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Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

PAPAL MESSAGE FOR LENT 2006

VATICAN CITY, JAN 31, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was The Message of
Benedict XVI for Lent 2006. The text, dated September 29, 2005, has as its
title a verse taken from the Gospel of St. Mark: "Jesus, at the sight of the
crowds, was moved with pity." The full English-language version of the document
is given below:

"Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards Him Who is the fount
of mercy. It is a pilgrimage in which He Himself accompanies us through the
desert of our poverty, sustaining us on our way towards the intense joy of
Easter.

"Even in the 'valley of darkness' of which the Psalmist speaks, while the
tempter prompts us to despair or to place a vain hope in the work of our own
hands, God is there to guard us and sustain us. Yes, even today the Lord hears
the cry of the multitudes longing for joy, peace, and love. As in every age,
they feel abandoned. Yet, even in the desolation of misery, loneliness,
violence and hunger that indiscriminately afflict children, adults, and the
elderly, God does not allow darkness to prevail.

"In fact, in the words of my beloved Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, there is a
'divine limit imposed upon evil,' namely, mercy. It is with these thoughts in
mind that I have chosen as my theme for this Message the Gospel text: 'Jesus,
at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity.'

"In this light, I would like to pause and reflect upon an issue much debated
today: the question of development. Even now, the compassionate 'gaze' of
Christ continues to fall upon individuals and peoples. He watches them, knowing
that the divine 'plan' includes their call to salvation. Jesus knows the perils
that put this plan at risk, and He is moved with pity for the crowds. He
chooses to defend them from the wolves even at the cost of His own life. The
gaze of Jesus embraces individuals and multitudes, and He brings them all
before the Father, offering Himself as a sacrifice of expiation.

"Enlightened by this Paschal truth, the Church knows that if we are to promote
development in its fullness, our own 'gaze' upon mankind has to be measured
against that of Christ. In fact, it is quite impossible to separate the
response to people's material and social needs from the fulfillment of the
profound desires of their hearts. This has to be emphasized all the more in
today's rapidly changing world, in which our responsibility towards the poor
emerges with ever greater clarity and urgency. My venerable predecessor, Pope
Paul VI, accurately described the scandal of underdevelopment as an outrage
against humanity. In this sense, in the Encyclical 'Populorum Progressio,' he
denounced 'the lack of material necessities for those who are without the
minimum essential for life, the moral deficiencies of those who are mutilated
by selfishness' and 'oppressive social structures, whether due to the abuses of
ownership or to the abuses of power, to the exploitation of workers or to
unjust transactions.'

"As the antidote to such evil, Paul VI suggested not only 'increased esteem for
the dignity of others, the turning towards the spirit of poverty, cooperation
for the common good, the will and desire for peace,' but also 'the
acknowledgement by man of supreme values, and of God, their source and their
finality'

"In this vein, the Pope went on to propose that, finally and above all, there
is 'faith, a gift of God accepted by the good will of man, and unity in the
charity of Christ.' Thus, the 'gaze' of Christ upon the crowd impels us to
affirm the true content of this 'complete humanism' that, according to Paul VI,
consists in the 'fully-rounded development of the whole man and of all men.'
For this reason, the primary contribution that the Church offers to the
development of mankind and peoples does not consist merely in material means or
technical solutions. Rather, it involves the proclamation of the truth of
Christ, Who educates consciences and teaches the authentic dignity of the
person and of work; it means the promotion of a culture that truly responds to
all the questions of humanity.

"In the face of the terrible challenge of poverty afflicting so much of the
world's population, indifference and self-centered isolation stand in stark
contrast to the 'gaze' of Christ. Fasting and almsgiving, which, together with
prayer, the Church proposes in a special way during the Lenten Season, are
suitable means for us to become conformed to this 'gaze.' The examples of the
saints and the long history of the Church's missionary activity provide
invaluable indications of the most effective ways to support development.

"Even in this era of global interdependence, it is clear that no economic,
social, or political project can replace that gift of self to another through
which charity is expressed. Those who act according to the logic of the Gospel
live the faith as friendship with God Incarnate and, like Him, bear the burden
of the material and spiritual needs of their neighbors. They see it as an
inexhaustible mystery, worthy of infinite care and attention. They know that he
who does not give God gives too little; as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
frequently observed, the worst poverty is not to know Christ. Therefore, we
must help others to find God in the merciful face of Christ. Without this
perspective, civilization lacks a solid foundation.

"Thanks to men and women obedient to the Holy Spirit, many forms of charitable
work intended to promote development have arisen in the Church: hospitals,
universities, professional formation schools, and small businesses. Such
initiatives demonstrate the genuine humanitarian concern of those moved by the
Gospel message, far in advance of other forms of social welfare. These
charitable activities point out the way to achieve a globalization that is
focused upon the true good of mankind and, hence, the path towards authentic
peace.

"Moved like Jesus with compassion for the crowds, the Church today considers it
her duty to ask political leaders and those with economic and financial power
to promote development based on respect for the dignity of every man and woman.
An important litmus test for the success of their efforts is religious liberty,
understood not simply as the freedom to proclaim and celebrate Christ, but also
the opportunity to contribute to the building of a world enlivened by charity.
These efforts have to include a recognition of the central role of authentic
religious values in responding to man's deepest concerns, and in supplying the
ethical motivation for his personal and social responsibilities. These are the
criteria by which Christians should assess the political programs of their
leaders.

"We cannot ignore the fact that many mistakes have been made in the course of
history by those who claimed to be disciples of Jesus. Very often, when having
to address grave problems, they have thought that they should first improve
this world and only afterwards turn their minds to the next. The temptation was
to believe that, in the face of urgent needs, the first imperative was to
change external structures. The consequence, for some, was that Christianity
became a kind of moralism, 'believing' was replaced with 'doing.' Rightly,
therefore, my Predecessor, Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, observed: 'The
temptation today is to reduce Christianity to merely human wisdom, a
pseudo-science of well-being. In our heavily secularized world, a gradual
secularization of salvation has taken place, so that people strive for the good
of man, but man who is truncated.We know, however, that Jesus came to bring
integral salvation.'

"It is this integral salvation that Lent puts before us, pointing towards the
victory of Christ over every evil that oppresses us. In turning to the Divine
Master, in being converted to Him, in experiencing His mercy through the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, we will discover a 'gaze' that searches us
profoundly and gives new life to the crowds and to each one of us. It restores
trust to those who do not succumb to skepticism, opening up before them the
perspective of eternal beatitude. Throughout history, even when hate seems to
prevail, the luminous testimony of His love is never lacking. To Mary, 'the
living fount of hope,' we entrust our Lenten journey, so that she may lead us
to her Son. I commend to her in particular the multitudes who suffer poverty
and cry out for help, support, and understanding. With these sentiments, I
cordially impart to all of you a special Apostolic Blessing."
MESS/LENT 2006/... VIS 060131 (1440)

SUMMARY

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