Faith is a spiritual force that purifies reason in the search for a just order, freeing it from the risk of being confused by selfishness, interest and power.”
On Saturday Cardinal Cordes said that Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est "set the agenda" of Cor Unum's future.
"The dicastery will continue to promote, in the varied world of charity and volunteering, the constructive witness of Christian individuals and communities," he explained.
DI TRINTITRES DJADUMINGU SIKLO B
Promé Lektura : Daniel 12. 1-3
Salmo : Salmo 16, 5. 8-11
Di dos Lektura : Hebreonan 10, 11-14. 18
Evangelio : Marko 13, 24-32
Ki dia fin di mundu lo yega?
No ta straño topa riba nos kayanan persona ku ta pertenesé na distinto grupo religioso bisando nos ku señalnan di fin di mundu ya ta presente. Nan ta bisa nos ku mundu "ta asina malu..." i nan ta mira den guera i violensia señalnan mas ku kla ku pronto e ta yega.
Ki dia Hesus lo bini atrobe?
E Evangelio di awe ta hasi referensia no na fin di mundu sino na e di dos binida di Hesus. Tur dos realidat por bai huntu, pero nan tin nifikashon mas ku distinto.
Tin kristian ku ta mira e último momentonan komo señal di tragedia si no ta di inmenso doló i sufrimentu. Tin hopi hende ku te ainda no a duna nan mes kuenta ku kere den Hesus semper ta e regalu mas bunita ku un ser humano por risibí. Binimentu bèk di Hesus na final di tempu no ta motibu di tristesa sino di speransa.
E Palabra di awe ta bisa nos ku "Lo e reuní esnan ku e skohe for di e kuater skinanan kardinal di mundu". Yegada nobo di Hesus ta pa reuní esnan ku a laga buraku den nan bida den su mensahe i den su persona. No ta pa establesé kondena sino pa uni den amor i plenitut ku riba e kaminda diario di bida semper nos falta. Binida di Hesus di nobo ta salbashon.
E final ku Hesus ta trese pa nos no ta fin natural di mundu sino final di e mundu di piká i di morto.
Nos ta asina kustumbrá di biba den e bida aki rondoná di piká i di morto, ku inklusive riba nos kaminda di tur dia nos mester un fin i un kuminsamentu di nobo. E ehersisio aki nos ta hasiendo kada bia di nobo. Kiko ta konfeshon si no ta un finalisá un bida ku intenshon di keda den un eksistensia nobo?
Pa hudiunan di e époka di Hesus destrukshon di e tèmpel tabata mará na fin di tempu. Hesus ta laga nan mira ku esaki no ta asina. Realidat ta ku Hesus a muri i a resusitá i e tèmpel a keda destruí pero no a yega ainda na final di tempu i di historia.
Señor ta hasi uso di e lenguahe i figuranan ku hopi hudiu tabata konosé i tabata usa ya pa basta siglo i a laga sa ku e lo bolbe di nobo. Si na prinsipio di Beibel ta bisa nos ku Dios a krea solo, streanan, shelu ... den e teksto di awe e ta bisa nos ku nan lo para e loke a krea nan p’e; nan ta spera un kreashon nobo. Fecha di e binida nobo aki ta mantené su mes den e mas apsoluto sekreto. E Parusía —e binida di e Yu di Hende— ta e punto kulminante i meta di hinter istoria humano.
A lo largu di siglonan nos komo ser humano a resistí tantu komo individual komo den grupo na mandato di Dios; historia humano ta ehèmpel kla di e resistensia aki. Nos a avansá den hopi realidat ku ta afektá e ser humano, pero nos no por bisa ku nos proyekto- i ambishonnan ta orientá totalmente riba Dios. Banda di e trigo yerba shimaron ta krese i siglonan ku su historia no por a konvensé tur hende ku Dios ta spera algu di nos i di e mundu riba kua nos ta. Binida definitivo di Hesus ta e gran triunfo di Dios riba e kreashon desviá di su kaminda.
Evangelio di San Huan ta bisa nos ku "na prinsipio tabata e Palabra..." E teksto aki ta rekordá nos ku na final di tur kos e palabra aki lo keda ku "e lo no pasa bai".
Mi mester konfesá ku ya tin algun aña ku kada bia di nobo den mi memoria ta aparesé un frase di Evangelio ku ta konsolá i animá mi. E ta esun di Hesus riba krus ku e ladron na kua e ta lansa su promesa: "awe lo bo ta huntu ku mi den paraiso..." E no ta laga pa spera final di tempu pa laga sali na kla su delaster lugá, E ta bis’é "awe" sabiendo Señor bon ku ora nos muri nos ta pafó di tempu i di historia. E "Awe" aki ta mas ku un anunsio i un promesa, ta e siguridat di ku esun ku pone su mes ku konfiansa den brasa di esun krusifiká tin bida nobo.
Un final paresido pa historia humano ta e promesa ku Hesus ta hasi na nos. E ta bisa nos ku na final di e kaminda E ta spera nos i ku E no ta laga nos keda nos so den e duresa di kamindanan di bida.
Final di tempu ta awe, nan ta e señalnan ku ta mira ku ta animá pa buska Dios i laga nos ser transformá pa E.
Mi ta kere ku ateo- i gnóstikonan igual ku kreyentenan mester di e binida nobo di Señor. Nos a kere pa medio di fe, sin mira; nan mester mir’é di nobo p’asina nan kurason kere. Den fondo e binida nobo di Hesus ta oportunidat definitivo ku e ta duna hende p’asina yega na e magnífiko enkuentro aki entre Dios i sernan humano. Señor ta stima nos asina tantu ku e ta bolbe di nobo p’asina loke el a krea no ta pèrdí leu di su paraiso. Historia di ser humano ta kuminsá den un paraiso i ta terminá den un paraiso. Den e promé Dios tei ku ta mira desobediensia di e ser humano; den e di dos E ta reuní ku nos di nobo pa ofresé nos su amor eterno. Ta dos momentu di un mesun historia, historia di Dios i di humanidat liberá.
Ku ami tin miedu di fin di mundu? Ni den lo mas mínimo. "Awe lo bo ta ku Mi den paraiso..."
