“Our moral and spiritual stature can be measured by that, which we await, and that,
in which we hope.” These were some of the words of Pope Benedict XVI at the Angelus
prayer with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the first Sunday of Advent.Ushering
in a new liturgical year, the Pope said that at this time we are to look at once to
the first coming of the Son of God, when he was born of the Virgin Mary, and to His
glorious return, when He comes ''to judge the living and the dead.”
Therefore,
“The wait, and the act of waiting, is a dimension that runs through all of our personal,
family and social life.” “You might say,” explained Pope Benedict, “that a man is
alive so long as he awaits – as long as hope lives in his heart.” So it was for Mary:
he said, “In her heart, the expectation of the Saviour was so great, her faith and
hope so ardent, that He was able to find in her a worthy mother.”
“Let us learn
from her,” exhorted Pope Benedict, “from the Woman of the Advent, to live our days
in a new spirit of profound expectation, which only the coming of God can satisfy.”
After
the Angelus, Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in many languages, including English:
I
offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors gathered here today for this
Angelus prayer. Today, Christians begin a new liturgical Year with the season of
Advent, a time of preparation to celebrate the Mystery of the Incarnation. By the
grace of God, may our prayer, penance and good works in this season make us truly
ready to see the Lord face to face. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s gifts
of wisdom, strength and peace!