"There is trash on the streets of the world”, says Pope Benedict, “but also in many
souls, let us allow the words, life and light of Christ into our conscience, so it
may be illuminated and cleansed”. This is the lesson that he traced from the life
and work of Marguerite d’Oingt, the French Carthusian nun, whose life spanned the
13th and 14th centuries, to seven thousand people present in the Paul VI hall for
the general audience.
He said “Marguerite’s writings, which include the earliest
known examples of Provençal French, were inspired by the evangelical spirituality
of Saint Bruno; they reveal her fine sensibility and her deep desire for God”.
In
fact, little is known of the early life of the reclusive nun, apart from what is revealed
in her writings known as “Meditations”.
“Marguerite viewed life as a path of
perfection leading to complete configuration to Christ, above all in the contemplation
of his saving passion. She imagined the Lord’s life, his words and his actions, as
a Book which he holds out to us, a Book to be studied and imprinted on our hearts
and lives, until the day we read it from within, in the contemplation of the Blessed
Trinity”.
“Marguerite’s writings, filled with imagery drawn from family life,
radiate a warm love of God and deep gratitude for his grace which purifies our affections
and draws us more closely to him. The life and writings of Marguerite d’Oingt invite
us to meditate daily on the mystery of God’s infinite love, revealed above all in
the sufferings of Christ on the Cross, and to find in it the strength and joy to place
our lives at his service and that of our brothers and sisters”.
Finally in
his greetings to English speaking pilgrims Pope Benedict had a special welcome for
a group from Pittsburgh, “I am especially pleased to greet the delegation from the
Anti-Defamation League, as well as the representatives of Pittsburgh’s Jewish and
Catholic communities. Upon them and upon all the English-speaking visitors present
at today’s Audience, especially the pilgrim groups from Ireland, Denmark, Sweden,
Japan, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America, I invoke the Almighty’s
abundant blessings of grace and peace”. Listen to the full report by Emer McCarthy: