VATICAN CITY, MARCH 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI delivered during a Mass dedicated to workers, in anticipation of Monday's feast of St. Joseph.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We have heard together a well-known passage of the Book of Exodus, in which the holy author recounts God's giving of the Decalogue to Israel.
A detail causes an immediate impression: The enunciation of the Commandments is introduced by a significant reference to the liberation of the people of Israel. The text says: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:20). The Decalogue, therefore, is a confirmation of the freedom won.
In fact, if the Commandments are examined in depth, they are the means the Lord gives us to defend our freedom both from the internal conditionings of the passions as well as from the external abuses of the malicious. The "no's" of the Commandments are as many "yes's" to the growth of authentic freedom. There is a second dimension in the Decalogue which must also be emphasized: Through the Law given by Moses' hand, the Lord reveals that he wills to conclude a covenant with Israel.
Therefore, more than an imposition, the Law is a gift. More than commanding what man must do, the Law manifests God's choice to all: He is on the side of the chosen people; he has delivered them from slavery and surrounds them with merciful kindness. The Decalogue is a testimony of a love of predilection.
