In order to realize their full potential, people need to listen to others and especially to God, Pope Benedict XVI said."Man is not perfect in himself; man needs relationships, he is a being in relation" to others, he said Feb. 27 at the end of his annual Lenten retreat.
The pope and top Vatican officials took part in a weeklong retreat at the Vatican, which was led this year by Salesian Father Enrico dal Covolo.
The priest offered talks and meditations on the priesthood in the 21st century.
At the end of the spiritual exercises, held in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict said people need the capacity to listen to others, especially to God.
"Only in this way can one know oneself, only in this way does someone become himself," he said.
A perfect example of how to listen fully to God with one's heart is Mary, who was immersed in God's word, reflected upon it and carried it safely in her heart, he said.
By listening to God, "she conceived the eternal Word and gave her flesh to this Word," thereby showing what it means to have a heart that listens, he said.
The pope said the Lenten retreat renewed a sense of what it means to be a priest and reconfirmed that if individuals cut themselves off from others, they cannot "truly listen to the Word: only in the 'we' of the church and in the 'we' of the communion of saints" can God's word be heard," he said.
In his Angelus address Feb. 28, Pope Benedict said the transfiguration of Jesus shows the faithful that "life's joys sown by God are not the goal, but are lights that God gives along the earthly pilgrimage."
Jesus alone is the law and he alone is all that people need for guidance along life's journey, he said.
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SIC: CNS