General Intention for the Month of October

(September 30, 2008) That the Synod of Bishops may help the pastors and theologians, the catechists and promoters who are engaged in the service of the Word of God to courageously transmit the truth of faith in communion with the entire Church.
Pope Benedict has asked the entire Church to pray for the Synod of Bishops which is to commence on the 5^th of October, with the theme "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church." Throughout the history of the Church, the Apostles preached the word of Christ, taking care to hand it on intact to their successors, who in their turn transmitted it to subsequent generations until our own day. Many preachers of the Gospel gave their lives specifically because of their faithfulness to the truth of the word of Christ. The Holy Father says that as in past centuries, so also today there are people or groups who obscure this centuries-old Tradition, seeking to falsify the Word of Christ and to remove from the Gospel those truths which in their view are too uncomfortable for modern man. However Every Christian is bound to place his own convictions continually with the teachings of the Gospel and of the Church's Tradition in the effort to remain faithful to the word of Christ, even when it is difficult to comprehend. Faith consists in an intimate relationship with Christ, a relationship based on our love of him. We have to listen attentively to the inspirations that he evokes through his Word, through the people we meet, through the situations of daily life. To love him is to remain in dialogue with him, in order to know his will and to put it into effect promptly. Yet, living one's personal faith as a love-relationship with Christ also means, being ready to renounce everything that constitutes a denial of his love. The Holy Father asks the entire church to remain united during the Synod so that the Word of Jesus becomes alive in us and in this way become a builder of the true "civilization of love", of which Christ is the centre.