Hello All!
                This Area is READ ONLY.  Do not post to this area.
                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

ADVENT: POPE COMMENDS PATIENCE AND CONSTANCY

VATICAN CITY, 12 DEC 2010 (VIS) - At midday today, having returned from his
pastoral visit to the Roman parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the
Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below.

Following a Roman tradition on this third Sunday of Advent, the Pope blessed
statuettes of the Baby Jesus which were brought to the square by some two
thousand local children and which are destined to be placed in nativity scenes
in homes, schools and parishes.

Quoting a passage from today's reading of the Letter of St. James - "Be patient
therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord" - the Holy Father
said: "I
believe it is important, in our time, to underline the value of constancy and
patience, virtues which were part of the everyday baggage of our forebears, but
which seem less popular today in a world which exalts change and the capacity
to adapt to new and diverse situations. Without detracting from these aspects,
which are also human qualities, Advent calls us to strengthen that inner
tenacity, that resistance of heart which enables us not to lose hope as we wait
for a good that is late in coming, but to await it - indeed, to prepare for its
arrival - with confidence".

Continuing his commentary on the Letter, in which the Apostle proposes the
example of the patience of farmers as they await their crop, Benedict XVI said:
"Farmers are not fatalists but the model of a mentality which harmoniously
unites faith and reason. On the one hand they know the laws of nature and
skilfully carry out their work while, on the other, they trust in Providence
because certain fundamental things are not in their hands but in the hands of
God. Patience and constancy are, indeed, a blend of human commitment and trust
in God.

"'Strengthen your hearts' says the Scripture. How can we do this?" the Pope
asked. "How can we strengthen our hearts which, in themselves, are somewhat
fragile and become even more instable in the culture which surrounds us? Help
is not wanting: we have the Word of God. For indeed, while everything else
passes and changes, the Word of the Lord does not pass. If the events of life
make us feel lost and all our certainties seem to crumble, we have a compass to
find our way, we have an anchor so as not to drift with the current".

In this context, the Holy Father recalled "the model of the prophets; that is,
of the people whom God has call to speak in His name. The prophet finds his joy
and strength in the Word of the Lord and, while men and women often seek
happiness by following ways which turn out to be mistaken, he announces the
true hope, the hope that does not delude because it is founded on the
faithfulness of God. All Christians, by virtue of their Baptism, have received
prophetic dignity. May each of us rediscover this and nourish it by listening
assiduously to the divine Word".

After praying the Angelus the Pope addressed some words to the children of
Rome. "Dear young friends", he said, "when you place the
statuette of the Baby
Jesus in the grotto or the manger, say a prayer for the Pope and for his
intentions. Thank you!"
ANG/VIS 20101213 (580)

SUMMARY

--- MPost/386 v1.21