"Faith in Jesus means following
him every day, in simple actions that make up our daily lives", because
"only by believing in Christ, abiding in Him, can his disciples, which
include us too, continue his permanent action in history. "
These were
the words of advise given today by Benedict XVI to the 30 thousand
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Regina Caeli.
The weekly appointment also gave the Pope the opportunity to
pray that g provided the occasion to invite the Pope to pray that "every
act of violence is eliminated."
In fact, in his greeting in English
after the Marian prayer he recalled the International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation organized by the World Council of Churches, which is taking
place in Kingston, Jamaica on this very issue.
"Let us join in prayer -
he said - for this noble intention, and recommit ourselves to
eliminating violence in families, in society and in the international
community."
Before the Regina Caeli, commenting on today's Gospel, Benedict
XVI reflected on the "dual commandment" it proposes to us; that we
believe in God and believe in Jesus. These "are not two separate acts,
but a single act of faith, full adherence to the salvation enacted by
God the Father through His only Son. The New Testament put an end to the
invisibility of the Father. God showed his face, as
confirmed by the response of Jesus to the Apostle Philip, "Whoever has
seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9). The Son of God, by
his incarnation, death and resurrection, has freed us from the slavery
of sin to give us the freedom of the children of God and made known to
us the face of God who is love: we can see God, He is visible in Christ
".
The Pope also said that "only very slowly does He build within
in the great history of mankind his own story. He becomes a man, but in a
such as way that He is ignored by his contemporaries, and influential
forces in history. He suffers and dies and, as the Risen One, He wants
to come to humanity only through the faith of those who are His and to
whom He reveals Himself. He continually knocks softly on the doors of
our hearts, and if we open them, then slowly He makes us able to "see '"
(Jesus of Nazareth II, 2011, 306).
"The commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth
and the Life - he concluded - is the main task of the Church. We invoke
the Virgin Mary to always help the pastors and those in the various
ministries to announce the good news of salvation, so that the Word of
God will spread and multiply the number of disciples."