The Catholic Church is not limited to one particular culture or language, but with its diversity it is united in Christ, Pope Benedict XVI said.The catholicity of the church reflects a "fidelity to tradition together with being open to developments in history" and to the search for unity in the diversity of cultures, the pope said Feb. 18 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.
The pope's talk focused on St. Bede the Venerable, an eighth-century Christian writer and doctor of the church.
The British saint saw the church grow from being rooted in Jewish, Greek and Roman cultures to becoming a truly universal body, he said.
"The church is not restricted to one particular culture, but is made up of all cultures of the world that are open and they find their point of destination in Christ," he said.
Due to the large numbers of pilgrims in attendance, the general audience was held outside in St. Peter's Square even though temperatures hovered near freezing.
The pope apologized for the cold weather to the more than 15,000 people bracing against 30 mph gusts of wind, which at one point swept away his white zucchetto.
But on the bright side, he said, "at least it's not raining or snowing so we are thankful for that."
The pope said St. Bede's "rich ecclesial, liturgical and historical vision enabled his writings to serve as a guide" that is still useful today for Catholic teachers, pastors and parents.
The saint said one important task for teachers is to study "the wonders of the word of God and to present them in an attractive manner to the faithful," said the pope.
Priests must place their priority on preaching, which can be done with more than just the spoken word and can include the use of icons, processions and pilgrimages, the pope said St. Bede taught.
St. Bede urged pastors to use the local language, just as he had done. For example, the British scholar always taught and explained the Gospel, the Lord's Prayer and the Creed in the local dialect of Northumberland, said the pope.
The saint also maintained that parents "can exercise the priestly office of shepherd and guide" in their own homes by educating and raising their children in a Christian atmosphere, Pope Benedict said.
St. Bede taught that Christ wants an industrious, hardworking church that shows the signs of toiling under the bright sun, evangelizing new lands and sowing the seeds of God's word, he said.
"The church must till new fields or vineyards and establish among new peoples not a temporary hut, but a solid home, which means to insert the Gospel in the social fabric and cultural institutions" of new missionary lands, said the pope.
Pope Benedict underlined how St. Bede successfully contributed to the building of a Christian Europe in which different cultures and peoples were bound together and inspired by the Christian faith.
The pope prayed that even today there would be public figures like this British doctor of the church working "to keep the whole continent united."
He asked that "everyone be willing to rediscover our common Christian roots in Europe and be builders of a Europe that is authentically Christian and deeply human."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce
(Source: CNS)