'Lectio Divina' by Benedict XVI for seminarians of the Diocese of Rome

Benedict XVI recommended a new way of thinking as non-conformist Christians to seminarians of the Diocese of Rome during the Lectio Divina held yesterday evening, Wednesday 15 February. The occasion was his traditional visit to the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary for the Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Trust. On this occasion the Pope spoke extemporaneously for about 20 minutes, improvising a reflection on the biblical passage of the Letter to the Romans (12:1-2),which had just been proclaimed. After recalling that “the Church of the future, the Church which lives for ever” is found in seminarians, the Pontiff pointed out that, as happened in the Apostle Paul's times, today too a lot is being said about the Church of Rome. He expressed the wish, “we hope that people are also speaking of our faith, of the exemplary faith of this Church”. Moreover, in Benedict XVI's opinion, the Reading offered several up-to-date inspirations; starting with the fact that it recalls “Christian non-conformism”. “This”, he explained, “does not mean that Christians flee from the world but on the contrary, that they let themselves be transformed by their faith in order thereby to transform the world. In this regard he explained that the word “world” has two different meanings: creation, loved by God to the point that he gave himself for its salvation; but also the world represented by the powers of evil that reflect original sin. And today Benedict XVI identifies this latter aspect in two great powers: finance and the media. Necessary because in themselves they are “useful and good”, they are both “so easy to abuse that they often become the contrary of their true intentions”. Against the conformism of submission to these powers, the Pope thus reaffirmed the importance of being rather than having. “We do not want”, he said to the future priests of Rome, “always to be praised, we do not want appearances but the truth”, because, he concluded, this alone gives us true freedom from the need to please, or to speak as the mass thinks”.