Apostasy |
I came across this article in the Catholic
Herald. You can read it at source here, or below, but it is definitely worth
reading.
The Church should fear the sin of its own
members more than hatred against Christians, Pope Benedict XVI said.
While the Church has suffered from
persecution throughout its history, it “is supported by the light and strength
of God” and will always end up victorious, he said.
Overcoming trials and outside threats shows
how the Christian community “is the presence, the guarantee of God’s love
against all ideologies of hatred and selfishness,” he said on the feast of the
Immaculate Conception today.
“The only danger the Church can and should
fear is the sin of her members,” the Pope said.
Pope Benedict marked the feast day by making
an afternoon visit to a statue of Mary erected near the Spanish Steps.
He went from the Vatican to the heart of
Rome’s tourist and shopping district to pay homage to Mary by praying before
the statue, which commemorates Pope Pius IX’s proclamation in 1854 that Mary,
by special divine favour, was without sin from the moment she was conceived.
The Pope offered a large basket of white
roses, which was then set at the foot of the column topped by the statue. He
also greeted and blessed the infirm and their caregivers.
He told the crowds gathered for the event
that Mary is “free from every stain of sin [and] the Church is holy, but at the
same time is marked by our sins”.
For that reason, Christians often turn to
Mary for help and encouragement in living a truly Christian life, he said.
She also gives hope, “which we really need,
especially at this very difficult time for Italy, Europe and different parts of
the world”.
“Mary helps us see that there is a light
beyond the blanket of fog that seems to envelop reality,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Pope led the Angelus
prayer with those gathered in St Peter’s Square.
Before the prayer, the Pope said that, like
Mary, “we, too, are given the ‘fullness of grace’ that we must let shine in our
lives”.
God “has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation
of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him,” the Pope said, citing
St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.
“In her sinless perfection, Mary is a great
sign of hope for the Church and for the world, a sign of the marvels that God’s
grace can accomplish in us, his human creatures,” the pope said.
He asked that during the days of Advent,
people prepare to welcome Mary’s son into their lives and hearts.
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