VATICAN - “Christ is the same, yesterday, today and always, but we, the world and history, are never the same and He comes to give us his communion and the fullness of life”: seek Christ and find him says Pope Benedict XVI at Sunday’s midday Angelus prayer

Vatican City (Fides Service) - In his reflection before the midday Angelus prayer on Sunday 15 January Pope Benedict XVI dwelt on two verbs of ‘special significance’ “seeking” and “finding” taken from the Sunday Gospel according to St John which tells of Jesus’ first encounter with men who will later become his apostles.
“From today’s Gospel we can take these two verbs and obtain a fundamental indication for the new year- the Pope said - , which we wish to be a time for renewing our spiritual walking with Jesus in the joy of seeking and finding him again and again. In fact authentic joy lies in a relationship with Him, whom we encounter, follow, know and love thanks to a continual tending of mind and heart. To be a disciple of Christ: is sufficient for the Christian”. The Pope went on to say that “even in times of darkness and in the hardest trials when faith comes up against dark nights in which the presence of God is neither ‘felt’ nor ‘heard’ , friendship with Jesus guarantees that truly nothing can ever separate us from his love”. “See and find Christ, inexhaustible source of truth and life: the word of God invites us to resume at the beginning of this new year, this journey of faith which is never ended… For the believer there is always unceasing seeking and a new finding, because Christ is the same yesterday, today and always, but we, the world, history are never the same and He comes to give us his communion and fullness of life” the Pope said.
After the Marian prayer, the Pope recalled that 15 January is for the Catholic Church the annual Day for Migrants and Refugees and he said “migrations are a very widespread phenomenon in the world today: they are a ‘sign of the times” and “the Church invites people to see the positive side of this sign of the times, putting aside all forms of discrimination, injustice and contempt for the human person, because every man and woman is the image of God”. For the diocese of Rome it was also the Day for Catholic Schools. Addressing thousands of Catholic school children and teachers gathered in St Peter’s Square to receive his blessing Pope Benedict XVI encouraged them to “persevere in the commitment to provide integral education which unites quality instruction with the Christian understanding of the human person and society”. He also said he hoped family/school collaboration would continue and that “full recognition” would be given to the “service guaranteed by Catholic schools”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 16/1/2006 - righe 27, parole 398)