Pope's general audience of Nov. 28

November 28, 2012 - Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called the general audience, where pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages and also receive his blessing. The general audience of Nov 28th was held indoors in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. It began with aides reading a passage from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, in several languages. After an aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims, Pope Benedict delivered a summary of his catechesis in English.

Listen:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our continuing catechesis for the Year of Faith, we now consider the question of how we are to speak about God to our contemporaries, communicating the Christian faith as a response to the deepest longings of the human heart. This means bringing the God of Jesus Christ to the men and women of our time. It means bearing quiet and humble witness each day to the core of the Gospel message. This is the Good News of the God who is Love, who has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ even to the Cross, and who in the Resurrection brings us the hope and promise of eternal life. Jesus gave us an example: by his loving concern for people’s questions, struggles and needs, he led them to the Father. In the task of bringing God to our contemporaries, families play a privileged role, for in them the life of faith is lived daily in joy, dialogue, forgiveness and love. The God of Jesus Christ has revealed our grandeur as persons redeemed by love and called, in the Church, to renew the city of man, so that it can become the city of God.
I offer a cordial welcome to the members and associates of the Catholic Medical Missionary Board, with gratitude for their charitable concern for the health care needs of our brothers and sisters in developing countries. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including the groups from Nigeria, Korea and the United States of America, I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.