Pope's general audience of May 16. Recalls International Day of Families

(May 16, 2012) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have the chance of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages and receive his blessing. The general audience of May 16^th was held outdoors in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. It began with the reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians in several languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims, introducing the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a discourse in English.

Listen:
Dear Brothers and Sisters
In our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to the teaching of the Apostle Paul. Saint Paul’s letters show us the rich variety of his own prayer, which embraces thanksgiving, praise, petition and intercession. For Paul, prayer is above all the work of the Holy Spirit within our hearts, the fruit of God’s presence within us. The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness, teaching us to pray to the Father through the Son. In the eighth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that the Spirit intercedes for us, unites us to Christ and enables us to call God our Father. In our prayer, the Holy Spirit grants us the glorious freedom of the children of God, the hope and strength to remain faithful to the Lord amid our daily trials and tribulations, and a heart attentive to the working of God’s grace in others and in the world around us. With Saint Paul, let us open our hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit, who prays with us and leads us to an ever deeper union in love with the Triune God.I greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I welcome in particular the pilgrimage groups from Australia. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord.
I am pleased to greet Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, together with Members of the Executive Board and Representative Council. Your presence here today expresses your communion with the Successor of Peter and your readiness to welcome the new juridical framework of your organization. I thank you for this and I am certain that the new structures will support and encourage your important service to those most in need.

During Wednesday’s general audience, Pope Benedict XVI also recalled the United Nations-sponsored International Day of Families, observed the previous day, Tuesday, May 15. The Pope drew attention to the theme of this year’s observance – the need to strike “a balance between two closely-connected issues – family and work.” Work, the Pope explained, should not hinder the family. Rather, it should support and unify the family, helping it to open itself to life and enter in relationship with society and the Church. The Pope wished that Sunday, the Lord’s Day and weekly Easter, be a day of rest and an occasion to strengthen family bonds.