A Great Message

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -- Pope Benedict said in his Christmas message on Monday that mankind, which has reached other planets and worships technology, cannot live without God or turn its back on the hungry.

It was shameful that in "this age of plenty and unbridled consumerism" many remained deaf to the "heart-rending cry" of those dying of hunger, thirst, disease, poverty, war and terrorism.

In his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message, he made a heartfelt appeal for peace and justice in the Middle East, an end to the "brutal violence" in Iraq and a solution to fratricidal conflicts in Darfur and other parts of Africa.

"Does a 'Saviour' still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium?" he asked in his address to tens of thousands of people in a sunny St. Peter's Square.

"Is a 'Saviour' still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe; for a humanity which knows no limits in its pursuit of nature's secrets and which has succeeded even in deciphering the marvelous codes of the human genome?"

"Is a Saviour needed by a humanity which has invented interactive communication, which navigates in the virtual ocean of the Internet and, thanks to the most advanced modern communications technologies, has now made the Earth, our great common home, a global village?"

The Pope, marking the second Christmas season of his pontificate, said that while 21st century man appeared to be a master of his own destiny, "perhaps he needs a saviour all the more" because much of humanity still suffered.

"People continue to die of hunger and thirst, disease and poverty, in this age of plenty and of unbridled consumerism," he said from the central balcony of Christendom's largest church.

"Some people remain enslaved, exploited and stripped of their dignity; others are victims of racial and religious hatred, hampered by intolerance and discrimination, and by political interference and physical or moral coercion with regard to the free profession of their faith," he said.

"Others see their own bodies and those of their dear ones, particularly their children, maimed by weaponry, by terrorism and by all sorts of violence, at a time when everyone invokes and acclaims progress, solidarity and peace for all," he said.

In his address, the Pope also made a reference to the controversial case of Piergiorgio Welby, a paralyzed Italian man who was denied a Catholic service because he had asked to die.

"What are we to think of those who choose death in the belief that they are celebrating life?" he said.

Taken from CNN.com

This is the message that the Pope gave to the world last night, and its one of the better ones ive heard lately from him. Call it what you wanna call it, this message hits the roots of culture and society, it asks the question, Does God even FIT anymore in the world today? Certainly not in our western consumerisitic and capitalistic culture he doesnt, and its hard for even him to get himself back into it.

Some people dont like the idea of the Pope and therefore dismiss his messages, Why? Hes influential, whop-ti-do if hes catholic, they are in the same boat we are. They are christians too, they just do things different, just like every denomination. His messages, unlike others ive heard in various institutions over the years, are relevant, and thought provoking. (I wouldnt be writing this if he didnt make me think)

I sat up last night playing some poker and looking for Landscape backgrounds from Europe for my desktop. I was listening to some pretty epic music, stuff you would hear when you were in such a place being conveying on these desktops. You could say i had a God moment but i hate saying that, so i had a cool experience. From the images i saw i could see how real God was, and how cool he made things. Some of these landscapes were breathtaking. Epic, if you will.

Not many people i know care about this stuff, or at least dont say it, its generally uncool. Who cares, i am what i am. I was watching the CNN presents After Jesus, and honestly, the mysterious, traditional Jesus that was in the early days of the church, is more appealing then the buddy Jesus that is protrayed today. Im supposed to Fear God, in a good way (or maybe not), but nevertheless fear him. I dont anymore, and thats because it almost seems that God is equal to us, hes our best bud. Thats all fine and dandy but what happened to a powerful protrayal of God, one that can strike fear into man, and also show amazing love as well. God is all powerful, ill just say hes the ultimate ass-kicker, and the ultimate lover. God, to me, is more then just my bud. Hes power, physical power. Hes Mysterious, and i like it. I dont feel i need to know everthing about him anymore.

I guess what im trying to say is that people forget about God, and not just at this time, in fact people remember Jesus the most at this time, but fall too consumerism at the same time. When i was watching that CNN presents comments i heard where "this is boring" and "turn the hockey back on". Ahh, makes sense i guess, now who would wanna learn about their God, or who their religion came to be? Christianity has become consumer-oriented, like christmas. Screw the background stuff, just embrace the here and now and you'll get through it no problem. Come on, history is beautiful, the Bible isnt the only history thats been recorded, wake the hell up people. The bible coincides with alot of other history at the time. Theres a reason why they now have an archielogical bible (Best Bible ever) My guess is that most people wouldnt be able to explain to me the above picture, and all its symbols. Most probably couldnt even point out what those symbols are.

So this Christmas i will spend some time learning more about God, finding out how this all came to be. And ill revere God on this day and revel in his mystery. Today i wont look at him as my buddy, but as a God, like the Romans looked at their Gods. Because it seems to be the only way to see the true POWER of God, without watering him down as your buddy buddy. Today i will stand in awe of God, i will forget the consumer christmas and remember the Chrisitan Christmas and remember the only gift il ever need.