inundado por um mistério de luz que é Deus e N´Ele vi e ouvi -A ponta da lança como chama que se desprende, toca o eixo da terra, – Ela estremece: montanhas, cidades, vilas e aldeias com os seus moradores são sepultados. - O mar, os rios e as nuvens saem dos seus limites, transbordam, inundam e arrastam consigo num redemoinho, moradias e gente em número que não se pode contar , é a purificação do mundo pelo pecado em que se mergulha. - O ódio, a ambição provocam a guerra destruidora! - Depois senti no palpitar acelerado do coração e no meu espírito o eco duma voz suave que dizia: – No tempo, uma só Fé, um só Batismo, uma só Igreja, Santa, Católica, Apostólica: - Na eternidade, o Céu!
Pope’s remarks at Sunday’s Angelus.
Today the Church begins a
new liturgical year, a path that is further enriched by the Year of Faith, 50
years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The first Time of this
journey is Advent, composed, in the Roman Rite, of the four weeks that precede
the Birth of the Lord, that is, the mystery of the Incarnation. The word
“Advent” means “coming” or “presence.” In the ancient world, it signified the
coming of the king or the emperor into one of the provinces; in the language of
Christians, it referred to the coming of God, to His presence in the world; a
mystery that involves the whole of the cosmos and of history, but that
recognises two culminating moments: the first and the second coming of Jesus
Christ. The first is the Incarnation itself; the second is the glorious return
at the end of time. These two moments, chronologically distant – and it is not
given to us to know how far apart they are – touch us deeply, because by His
death and resurrection Jesus has already accomplished that transformation of
humanity and of the cosmos that is the final goal of creation. But before that
end, it is necessary that the Gospel be proclaimed to all nations, as Jesus says
in the Gospel of Saint Mark. The coming of Christ is continuous; the world must
be infused by His presence. This permanent coming of the Lord in the
proclamation of the Gospel requires our continual collaboration; and the Church,
which is like the Betrothed, the promised Bride of the crucified and risen Lamb
of God (cfr. Rev. 21,9), in communion with her Lord collaborates in this coming
of the Lord, in which His glorious return is already begun.
It is to this
that the Word of God recalls us today, tracing out a line of conduct to pursue
in order to be ready for the coming of the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus
says to the disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from
carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life . . . Be vigilant at
all times and pray.” So: simplicity and prayer. And the apostle Paul adds the
invitation to “increase and abound in love” among ourselves and towards
everyone, to strengthen our hearts and to be blameless in holiness (cfr. 1 Thess
3, 12-13). In the midst of the turmoil of the world, or the desert of
indifference and materialism, Christians accept the salvation of God and witness
to it by a different way of life, as a city set on a hill. “In those days,” the
prophet Jeremiah proclaims, “Jerusalem shall dwell safely; this is the name they
shall call her: ‘The Lord our justice’” (Jer 33,16). The community of believers
is a sign of the love of God, of His justice that is already present and
working in history, but not yet fully realised, and that therefore should
always be awaited, invoked, and sought after with patience and courage.
The Virgin Mary perfectly embodies the spirit of Advent, which consists
of listening to God, a profound desire to do His will, and joyful service to
others. Let us be guided by her, so that God who is coming may not find us
closed or distracted, but might extend to each of us a small part of His kingdom
of love, of justice, and of peace.
