Artège editions have published unpublished homilies by Benedict XVI, The Lord reaches out to us, delivered between 2005 and 2017, during private masses, celebrated only with his entourage, his secretaries and the nuns in charge of his stewardship. He preached with a fidelity which never wavered, even after his renunciation of the pontificate. At this small assembly, the pope offered homilies every day. His preachings, recorded by those close to him, were thus transcribed. As the end of his life approaches, Benedict XVI tirelessly contemplates the heart of the Christian faith: the mystery of God made man, Jesus Christ, source and meaning of all existence. The spiritual, refined and Christ-like tone gives these texts a rare quality. They appear to be the last legacy of a man who was both an immense theologian and a preacher of high standing. Here is an excerpt:
It seems to me that we must pray a lot for the persecuted Church, for those who suffer under the weight of intolerance, and pray that the Lord protects them, in faith and in life. We must be internally close to the persecuted Church of today. There is also a more insidious persecution: the cultural and intellectual marginalization of Christianity, the creation of an anti-Christian culture which oppresses it from within. It seems absurd to still be Christian today. In the name of freedom, the freedom to believe is repressed, homosexual marriage is proclaimed in the name of freedom, abortion is proclaimed as a fundamental right, a false freedom which is opposed to the freedom of our faith; So much so that it seems almost absurd to still be a Christian in this world. It is an interior persecution: we must be open to the Lord, so that he guides us and preserves us, and we must also help the weakest, so that, in this context, they remain faithful. [12 mai 2013]
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