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Vatican City, 16th April 2007 (CNA) - On the
eve of his 80th birthday, the Holy Father celebrated Mass with 60 Cardinals,
Bishops and Archbishops, and the Metropolitan of Pergamo, sent by the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Following the proclamation of the Gospel, The Holy Father gave a short
homily.
Beginning with a brief history of "White
Sunday," the Pope reminded those present that "on this day, the Neophytes of
the Paschal Vigil would put on their white clothes again as a symbol of the
light that the Lord had given them in Baptism." Recently, however, John
Paul II "wanted this Sunday to be celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy."
"It is in this word 'mercy,'" he continued,
"that the entire mystery of the Redemption is summarized and interpreted
anew in our times." Despite living under two totalitarian regimes, John Paul
II "experienced the presence of God, which is not weaker [than the darkness
of the world]." In fact, John Paul II "told us, 'Trust in the Divine
Mercy!'"
Pausing a moment, the Pope thanked all those
present as he celebrated a significant day, "I can look back over 80 years
of my life." He especially noted the presence of the Metropolitan of Pergamo,
saying that he "appreciate[s] that kind gesture and look[s] forward to a
renewed Catholic-Orthodox theological dialogue."
Conscious that "the liturgy should not be used
to speak about me," Benedict decided to focus on how "life itself can serve
to announce the Mercy of God." Mentioning how much we owe to God the Father,
the Holy Father noted that "at the same time, He trusts us because His mercy
and goodness, with which He accepts even our weakness, always shine through
His justice."
Turning to the readings for the day, the Pope
mentioned that in the early Church, "people would bring the ill into the
plazas so that when Peter passed by, his shadow would cover them." This
shadow, the Holy Father continued, is the shadow of a "man with all the
weaknesses of a human being, but above all of a man who was filled with a
strong faith in Christ, filled with love of Him." The Pope asked all those
present at the Mass to "search for the shadow of Peter today, in order to be
in the Light of Christ!"
"The great gift of the multiple mercies of
God," the Pope continued, "is birth and rebirth, an earthly family and the
great family of God." Benedict recalled that when he was ordained in 1951,
he felt "consolation in the fact that the protection of God's saints, of all
the living and the dead, was invoked" over him. "I knew that I would never
be alone," he added.
The Pope then directed his attention of the
words of the Gospel, in which the Apostle Thomas "is allowed to touch His
wounds, and thereby recognizes Him; he recognizes Him beyond His humanity as
Jesus of Nazareth, in His true and most profound identity, "My Lord and my
God!" Because Jesus kept His wounds, "He is a wounded God; He; remains
wounded by love of us."
"The mercy of God accompanies us day by day,"
the Holy Father said while concluding his homily, "all we need is a vigilant
heart to perceive it." The Pope concluded with a prayer by Pope Leo the
Great that he had written on the holy cards for his Episcopal Ordination,
"Pray to our good God, that he might strengthen faith, multiply love and
increase peace. May He make me, his miserable servant, capable of doing His
will, and useful for your edification, and may He allow me to carry out His
service so that, along with the time He has given, my devotion may grow.
Amen."
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