| Saturday morning, 9 May 2009, the Holy Father visited the ancient
Basilica of the Memorial of Moses at Mount Nebo. From this mount, Moses
gazed on the Promised Land from afar at the end of his pilgrimage. "His
example reminds us," said the Pope, "that we too are part of the ageless
pilgrimage of God’s people through history."
Father Minister General,
Father Custos,
Dear Friends,
In this holy place, consecrated by the memory of Moses, I greet all of
you with affection in our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank Father José
Rodríguez Carballo for his warm words of welcome. I also take this
occasion to renew my gratitude, and that of the whole Church, to the
Friars Minor of the Custody for their age-old presence in these lands,
their joyful fidelity to the charism of Saint Francis, and their
generous concern for the spiritual and material welfare of the local
Christian communities and the countless pilgrims who visit the Holy Land
each year. Here I wish to remember also, with particular gratitude, the
late Father Michele Piccirillo, who devoted his life to the study of
Christian antiquity and is buried in this shrine which was so dear to
him.
It is appropriate that my pilgrimage should begin on this mountain,
where Moses contemplated the Promised Land from afar. The magnificent
prospect which opens up from the esplanade of this shrine invites us to
ponder how that prophetic vision mysteriously embraced the great plan of
salvation which God had prepared for his People. For it was in the
valley of the Jordan which stretches out below us that, in the fullness
of time, John the Baptist would come to prepare the way of the Lord. It
was in the waters of the River Jordan that Jesus, after his baptism by
John, would be revealed as the beloved Son of the Father and, anointed
by the Holy Spirit, would inaugurate his public ministry. And it was
from the Jordan that the Gospel would first go forth in Christ’s own
preaching and miracles, and then, after his resurrection and the descent
of the Spirit at Pentecost, be brought by his disciples to the very ends
of the earth.
Here, on the heights of Mount Nebo, the memory of Moses invites us to
"lift up our eyes" to embrace with gratitude not only God’s mighty works
in the past, but also to look with faith and hope to the future which he
holds out to us and to our world. Like Moses, we too have been called by
name, invited to undertake a daily exodus from sin and slavery towards
life and freedom, and given an unshakeable promise to guide our journey.
In the waters of Baptism, we have passed from the slavery of sin to new
life and hope. In the communion of the Church, Christ’s Body, we look
forward to the vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, where God
will be all in all. From this holy mountain Moses directs our gaze on
high, to the fulfilment of all God’s promises in Christ.
Moses gazed upon the Promised Land from afar, at the end of his earthly
pilgrimage. His example reminds us that we too are part of the ageless
pilgrimage of God’s people through history. In the footsteps of the
prophets, the apostles and the saints, we are called to walk with the
Lord, to carry on his mission, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s
universal love and mercy. We are called to welcome the coming of
Christ’s Kingdom by our charity, our service to the poor, and our
efforts to be a leaven of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace in the
world around us. We know that, like Moses, we may not see the complete
fulfilment of God’s plan in our lifetime. Yet we trust that, by doing
our small part, in fidelity to the vocation each of us has received, we
will help to make straight the paths of the Lord and welcome the dawn of
his Kingdom. And we know that the God who revealed his name to Moses as
a pledge that he would always be at our side (cf. Ex 3:14) will give us
the strength to persevere in joyful hope even amid suffering, trial and
tribulation.
From the earliest times, Christians have come on pilgrimage to the sites
linked to the history of the Chosen People, the events of Christ’s life
and the nascent Church. This great tradition, which my present
pilgrimage is meant to continue and confirm, is grounded in the desire
to see, to touch, and to savor in prayer and contemplation the places
blessed by the physical presence of our Savior, his Blessed Mother, the
apostles and the first disciples who saw him risen from the dead. Here,
in the footsteps of the countless pilgrims who have preceded us in every
century, we are challenged to appreciate more fully the gift of our
faith and to grow in that communion which transcends every limit of
language, race and culture.
The ancient tradition of pilgrimage to the holy places also reminds us
of the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people. From
the beginning, the Church in these lands has commemorated in her liturgy
the great figures of the Patriarchs and Prophets, as a sign of her
profound appreciation of the unity of the two Testaments. May our
encounter today inspire in us a renewed love for the canon of Sacred
Scripture and a desire to overcome all obstacles to the reconciliation
of Christians and Jews in mutual respect and cooperation in the service
of that peace to which the word of God calls us!
Dear friends, gathered in this holy place, let us now raise our eyes and
our hearts to the Father. As we prepare to pray the prayer which Jesus
taught us, let us beg him to hasten the coming of his Kingdom so that we
may see the fulfilment of his saving plan, and experience, with Saint
Francis and all those pilgrims who have gone before us marked with the
sign of faith, the gift of untold peace – pax et bonum – which awaits us
in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Distributed by:
The Holy See Press Office
9 May 2009
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