VATICAN CITY, 1 JAN 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Basilica, Benedict XVI presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the Solemnity of Holy Mary Mother of God and the 41st World Day of Peace, which has as its theme this year: "The Human Family, a Community of Peace".
At the beginning of his homily, the Pope asked for "the gift of peace for our families, for our cities, for the entire world".
"We all aspire", he went on, "to live in peace. But real peace, the peace announced by the angels on Christmas night, is not simply an achievement of man's or the result of political agreements; it is above all a divine gift to be constantly implored and, at the same time, a commitment to be shouldered patiently while remaining ever obedient to the Lord's commands".
Benedict XVI recalled how in his Message for World Peace Day this year he had emphasised "the close relationship that exists between the family and the construction of peace in the world. The natural family, founded on marriage between a man and a woman, is a 'cradle of life and love' and 'the first and indispensable teacher of peace'". For this reason, he went on, the family is "the 'primary agency of peace' and 'the denial or even the restriction of the rights of the family, by obscuring the truth about man, threatens the very foundations of peace'.
"Because humanity is 'one great family'", he added, "if it wishes to live in peace it cannot but draw inspiration from those values upon which the family community is founded and supported".
Referring then to the mystery of Mary's divine maternity, the Holy Father said that "if in the Child born of her we recognise the eternal Son of God and we accept Him as our only Saviour, we may be called - and we truly are - children of God: children in the Son".
"The Child crying in the manger, though apparently similar to all the children of the world, is at the same time completely different. He is the Son of God, He is God, true God and true man. This mystery - the incarnation of the Word and the divine maternity of Mary - is a great mystery and certainly not easy to understand with merely human intelligence. However, at the school of Mary, we may capture with the heart that which the eyes and the mind alone are unable to perceive or to contain".
"Only be conserving in our hearts", the Pope concluded, "in other words by discovering a unity in all our life experiences, can we, following Mary, enter into the mystery of a God Who, for love, became man and calls us to follow Him along the path of love; a love to be translated day after day into generous service to our brothers and sisters".
HML/NEW YEAR MASS/... VIS 20080102 (490)
At the beginning of his homily, the Pope asked for "the gift of peace for our families, for our cities, for the entire world".
"We all aspire", he went on, "to live in peace. But real peace, the peace announced by the angels on Christmas night, is not simply an achievement of man's or the result of political agreements; it is above all a divine gift to be constantly implored and, at the same time, a commitment to be shouldered patiently while remaining ever obedient to the Lord's commands".
Benedict XVI recalled how in his Message for World Peace Day this year he had emphasised "the close relationship that exists between the family and the construction of peace in the world. The natural family, founded on marriage between a man and a woman, is a 'cradle of life and love' and 'the first and indispensable teacher of peace'". For this reason, he went on, the family is "the 'primary agency of peace' and 'the denial or even the restriction of the rights of the family, by obscuring the truth about man, threatens the very foundations of peace'.
"Because humanity is 'one great family'", he added, "if it wishes to live in peace it cannot but draw inspiration from those values upon which the family community is founded and supported".
Referring then to the mystery of Mary's divine maternity, the Holy Father said that "if in the Child born of her we recognise the eternal Son of God and we accept Him as our only Saviour, we may be called - and we truly are - children of God: children in the Son".
"The Child crying in the manger, though apparently similar to all the children of the world, is at the same time completely different. He is the Son of God, He is God, true God and true man. This mystery - the incarnation of the Word and the divine maternity of Mary - is a great mystery and certainly not easy to understand with merely human intelligence. However, at the school of Mary, we may capture with the heart that which the eyes and the mind alone are unable to perceive or to contain".
"Only be conserving in our hearts", the Pope concluded, "in other words by discovering a unity in all our life experiences, can we, following Mary, enter into the mystery of a God Who, for love, became man and calls us to follow Him along the path of love; a love to be translated day after day into generous service to our brothers and sisters".
HML/NEW YEAR MASS/... VIS 20080102 (490)
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