Pope Benedict reminds us of the importance of daily renewal.
“PRIESTS: REVIVE THE CHARISM YOU RECEIVED EVERY DAY
“VATICAN CITY, 7 SEP 2008 (VIS)
- At 5 p.m. today in the cathedral of Cagliari, Italy, the Pope met with priests, seminarians and students of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia.
“The Holy Father called on the formators and professors to guide their pupils "to a daily personal experience of God through individual and community prayer, and above all through the Eucharist, celebrated and experienced as the centre of existence".
“Theological formation, he told the seminarians and students of the theological faculty, "must lead you to achieve a 'complete and unitary' vision of revealed truths and of their assimilation into the Church's experience of faith. From here arises the dual need to know the totality of Christian truths and to know them not as separate from one another, but in an organic way, as a unit, as a single truth of faith in God".
“Benedict XVI highlighted the "great flowering of religious vocations among women, of which Sardinia is a true incubator". Without them, he said, "it would have been more difficulty to spread Christ's love in villages, in families, in schools, in hospitals, in prisons and in workplaces. This heritage of good has been accumulating thanks to their dedication!"
“Turning to address priests, the Pope assured them of his "spiritual proximity" to help them "respond to the call of the Lord with complete faithfulness as some of your confreres have done, even recently". In this context, he mentioned Fr. Graziano Muntoni, murdered on Christmas Eve 1998 while on his way to celebrate Mass, and Fr. Battore Carzedda of the P.I.M.E., who gave his life "so that believers in all religions may open to a sincere dialogue founded upon love".
“The Pope went on: "Do not be afraid of or discouraged by difficulties. ... It is important you become grains of good wheat which, falling to earth, bring forth fruit". Priests "must authoritatively proclaim the Word, renew gestures of forgiveness and giving, and exercise loving solicitude in the service of their flock, in communion with pastors and faithfully compliant to the teachings of the Magisterium".
“The Holy Father concluded by calling on priests "daily to revive the charism you received with the imposition of hands, identifying yourselves with Jesus Christ in His triple function of sanctifying, tending and feeding the flock".
Lampstand Foundation website, http://www.lampstandfoundation.org/
"The sinner is at the very heart of Christianity. Nobody is so competent as the sinner in matters of Christianity. Nobody, except the saint." Charles Peguy (1873-1914)
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.