Pope’s general audience of May 30

Pope’s general audience of May 30
(May 30, 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 privilege of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages, including receiving his blessing. The general audience of May 30^th was held outdoors in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. It began with the reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul 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 continuing reflection on prayer in the letters of Saint Paul, we now consider the Apostle’s striking affirmation that Jesus Christ is God’s “Yes” to mankind and the fulfilment of all his promises, and that through Jesus we say our “Amen”, to the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor 1:19-20). For Paul, prayer is above all God’s gift, grounded in his faithful love which was fully revealed in the sending of his Son and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, poured forth into our hearts, leads us to the Father, constantly making present God’s “Yes” to us in Christ and in turn enabling us to say our “Yes” – Amen! – to God. Our use of the word “Amen”, rooted in the ancient liturgical prayer of Israel and then taken up by the early Church, expresses our firm faith in God’s word and our hope in his promises. Through this daily “Yes” which concludes our personal and communal prayer, we echo Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will and, through the gift of the Spirit, are enabled to live a new and transformed life in union with the Lord.
I welcome the Vietnamese pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Hochiminh City, led by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân. I also welcome the participants in the Buddhist-Christian Symposium being held in Castelgandolfo. My greeting likewise goes to the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation from the United States. Upon all the English-speaking visitors, including those from England, Ireland, Norway, India, Indonesia, Japan and the United States I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!

At the end of the audience, Pope Benedict expressed his closeness with the people of Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, which on Tuesday was hit the second time in 10 days by a powerful earthquake, causing “victims and untold damage, especially to churches”. 16 have been reported killed and 350 injured. “I am close to the wounded with prayer and affection, and I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed,” the Pope said in remarks in Italian. He hoped that with the help of all and the solidarity of the entire nation, the quake hit region would soon be able to resume normal life. Tuesday’s 5.8-magnitude quake was the second to hit Emilia Romagna after that of May 20 that measured 6.0.
Pope Benedict concluded Wednesday’s audience with his blessing.