Today January 31, 2010, the feast of St. John Bosco, we publish the text of the Angelus reflection of Benedict XV. It 'a call for all Christians, especially for priests and educators: love is our badge. Dear brothers and sisters!
In this Sunday's liturgy we read one of the most beautiful pages of the New Testament of the Bible: the so-called "hymn to love" Apostle Paul (1 Cor 12.31 to 13.13). In his First Letter to the Corinthians, after having explained, with the image of the body, that the various gifts of the Holy Spirit contribute to the good of the Church, Paul shows the "way" of perfection. This - he says - does not consist in possessing exceptional qualities: to speak new languages, know all the mysteries, having a prodigious faith or perform heroic deeds. It consists rather in love - agape - that is, in true, what God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Love is the gift of the "greatest", which gives value to everyone else, but "does not boast, is not puffed up with pride" indeed, "rejoices with the truth and the good of others. Who really loves "does not seek its own interests," "does not take account of the injury received," "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (cf. 1 Cor 13:4-7). In the end, when we meet face to face with God, all the other gifts will not; the only one that will forever remain in love, because God is love and we shall be like Him, in perfect communion with Him To
now, while we are in this world, charity is the badge of Christian . It 's the summary of his whole life for what he believes and what he does. For this reason, early of my pontificate, I wanted to dedicate my first Encyclical to the theme of love, Deus Caritas Est . As you may recall, this encyclical is divided into two parts that correspond to the two aspects of love: its meaning, and therefore its implementation. Love is the essence of God himself, is the sense of creation and history, is the light that gives goodness and beauty to every man. At the same time, love is, so to speak, "style" believer of God and man, is the behavior of those who, responding to the love of God, his own life as the gift of self to God and to next. In Jesus Christ these two aspects form a perfect unity, He is love incarnate. This love is revealed fully in Christ crucified. Gazing upon Him, we confess with the Apostle John: "We know the love God has for us and we have believed" (cf. 1 Jn 4:16; Enc. Deus Caritas Est, 1).
Dear friends, if we think of the Saints, we recognize the diversity of their spiritual gifts, as well as their human characters. But the life of each one of them is a hymn to love, a love song living God!
Today, January 31, particular mention St. John Bosco, founder of the Family Salesian and patron of youth. In this Year of the Priest I invoke his intercession so that the priests are always polite and fathers of young , and why, experiencing this pastoral charity, so many young people will accept the call to lay down his life for Christ and the Gospel.
Mary Help of Christians, a model of charity, obtain for us these graces.
Greetings to all members of the Salesian Family.
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