(18 June 08 - RV) On Wednesday Pope Benedict XVI invited Christians world wide to
pray that the International Eucharistic Congress rekindle awareness in the faithful
of those evangelical values that have forged the Catholic identity down through the
centuries.
The Pope was speaking in Italian to pilgrims attending his weekly
general audience in St Peter’s Square.
Shaded from the beating sun by a large
white canopy the Pope said he was spiritually close to the Congress participants drawn
from Africa, Asia the Americas and Europe and expressed his hope that it be an occasion
of prayer, reflection and contemplation on the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Pope
Benedict’s words followed on from his teachings on the life of Saint Isidore of Seville,
the brother of Saint Leander and a contemporary and friend of Saint Gregory the Great.
“Isidore lived during the Visigothic invasions of Spain, and he devoted much
energy to converting the barbarian tribes from heresy and preserving the best fruits
of classical and Christian culture. His encyclopedic, albeit somewhat eclectic, learning
is reflected in his many writings, including the Etymologies, which were widely
read throughout the Middle Ages. Isidore worked to bring the richness of pagan, Jewish
and Christian learning to the rapidly changing political, social and religious situations
in which he lived”.
Pope Benedict paused to reflect at length on this Spanish
Saint’s insistence on prayer and mission. Often during his life, noted the Pope,
Saint Isidore struggled with conflicting desires.
“Throughout his life,
he was torn between his devotion to study and contemplation, and the demands made
by his responsibilities as a Bishop, especially towards the poor and those in need.
He found his model in Christ, who joined both the active and contemplative life, and
sought to “love God in contemplation and one’s neighbour in action” (Differentiarum
Liber, 135).
This, concluded Pope Benedict is a lesson which is as valid
today as it was in the life of the great Bishop of Seville.