The holiness of priests
sign of hope for the Church
The holiness of the priests as a sign of hope for the Church and the world has been given by the Pope to the community of the Pontifical Ethiopian College in Vatican, during the hearing on Saturday morning, January 29, in the Hall of the Popes. The occasion was the celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the death of St. Justin De Jacobis, to whom Benedict XVI illustrated the exemplary. This discourse.
Dear brothers and sisters!
am pleased to welcome for the happy occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth into heaven of St. Justin De Jacobis. I cordially greet all of you, dear priests and seminarians of the Pontifical Ethiopian College, which Divine Providence has placed to live near the tomb of the Apostle Peter, the sign of the ancient and profound bonds of communion that unite the Church in Ethiopia and Eritrea with the Apostolic See.I greet in particular the Rector, Teclezghi Bahta father, whom I thank for the kind words with which he introduced our meeting, recalling the diverse and significant circumstances that have suggested. I greet with special affection and now, with you, I like to think your communities of origin.
I would now like to refer to the luminous figure of St. Justin De Jacobis, which have celebrated the important anniversary on July 31. Worthy son of Saint Vincent de 'Paoli, St. Justin lived in an exemplary way his "be all things to everyone," especially in the service of the Abyssinian people. Posted at thirty-eight years by the then Prefect of Propaganda Fide , Cardinal Franzoni, as a missionary in Ethiopia, in Tigray, worked at first and then to Adua Guala, where immediately thought to form the Ethiopian priests, giving rise to a seminar called "College of the Immaculate Conception." With his zealous ministry worked tirelessly for that portion of God's people find the original fervor of faith sown by the first evangelist St. Frumentius (see PL 21, 473-80). Justin realized that vision with attention to cultural context must be a privileged path on which God's grace would form new generations of Christians. Learning the local language and promoting the centuries-old tradition of the liturgical rite of those communities, he also strove for an effective ecumenical work. For over twenty years his generous ministry, priestly and episcopal first then went to the benefit of those who met and loved her as living members of the people in his care.
For his passion for education, especially in the training of priests, can rightly be considered the patron of your college, in fact, even today this worthy institution welcomes priests and candidates for the priesthood supported in their efforts of theological, spiritual and pastoral. Re-entering the community of origin, or accompanying their compatriots working abroad, inspiring in everyone know the love of God and the Church, following the example of St. Justin De Jacobis. He crowned his fruitful assistance the civil and religious life of the peoples of Abyssinia with the gift of his life, quietly returned to God after much suffering and persecution. He was beatified by Pope Pius XII Ven June 25, 1939 and canonized by the Servant of God Paul VI October 26, 1975.
For you, dear priests and seminarians, is traced the path of holiness! Christ continues to be present in the world and prove through those who, like St. Justin De Jacobis, and allow animated by his Spirit. We are reminded of the Second Vatican Council which, inter alia, states: "In the life of those who, sharing in our humanity, are however more perfectly transformed into the image of Christ (see 2 Cor 3, 18), God manifests strongly to men his presence and his face. In them is He Himself who speaks to us and shows us the sign of His Kingdom "(Constitution dog. Lumen Gentium, 50).
Christ, the eternal Priest of the New Covenant, which is the special vocation to the priesthood has "conquered" our life, does not suppress the characteristic qualities of the person, on the contrary, high, noble, and making them his own, calling them to serve his mystery and his work. God also demands of everyone "to show in future centuries to the extraordinary riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus "(Eph 2, 7). Although the character of the vocation of each, we are not separated from us, but we are united in communion within a single spiritual organism. We are called to form the whole Christ, summed up a unit in the Lord, enlivened by his Spirit to be his " pleroma " and enrich the praise that he rises to the Father. Christ is inseparable from the Church which is His Body. Is in the Church that Christ unites them to Himself and the baptized, nourished at the Eucharistic table, making them partakers of his glorious life (cf. Lumen Gentium , 48). Holiness is therefore placed in the heart of the mystery of the Church and is la vocazione a cui tutti siamo chiamati. I Santi non sono un ornamento che riveste la Chiesa dall'esterno, ma sono come i fiori di un albero che rivelano la inesauribile vitalità della linfa che lo percorre. È bello contemplare così la Chiesa, in modo ascensionale verso la pienezza del Vir perfectus ; in continua, faticosa, progressiva maturazione; dinamicamente sospinta verso il pieno compimento in Cristo.
Cari sacerdoti e seminaristi del Pontificio Collegio Etiopico, vivete con gioia e dedizione questo periodo importante della vostra formazione, all'ombra della cupola di San Pietro: camminate con decisione sulla strada della santità. Voi siete un segno di speranza, specialmente per la Church in your countries of origin. I am sure that the experience of communion in Rome will also help you make a valuable contribution to the growth and peaceful coexistence of your beloved nation. I accompany you on your way with my prayer and the intercession of Saint Justin De Jacobis and the Virgin Mary, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing, which I willingly extend to the Sisters of Maria Bambina, staff of the House and all your loved ones .
(© L'Osservatore Romano - January 30, 2011)
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