VATICAN CITY, NOV. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI urged the faithful to live without fear for the future, and to persevere in faith when faced with hardships and difficulties.
The Pope said this today before leading the praying of the midday Angelus in St. Peter's Square. Reflecting on the Gospel of St. Luke, the Holy Father said that Jesus invited his disciples "to face difficulties, misunderstandings and even persecutions with trust, persevering in faith in him."
"History must follow its course," said the Pontiff, "which also brings human dramas and natural calamities with it. A plan of salvation that Christ has already carried out in his incarnation, death, and resurrection develops in history.
"The Church continues to proclaim and realize this mystery through preaching, the celebration of the sacraments and the witness of charity."
"Let us welcome Christ's invitation," he said, "to face daily events trusting in his providential love. Let us not be afraid of the future, even when it appears bleak to us, for the God of Jesus Christ, who took up history to open it up to its transcendent fulfillment, is its alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
"He guarantees that in every little but genuine act of love the meaning of the whole universe is contained, and those who do not hesitate to lose their lives for him, will find them again in fullness."
Benedict XVI then turned his attention to consecrated persons, and especially those living in cloistered communities, who he said "have placed their life without reserve at the service of the kingdom of God invite us with singular effectiveness to keep this perspective alive."
Recalling that the Church will remember its cloistered members in a special way on Wednesday, the memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple, the Pope said, "We owe much to these persons who live by what providence procures for them through the generosity of the faithful."
ZE07111803 - 2007-11-18