Third day of meditation at Pope Benedict’s retreat.

(March 09, 2006) : On Wednesday 8th March, the third day of Pope Benedict’s Lenten retreat which also includes members of the Roman Curia, the preacher of the spiritual exercises Cardinal Marco Cé said: “…to preach the Gospel implies difficulties and failures as it did for Jesus himself. In the first meditation on the third day, Cardinal Cé said that Mark's Gospel "does not at all hide the fact that Jesus, after a first moment of enthusiasm and success in Galilee, had to face growing indifference and the distancing of many people, ever more numerous. On several occasions Jesus laments the exhaustion he feels, in trying to make his message understood. Therefore, we must not let ourselves be disturbed by our littleness, the retreat preacher said. In the second meditation, the cardinal commented on the passage of Mark's Gospel in which Jesus and his disciples are in the boat in the midst of a violent storm. The Gospel passage is meant to highlight Jesus' desire to find in the apostles' hearts, a faith that remains firm even in a storm. This episode is "a parable of the life of the Church," he said. In times of trial, the Church must believe above all in her Lord, but one cannot remain under the cross without the strength of grace. In the century that just ended, the Church went through terrible storms and the century that has just begun appears very threatening. Faith is the total giving of ourselves to God. It is a gift," the cardinal concluded. The meditations are taking place in a chapel of the Apostolic Palace. The retreat ends Saturday morning. Pope Benedict XVI is not holding any public audiences during the retreat.