Pope Benedict offered a homily yesterday at the Basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine hill in Rome. He concluded with these words:
“Dear brothers and sisters, Lent enlarges our horizons, orients us to eternal life. On this earth we are on a pilgrimmage, ‘we do not have here a lasting city, but we go forth in search of the one in in the future’ says the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 13:14). Lent makes know to us the passing nature of earthly goods and enables us to renounce what we must and free us to do what is good. We open the earth to the light of Heaven, to the presence of God in our midst. Amen.” (Original in Italian; my English translation.)
If you read Italian, you can read the original at:
http://www.vatican.va/news_sevices/index_news.htm
Follow the links to the news bulletin (Sala Stampa) for Ash Wednesday.
I like that closing thought, i.e., that in renouncing what we must and freely doing good, we open the world to the light of the Divine Presence in our midst.
