Your gift counts double until 5/31: $27,385 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!

Put patient trust in God, Pope counsels university students

CWN - December 16, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI led university students in a Vespers service at St. Peter’s basilica on December 15, fulfilling an annual pre-Christmas tradition.

In his homily, the Holy Father offered a meditation on the advice of St. James that the faithful should “be patient until the coming of the Lord.” That advice might seem “anachronistic” to young people living in an age of constant and dramatic change, the Pope said. But patience, he said, “is in fact the way to a deeper understanding of the question of God and its importance in life and history.”

“God is not distant from man,” the Pope reminded the students. The Almighty is present and active in the world. “Patience,” he said, “is the virtue of those people who entrust themselves to this presence in history, who do not let themselves be drawn by the temptation to place all their hope in the present moment, in a purely horizontal perspective, in projects that are technically perfect but far distant from the profound truth that gives human beings their greatest dignity: the transcendent dimension, the fact of being created in the image and likeness of God.”

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($27,385 to go):
$80,000.00 $52,614.70
34% 66%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: bkmajer3729 - Dec. 16, 2011 9:23 PM ET USA

    Simplicity and prayer, patient trust in the Lord. Something all of us need to be reminded of from time to time. Thank you Pope Benedict.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

The Mystery of the Spirit 6 hours ago
Against a Facile Assurance of Salvation, the Need for Mystery 8 hours ago
Making Sense of Society: The Ebook 13 hours ago
An exorcism? No, a blessing. You'd think reporters would know the difference. 16 hours ago
Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child May 17

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8