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Skriven 2006-01-18 21:46:08 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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Hello All!

                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

CHRIST GIVES US FULLNESS OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 15, 2006 (VIS) - In reflections before praying the Angelus
with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI
recalled the beginning of the liturgical year, which "invites us to live our
ordinary lives as a path to holiness, that is to say, of faith and of
friendship with Jesus, ... Teacher and Lord, the Way, the Truth and the Life of
the human person."

The Pope referred to the Gospel of St. John that recounts the first encounter
of Jesus with those who were to become His apostles. Two of the disciples of
St. John the Baptist, according to the Gospel text, followed Christ after His
Baptism. Jesus asked them: "What do you seek?" and invited them to accompany
Him. One of them, Andrew, later explained to Simon that they had found the
Messiah.

"Here are two words of particular significance," observed the Pope, "'to seek'
and 'to find.' These two verbs contain a fundamental indication for the new
year, in which we seek to renew our spiritual journey with Jesus, with the joy
of constantly seeking Him and finding Him."

"The most authentic joy is in the relationship with Him: found, followed, known
and loved, thanks to a continual exertion of the mind and heart. ... Friendship
with the Teacher assures the soul profound peace and serenity in dark moments
and during the most difficult trials. When faith encounters dark nights in
which the presence of God is no longer 'felt' or 'seen,' the friendship of
Jesus is a guarantee that in reality nothing can ever separate us from His
love. To seek and to find Christ, the inexhaustible source of truth and life:
the Word of God invites us to begin again, at the start of a new year, this
never-ending journey of faith."

"For the believer," concluded the Holy Father "this means incessant searching
and new discovery, for Christ is the same yesterday, today and always, but we,
the world and history are never the same, and He comes toward us to give us His
communion and fullness of life."
ANG/LITURGICAL YEAR/... VIS 060116 (360)

SUMMARY

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