Vatican City - "Christ breaks down the wall of death, in Him dwells all the fullness of God, that is life, eternal life" said Benedict XVI today before the Angelus in St Peter's Square, during his reflections on the Sunday Gospel (V of Lent, A), which deals with the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11.1 to 45). He also said that "among Christians, the belief in resurrection and eternal life is not infrequently accompanied by many doubts and much confusion."
"For us death is like a wall - explained the pope - that prevents us from seeing beyond, yet our heart reaches out beyond this wall, and although we can not know what it hides, we think about it, we imagine it, expressing our desire for eternity with symbols".
He recalled that for a long time in the Jewish world there was no "idea of a personal resurrection from the dead, which appears only towards the end of the Old Testament, and still at the time of Jesus was not welcomed by all Jews ". Moreover, he added, "even among Christians, the belief in resurrection and eternal life is not infrequently accompanied by many doubts, much confusion because it is still a reality that transcends the limits of our reason, and requires an act of faith. "
In today's Gospel Jesus says: "I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, though he die, shall live" (John 11:25-26). "That's the real news - said the pope – that breaks down and overcomes all barriers! Christ breaks down the wall of death in Him dwells all the fullness of God, that is life, eternal life. This is why death had no power over him, and the resurrection of Lazarus is a sign of his complete mastery over physical death, that before God is like a sleep (cf. Jn 11:11). "
"But there's another death - concluded the pope - which cost Christ the hardest fight, even the price of the cross; it is spiritual death, sin, which threatens to ruin the life of every man. To defeat death Christ died, and his Resurrection is not a return to the previous life, but the opening of a new reality, a "new land", finally reunited with the God of Heaven. This is why Saint Paul writes, "If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you"(Rom 8:11). Dear brothers, let us turn to the Virgin Mary, who is already participating in this Resurrection, to help us to say with faith: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God" (Jn 11:27), to discover that He really is our salvation. "
"For us death is like a wall - explained the pope - that prevents us from seeing beyond, yet our heart reaches out beyond this wall, and although we can not know what it hides, we think about it, we imagine it, expressing our desire for eternity with symbols".
He recalled that for a long time in the Jewish world there was no "idea of a personal resurrection from the dead, which appears only towards the end of the Old Testament, and still at the time of Jesus was not welcomed by all Jews ". Moreover, he added, "even among Christians, the belief in resurrection and eternal life is not infrequently accompanied by many doubts, much confusion because it is still a reality that transcends the limits of our reason, and requires an act of faith. "
In today's Gospel Jesus says: "I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, though he die, shall live" (John 11:25-26). "That's the real news - said the pope – that breaks down and overcomes all barriers! Christ breaks down the wall of death in Him dwells all the fullness of God, that is life, eternal life. This is why death had no power over him, and the resurrection of Lazarus is a sign of his complete mastery over physical death, that before God is like a sleep (cf. Jn 11:11). "
"But there's another death - concluded the pope - which cost Christ the hardest fight, even the price of the cross; it is spiritual death, sin, which threatens to ruin the life of every man. To defeat death Christ died, and his Resurrection is not a return to the previous life, but the opening of a new reality, a "new land", finally reunited with the God of Heaven. This is why Saint Paul writes, "If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you"(Rom 8:11). Dear brothers, let us turn to the Virgin Mary, who is already participating in this Resurrection, to help us to say with faith: "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God" (Jn 11:27), to discover that He really is our salvation. "