(August 01, 2011) Western Christians: That Western Christians may be open to the
action of the Holy Spirit and rediscover the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith.
Often in his mission intentions the Holy Father asks us to pray for people in
Asia and Africa, the mission territories, the places where Christianity has taken
hold only recently. During this month of August Pope Benedict is asking us to pray
for the Church in the West that covers Europe, America and Australia. At the same
time he reminds that because of the rise of secular belief systems, the entire world
has become a mission territory. Sadly, faith is rapidly disappearing from some of
these territories. “An interior desert results,” says Pope Benedict, “whenever the
human being, wishing to be sole architect of his nature and destiny, finds himself
deprived of that which is the very foundation of all things.” To counter such Western
secularization, the Pontiff recently established the Pontifical Council for the New
Evangelization. He charged the council to help resurrect faith in countries where
long-established Churches are experiencing an "eclipse of the sense of God." He explained
that there has been a troubling loss of the sense of the sacred which has even called
into question foundations once deemed unshakeable. There has been the questioning
of faith in God, the revelation of Jesus Christ as the one Saviour, and the breakdown
in family system and the acceptance of natural moral law.” This month we join Pope
Benedict XVI in praying for the church in the Western World that it may open itself
to the Holy Spirit and allow it to refresh our faith.