Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Brescia (Agenzia Fides) - "The Church is a real spiritual body that prolongs in space and time the sacrifice of the Son of God, a sacrifice seemingly insignificant compared to the size of the world and of history, but a decisive one in the eyes of God.” This is what the Holy Father Benedict XVI affirmed during the Eucharistic Celebration he presided on Sunday, November 8th in Piazza Paolo VI, Brescia. Meditating “on the mystery of the Church of the living temple of God,” and thus paying tribute “to the memory of the great Pope Paul VI, who devoted his entire life to the Church,” Benedict XVI emphasized the vision of this Pope's Church as "poor and free." “This is how the the Church community should be, so as to speak to contemporary humanity.” Giovanni Battista Montini "has devoted all his energies to a Church as conformed to his Lord Jesus Christ as possible, so that meeting him, modern man could meet Him, Christ, because he has an absolute need for Him. This is the basic desire of Vatican II, which corresponds to the reflection of Pope Paul VI on the Church. "
In his first Encyclical "Ecclesiam suam", Paul VI wanted “to explain to everyone the importance of the Church for the salvation of humanity and at the same time, the requirement that between the Church and society a relationship of mutual understanding and love be established,” Benedict XVI recalled again, stressing that the reflection of Pope Montini on the Church" is more timely than ever," and he concluded with an invitation to pray “so that the radiance of divine beauty will shine in all our communities and the Church may be a shining beacon of hope for humanity in the third millennium.”
In the afternoon, after the inauguration of the Paul VI Institute, the Pope reached the Parish Church of St. Antonino, in Concesio, in which Giovanni Battista Montini was baptized. In his speech, Benedict XVI recalled the importance of baptism in the life of every Christian, and in particular its Christocentric dimension, which was often affirmed by Paul VI. "In times of great change within the Church and the world, how many times Paul VI emphasized this need to remain steadfast in vital communion with Christ!" said the Pontiff, recalling that "it is not easy being a Christian! It takes courage and tenacity to not comply with the mentality of the world, not to be seduced by the often powerful calls of hedonism and consumerism, to face, if necessary, misunderstanding and sometimes even real persecution.”
The Pope recalled that "living Baptism involves remaining firmly united to the Church, even when we see some shadows and some stain in her face. It is she who has made us be reborn into divine life and accompanies us throughout our journey: let us love her, let us love her as our true mother! Let us love her and serve her with faithful love, which will be manifest in concrete acts within our community, without yielding to the temptation of individualism and prejudice, overcoming every division and rivalry. Thus, we will be true disciples of Christ!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 9/11/2009)
