Benedict XVI on the empty tomb

from his visit to the holy sepulcher in Jerusalem on Friday:

"Standing in this holy place, and pondering that wondrous event," Benedict XVI asked afterward during a short meditation, "how can we not be 'cut to the heart?'

"Here Christ died and rose, never to die again. Here the history of humanity was decisively changed.

"The long reign of sin and death was shattered by the triumph of obedience and life; the wood of the cross lay bare the truth about good and evil; God's judgment was passed on this world and the grace of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon humanity.

"Here Christ, the new Adam, taught us that evil never has the last word, that love is stronger than death, that our future, and the future of all humanity, lies in the hands of a faithful and provident God."

"The empty tomb speaks to us of hope," the Pontiff affirmed. "The hope that does not disappoint because it is the gift of the Spirit of life.

"May hope rise up ever anew, by God's grace, in the hearts of all the people dwelling in these lands! May it take root in your hearts, abide in your families and communities, and inspire in each of you an ever more faithful witness to the Prince of Peace!

"The Church in the Holy Land, which has so often experienced the dark mystery of Golgotha, must never cease to be an intrepid herald of the luminous message of hope which this empty tomb proclaims."

The Pope recalled the message of the Gospel, which "reassures us that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated, that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome, and that a future of justice, peace, prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman, for the whole human family, and in a special way for the people who dwell in this land so dear to the heart of the Savior."

"May our contemplation of this mystery spur our efforts, both as individuals and as members of the ecclesial community, to grow in the life of the Spirit through conversion, penance and prayer," he continued. "May it help us to overcome, by the power of that same Spirit, every conflict and tension born of the flesh, and to remove every obstacle, both within and without, standing in the way of our common witness to Christ and the reconciling power of his love."

The Holy Father urged those in the Holy Land to contemplate the empty tomb of the Savior: "In that tomb it is called to bury all its anxieties and fears, in order to rise again each day and continue its journey through the streets of Jerusalem, Galilee and beyond, proclaiming the triumph of Christ's forgiveness and the promise of new life."

"The peace for which this strife-torn land yearns has a name," he added, revealing it to be Jesus Christ.

"He is our peace," the Pontiff said, "who reconciled us to God in one body through the Cross, bringing an end to hostility. Into his hands, then, let us entrust all our hope for the future, just as in the hour of darkness he entrusted his spirit into the Father's hands."

The only coverage I've been hearing of the Pope's visit has been on NPR, and it's all about how terribly dissapointing his visit has been.

who was given a lot of press coverage for his "disappointment" that the pope didn't speak out strongly enough against the holocaust, for you see, Benedict should have referred to the Nazis as "murderers," but instead he referred to them as "killers." How disappointing!

It's quite sickening, the way that this kind of nonsense is what gets ALL the play in the mass media.

cradlerc wrote:The only coverage I've been hearing of the Pope's visit has been on NPR, and it's all about how terribly dissapointing his visit has been.

NPR seemed to change about a year ago. I use to have it on at work all day long. Whether it is the morning news or talk of the nation, it seems to have caved to the pressure to try and be more like the other main stream media outlets. I hardly ever listen to it anymore.

My family got me an mp3 player for my birthday and I have been listening to classical music during the time that I use to rely on NPR news to fill the void. I seem to be finding out about the important news one way or another without NPR, and really enjoying the classical music for a change.

Peace.

Stewart, after reporting that the rabbi was upset that the Pope had referred to the Nazis as killers rather than murderers said "So... the Pope was being anti-semantic?". Thought it was clever.

during the last election cycle. And lately I've noticed that Terri Grosz's Fresh Air seems to every week have someone who's pro-abortion or promoting gay marriage--I exaggerate a bit, but you get my point. Maybe it was always like that, but I'm more sensitive to it now? Today's coverage of Obama's speech at Notre Dame was point for point exactly what you'd get in the MSM; it was the speech through the lens of the White House. And then the coverage of Proposition 8 was nauseating--a reporter who had, up until this point, been doing even-handed interviews, decided to challenge a Mormon woman after she answered his question with something like, "well, but you know that's not true, don't you?" It's disappointing.

I like this, just4:

just4once wrote:Stewart, after reporting that the rabbi was upset that the Pope had referred to the Nazis as killers rather than murderers said "So... the Pope was being anti-semantic?". Thought it was clever.