9 Dicembre 2009 -11 :14 pagina 533 e : /0693_9 /Lavoro /Acta_Giugno_9.3d GRECCO

This ancient Memorial of the Anástasis bears mute witness both to the

burden of our past, with its failings, misunderstandings and conflicts, and to

the glorious promise which continues to radiate from Christ's empty tomb.

This holy place, where God's power was revealed in weakness, and human

sufferings were transfigured by divine glory, invites us to look once again

with the eyes of faith upon the face of the crucified and risen Lord. Contem-

plating his glorified flesh, completely transfigured by the Spirit, may we

come to realize more fully that even now, through Baptism, "we bear in

our bodies the death of Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in

our own mortal flesh".4 Even now, the grace of the Resurrection is at work

within us! May our contemplation of this mystery spur our efforts, both as

individuals and as members of the ecclesial community, to grow in the life of

the Spirit through conversion, penance and prayer. May it help us to over-

come, by the power of that same Spirit, every conflict and tension born of the

flesh, and to remove every obstacle, both within and without, standing in the

way of our common witness to Christ and the reconciling power of his love.

With these words of encouragement, dear friends, I conclude my pilgri-

mage to the holy places of our redemption and rebirth in Christ. I pray that

the Church in the Holy Land will always draw new strength from its contem-

plation of the empty tomb of the Savior. In that tomb it is called to bury all

its anxieties and fears, in order to rise again each day and continue its

journey through the streets of Jerusalem, Galilee and beyond, proclaiming

the triumph of Christ's forgiveness and the promise of new life. As Christians,

we know that the peace for which this strife-torn land yearns has a name:

Jesus Christ. "He is our peace", who reconciled us to God in one body

through the Cross, bringing an end to hostility.5 Into his hands, then, let

us entrust all our hope for the future, just as in the hour of darkness he

entrusted his spirit into the Father's hands.

Allow me to conclude with a special word of fraternal encouragement to

my brother Bishops and priests, and to the men and women religious who

serve the beloved Church in the Holy Land. Here, before the empty tomb, at

the very heart of the Church, I invite you to rekindle the enthusiasm of your

consecration to Christ and your commitment to loving service of his mystical

Body. Yours is the immense privilege of bearing witness to Christ in this, the

land which he sanctified by his earthly presence and ministry. In pastoral

charity enable your brothers and sisters, and all the inhabitants of this land,

Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 533

4 2 Cor 4:10-11. 5 Cfr. Eph 2:14.