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Skriven 2005-02-09 11:57:44 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45.1)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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              The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                        Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

VERTICAL RECONCILIATION WITH GOD, HORIZONTAL WITH MAN

VATICAN CITY, FEB 9, 2005 (VIS) - At 10:30 today, Ash Wednesday, in St. Peter's
Basilica, Cardinal James Francis Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic
Penitentiary, presided at the celebration of the Word in the name of Pope John
Paul II. This celebration, which took the place of the traditional Wednesday
general audience, included a rite of introduction, the liturgy of the Word and
homily, the blessing and distribution of ashes, the Lord's prayer and
concluding rites.

Cardinal Stafford, in his homily, spoke of "the joy and honor of presiding this
ceremony in the Holy Father's name. We feel his spiritual presence among us and
we think of him with affection and ask the Lord to give him the graces
necessary for the charism of his primacy in confirming our brothers in the
unity of the faith."

Quoting today's first reading, he said that everyone is called "to the duty of
conversion. Conversion is not an experience we can live alone: it is born
principally ... from gathering for the liturgy." In the Gospel of Matthew, he
continued, "Jesus indicates three ways to live conversion: almsgiving, that is,
sharing; prayer, entrusting oneself to the Lord; and fasting, that is, the
capacity to impose limits on oneself. For both fasting and prayer, Jesus
insists on the interior aspect.. True prayer ... must arise from a heart that
has decided to convert."

Cardinal Stafford pointed out that the Apostle Paul "exhorted the Christians of
Corinth to reconcile with God. Conversion is, in fact, reconciliation, vertical
reconciliation with God ... to which must correspond horizontal conversion with
one's brothers." He said that, "as major penitentiary I experience every day
the beauty of the Sacrament of Penance, a gift of grace, a gift of life."

"It is the book of our lives," added the cardinal, "that must give witness to
the world that reconciliation, that is, peace, is possible. But there will be
no peace without the indispensable attention to the poor" and the
responsibility for this "lies principally in our consumer societies."

"Lent this year," said the cardinal, "according to the Holy Father's
invitation, emphasizes our essential rapport with the Eucharist. ... I would
like to summarize in three points our Lenten commitment: 1.The liturgy of the
Church ... is the first instrument of authentic evangelization; 2. On Sundays
we rediscover the Eucharist; and 3. With the Eucharist we rediscover the
rapport between liturgy and life" which demands "resolute witnessing to true
values: the family, personal honesty, commitments deriving from marriage,
priestly celibacy and religious life ... without which there is no true spirit
of poverty."
.../ASH WEDNESDAY/STAFFORDVIS 050209 (430)

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