Vatican City, Dec 1, 2008 / 10:10 am
Before praying the Angelus at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Benedict visited the Vatican Basilica of San Lorenzo to celebrate the 1,750th anniversary of St. Lawrence’s martyrdom.
In his homily the Holy Father spoke of the significance of Advent, explaining that "it means remembering the first coming of the Lord in the flesh, with our minds on His definitive return; at the same time, it means recognizing that Christ is present among us and is our traveling companion in the life of the Church which celebrates His mystery."
"'Come Lord Jesus,' this ardent invocation of the early Christian community must also become our constant aspiration, the aspiration of the Church in all ages which longs and prepares for the meeting with her Lord: 'Come today, Lord, help us, enlighten us, give us peace, help us to overcome violence, come Lord, we pray in these weeks, Lord bring Your face to shine and we will be saved.'"
The Pope then turned his attention to St. Lawrence’s care for the poor, "his generous service to the Church of Rome in the field of charity work, and his faithfulness to the Pope to the point of following him in the supreme trial of martyrdom."