Part 8 of 8
Theme 'Christ our Hope' prepares us to welcome the Holy Father
Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming apostolic journey to the United States
will soon make headlines, locally, nationally and internationally. How
will we, the Catholic faithful, welcome and celebrate the presence of
the successor of St. Peter among us? Why do we look forward to the pope’s
April 15-20 visit to Washington and New York as so much more than a media
event? How might this papal visit become an occasion of grace for each
one of us personally and for the Church in the United States — a
moment of intense faith, greater charity and renewed hope?
St. Benedict in his famous monastic rule offers profound insight into
Christian hospitality when he writes, “all guests who present themselves
are to be welcomed as Christ.” To welcome any guest — rich
or poor, illustrious or unknown — is to welcome Christ Himself.
And to receive Pope Benedict XVI as a special guest is to welcome the
successor of the one chosen to represent Christ as visible head of the
Church.
So as Catholics our enthusiasm to see and hear Pope Benedict during his
visit to the United States is rooted in what we believe about his unique
identity and ministry. We are eager not simply to catch a glimpse of
a distinguished religious leader. Rather we come together joyfully united
in prayer and in faith because we believe the pope teaches, leads and
sanctifies the universal Church in a singular way.
As Peter’s successor in our day, Pope Benedict embodies the Church’s
visible unity. But this unity of faith is not an abstract or sentimental
idea. It is a concrete reality knit together by our spiritual communion
in the Eucharist and shared apostolic faith. In these coming days as
we listen to and live the Holy Father’s message of hope, we will
concretely experience this unity of faith in a sense of connectedness
beyond our own local parish, community or diocese. In welcoming Pope
Benedict to the United States, we will know a profound unity of faith,
hope and love so that we may, in turn, become living witnesses to hope
in our culture.
“Christ Our Hope” is the theme of the pope’s six-day trip
to the United States. Pope Benedict has often noted that the human person is
redeemed not by science, technology or material wealth, but by love that springs
in hope from faith. This catechesis of hope will surely echo at each stop of
the papal journey through the United States.
Pope Benedict comes to us as a minister of hope. And his ministry of
hope is rooted in the conviction that the present crisis of faith is
essentially a crisis of Christian hope (“Spe Salvi,” 17).
To recognize our personal need and the world’s need for renewed
hope, we don't have to look far. Read the daily headlines or watch the
evening news. Whether at home or abroad, the human condition is marked
by much hopelessness, and despair in the face of the fragility, suffering
and inhumanity of our world.
For a Christian, hopelessness is not the last word. Christ is our sure
hope. In Christ we have more than enough reason to hope. Through Christ
we offer to others an account for the hope that is in us. And with Christ
we lift up and sustain, with the strength of our hope, those burdened
and overwhelmed by hopelessness. The papal visit will remind each of
us of this Christian dignity, this responsibility and this unfailing
hope.
At the start of the apostolic visit to Washington, Pope Benedict meets
with President Bush at the White House April 16. Then he gathers with
bishops of the United States. The dialogue of faith and culture, and
the realms of spiritual and political leadership, will mark this day
on which the pope celebrates his 81st birthday.
On April 17, Pope Benedict speaks to a large gathering of the faithful
at a Mass hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington at the new Nationals
Park. Then the Holy Father addresses Catholic educators, presidents of
Catholic universities and diocesan education leaders to recall the importance
of Catholic education as the means by which the Church instills and nurtures
Christian hope in the faithful and in society. Later that day, the pope
engages in a dialogue of faith with representatives of other religions.
Pope Benedict arrives in New York the next day to begin the second leg
of his apostolic journey, first to deliver a speech to the U.N. General
Assembly and then to meet with ecumenical leaders in Manhattan. The following
day, the third anniversary of his papal election, he celebrates Mass
for priests, deacons and religious, meets children with disabilities
and addresses youth and seminarians.
Finally, on Sunday, April 20, Pope Benedict’s message of hope will
echo at Ground Zero, the scene of utter hopelessness during the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The papal visit will then conclude with Mass
at Yankee Stadium. This papal visit, from beginning to end, will vividly
manifest God’s kingdom at work among us.
In April 2005, just three years ago, the whole world watched as the much
beloved Pope John Paul II passed from this life to God. Who can forget
those memorable April days when Catholics around the world were spiritually
united in prayer, reflection and anticipation as never before? Then imprinted
on our common imagination was the first sight of Pope Benedict XVI appearing
on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The name “Benedict” means “blessing.” And this
April, over a few days, the Church in the United States will be singularly
blessed with the presence and wisdom of Pope Benedict. As the present
successor of St. Peter, he brings to us nothing less than the blessing
of Christ Himself. Together let us welcome Pope Benedict XVI with lively
joy, vibrant faith and renewed hope.
Sullivan is a professor in the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception
at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.
