"The word ‘Gospel’, back in Jesus’s time, was used by the Roman emperors in their proclamations. They used to be defined as the ‘tidings’, i.e. the announcements of salvations. Applying this word to Jesus’s preaching therefore had a powerfully critical value, as if to say: God, not the emperor, is the Lord of the world, and Jesus Christ’s is the real Gospel". This was recalled by the Pope, who, at yesterday’s Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square, spoke at length of the beginning of "Christ’s public mission", which "basically consists in preaching the Kingdom of God and the healing of the sick, to prove this kingdom has come near, or better, that it is by now amidst us". The "tidings" which Jesus proclaims, according to Benedict XVI, can be summed up by these words: “The Kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is near". A phrase, this one, that "certainly does not mean an earthly kingdom, limited in space and time, but announces that it is God who reigns, that God is the Lord and that His Lordship is present, that it is now, that it is taking place. The novelty in Christ’s message is therefore that God in Him has come near, He reigns amidst us by now, as is proven by the miracles and the healings He works". "God’s Lordship concluded the Pope materialises in the full healing of man. The Kingdom of God is life conquering death, it is the light of truth dispelling the darkness of ignorance and lie".
