Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On Sunday, October 5, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, the Holy Father Benedict XVI presided a Mass concelebrated with the Synodal Fathers, for the opening of the XII General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be taking place at the Vatican until October 26, on the theme: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” In his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the readings from the Mass for the day, the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, which included the image of a vineyard, used to “describe the divine plan of salvation, and which establishes itself as a moving allegory of God’s Alliance with His People.” In the Gospel, the emphasis is on the workers of the vineyard: the servants sent by the owner to collect the rent and are abused and killed. The same happens to the owner’s son. The Pope said that, “here we can clearly see how the despise for the order given by the owner becomes despise towards the owner himself: it is not merely disobedience of a divine precept, but an authentic rejection of God. Here, the mystery of the Cross appears.”
“This page of the Gospel applies to our own way of thinking and acting,” the Holy Father continued. “It not only speaks of Christ’s ‘hour,’ of the mystery of the Cross in that moment, but also of the presence of the Cross in all times. The people who have heard the preaching of the Gospel have a special role. If we look at history, we are forced to recognize that it is not rare for inconsistent Christians to be cold and rebellious. As a result of this, although God never fails his promise of salvation, he has often had to resort to punishment. It is spontaneous to think, in this context, of the first proclamation of the Gospel, which gave rise to Christian communities that at first were flourishing, but later disappeared and are now remembered only in the history books. Could not the same thing happen in our time? Nations that at one time were rich in faith and vocations are now losing their identity, under the harmful and destructive influence of a certain modern culture. There are those who, having decided that 'God is dead', declare themselves 'gods', believing themselves the sole creators of their own destiny and the absolute owners of the world. In casting off God and not awaiting salvation from him, man believes that he can do whatever he likes and set himself up as the sole measure of himself and his action. But when man eliminates God from his horizon, is he truly more happy? Does he truly become more free? When men proclaim themselves the absolute owners of themselves, and the sole masters of creation, can they truly build a society in which freedom, justice, and peace reign? Does it not instead happen - as daily events abundantly demonstrate - that there is the expansion of arbitrary power, egoistic interest, injustice and exploitation, violence in all of its expressions? The result, in the end, is that man finds himself more alone, and society is more divided and confused. But Jesus’ words hold a promise: the vineyard will not be destroyed. Although he leaves the unfaithful keepers of the vineyard to their fate, the owner does not abandon his vineyard, and he entrusts it to other servants, who are faithful. This indicates that, if in some regions faith becomes weak to the point of disappearing, there will always be other peoples ready to accept it.”
The Pope then pointed out that “The message of consolation that we take from these biblical texts is the certainty that evil and death do not have the last word, but it is Christ who overcomes in the end. Always! The Church does not tire of proclaiming this Good News,” and recalled how it should be especially so in this Year of Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, “who was the first to spread the Gospel in the vast regions of Asia Minor and Europe.” After greeting the Synodal Fathers and all those present in the encounter with great affection, Benedict XVI mentioned that “when God speaks, He always demands a response; His work of salvation calls for human cooperation.” He continued, saying: “The Word of God alone can change man in the depths of his heart, and it is important, therefore, that with this individual believers and the community can enter into an ever greater intimacy with it. In effect, if preaching the Gospel is the reason behind her existence and mission, it is indispensable that the Church know and live that which she preaches, so that her preaching can be credible, in spite of the weaknesses and poverty of the men that she is made up of.”
In concluding his homily, the Holy Father reflected on the pertinence of the exclamation of the Apostle to the Gentiles: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel,” and the invitation of Christ, “The harvest is abundant” (Mt. 9:37). “Many have not yet known Him and are still awaiting the first announcement of the Gospel; others, having received a Christian upbringing, have lost their enthusiasm and maintain a merely superficial contact with the Word of God; others have fallen away from practicing the faith and are in need of a new evangelization. Thus, there are plenty of people of an upright conscience, that ask themselves the fundamental questions about life and death, questions to which only Christ can fully respond. Thus, it becomes necessary that Christians in every continent be prepared to respond to every question with the hope that is in them, joyfully announcing the Word of God and living the Gospel without compromise...All of us experience the need to place the Word of God at the center of our lives, accepting Christ as our only Redeemer, as the Kingdom of God in person, to make his light illumine every part of humanity: the family, the school, culture, the workplace, leisure time, and all other sectors of society and our lives.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 6/10/2008)
