(May 6, 2009) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called the
general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak. The Holy Father delivers a spiritual reflection
and greets various groups in their languages. The General Audience of May 6th was
held in the open in St. Peter’s Square under a bright spring sky. It began with a
scripture reading in various languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the
English-speaking pilgrims, presenting the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then
delivered a reflection in English. Listen: Dear Brothers
and Sisters, Saint John Damascene was a towering figure in the history of Eastern
theology. He was born into a wealthy Christian family at a time when his native Syria
was already under Arab rule. He left a promising career in government in order to
enter monastic life. His best-known works are his Discourses against the Iconoclasts,
which offer an important contribution to the proper theological understanding of the
veneration of sacred images. Saint John Damascene was among the first to distinguish
between adoration, which is due to God alone, and veneration, which can rightly be
given to an image in order to assist the Christian to contemplate him whom the image
represents. It is true that in the Old Testament, divine images were strictly forbidden.
But now that God has become incarnate and has assumed visible, material form in Jesus,
matter has received a new dignity. The wood of the Cross, the book of the Gospels,
the altar of sacrifice: all have been used by God to bring about our salvation.
Matter now serves as a sign and sacrament of our encounter with God. When we participate
in the sacraments, when we venerate icons, if we do so in faith and in the power of
the Holy Spirit, they truly become a means of grace. Despite human sinfulness, God
has chosen to dwell within men and women, making them holy, making them sharers in
his infinite goodness and holiness. Let us welcome him with joy into our hearts. I
am pleased to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors here today, including
a group of Felician Sisters serving in health care administration. Upon all of you,
and upon your families and loved ones, I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.
At the end of the audience Pope Benedict sent greetings
in English to the people he will be visiting during his May 8-15 apostolic trip to
Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Listen: I
wish this morning to take the opportunity through this radio and television broadcast
to greet all the peoples of those lands. I am eagerly looking forward to being with
you and to sharing with you your aspirations and hopes as well as your pains and struggles.
I will be coming among you as a pilgrim of peace. My primary intention is to visit
the places made holy by the life of Jesus, and, to pray at them for the gift of peace
and unity for your families, and all those for whom the Holy Land and the Middle East
is home. Among the many religious and civic gatherings which will take place over
the course of the week, will be meetings with representatives from the Muslim and
Jewish communities with whom great strides have been made in dialogue and cultural
exchange. In a special way I warmly greet the Catholics of the region and ask you
to join me in praying that the visit will bear much fruit for the spiritual and civic
life of all who dwell in the Holy Land. May we all praise God for his goodness.
May we all be people of hope. May we all be steadfast in our desire and efforts for
peace.