Pope says Jesus is the centre of present and future

November 19, 2012 - When Jesus uses apocalyptic images to describe the end of the world, he doesn’t want them to be doomsday warnings; rather, he wants to show us that He is the centre of the present and the future. Pope Benedict XVI was explaining Sunday’s Gospel of St. Mark while addressing a large group of pilgrims and visitors in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, before reciting the weekly ‘Angelus’ prayer with them. The Pope said that in the passage, Jesus "demythologised" false images about the end of the world based on false interpretations of Biblical passages. "Jesus uses images and words from the Old Testament," in particular, "he inserts a new centre; that is Himself, the mystery of his person, death and resurrection." When Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away', He wants to show that the Word of God is at the origin of creation. The Pope said the Word's creative power became concentrated in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, and flew through his human words, which are the true 'firmament' that directs man's thoughts and journey on earth. “He is the true event that, in the midst of the turmoil of the world, remains the firm and stable centre,” Pope Benedict said. As we stand before it, each one of us is responsible for our own behaviour. It is upon this that we shall be judged," the Pope added.