"Material riches, to which so many become attached, are not an absolute good and do not provide a path to salvation", said Pope Benedict XVI.

In a Aug. 5 Angelus address to pilgrims and tourists gathered at the papal summer residence here, Pope Benedict called upon the faithful to heed Christ’s warning not to be attached to material wealth, but rather to put their trust in the treasure in heaven. “Material riches, although a good, are not an absolute good,” the pope said, adding that "they are no assurance of salvation, but can, in fact, seriously compromise it."

The pope stressed that Christ was clear in his warning "to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, everything passes, everything can end suddenly". "The real treasure for which we Christians must tirelessly seek," Pope Benedict said, "lies in the things from above, there where Christ can be found at the right hand of the father."

He noted that Aug. 5 marked the 1,575th anniversary of the celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, the first basilica dedicated to the virgin Mary in 432 by Pope Sixtus III. That feast, he said, points the faithful to call on "the virgin … to sustain us" so that "as we bend the earth to our will we are not blinded by the short-sightedness of greed, but we continue to strive for that which is good in the eyes of God". He also remembered Pope Paul VI, who was "called into the heavenly house of the father" in death 29 years earlier on Aug. 6, 1978. "His memory invites us to raise our eyes to heaven and to faithfully serve the Lord and the church, as he did in the difficult years of the last century".

After reciting the Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict XVI recalled a Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist, who died earlier in the week and whose funeral was held Aug. 3. "I warmly remember this noble pastor who loved his church and gave a great and positive contribution to relations between Catholics and Orthodox," Pope Benedict said, adding that the patriarch was constant in encouraging theological dialogue between the churches.

"May his memory be eternal.' That is how the Orthodox liturgy concludes the funeral rite of all of those who find eternal rest in the Lord," the pope said. "Let us pray to God that he welcome our brother into the kingdom of light conceding him rest and peace promised to the faithful servants of the gospel".


(www.catholic.org)