Pope Benedict XVI at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John Lateran 2012 |
Pope: Reject a culture where truth does not matter
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday night
met with the people of his Diocese in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint John
Lateran. The annual ecclesial conference of the Diocese of Rome is discussing
the Sacrament of Baptism in the Church
“Renouncing the glamour of Satan
in today’s age means rejecting a culture where truth does not matter,” the Pope
said, referring to a part of the Baptismal Rite.
The Holy Father began his remarks
by reflecting on the fact the Baptismal formula is “in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit,” as opposed to “on the behalf of.”
He said with Baptism, we are now
in the life of the Trinity: “uniquely united to God, with a new life that
belongs to God, we are immersed in God Himself.”
This being true, the Pope said
this means God is not some distant reality, but “we are in God, and God is in
us.”
He said we also must keep in mind
that this relationship begins with God.
“Yes, my decision is necessary,
but ultimately, it is an act of God within me,” he explained. “I do not decide
to become a Christian. I am … chosen by God, and by saying “yes” to this action
of God, I become a Christian.”
In the Baptismal Rite, the
catechuman must reject Satan and all his works. Pope Benedict said this means
rejecting a “culture that does not seek goodness, whose morality is only a
mask, which covers confusion and destruction...that seeks only material wealth
and denies God”
He said the decision of Baptism
lasts for the all our lives, with its rejection of evil, even if it means
sacrifices.
The Pope then pointed out that
becoming a Christian is not just saying ‘no’, but also saying ‘yes’ to the
truths about Christ expressed in the Creed.
Because of this, Christians are
“in communion with the truth.”
“We are grateful to God who gave
us this gift [of Baptism], and our challenge is to live out our post-baptismal
renunciations and affirmations and always live in the great cause of God, and
so live well,” he concluded.
News from Vatican Radio http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=595768
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