New evangelisation was at the heart of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Sunday before
the recitation of the Angelus, his last before a visit to Germany. Speaking to the
many people who had gathered in the courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence at Castelgandolfo,
the Holy Father said that “Today we live in an epoch of new evangelisation. Vast horizons
are opening to the Gospel, while traditionally Christian regions are called to rediscover
once again the beauty of the faith”.
The Holy Father then went on to praise
the men and women, families, and communities “who accept, as he put it, to work in
the vineyard of the Lord, an image taken from Sunday’s Gospel.
These people,
the Pope added, are “Humble, generous workers who ask no other recompense but to participate
in the mission of Jesus and his Church.”
“In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear
Jesus compare the Kingdom of Heaven to the actions of a landowner who is generous
to all the workers in his vineyard. Perhaps at times we may feel envious of the success
of others or feel that we have not been sufficiently thanked for our service. May
we always strive to be humble servants of the Lord and rejoice when God bestows abundant
graces on those around us. “
Continuing on this theme of evangelisation Pope
Benedict turned to the great figure of St Paul, a man who embodied the “new evangelisation”.
St Paul the Pope recalled said “Life to me is Christ”. He said this, continued the
Pope, because he understood that Jesus is a man in whom God himself lives” and not
just a religious leader or master of wisdom.
In concluding words on Sunday
Pope Benedict asked the German people to pray for him during his upcoming visit to
his homeland. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's report