Speaking during his Angelus prayer at the Papal Summer residence in Castel Gandolfo,
Pope Benedict said on Sunday that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus tells us
that God loves the poor and raises them from humiliation and that our eternal destiny
is determined by our behaviour. He said it is up to us to follow the path God
has shown us to come to life, and this path is love.
As part of his reflection
on service to others, the Pope recalled that Monday is the feast of St. Vincent de
Paul, a priest whom he said 350 years ago in France knew how to organize stable forms
of service to marginalized people.
The Pope then recalled that Chiara Badano
was beatified on Saturday. She was an Italian girl born in 1971 who belonged to the
Focolare Movement. She died of cancer less than 19 years later. The Pope said the
young woman was a ray of light for all, as is revealed by her nickname: Chiara Luce,
or Clear Light.
At the end of his remarks the Pope gave his final “arrivederci”
to the people of Castel Gandolfo – he returns to the Vatican on Thursday.