(February 16, 2011) 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 to them in several languages. The general audience
of Feb. 16 was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. A scripture passage was
read in several languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking
pilgrims, and presented the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a
discourse in English.
Listen: Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today’s catechesis, we discuss
the sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite mystic, Saint John of the Cross. John was
born into a poor family. As a young man he entered the Carmelites and was ordained
priest. Soon afterwards, he met Teresa of Avila in what was a decisive encounter
for them both, as they discerned plans for reforming the Carmelite Order. He became
confessor at Teresa’s monastery, and together they developed a rich articulation of
the workings of the Lord upon the soul in the spiritual life. Despite persecution
and misunderstanding from within his own Order, John produced some of the most illuminating
and insightful treatises in all of Western spirituality. His four major writings
are The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night of the Soul, The Spiritual Canticle,
and The Living Flame of Love. One of the themes much developed by John was that of
the purification of the soul: by means of created things, we can discover traces of
the living God in this world. Faith, however, is the unique means by which we can
come to know God as he is in himself. The demanding process of purification, at times
active and at others passive, requires our determined effort, but it is God who is
the real centre; all man can do is dispose himself and humble himself before the loving
work of God in the soul. In this sense, John is for us a model of humble dedication
and of faithful perseverance on the road to spiritual maturity. I extend
a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially those
students from Saint Benedict’s School, Saint Aloysius College, Saint Patrick’s Grammar
School, and students and parishioners from the United States. Upon you all, I invoke
God’s blessings of joy and peace!
Noting a group of the Missionaries
of Charity of Mother Teresa of Kolkata among the crowd, Pope Benedict thanked the
religious for thier joyful Christian witness in various continents of the world, in
the footsteps of their foundress. The Holy Father also spoke to other groups in their
languages and concluded Wednesday’s general audience with his blessing. Listen: