作者falstaff (no day but today)
看板Catholic
標題[情報] 教宗紐約洋基球場講道全文 (英文)
時間Mon Apr 21 06:02:25 2008
好像有人問 美國總統布希 說
"你看過這麼多大人物 像是俄國總統普丁
你覺得 你從教宗的眼裡看到什麼"
布希說
"我在教宗的眼睛裡 看到天主"
(I saw God in his eyes.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/us/nationalspecial2/20papalhomily.html?pagewanted=print
Pope’s Homily at Yankee Stadium
Following is the prepared text of Pope Benedict XVI’s homily in the Mass at
Yankee Stadium on April 20, as supplied by Vatican.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus tells his Apostles to put their faith
in him, for he is “the way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). Christ
is the way that leads to the Father, the truth which gives meaning to human
existence, and the source of that life which is eternal joy with all the
saints in his heavenly Kingdom. Let us take the Lord at his word! Let us
renew our faith in him and put all our hope in his promises!
With this encouragement to persevere in the faith of Peter (cf. Lk 22:32; Mt
16:17), I greet all of you with great affection. I thank Cardinal Egan for
his cordial words of welcome in your name. At this Mass, the Church in the
United States celebrates the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Sees of
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville from the mother See of
Baltimore. The presence around this altar of the Successor of Peter, his
brother bishops and priests, and deacons, men and women religious, and lay
faithful from throughout the 50 states of the Union, eloquently manifests our
communion in the Catholic faith which comes to us from the Apostles.
Our celebration today is also a sign of the impressive growth which God has
given to the Church in your country in the past two hundred years. From a
small flock like that described in the first reading, the Church in America
has been built up in fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love
of neighbor. In this land of freedom and opportunity, the Church has united a
widely diverse flock in the profession of the faith and, through her many
educational, charitable and social works, has also contributed significantly
to the growth of American society as a whole.
This great accomplishment was not without its challenges. Today’s first
reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks of linguistic and
cultural tensions already present within the earliest Church community. At
the same time, it shows the power of the word of God, authoritatively
proclaimed by the Apostles and received in faith, to create a unity which
transcends the divisions arising from human limitations and weakness. Here we
are reminded of a fundamental truth: that the Church’s unity has no other
basis than the Word of God, made flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord. All external
signs of identity, all structures, associations and programs, valuable or
even essential as they may be, ultimately exist only to support and foster
the deeper unity which, in Christ, is God’s indefectible gift to his Church.
The first reading also makes clear, as we see from the imposition of hands on
the first deacons, that the Church’s unity is “apostolic.” It is a visible
unity, grounded in the Apostles whom Christ chose and appointed as witnesses
to his resurrection, and it is born of what the Scriptures call “the
obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5; cf. Acts 6:7).
“Authority.” “Obedience”. To be frank, these are not easy words to speak
nowadays. Words like these represent a “stumbling stone” for many of our
contemporaries, especially in a society which rightly places a high value on
personal freedom. Yet, in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ -- “the way
and the truth and the life” -- we come to see the fullest meaning, value,
and indeed beauty, of those words. The Gospel teaches us that true freedom,
the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which
is part of the mystery of love. Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us,
do we truly find ourselves (cf. Lk 17:33). True freedom blossoms when we turn
away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our
resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him who is infinite
love, infinite freedom, infinite life. “In his will is our peace”.
Real freedom, then, is God’s gracious gift, the fruit of conversion to his
truth, the truth which makes us free (cf. Jn 8:32). And this freedom in truth
brings in its wake a new and liberating way of seeing reality. When we put on
“the mind of Christ” (cf. Phil 2:5), new horizons open before us! In the
light of faith, within the communion of the Church, we also find the
inspiration and strength to become a leaven of the Gospel in the world. We
become the light of the world, the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14),
entrusted with the “apostolate” of making our own lives, and the world in
which we live, conform ever more fully to God’s saving plan.
This magnificent vision of a world being transformed by the liberating truth
of the Gospel is reflected in the description of the Church found in today’s
second reading. The Apostle tells us that Christ, risen from the dead, is the
keystone of a great temple which is even now rising in the Spirit. And we,
the members of his body, through Baptism have become “living stones” in
that temple, sharing in the life of God by grace, blessed with the freedom of
the sons of God, and empowered to offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to him
(cf. 1 Pet 2:5). And what is this offering which we are called to make, if
not to direct our every thought, word and action to the truth of the Gospel
and to harness all our energies in the service of God’s Kingdom? Only in
this way can we build with God, on the one foundation which is Christ (cf. 1
Cor 3:11). Only in this way can we build something that will truly endure.
Only in this way can our lives find ultimate meaning and bear lasting fruit.
Today we recall the bicentennial of a watershed in the history of the Church
in the United States: its first great chapter of growth. In these two hundred
years, the face of the Catholic community in your country has changed
greatly. We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have
so enriched the Church in America. We think of the strong faith which built
up the network of churches, educational, healthcare and social institutions
which have long been the hallmark of the Church in this land. We think also
of those countless fathers and mothers who passed on the faith to their
children, the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to
the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and
women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and
write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him
and to serve him. How many “spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God” have been
offered up in these two centuries! In this land of religious liberty,
Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to
participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to
the public square and cooperating with their neighbors in shaping a vibrant,
democratic society. Today’s celebration is more than an occasion of
gratitude for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm
resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of
hope for coming generations.
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he
claims for his own, to proclaim his glorious works” (1 Pet 2:9). These words
of the Apostle Peter do not simply remind us of the dignity which is ours by
God’s grace; they also challenge us to an ever greater fidelity to the
glorious inheritance which we have received in Christ (cf. Eph 1:18). They
challenge us to examine our consciences, to purify our hearts, to renew our
baptismal commitment to reject Satan and all his empty promises. They
challenge us to be a people of joy, heralds of the unfailing hope (cf. Rom
5:5) born of faith in God’s word, and trust in his promises.
Each day, throughout this land, you and so many of your neighbors pray to the
Father in the Lord’s own words: “Thy Kingdom come.” This prayer needs to
shape the mind and heart of every Christian in this nation. It needs to bear
fruit in the way you lead your lives and in the way you build up your
families and your communities. It needs to create new “settings of hope”
(cf. Spe Salvi, 32ff.) where God’s Kingdom becomes present in all its
saving power.
Praying fervently for the coming of the Kingdom also means being constantly
alert for the signs of its presence, and working for its growth in every
sector of society. It means facing the challenges of present and future with
confidence in Christ’s victory and a commitment to extending his reign. It
means not losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity and scandal. It
means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering
false gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false
dichotomy between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican
Council put it, “there is no human activity - even in secular affairs -
which can be withdrawn from God’s dominion” (Lumen Gentium, 36). It means
working to enrich American society and culture with the beauty and truth of
the Gospel, and never losing sight of that great hope which gives meaning and
value to all the other hopes which inspire our lives.
And this, dear friends, is the particular challenge which the Successor of
Saint Peter sets before you today. As “a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,” follow faithfully in the footsteps of those who have gone
before you! Hasten the coming of God’s Kingdom in this land! Past
generations have left you an impressive legacy. In our day too, the Catholic
community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the
defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the
sick and the stranger in your midst. On these solid foundations, the future
of the Church in America must even now begin to rise!
Yesterday, not far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the
generous love of Christ which I saw on the faces of the many young people
assembled in Dunwoodie. They are the Church’s future, and they deserve all
the prayer and support that you can give them. And so I wish to close by
adding a special word of encouragement to them. My dear young friends, like
the seven men, “filled with the Spirit and wisdom” whom the Apostles
charged with care for the young Church, may you step forward and take up the
responsibility which your faith in Christ sets before you! May you find the
courage to proclaim Christ, “the same, yesterday, and today and for ever”
and the unchanging truths which have their foundation in him (cf. Gaudium et
Spes, 10; Heb 13:8). These are the truths that set us free! They are the
truths which alone can guarantee respect for the inalienable dignity and
rights of each man, woman and child in our world - including the most
defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother’s womb. In a
world where, as Pope John Paul II, speaking in this very place, reminded us,
Lazarus continues to stand at our door (Homily at Yankee Stadium, October 2,
1979, No. 7), let your faith and love bear rich fruit in outreach to the
poor, the needy and those without a voice. Young men and women of America, I
urge you: open your hearts to the Lord’s call to follow him in the
priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than
this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his
life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13)?
In today’s Gospel, the Lord promises his disciples that they will perform
works even greater than his (cf. Jn 14:12). Dear friends, only God in his
providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives
and in the life of the Church in the United States. Yet Christ’s promise
fills us with sure hope. Let us now join our prayers to his, as living stones
in that spiritual temple which is his one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. Let us lift our eyes to him, for even now he is preparing for us a
place in his Father’s house. And empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work
with renewed zeal for the spread of his Kingdom.
“Happy are you who believe!” (cf. 1 Pet 2:7). Let us turn to Jesus! He
alone is the way that leads to eternal happiness, the truth who satisfies the
deepest longings of every heart, and the life who brings ever new joy and
hope, to us and to our world. Amen.
[In Spanish:]
Queridos hermanos y hermanas en el Señor:
Les saludo con afecto y me alegro de celebrar esta Santa Misa para dar
gracias a Dios por el bicentenario del momento en que empezó a desarrollarse
la Iglesia Católica en esta Nación. Al mirar el camino de fe recorrido en
estos años, no exento también de dificultades, alabamos al Señor por los
frutos que la Palabra de Dios ha dado en estas tierras y le manifestamos
nuestro deseo de que Cristo, Camino, Verdad y Vida, sea cada vez más
conocido y amado.
Aquí, en este País de libertad, quiero proclamar con fuerza que la Palabra
de Cristo no elimina nuestras aspiraciones a una vida plena y libre, sino que
nos descubre nuestra verdadera dignidad de hijos de Dios y nos alienta a
luchar contra todo aquello que nos esclaviza, empezando por nuestro propio ego
ísmo y caprichos. Al mismo tiempo, nos anima a manifestar nuestra fe a travé
s de nuestra vida de caridad y a hacer que nuestras comunidades eclesiales
sean cada día más acogedoras y fraternas.
Sobre todo a los jóvenes les confío asumir el gran reto que entraña creer
en Cristo y lograr que esa fe se manifieste en una cercanía efectiva hacia
los pobres. También en una respuesta generosa a las llamadas que Él sigue
formulando para dejarlo todo y emprender una vida de total consagración a
Dios y a la Iglesia, en la vida sacerdotal o religiosa.
Queridos hermanos y hermanas, les invito a mirar el futuro con esperanza,
permitiendo que Jesús entre en sus vidas. Solamente Él es el camino que
conduce a la felicidad que no acaba, la verdad que satisface las más nobles
expectativas humanas y la vida colmada de gozo para bien de la Iglesia y el
mundo. Que Dios les bendiga.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 75.18.254.63
※ 編輯: falstaff 來自: 75.18.254.63 (04/21 07:32)
推 steelfinger:真會拍馬屁 04/21 08:29
→ falstaff:我也覺得 不過布希總統 在這個全世界最重要的職位上 04/21 08:59
→ falstaff:(美國總統) 這樣講我們的教宗 還是蠻開心的 04/21 09:03