Spiritual
Orientation
Who is man? How is the world to
be interpreted?
Where is the God’s place in the modern vision of the world?
Two essentially incompatible,
completely
contradictory viewpoints, answer these fundamental questions with which
mankind
has always struggled.
The
first worldview is
the Christian. The Christian
vision of man is rooted in Divine Revelation and in reason, and because
of
Divine Revelation finds its way to its true sources and heights and is
reflected in Catholic teaching. Accordingly, man is created in
God’s image,
imago Dei, created by God who is love. The height of his humanity, as
shown in
the first book of the Bible, was lost by man’s own fault;
original sin wounded
man's God-given integrity. But God, who is love, takes his love to such
an
extreme that he sent his only son in order to miraculously restore
man’s
dignity. Jesus Christ, the author of life, He in whom everything was
created
before time began, is born of the Immaculate woman. He subordinated
himself to
the law and gave his life on the cross. Then, in unsurpassable
dedication to
mankind, he opened again the door to paradise.
In this
Christian realist view
of mankind - in view of his interconnected debt as well as his
inalienable
dignity as a child of God, in view of his need for redemption as well
as the
gift of salvation, found through only one Savior, Jesus Christ - opens
up a
vision of life, in which it is clear, that every life, even life in
general,
only in Christ the Redeemer, can
find
his abundance fullness creation according Creation conformable /
appropriate
wealth, and that furthermore, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, mother of the
Redeemer, and free of original sin is indispensible to
Christ’s work of
salvation.
Throughout
history, the Church
has unfailingly presented its vision of life in a multitude of
documents and
doctrinal statements, which, presented ever anew, serve as signposts,
according
to its mandate, that only the truth, of which man is quite capable of,
can make
men free. Here, in the proclamation of the Magisterium, is the
“principium et fundamentum”,
which man,
in all his desires and ontological orientations, will be truly just and
which
can be described as Christian humanism.
This
compares to a concept that can be classified as inhumane humanism. Faith and
Reason
enlightened by faith play no role in this framework. Accordingly, the
idea of
freedom which tends toward the Christian view of the pre-administration
and
co-administration of the truth is re-interpreted. Freedom is now fully
moved
into the available area of man. Freedom, as they say, is only valid as
emancipated. Emancipated means: Detached from any ontology or
transcendence.
Man is thus only regarded in his earthly existence. Eternity, God, or
even
redemption become words that are either meaningless or are
reinterpreted into
mere worldly terms. This means it is valid to create eternity in the
present.
Man attempts play “God” and “save
himself” and thereby succumbs to the
temptation: “eritis sicut Deus”, ye shall be as
God. The scientists, the
doers/progressives (men of action), researchers, and the population
controllers
take the place of God. The creature is now being produced. Life is a
logical
consistency no longer sacrosanct, but an object that is to be
manipulated when
it does not fit in the framework of the new freedom ideology. Children,
when
they are inconvenient or “in the way” of their
parents’ freedom, can now be
legally aborted in the name of so-called "freedom of choice”
(choice).
Embryos are degraded with terms such as: “supernumerary
embryo”, “research
subjects”, etc. Disabled
unborn children
fall victim to eugenic racism. The elderly are all the more often sent
to a more
speedy, cost efficient death, euphemistically called “death
with dignity”. All
this is done under the flag of philanthropy and prosperity, which
actually
broadly promotes social Darwinism, whereby weak and "those unworthy of
life" are ruthlessly weeded out. Large international organizations,
whether International Planned Parenthood Federation, Marie Stopes, UN
departments or NGOs, backed by powerful and influential donors and
corporations, implant the new agenda which always includes worldwide
contraception and also exert massive control and massive pressure on
countries
which oppose this culture of death.
The result of
the inhumane
humanism: Destroyed souls and countries (especially the rich countries,
where
the anti-culture of death has wreaked havoc for decades), which are
dying
nations.
That said, the 5th His World Prayer Congress for Life (in
Rome, the heart of
Catholicism), wants to be a clear signs of the times, in that it will
clearly
identify the threats of the anti-culture of death, in order to then
show more
decisively the path of healing and salvation. Concretely praying and
sacrificing, we make our way along this path to promoting the Culture
of Life.
In continuation
with the
previous congresses in
1.
Tuesday
– In
principio
Any true reflection on life has
to take Christ
as its starting point. He is the beginning, the origin, the
“logos”. He
is the light and life. He is the only one
who has revealed the Father. (1 Jn. 1: 18)
2.
Wednesday
– Lux
"For with you is the fountain
of life, and
in your light we see light", thus sings the psalmist (36.10). In His light, the provisions of man are,
in fact, clarified. In the last century, the Catholic Magisterium has
issued
many position statements related to questions of marriage and family,
sexuality, protection and dignity of human life, global human
development, etc.
The second day of the congress is devoted therefore to the fundamental
perspectives of the Magisterium, in order to clearly and unambiguously
explain
the great perspective of the Catholic Church to the people.
3.
Thursday
(Feast of the Holy Rosary) – Lux
in tenebris
"I call heaven and earth today
to witness
against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the
curse.
Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live" is the clear
statement in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 30.19).
It is valid today to make this
choice newly
evident. What does it mean to choose the culture of life? What does it
mean to
choose the culture of death? The individual sections of this congress
day show
the beauty and brilliance of the Christian vision contrasted with the
ugliness
and destructive power of inhumane humanism. The lectures presented here
illustrate this too: Despite the attractive violence and medial pomp of
the
anti-culture of death, the light shines in the darkness. And the
Immaculate
Virgin Mary is a pure reflection of that light.
4.
Friday
– Verbum caro
This is the unfathomable
mystery: God
becomes man. "In the Word made Flesh
is already stated the dedication of the victim to the mystery of the
Cross and
the mystery of the coming Paschal sacrament" (Joseph Ratzinger / Pope
Benedict).
The focus of this day - in
addition to the
presentations this morning, which deepen the thematic of Thursday - is
a
special Mass of Atonement which will take in the afternoon at St.
Peter’s
Basilica. At this Mass, we will have a symbolic handing-over ceremony
whereby
all congress participants will represent the various nations of the
world and
will offer up the guilt and sins of these nations (especially sins
against
life) and in this public act of renouncement, will bring these sins to
the Foot
of the Cross, where we triumphantly await that they are transformed by
Christ’s
Sacrifice on the Cross and will bring the whole world God’s
forgiveness,
salvation and new beginnings.
5.
Saturday
– Gratia
The Truth, which shines in
Christ, since Christ
is the Truth, will not only be
recognized, but also take action. Grace will bear fruit when man opens
himself
to the workings of grace and practices the works of mercy
Healing the wounds of abortion
– this is today, at a
time when abortion has
become a nationally recognized “right”, one of the
most urgent works of
mercy. How can this
work be done
concretely? Speakers
from different
countries, who have actively worked for many years in Christian Post
Abortion
Healing Ministry, report from their experience and expertise.
6.
Sunday
– Gloria