Pope: no opposition between the "primary requirement" of proclamation and the "duty" of charity
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Church has the "primary need" to proclaim the Word of God, but it also has "the duty of charity and justice": between the two there is no opposition, because charity "must be permeated by the spirit of contemplation of God", "without daily prayer our action is empty, it looses its deep soul, resulting in a simple activism that eventually leaves unsatisfied."
This is the teaching that Benedict XVI
gave today to over 30 thousand people in St. Peter's Square for the general
audience, once again dedicated today to reflection on prayer.
The
Pope was inspired by the Gospel of Luke where it is said that the number of disciples
were increasing, but those of the Greek language were complaining because their
widows were being neglected compared to those of Jewish origin. "In
this time of pastoral emergency ", there is the discernment of the
apostles, who, after having prayed, said it " is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table ", but invited the community to choose seven men to be responsible for
charity . But they "laid
hands" on those men. "
from that moment a ministry of charity exists in the Church. The
Church must not only proclaim the Word, but also realize that the word is love
and truth."
The gesture of
the apostles laying on of hands indicates how "charity and justice are not
just social action, but action performed with the spiritual grace of the Holy
Spirit" and "is' a valuable reminder for us today, used to evaluating
everything according to the criteria of productivity
and efficiency", "we must not lose ourselves in pure activism
"," true charity, true service to others which does not need many
things: it certainly needs necessary things, but above all it also needs the
affection of our heart, the light of God. "
"The
Saints - the Pope said - have experienced profound unity of life between prayer
and action, between love for God and love for their brethren." "Every
step of our lives - he said - every action, even of the Church, must be made
before God in prayer, in the light of his word" "prayer to defend
themselves from the dangers of a hectic life which, says St. Bernard, is likely to harden the heart".
"When the
prayer is nourished by the Word of God, we can see reality with new eyes, the eyes
of faith and the Lord who speaks to the mind and heart, gives new light to our
path at all times and in every situation."
"Only
through an intimate relationship with God cultivated every day is the answer to
the choice of the Lord born and is entrusted to every ministry in the
Church." And
the choice of the seven deacons by the apostles "indicates to us the
primacy of prayer and the Word of God."
"If
the lungs of prayer and the Word of God does not feed the breath of our
spiritual life, we risk suffocating in the midst of a thousand every day things:
prayer is the breath of the soul and of life". And
even when "we are in the silence of a church or in our room," we are
united in the Lord and the many brothers and sisters in faith.
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