Sunday is “the Lord’s day“and must not become a mere “occasion for mundane or commercial interests”. Europe must not abandon its traditions, among them Christianity, which saved European conscience from nihilistic and fundamentalist trends.
The two themes were among the pope’s chief concerns during his recent trip to Austria, “a country that is dear to me”. They were also the focus of his address during his general audience today, during which he retraced the highlights of his journey which concluded Sunday.
Thus, recalling his encounter with the state authority and diplomatic corps from the country “of great importance in international politics, Benedict XVI returned to his encouragement for the process of European unity, “based on values inspired by our common Christian patrimony”.
“How can we forget – he added – the Europe custodies a tradition of thought that binds faith, reason and sentiment? Illustrious philosophers, even independently of faith, recognise the central role of Christianity in safeguarding modern conscience from nihilistic and fundamentalist trends”.
The other theme which was already a central point of reflection during the visit was the importance of maintaining the value of Sunday. “I wanted to deepen the value and meaning of Sunday” he said today.
Repeating the phrase of the Martyrs “without Sunday we cannot live”, the Pope defined “the Lord’s day” as “a day which gives meaning to work and rest, which brings to bear the meaning of redemption and creation, expresses the value of freedom and of service to our neighbour. If the people of the ancient Christian communities had abandoned this meaning and had allowed for Sunday to have been reduced to a mere week-end, in other words an occasion for mundane and commercial interests, it would have meant renouncing their culture”.
A final thought went to his meeting with volunteers, “which is not just something to do, it is above all a way of being which begins in the heart, an attitude of gratitude towards life which pushes one to share ones gifts with his or her neighbour”. It is an action which “must not be seen as making up for the failures of the State and its institutions, but as a necessary form of promoting attention and care for societies last”
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