Christianity isn't rules, escapism; it's encounter with love, pope says

Christianity isn't rules, escapism; it's encounter with love, pope says


By Carol Glatz

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Far from being just a moral or ethical code, Christianity is "an experience of love; it's welcoming the person of Jesus," Pope Benedict XVI said.

"Many people today have a limited concept of what the Christian faith is because they identify it with a mere system of beliefs and values and not with the truth of a God revealing himself in history, eager to communicate with humanity one-on-one in a relationship of love," he said.

Faith "isn't an illusion, escapism, a comfortable safe haven or sentimentalism," rather it is something that engages one's whole life and it proclaims the Gospel with courage, the pope said Nov. 14 during his weekly general audience.

United with God, people of faith are "not afraid of showing their beliefs in everyday life," and they are open to dialogue "that expresses deep friendship for the journey of every person," the pope told some 8,000 pilgrims gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall. In addition, he said, people of faith know how to bring a sense of hope to people's quest for "redemption, happiness and a future."

The pope dedicated his general audience talk to the different ways people can encounter and come to know God.

Criticism of religion has intensified over the centuries, resulting in forms of atheism that have led to totalitarianism, relativism, a loss of values and ethical norms, and a skewed sense of freedom that ends up chaining people to idols, he said.

The most dangerous form of atheism is a "practical" atheism that doesn't deny God or the truth of faith, but brushes it all off as being insignificant, useless or irrelevant, the pope said.

Such dismissal "ends up being even more destructive because it leads to indifference to the faith and questions about God," he said.

The Christian faith is always being put to the test, but today, people of faith are increasingly expected to give good reasons for their beliefs, he said.

So what are people of faith to do? How are they called to "gently and respectfully" respond to today's atheism, skepticism and indifference toward the transcendent, the pope asked.

He said there are three pathways that can lead people to God: reflecting on the beauty of the world, the human hunger for meaning and the transformative power of faith.

"We have to recover and help today's men and women recover the ability to contemplate creation -- its beauty and structure," he said.

The world isn't some shapeless blob but shows signs of "an intelligent creator." The laws of nature show "wonderful mechanisms," patterns or designs, that, according to Albert Einstein, reveal a form of reason superior to mankind's, the pope said.

The other pathway to God is trying to understand oneself and one's deepest yearnings, he said.

Today's busy, noisy world makes it hard, but people need to learn to "stop and look deeply inside ourselves and interpret this thirst for the infinite that we carry inside of us, that pushes us to go beyond ourselves and refer to that someone who can quench it."

The last pathway to God is a proper understanding of faith, he said.

A person who believes is united to God, he said, which makes that person's life become a "witness not of himself but of the risen Christ."

"Faith, in fact, is an encounter with God who speaks and acts in history and which converts our daily life, transforming our mentality, system of values, choices and actions."

The living witness of a person of faith can lead people to God, the pope said, however that means "each one of us must render our witness of faith more transparent, purifying our life to conform it to Christ" more closely.

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Don't be satisfied with achievements; pursue greater good, pope says

POPE-AUDIENCE Nov-7-2012 (670 words) With photos. xxxi


Don't be satisfied with achievements; pursue greater good, pope says

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI called on people to never be satisfied with their earthly achievements because true happiness entails seeking out the greater good.

He said people should "not be discouraged by fatigue or by obstacles born of our sins," because striving for the greater good is demanding and cannot be built or provided by mere human effort.

During his general audience talk to some 20,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter' s Square Nov. 7, the pope spoke about "the mysterious desire for God," which lies deep in every human heart.

Despite rampant secularization and people's claims of being indifferent to God, an innate yearning for God "has not completely disappeared and still today, in many ways, appears in the heart of mankind."

People always strive for happiness and a well-being that is "often far from spiritual," and yet they are also aware there still remains a deeper yearning for something that could truly satisfy their "restless heart," he said.

"Every wish that arises in the human heart is echoed by a fundamental desire that is never fully satisfied," he said.

True love pushes people to think beyond themselves, to be at the service of the other up to the point of self-sacrifice, he said.

Pope Benedict said the church should create a "pedagogy of desire" for people of faith and for those who do not believe in God and as a way to open them up to the transcendent.

This "pedagogy" would teach or remind people to enjoy "the authentic joys of life," such as family, friendship, helping others, solidarity with those in need and the love for learning, art and the beauty of nature, the pope said.

Not all pleasures are equal; some things eventually leave behind disappointment, bitterness, dissatisfaction or emptiness, he said. People should appreciate those things that leave behind "a positive mark, ease the soul and make us more active and generous." Such authentic enjoyments also create "effective antibodies against the trivialization and banality so present today," he said.
Learning to rediscover authentic pleasures can rescue people from "the mediocrity in which they may find themselves ensnared" and it can help people ignore or reject all the things that seem attractive on the surface, but underneath "are dull or bring about addiction and not freedom," the pope said.

Nothing can extinguish the innate desire for and ability to recognize the true good, not even after following the wrong path in life or when trapped in an "artificial paradise" or in the darkest depths of sin, he said.
God has made that ability innate in everyone and it is always open to redemption and the gift of his grace, the pope said.

The pope asked people to pray for everyone "who seeks the truth with a sincere heart, that they may come to know the joy and freedom born of faith."

Editor's Note: The text of the pope's audience remarks in English is posted online at www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20121107_en.html.
The text of the pope's audience remarks in Spanish is posted online at www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20121107_sp.html.

Cardinal Dolan congratulates the President

Cardinal Dolan Congratulates President Obama On Re-Election

November 7, 2012

Promises bishops will continue to work to defend life, marriage, religious freedom

Urges President to work for most vulnerable, including unborn, poor, immigrants

Asks for restoration of civility to the public order

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, congratulated President Barack Obama, November 7, the day after his re-election as President of the United States.
Cardinal Dolan promised the prayers of the bishops saying that "The Catholic Bishops of the United States offer our prayers that God will give you strength and wisdom to meet the difficult challenges that face America."
He added that "In particular, we pray that you will exercise your office to pursue the common good, especially in care of the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, and the immigrant. We will continue to stand in defense of life, marriage, and our first, most cherished liberty, religious freedom. We pray, too, that you will help restore a sense of civility to the public order, so our public conversations may be imbued with respect and charity toward everyone."
His letter follows.

Dear President Obama,
In my capacity as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express my congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States.The people of our country have again entrusted you with a great responsibility.The Catholic Bishops of the United States offer our prayers that God will give you strength and wisdom to meet the difficult challenges that face America.

In particular, we pray that you will exercise your office to pursue the common good, especially in care of the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, and the immigrant.We will continue to stand in defense of life, marriage, and our first, most cherished liberty, religious freedom.We pray, too, that you will help restore a sense of civility to the public order, so our public conversations may be imbued with respect and charity toward everyone.
May God bless you and Vice President Biden as you prepare for your second term in service to our country and its citizens.
Sincerely yours,
Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
President
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

---Keywords: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, election , religious liberty, religious freedom, immigrants, common good, unborn, defense of marriage