VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI in Austria - “In a monastery of Benedictine spirit, the praise of God, which the monks sing as a solemn choral prayer, always has priority.”

Vienna (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in the afternoon of Sunday 9 September, paid a visit to Heiligenkreuz Abbey, the largest Cistercian monastery in Europe, founded in 1135 by Leopold III. After praying for a while in front of the Blessed Sacrament and relic of the True Cross, the Pope addressed the Abbot, the community of monks, students and teachers of the theological faculties present with the rector, some local authorities, a few Austrian bishops and a group of parish representatives.
“ On my pilgrimage to the Magna Mater Austriae, - said Benedict XVI -, I am pleased to visit this Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, which is not only an important stop on the Via Sacra leading to Mariazell, but the oldest continuously active Cistercian monastery in the world. I wished to come to this place so rich in history in order to draw attention to the fundamental directive of Saint Benedict, according to whose Rule Cistercians also live. Quite simply, Benedict insisted that “nothing be put before the divine Office”.
All Christians pray “or, at least they should” the Pope said, however for monks prayer “is the heart of their calling. Their vocation is to be men of prayer”. Monks pray first and foremost not for a particular intention, “ but simply because God is worthy of being praised… Such prayer for its own sake, intended as pure divine service, is rightly called officium. It is “service” par excellence, the “sacred service” of monks… At the same time, the officium of consecrated persons is also a sacred service to men and women, a testimony offered to them.”
The “core of monasticism is worship”, according to Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard “ part of monastic life, along with prayer, is work: the cultivation of the land in accordance with the Creator’s will… In the rhythm of the ora et labora, the community of consecrated persons bears witness to the God who, in Jesus Christ, looks upon us, while human beings and the world, as God looks upon them, become good.” Priests and deacons, religious men and women are called to a daily office of prayer despite the difficulties involved: “ I realise that discipline is needed, and sometimes great effort as well, in order to recite the Breviary faithfully; - the Pope said - but through this officium we also receive many riches: how many times, in doing so, have we seen our weariness and despondency melt away! When God is faithfully praised and worshipped, his blessings are unfailing. In Austria, people rightly say: “Everything depends on God’s blessing!”.
Benedict XVI continued: “ Your primary service to this world must therefore be your prayer and the celebration of the divine Office. The interior disposition of each priest, and of each consecrated person, must be that of “putting nothing before the divine Office”. The beauty of this inner attitude will find expression in the beauty of the liturgy, so that wherever we join in singing, praising, exalting and worshipping God, a little bit of heaven will become present on earth”. The Pope then affirmed: “ I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed on God within the communion of saints, the living Church of every time and place, so that it will truly be an expression of the sublime beauty of the God who has called men and women to be his friends!” Underlining that the soul of prayer in the Holy Spirit, and expressing the hope that through the spirit everyone may become a "spiritual" person the Pope said: “ As a spiritual oasis, a monastery reminds today’s world of the most important, and indeed, in the end, the only decisive thing: that there is an ultimate reason why life is worth living: God and his unfathomable love.” He asked the faithful to consider abbeys and monasteries, numerous in Austria, “ not mere strongholds of culture and tradition, or even simple business enterprises… a monastery is first and foremost … a place of spiritual power… Take advantage of these springs of God’s closeness in your country; treasure the religious communities, the monasteries and abbeys; and make use of the spiritual service that consecrated person are willing to offer you!”
In the last part of his address the Pope spoke about the Pontifical Academy for theology established in 1802: it is “important that there should be academic institutions like your own, where there can be a deeper interplay between scientific theology and lived spirituality - the Pope said -. God is never simply the “object” of theology; he is always its living “subject” as well.… For this reason scientific rationality and lived devotion are two necessarily complementary and interdependent aspects of study.” The Pope warned that “ theology can lose the life-breath given by faith” and said the call to the priesthood and the religious life can be sustained all through life with “ formation capable of integrating faith and reason, heart and mind, life and thought… Each vocation to the religious life or to the priesthood is a treasure so precious that those responsible for it should do everything possible to ensure a formation which promotes both fides et ratio - faith and reason, heart and mind.” Lastly the Pope recalled the ardent Marian devotion of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who exercised such a compelling and infectious influence on his many young contemporaries called by God: “ Where Mary is, there is the archetype of total self-giving and Christian discipleship. Where Mary is, there is the pentecostal breath of the Holy Spirit; there is new beginning and authentic renewal.” And he concluded asking the Mother of God to intercede for the whole of Austria: “ In the words of Saint Bernard, I invite everyone to become a trusting child before Mary, even as the Son of God did”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 11/9/2007; righe 69, parole 988)