Beware of Too Much Activity, Says Pope

Can Lead to "Hardness of Heart"

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy,
AUG. 20, 2006
Zenit.org

Benedict XVI warned of the danger of falling into "hardness of heart" as a result of excessive daily occupations. Addressing several thousand people gathered today in the courtyard of the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus, the Pope suggested that prayer and contemplation take precedence in the "surge" of daily life. The Holy Father spoke of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), a doctor of the Church whose feast day is today, as an example of one who knew how to balance prayer with activity. The saint wrote in a letter to Pope Eugene III: "See where these accursed occupations can lead you, if you continue to lose yourself in them -- without leaving anything of yourself for yourself." Benedict XVI said: "It is necessary to pay attention to the dangers of excessive activity, regardless of one's condition and occupation, observes the saint, because -- as he said to the Pope of that time, and to all Popes and to all of us -- numerous occupations often lead to 'hardness of heart,' 'they are no more than suffering for the spirit, loss of intelligence and dispersion of grace.'" "This admonition is valid for all kinds of occupations, including those inherent to the governance of the Church," the Pope added in his address which elicited much applause among those present. Many of the crowd, unable to enter the overcrowded courtyard, heard his words from outside the papal residence. Priorities "How useful for us also is this call to the primacy of prayer!" said the Bishop of Rome. The Holy Father said St. Bernard "was able to harmonize the monk's aspiration for solitude and the tranquility of the cloister with the urgency of the important and complex missions in the service of the Church." "For him, love is the greatest force of the spiritual life," the Pontiff said. "God, who is love, creates man out of love and out of love rescues him." Benedict XVI also presented one of the most famous Marian counsels of St. Bernard: "Whoever you are that perceive yourself during this mortal existence to be rather drifting in treacherous waters, at the mercy of the winds and the waves, than walking on firm ground, turn not away your eyes from the splendor of this guiding star, unless thou wish to be submerged by the storm. "Look at the star, call upon Mary. ... With her for guide, you shall not go astray, while invoking her, you shall never lose heart ... if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."