Pope says society needs cross as reminder of people's shared dignity.

Amen to that.

The crucifix should be present in public and private places because this external symbol of God's presence is a reminder of humanity's shared God-given dignity, Pope Benedict XVI said.

"The modern world believed that by putting God aside" and following man's ideas and desires people could "become truly free," but that did not happen, the pope said during his homily at Mass Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The pope's comments came while he celebrated Mass at St. Thomas Church in Castel Gandolfo, where the papal summer residence is located south of Rome.

Only by exalting God's greatness, just as Mary did in her hymn of praise, the Magnificat, can people become great, the pope said in remarks apart from his prepared text.

The Magnificat is Luke 1:46-55.

"We must apply all this to our daily lives: It is important that God be great among us in both public and private life," he said.

It is important that "God be present in the symbol of the cross in public places, (that) God be present in our communal life because only if God is present (will) we have a guide, a common path," the pope said.

Without God, people lose their "divine dignity" and become "only a product of a blind evolution," he said.

By not recognizing humanity's divine dignity, people "can be used and abused," he said.

But it is this shared "splendor of God in one's face" that gives humanity the common ground it needs in the public sphere, the pope said.

Without recognizing God's presence, people have "nothing left in common" and "differences become irreconcilable," he said.

The pope emphasized that making God great in public and private life meant making "room for God every day," including morning prayer and "giving Sunday to God.

"Spending more time with God does not make one "lose time" or freedom, rather it makes the day "greater, fuller, richer," the pope said.

After celebrating the morning Mass, the pope also marked the feast of the Assumption with a noon blessing in the courtyard of the papal villa.

He said the Marian feast day is a reminder that "heaven is our final dwelling place" and that Mary is calling on people to welcome God's will with open arms.

The pope said in his Aug. 15 Angelus that Mary asks the faithful "to not be seduced by fallacies adorned with that which is ephemeral and transient, and to not give in to the temptations of egoism and evil that extinguish the joy of life from one's heart."

In an Aug. 14 Angelus address from the papal summer residence, Pope Benedict also encouraged people not to give up hope in God even during times of great trial.

God "never closes his eyes before the needs of his children, and if sometimes he seems unfeeling to their requests it is only to put them to the test and toughen their faith," he said.
(Thanks to the Catholic News Service for the heads up.)