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“This expression of Christ”, the Pope said, “means that the peace He has come to bring is not synonymous with the simple absence of conflict.”  On the contrary, the Pope said, “the peace of Jesus is the fruit of a constant struggle against evil.  The confrontation Jesus talks about is not against man or human strength, but against the enemy of God and man, Satan.”

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The Pope said that to pass through the narrow gate, means “we must commit ourselves to being small, that is humble of heart like Jesus; like Mary, His and our mother”.  “Christians call upon Her as Ianua Caeli, Heaven’s Gate,” the Pope said.  “Let us ask Her to guide us in our daily choices and take us to the path that leads to ‘Heaven’s Gate’.”

The Pope added that Christ is the one Redeemer, “inviting us to his feast of immortal life, but on one and only one condition, that of following and imitating him, bearing as He did our own cross and devoting one’s life to one’s brothers. This is the single, universal condition to join the heavenly life.”

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The Pope said that to pass through the narrow gate, means “we must commit ourselves to being small, that is humble of heart like Jesus; like Mary, His and our mother”.

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I find his comments helpful and I hope others do also.
KatyA

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“Do not follow the path of pride, rather, follow the path of humility,” the Pope told an estimated 500,000 youth in his homily that concluded the ‘Youth Agorà’.  “Go against the current trend: do not listen to the persuasive and biased chorus of voices that today form much of the propaganda of life, drenched in arrogance and violence, in dominance and success at all costs, where appearance and possession to the detriment of others is openly promoted.”

The Pope warned that all these messages carried in the mass media are aimed at them.  “Be vigilant!”, he pleaded.  “Be critical!  Do not follow the trend produced by this powerfully persuasive media.  Do not be afraid, my dear friends, to prefer the ‘alternative’ route indicated by true love: a sober style of life, a life of solidarity; an honest commitment to your studies and work; a cultivated interest in the common good.Do not be afraid to appear different, or the criticism that you are out of fashion or a loser. 

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“Sunday – said the pontiff,  has been transformed in our Western societies into the week-end, into leisure time.  Leisure time is certainly something good and necessary, especially amid the mad rush of the modern world.  Yet if leisure time lacks an inner focus, an overall sense of direction, then ultimately it becomes wasted time that neither strengthens nor builds us up.  Leisure time requires a focus – the encounter with him who is our origin and goal”.

This is why, for us Christians the Eucharistic celebration is not “a precept, but an interior necessity”; “Without the Lord and without the day that belongs to him, life does not flourish”; “We need this encounter which brings us together, which gives us space for freedom, which lets us see beyond the bustle of everyday life to God’s creative love, from which we come and towards which we are travelling”.

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The other theme discussed by Benedict XVI in his homily was the radical nature of the mission of the disciples of Jesus.  Referring to today’s Gospel (anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple”, Luke 14,…) he explained that this Christ’s request is addressed to some people in particular, above all the 12 disciples: “The Twelve must first of all overcome the scandal of the Cross…… they must be prepared to assume the seemingly absurd task of travelling to the ends of the earth and, with their minimal education, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world filled with claims to erudition and with real or apparent education –..

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On the topic of profit and the equal distribution of goods, the Pope said that "one does not contradict the other, provided that their relationship is well-ordered."

"Catholic social doctrine has always sustained that the equal distribution of goods is a priority," added the Holy Father.

The Holy Father acknowledged that profit is legitimate and just, but added: "The crises of hunger and the environment are denouncing, with growing evidence, that the logic of profit, if it prevails, increases the disproportion between rich and poor and a harmful exploitation of the planet.

"When the logic of sharing and solidarity prevails on the other hand, it is possible to correct the course of action and orient it toward proportional and sustainable development."

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It is interesting to consider that in my boyhood Protestant England observed the Sabbath more so than Catholic countries.

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VATICAN CITY, OCT 3, 2007 (VIS) - This morning the Pope returned to the Vatican Apostolic Palace at the end of his period of summer residency at Castelgandolfo. Upon his arrival he went to St. Peter's Square where he held his weekly general audience, dedicating his catechesis today to the figure of St. Cyril of Alexandria. The audience was attended by around 40,000 people.

Cyril, the Pope explained, was known in the ancient Church as "the 'custodian of accuracy,' in other words, custodian of the true faith," and always sought "to show the continuity of his theology with tradition. He deliberately and explicitly identified himself with Church tradition, which he recognized as a guarantee of continuity with the Apostles and with Christ Himself."

Elected as bishop of Alexandria in the year 412, he governed that see for 30 years, combating the preaching of Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople who, separating Christ's human nature from His divine nature, considered Mary as "mother of Christ" and not "mother of God." In Nestorius' Antiochean Christology a concern for "safeguarding the importance of Christ's humanity led to the assertion that it was divided from His divinity, thus denying the true union between God and man in Christ."

Cyril immediately rejected this idea reaffirming "the duty of pastors to protect the faith of the People of God." This criterion, the Pope explained, "remains valid today" because "the faith of the People of God is an expression of the tradition" of the Church. For this reason Cyril reminded Nestorius that "the teaching of the faith must be presented to people irreprehensibly ... and that whoever disturbs the smallest of those who believe in Christ will suffer unbearable punishment."

St. Cyril defines his faith in Christ when he writes "the natures which came together into true unity are different, but from both there arose the One Christ and Son, not because by their unity the difference between human and divine nature has been eliminated, but because humanity and divinity, inexpressibly united, ... have produced the One Lord, Christ, the Son of God."

"What Cyril especially teaches us," said Benedict XVI, "is that the Christian faith is, above all, the meeting with Christ, 'an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.' And of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, St. Cyril was a tireless and staunch witness, highlighting above all His unity. ... One only is the Son, One only is the Lord Jesus Christ, both before and after His incarnation. ... We believe that what existed from the beginning, was born of woman ... and will, in keeping with His promises, remain ever present.

"This is important," the Pope concluded, "the eternal God was born of a woman and remains with us always. We live with this trust and in it we find the direction of our lives."

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Unfortunately, most priests and bishops do not spend time in blogland.
They also miss most of the Church documents only to hear about them in hearsay and thus cause confusion.
As a doctor keeps up with his trade, we must pray that our priests and religious keep up with the true teachings of the Church. Reading the words verbatim make a world of difference from the colloquial group think. To teach truth, you need to seek truth and to seek truth you need to know where to turn as B1 6 does.

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It is almost always during the greetings in various languages, which he extends to the faithful after the praying of the Angelus, that Benedict XVI dedicates to current issues just a few brief remarks that are then emphasized by the media.

The real and proper message comes before the prayer. And it is – with rare exceptions – a brief homily on the Gospel and the other readings of that day's Mass.

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But there's more. The path that the pope takes to get to Jesus each week is the same one that every member of the Catholic faithful travels in participating at Mass that same Sunday.

KatyA

Oct 8 2007, 06:05 PM

...Yesterday's homily appears to be an exception, since His Holiness concentrated on the Feast of the Holy Rosary and we had readings for 27th Sunday of the year.

VIS

KatyA