(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI held his weekly General Audience at the Vatican
on Wednesday, during which he continued his reflections on Christian prayer. Listen:
The Pope flew
by helicopter from Castel Gandolfo to meet with pilgrims and visitors gathered in
Paul VI Hall. In his catechetical remarks, the Pope focused on the theme of prayer
as found at the start of the Book of Revelation - also known as the Apocalypse. “In
some ways,” said Pope Benedict, “it is a difficult book, but it contains many riches.”
The Holy Father went on to say that, right from its opening verses, the Book of Revelation
begins to tell us that prayer means, above all, listening to the God who speaks to
us:
Today, amid the din of so many useless words, many people have lost the
habit of listening, even to God’s word. The opening lines of the Apocalypse teach
us that prayer is not just more words, asking God to grant our various needs, but
rather it must begin as praise to God for his love, and for his gift of Jesus Christ,
who has brought us strength, hope and salvation.
The Pope said that we, too,
are to welcome Jesus into our lives, to proclaim our "Yes!" to Christ and to nourish
and deepen our Christian living.
Constant prayer will reveal to us the meaning
of God’s presence in our lives and in history. Prayer with others, liturgical prayer
in particular, will deepen our awareness of the crucified and risen Jesus in our midst.
Thus, the more we know, love and follow Christ, the more we will want to meet him
in prayer, for he is the peace, hope and strength of our lives.
After the catechesis,
Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in many languages, including English:
I am pleased
to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present today, including
those from England, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States. I am
especially pleased to welcome the group of Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy
Spirit as well as the young men and women of the Focolare Movement who have been participating
in this year’s Genfest in Budapest. Dear young people, you have taken to heart Christ’s
call to promote unity in the human family by courageously building bridges. I therefore
encourage you: be strong in your Catholic faith; and let the simple joy, the pure
love, and the profound peace that come from the encounter with Jesus Christ make you
radiant witnesses of the Good News before the young people of your own lands. God
bless all of you abundantly!
Pope Benedict held his General Audiences at Castel
Gandolfo during the month of August. The return to Rome for the Wednesday appointment
comes just over a week before the Pope’s scheduled departure for Lebanon, from September
14th to 16th.