Angelus Message of Pope Benedict XVI in Czech Republic
Angelus Message of Pope Benedict XVI (Brno – Airport, 27 September 2009)
Dear
Brothers and Sisters, We have come to the end of this solemn celebration, and
the midday hour invites us to pray the Angelus. I am pleased to do so here, in the
heart of Moravia, Bohemia’s sister territory, a land marked for many centuries by
the Christian faith, a land that reminds us of the courageous mission of Saints Cyril
and Methodius. Twenty years ago, when Pope John Paul II decided to visit Central
and Eastern Europe after the fall of Communist totalitarianism, he chose to being
his pastoral journey in Velehrad, the place where the famous Unionist Congresses were
held, those precursors of ecumenism among the Slav peoples, a place known throughout
the Christian world. I am sure you also remember another of his visits, in 1995,
when he went to Svatý Kopeček near Olomouc for an unforgettable meeting with young
people. I should like to make my own the ideas put forward by my venerable predecessor,
as I invite you to remain faithful to your Christian vocation and to the Gospel, so
as to build together a future of solidarity and peace. Moravia is blessed with
a number of Marian shrines that are visited by crowds of pilgrims throughout the year.
At this moment I should like to make a pilgrimage in spirit to the mountainous forest
shrine of Hostýn, where you venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary as your protectress.
May Mary keep the flame of faith alive in all of you, a faith that is nourished by
traditions of popular piety with deep roots in the past, which you rightly take care
to maintain, so that the warmth of family conviviality in villages and towns may not
be lost. At times one cannot help noticing, with a certain nostalgia, that the pace
of modern life tends to diminish some elements of a rich heritage of faith. Yet it
is important not to lose sight of the ideal expressed by traditional customs, and
above all to maintain the spiritual patrimony inherited from your forebears, to guard
it and to make it answer to the needs of the present day. May the Virgin Mary assist
you in this, as we renew the entrustment to her of your Church and of the entire Czech
nation.
Angelus Domini …
After the Angelus:
(Brno, Aeroporto,
27 Settembre 2009)
S láskou pozdravujem pútnikov z blízkeho Slovenska. Drahí
bratia a sestry, dnešné Božie slovo nás pobáda, aby sme v Ježišovi Kristovi uznali
našu jedinú nádej. Pozývam vás, aby ste boli vo svete vernými svedkami tejto zvesti.
Zo srdca žehnám vás i vaše rodiny vo vlasti. S týmto želaním vás žehnám. Pochválený
buď Ježiš Kristus!
[I warmly welcome the pilgrims who have come from neighbouring
Slovakia. Dear brothers and sisters, today’s Liturgy of the Word challenges us to
recognize Jesus Christ as our one hope. I invite you to bear faithful witness to
this message before the world. From my heart I bless you and your families at home.
May Jesus Christ be praised!]
Serdecznie pozdrawiam Polaków biorących
udział w tej Eucharystii. Dziękuję za Waszą obecność i duchowe wsparcie. Niech spotkanie
z Papieżem we wspólnocie Kościoła, który jest w Czechach, przyniesie owoce wiary i
miłości w waszych sercach. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi.
[I extend cordial greetings
to the Poles taking part in this Mass. I thank you for coming, and for the support
of your prayers. May the Pope’s pastoral visit to the Church in the Czech Republic
bear abundant fruits of faith and love in your hearts. May God bless you!]
Von
Herzen grüße ich die Pilger aus Deutschland und aus Österreich. Ich freue mich über
euer Kommen, über euer Mitbeten und Mitfeiern mit den Brüdern und Schwestern hier
in Tschechien. Noch mehr als alle nachbarschaftlichen Bande ist es der Glaube an Jesus
Christus, der uns zusammenführt und eint. Und heute braucht es besonders unser gemeinschaftliches
Zeugnis, um neu und kraftvoll die Botschaft des Heils zu verkünden: den gekreuzigten
und auferstandenen Herrn – Jesus Christus, die Hoffnung der Menschheit! Die Erfahrung,
daß Christus seine Freunde nicht allein läßt, sondern ihnen hilft, damit sie glücklich
leben können, darf uns nicht kalt und gleichgültig lassen gegenüber unseren Mitmenschen,
die auf der Suche nach Wahrheit und Liebe sind und sich nach dem wirklichen Leben
sehnen. Zeigen wir ihnen den Weg zu Jesus Christus, der das Leben in Fülle schenkt.
Mit Freude wollen wir Tag für Tag aus unserem Glauben und unserer Hoffnung leben und
am Aufbau einer Gesellschaft mitarbeiten, die auf den Werten des Guten, der Gerechtigkeit
und Brüderlichkeit, auf der Liebe zu Gott und dem Nächsten gründet. Dazu schenke der
Herr uns seinen Segen.
I extend heartfelt greetings to the pilgrims from Germany
and Austria. I am glad that you have come here to pray and to celebrate alongside
your brothers and sisters in the Czech Republic. Even more than the bonds of neighbourliness,
it is faith in Jesus Christ that brings us together and unites us. And today our
common witness is more necessary than ever, if we are to proclaim in new and powerful
ways the message of salvation: the crucified and risen Lord – Jesus Christ, the hope
of humanity! The experience that Christ does not abandon his friends, but helps them
to live lives of happiness, must not leave us cold and indifferent towards our fellow
men and women who are seeking truth and love and longing for true life. Let us show
them the way to Jesus Christ, who gives us life in its fullness. With joy we seek
to live day by day from our faith and our hope and we work together in building up
a society on the foundations of goodness, justice and fraternity, on love of God and
neighbour. May God bless our endeavours.
Moji milovaní, je pro mě velikou
radostí být dnes s vámi zde v Brně, v srdci Moravy. Zdravím také všechny, kteří jsou
s námi spojeni sdělovacími prostředky. S láskou pamatuji i na starší osoby, na trpící
a na nemocné. Prosím vás všechny o vzpomínku v modlitbě, tak jako já vás ujišťuji
svou duchovní blízkostí. Nechť vás všemohoucí Bůh zahrne hojnými nebeskými milostmi
a požehnáním!
[Dear friends, it is a great joy for me to be here with you in
Brno, in the heart of Moravia. I also greet those who are following our celebration
through the media. In a particular way, I think with affection of the elderly, the
suffering and the sick. I ask you to remember me in your prayers, just as I assure
you of my own spiritual closeness. May Almighty God grant you abundant heavenly graces
and blessings.]