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Skriven 2007-02-04 21:14:06 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

ALL HAVE DIFFERENT TASKS IN THE FIELD OF THE LORD

VATICAN CITY, JAN 31, 2007 (VIS) - In today's general audience Benedict XVI
resumed his catechesis on outstanding figures of early Christianity,
concentrating on the three principal collaborators of St. Paul: Barnabas, Silas
and Apollos. The audience was held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of six
thousand people.

"We must recognize," he began, "that the Apostle was an eloquent example of a
man open to collaboration: in the Church he did not want to do everything by
himself, but made use of many different colleagues."

Barnabas "was one of the first to embrace Christianity," the Pope explained,
"and it was he who guaranteed the sincerity of Paul's conversion before the
Christian community of Jerusalem, which still distrusted its one-time
persecutor". The Holy Father also recalled how Barnabas had participated in the
Council of Jerusalem, at which it was decided "to distinguish the practice of
circumcision from Christian identity." However, Paul and Barnabas "fell into
disagreement at the beginning of the second missionary journey because Barnabas
wanted to bring along the young John Mark, and Paul did not."

"Even among saints differences, discord and controversies arise," commented the
Holy Father. "And I find this a consolation because we see that saints have not
'come down from heaven.' They are people like us, with problems, even
complicated problems. Sanctity does not consist in never having made mistakes
or sinned,. Sanctity grows in the capacity for conversion and penance, of
willingness to start again and, above all, in the capacity for reconciliation
and forgiveness."

Silas, also known as Silvanus, communicated the decisions of the Council of
Jerusalem to the Christians of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. "Evidently he was
held to be capable of mediating between ... Jewish Christians and Christians of
pagan origin, thus serving the unity of the Church in the diversity of her
rites and origins."

Apollos was a "cultured man well-versed in the Scriptures," the Pope continued.
He preached in Ephesus and also in Corinth where, however, his success "had
problematic overtones because some members of the Church there, fascinated by
his oratory, in his name set themselves against the others."

"Paul ... expresses appreciation for Apollos activities but reprimands the
Corinthians for being divided. ... He draws an important lesson from the whole
affair: Both I and Apollos, he writes, are no more ... than simple ministers,
through whom you have come to the faith. ... All have different tasks in the
field of the Lord."

The Holy Father concluded: "These words are still valid for everyone today, for
Popes, for cardinals, bishops, priests and lay people. We are all humble
ministers of Jesus. We serve the Gospel to the extent that we can, according to
our gifts, and we pray to God that He may make His Gospel and His Church grow
today."
AG/BARNABAS:SILAS:APOLLOS/...VIS 070131 (480)

SUMMARY

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