Pope Benedict XVI in English - Weekly General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our continuing catechesis on the Christian culture
of the Middle Ages, we now turn to two outstanding twelfth-century theologians associated
with the monastery of Saint Victor in Paris. Hugh of Saint Victor stressed the importance
of the literal or historical sense of sacred Scripture as the basis of theology’s
effort to unite faith and reason in understanding God’s saving plan. His treatise
On the Sacraments of the Christian Faith offered an influential definition
of a sacrament, stressing not only its institution by Christ and its communication
of grace, but also its value as an outward sign. Richard of Saint Victor, a disciple
of Hugh, stressed the allegorical sense of the Scriptures in order to present a spiritual
paedagogy aimed at human maturity and contemplative wisdom. Richard’s work On
the Trinity sought to understand the mystery of the triune God by analyzing the
mystery of love, which entails a giving and receiving between two persons and finds
its perfection in being bestowed upon a third person. These great Victorines, Hugh
and Richard, remind us that theology is grounded in the contemplation born of faith
and the pursuit of understanding, and brings with it the immense joy of experiencing
the eternal love of the Blessed Trinity. * * * I offer a warm welcome to the
pilgrimage of Bishops and faithful from Japan celebrating the first anniversary of
the Beatification of Blessed Peter Kibe and Companions. My cordial greeting also
goes to the groups from Denmark and the United States of America. Upon all the English-speaking
pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, I invoke God’s blessings of joy
and peace!