Vatican City, Sep 19, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Before praying the Angelus at Castelgandolfo on Sunday, Pope John Paul II shared his reflections on the presence of evil in the world today and God’s answer in the death of His Son on the Cross.
"In the face of evil, which shows itself in many forms in the world," he said, "man, afflicted and disconcerted, asks himself 'Why?' At this dawn of the third millennium, blessed by the Great Jubilee and rich in so many possibilities, mankind is marked by the disturbing spread of terrorism. The succession of atrocious attacks on human life upsets and worries consciences and provokes in believers the tormented question that occurs in the Psalms: 'Why, Lord? Up to what point?"
The Holy Father said that "God answered this anguishing question which comes from the scandal of evil, not with an explanation of principle, almost as if to justify it, but with the sacrifice of His own Son on the Cross. In the death of Jesus the apparent triumph of evil and the definitive victory of good come together; the darkest moment in history and the revelation of divine glory; the breaking point and the center of attraction and re-composition of the universe. 'I', said Jesus, 'when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself'."
The Pope concluded by stating that "the Cross of Christ is an icon of hope for all believers, because on it the saving plan of God's love was fulfilled. For this reason the liturgy several days ago invited us to celebrate the exaltation of the holy Cross, a feast from which every believer draws comfort and courage."