Pope Angelus: The world must be filled with the presence of Christ
(Vatican Radio) In his weekly Angelus address, Pope Benedict noted that the first
Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year.
Advent, a word
that means “coming” or “presence”, refers both to the first coming of Christ in the
Incarnation, and to the second coming, when Jesus will return in glory. These two
events, the focal points of salvation history, touch us deeply, the Pope said, “because
by His death and resurrection Jesus has already accomplished that transformation of
humanity and of the cosmos that is the final goal of creation.” But before that final
end, the Gospel must be proclaimed to all nations. “This permanent coming of the Lord
in the proclamation of the Gospel requires our continual collaboration; and the Church,
which is like the Betrothed, the promised Bride of the crucified and risen Lamb of
God (cfr. Rev. 21,9), in communion with her Lord collaborates in this coming of the
Lord, in which His glorious return is already begun.”
Sunday’s readings, Pope
Benedict said, show us what we must do to be ready when the Lord comes. The Gospel
reminds us that we must live simply and moderately, and pray constantly. Saint Paul
urges us to continually grow in love for one another. And the reading from the prophet
Jeremiah reminds us that the Church, the community of believers, “is a sign of the
love of God, of His justice that is already present in history, but not
yet fully realised, and that therefore should always be awaited, invoked, and
sought after with patience and courage.”
In his remarks to English speaking
pilgrims and visitors after the Angelus, the Holy Father made special mention of Devasahayam
Pillai, a convert from Hinduism who was martyred in India in 1752. Blessed Devasahayam
was beatified today in the diocese of Kottar. “His witness to Christ,” the Pope said,
“is an example of that attentiveness to the coming of Christ recalled by this first
Sunday of Advent. May this holy season help us to centre our lives once more on Christ,
our hope.”
Listen:
Below,
please find the full text of the Pope’s remarks at Sunday’s Angelus.
Today
the Church begins a new liturgical year, a path that is further enriched by the Year
of Faith, 50 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The first Time
of this journey is Advent, composed, in the Roman Rite, of the four weeks that precede
the Birth of the Lord, that is, the mystery of the Incarnation. The word “Advent”
means “coming” or “presence.” In the ancient world, it signified the coming of the
king or the emperor into one of the provinces; in the language of Christians, it referred
to the coming of God, to His presence in the world; a mystery that involves the whole
of the cosmos and of history, but that recognises two culminating moments: the first
and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first is the Incarnation itself; the second
is the glorious return at the end of time. These two moments, chronologically distant
– and it is not given to us to know how far apart they are – touch us deeply, because
by His death and resurrection Jesus has already accomplished that transformation of
humanity and of the cosmos that is the final goal of creation. But before that end,
it is necessary that the Gospel be proclaimed to all nations, as Jesus says in the
Gospel of Saint Mark. The coming of Christ is continuous; the world must be infused
by His presence. This permanent coming of the Lord in the proclamation of the Gospel
requires our continual collaboration; and the Church, which is like the Betrothed,
the promised Bride of the crucified and risen Lamb of God (cfr. Rev. 21,9), in communion
with her Lord collaborates in this coming of the Lord, in which His glorious return
is already begun.
It is to this that the Word of God recalls us today, tracing
out a line of conduct to pursue in order to be ready for the coming of the Lord. In
the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says to the disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become
drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life . . . Be vigilant
at all times and pray.” So: simplicity and prayer. And the apostle Paul adds the invitation
to “increase and abound in love” among ourselves and towards everyone, to strengthen
our hearts and to be blameless in holiness (cfr. 1 Thess 3, 12-13). In the midst of
the turmoil of the world, or the desert of indifference and materialism, Christians
accept the salvation of God and witness to it by a different way of life, as a city
set on a hill. “In those days,” the prophet Jeremiah proclaims, “Jerusalem shall dwell
safely; this is the name they shall call her: ‘The Lord our justice’” (Jer 33,16).
The community of believers is a sign of the love of God, of His justice that is already
present and working in history, but not yet fully realised, and that therefore
should always be awaited, invoked, and sought after with patience and courage.
The
Virgin Mary perfectly embodies the spirit of Advent, which consists of listening to
God, a profound desire to do His will, and joyful service to others. Let us be guided
by her, so that God who is coming may not find us closed or distracted, but might
extend to each of us a small part of His kingdom of love, of justice, and of peace.