Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Paris (Agenzia Fides) – Following a brief visit to the Institut de France in Paris, the institution that includes representatives from among the most prestigious persons in the areas of knowledge and which is formed by five Academies, the Holy Father Benedict XVI went to celebrate the Mass in memory of Saint John Chrysostom at the Esplanade des Invalides, at 10am on September 13. In his homily, the Pope focused on the relevance of the exhortation made by Saint Paul to the Corinthians: “Shun the worship of idols” (1 Cor 10:14), to show that today’s world has also created its own idols: “Has it not imitated, perhaps inadvertently, the pagans of antiquity, by diverting man from his true end, from the joy of living eternally with God?... The temptation to idolize a past that no longer exists, forgetting its shortcomings; the temptation to idolize a future which does not yet exist, in the belief that, by his efforts alone, man can bring about the kingdom of eternal joy on earth!... Have not money, the thirst for possessions, for power and even for knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny, from the truth of himself?”
Benedict XVI then mentioned that Saint Paul’s “radical condemnation of idolatry is never a personal condemnation of the idolater. In our judgements, must we never confuse the sin, which is unacceptable, with the sinner, the state of whose conscience we cannot judge and who, in any case, is always capable of conversion and forgiveness.” The Pope then continued, saying: “Never does God, of whom the Apostle is an authorized witness here, ask man to sacrifice his reason! Reason never enters into real contradiction with faith! The one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- created our reason and gives us faith, proposing to our freedom that it be received as a precious gift. It is the worship of idols which diverts man from this perspective.”
Man, therefore, can reach God in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, “This extraordinary revelation comes to us from Christ and has been transmitted to us by the Apostles and by the whole Church for almost two thousand years.” Benedict XVI then encouraged all to “give the greatest veneration to the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, the Blessed Sacrament of the real presence of the Lord to his Church and to all humanity. Let us take every opportunity to show him our respect and our love! Let us give him the greatest marks of honor! Through our words, our silences, and our gestures, let us never allow our faith in the risen Christ, present in the Eucharist, to lose its savor in us or around us!”
Continuing his homily, the Pope recalled once more that the Mass “makes its own appeal to us to shun idols...the Mass invites us to discern what, in ourselves, is obedient to the Spirit of God and what, in ourselves, is attuned to the spirit of evil.” In order thank the Lord for all that He does for us, we cannot help but echo the words of the Psalmist: “I will raise the cup of salvation, I will call on the name of the Lord” (Ps 116:13). The Pope commented, saying: “To raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, is that not the very best way of ‘shunning idols,’ as Saint Paul asks us to do? Every time the Mass is celebrated, every time Christ makes himself sacramentally present in his Church, the work of our salvation is accomplished... Now, dear brothers and sisters, who can raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord in the name of the entire people of God, except the priest, ordained for this purpose by his Bishop?”
Here, the Holy Father made an appeal to the youth: “Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ! Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church! Nothing will ever replace a Mass for the salvation of the world! Dear young and not so young who are listening to me, do not leave Christ's call unanswered.”
In the Gospel for the day, Christ “taught us to shun idolatry, by inviting us to build our house ‘on rock’ (Lk 6:48),” the Pope said, explaining that the rock is Christ Himself, and that “the Church, built upon the rock of Christ, possesses the promises of eternal life, not because her members are holier than others, but because Christ made this promise to Peter... In this unfailing hope in God's eternal presence to the souls of each of us, in this joy of knowing that Christ is with us until the end of time, in this power that the Holy Spirit gives to all those who let themselves be filled with him, I entrust you, dear Christians of Paris and France, to the powerful and merciful action of the God of love who died for us upon the Cross and rose victorious on Easter morning. To all people of good will who are listening to me, I say once more, with Saint Paul: Shun the worship of idols, do not tire of doing good!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 15/9/2008)
