Vatican Radio) Below the English language summary of the General Audience catechesis,
Wednesday, April 10, 2013: In our continuing catechesis on the Creed during
this Year of Faith, we now consider the meaning of Christ’s resurrection for us and
for our salvation. The Lord’s death and resurrection are the foundation of our faith;
by his triumph over sin and death, Christ has opened for us the way to new life.
Reborn in Baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become God’s adoptive
sons and daughters. God is now our Father: he treats us as his beloved children;
he understands us, forgives us, embraces us, and loves us even when we go astray.
Christianity is not simply a matter of following commandments; it is about living
a new life, being in Christ, thinking and acting like Christ, and being transformed
by the love of Christ! But this new life needs to be nourished daily by hearing God’s
word, prayer, sharing in the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist, and
the exercise of charity. God must be the centre of our lives! By our daily witness
to the freedom, joy and hope born of Christ’s victory over sin and death, we also
offer a precious service to our world, helping our brothers and sisters to lift their
gaze heavenward, to the God of our salvation.
I am pleased to greet the visitors
from the NATO Defense College and I offer prayerful good wishes for their service
to international peace and cooperation. I also extend a warm welcome to the group
of “Wounded Warriors” from the United States, with heartfelt prayers that their pilgrimage
to Rome will bear rich spiritual fruit for them and their families. Upon all the
English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England,
Scotland, Denmark, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Canada and the
United States, I invoke the Risen Lord’s gifts of joy and peace.