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1. "Teacher, where are you staying?" (Jn 1: 38). This is the question which Jesus was asked one day by two young men. This happened on the banks of the Jordan. Jesus had gone there to receive the baptism of John. But the Baptist, when he saw Jesus coming towards him, said: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (Jn 1: 36). These prophetic words indicated the Redeemer, the one who was to give his life for the salvation of the world. And so, even from the baptism in the Jordan, John pointed out the Crucified One. In fact, two disciples of John, upon hearing these words, followed Jesus. Is this not significant? When Jesus asks them: "What do you seek?" (Jn 1: 38), they answer him with a question of their own: "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" (ibid.). Jesus replies: "Come and see". "They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day" (Jn 1: 39). They became the first disciples of Jesus. One of them was Andrew, who also brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus.
Dear friends, I am happy to be able to meditate upon this
Gospel with you, together with the Cardinals and Bishops who have joined
us. I am pleased to greet them. I would like to thank Archbishop James
Francis Stafford and the Pontifical Council for the Laity for their diligent
preparation of this beautiful gathering, following Cardinal Eduardo Pironio,
who has worked so hard for the World Youth Days. I am grateful to Cardinal
Jean-Marie Lustiger for his welcome, to Bishop Michel Dubost and to the
Bishops of France and those from many countries of the world who are accompanying you and who have guided your reflections. My cordial greeting also goes
to the concelebrating priests, the men and women religious, and the leaders
of your movements and diocesan groups.
I thank our brothers and sisters from other Christian
communities, as well as the civil authorities, for their presence and for
their participation in this liturgical celebration.
In greeting you again, I wish in particular to express
affection and encouragement to the handicapped among you; we are all grateful
that you are with us and have brought your testimony of faith and hope.
In the name of all present, I would also like to express
gratitude to the many volunteers who have worked so hard and so effectively
in organizing this gathering. I would like to say "bravo" to the
volunteers for their sense of responsibility. Let us return to the Gospel.
2. The few lines of the Gospel of John which we have
just heard sum up the programme of World Youth Day: it is an exchange
of questions, and then an answer which is also an appeal. In presenting
this encounter with Jesus, today's liturgy wants to show that which counts
most in your lives. As the Successor of Peter, I too have come to invite
you to ask Christ: "Where are you staying?". If you ask him this
question sincerely, you will be able to hear his response and receive from
him the courage and strength to carry it out.
The question is born of a quest. Men and women seek God.
Young people realize in the depths of their being that this quest is the
inner law of their lives. Human beings seek their way in the visible world
and, through the visible world, they seek the unseen world at every stage
of their spiritual journey. Each of us can repeat the words of the Psalmist:
"Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your face from me" (Ps 27
[26]: 8-9). We all have our personal history and an innate desire
to see God, a desire which makes itself felt at the same time as we discover
the created world. This world is wonderful and rich; it sets before us
countless treasures; it enchants us; it attracts both our reason and our
will. But in the end it does not satisfy our spirit. Man realizes that
this world, with all its many riches, is superficial and precarious; in
a sense, it is destined for death. Nowadays, we are more aware of the fragility
of our earth, too often degraded by the hand of man himself, to whom the
Creator entrusted it.
As regards man himself, each person comes into the world,
is born from a mother's womb, grows and matures. We discover our vocation
and develop our personality throughout our years of activity; then the
moment comes when we must leave this world. The longer we live, the more
we realize how precarious life is, and the more we wonder about immortality:
what exists beyond the frontiers of death? Then, from the depths of our
being, there arises the same question asked of the one who conquered death:
"Rabbi, where are you staying?". Teacher, you who love and respect
the human person, you who have shared in human suffering, you who illumine
the mystery of human existence, help us to discover the true meaning of
our life and vocation! "Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not your
face from me" (Ps 27 [26]: 8-9).
3. On the banks of the Jordan, and much later still,
the disciples failed to realize who Jesus truly was. It took them a long
time to understand the mystery of the Son of God. We too have an innate
desire to know the one who reveals the face of God. Christ answered the
question of his disciples by way of his entire messianic mission. He taught
and, in order to confirm the truth of what he proclaimed, he worked great
miracles, healing the sick, raising the dead, calming the storms of the
sea. But this whole extraordinary journey reached its fulfilment on Golgotha.
It is by contemplating Christ on the Cross, with the eyes of faith, that
we can "see" who the Saviour really is: the one who bore our sufferings,
the just man who made his life a sacrifice and who would bring righteousness
to many (cf. Is 53: 4,10-11).
St Paul sums up the highest wisdom in today's second reading
with these striking words: "The word of the Cross is folly to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart'.... Since, in the wisdom
of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through
the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.... We preach Christ
crucified" (1 Cor 1: 18-23). The Apostle was speaking to the people
of his time, to the children of Israel who had received God's revelation
on Mount Sinai and to the Greeks who had developed an impressive human
wisdom, a great philosophy. But now, the unsurpassable culmination of wisdom
is the crucified Christ, not only because of his words, but because he
delivered himself up for the salvation of humanity.
With his remarkable fervour, St Paul repeats: "We
preach Christ crucified". He whom the world considered as nothing but weakness
and folly is the one whom we proclaim as Power and Wisdom, the fullness
of Truth. It is true that our confidence has its highs and lows. Certainly
our vision of faith is often darkened by doubt and by our own weakness.
Humble and poor sinners that we are, let us accept the message of the Cross.
In order to answer our question: "Rabbi, where are you staying?",
Christ summons us: come and see; in the Cross you will see the radiant
sign of the world's redemption, the loving presence of the living God.
Because Christians realize that the Cross dominates history, they place
the crucifix in their churches and along roadsides, or they wear it near
their hearts. For the Cross is a genuine sign of the presence of the Son
of God; by this sign he is revealed as the Redeemer of the world. In hoc
signo vinces.
4. "Rabbi, where are you staying?". Each day
the Church responds: Christ is present in the Eucharist, in the sacrament
of his Death and Resurrection. In and through the Eucharist, you acknowledge
the dwelling-place of the living God in human history. For the Eucharist
is the sacrament of the love which conquers death; it is the sacrament
of the Covenant, pure gift of love for the reconciliation of all humanity.
It is the gift of the real presence of Jesus the Redeemer, in the bread
which is his Body given up for us, in the wine which is his Blood poured
out for all. Thanks to the Eucharist, constantly renewed among all the
peoples of the world, Christ continues to build his Church: he brings
us together in praise and thanksgiving for salvation, in the communion
which only infinite love can forge. Our worldwide gathering now takes on
its fullest meaning, through the celebration of Mass. Dear young friends,
may your presence here mean a true commitment in faith! For Christ is now
answering your own question and the questions of all those who seek the
living God. He answers by offering an invitation: this is my Body, take
it and eat. To the Father he entrusts his supreme desire: that all those
whom he loves may be one in the same communion.
5. The response to the question "Teacher, where
do you live?" involves many aspects. It has an historical, paschal and
sacramental dimension. Today's first reading suggests yet another aspect
of the answer to the question which is the theme of the World Youth Day:
Christ dwells among his People. This is the people mentioned in the Book
of Deuteronomy in relation to the history of Israel: "It is because
the Lord loves you ... that [he] has brought you out with a mighty hand
and redeemed you from the house of bondage.... Know therefore that the
Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his covenant ... to a
thousand generations" (Dt 7: 8-9). Israel is the people whom God
chose for himself and with whom he made a Covenant.
In the New Covenant, God's election has been extended
to all the peoples of the earth. In Jesus Christ, God has chosen all humanity
for his own. Through the Redemption he has revealed the universality of
his election. In Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek, nor slave or
free; all are now one (cf. Gal 3: 28). Everyone is called to share
in God's life, thanks to the Death and Resurrection of Christ. Does not
our encounter at this World Youth Day reflect this truth? All of you, assembled
here from many countries and continents, bear witness to the universal
vocation of the People of God redeemed by Christ! The ultimate answer to
the question "Teacher, where are you staying?" should then be understood
as: I live in all the human beings who have been saved. Yes, Christ dwells
in his People, the People which has struck root among all the peoples of
the earth, the People which follows him, the crucified and risen Lord,
the Redeemer of the world, the Teacher who has the words of everlasting
life, the one who is "the Head of the new and universal people
of the children of God" (Lumen gentium, n. 13). The Second Vatican Council
has said it wonderfully: "Christ has shared with us his Spirit
who, being one and the same being in Head and members, gives life to, unifies
and moves the whole body" (ibid., n. 7). Thanks to the Church which gives
us a share in the very life of the Lord, all of us can now repeat Peter's
words to Jesus: "To whom shall we go? To whom else shall we go?"
(cf. Jn 6: 68).
6. Dear young people, your journey does not end here.
Time does not come to a halt. Go forth now along the roads of the world,
along the pathways of humanity, while remaining ever united in Christ's
Church!
Continue to contemplate God's glory and God's love, and
you will receive the enlightenment needed to build the civilization of
love, to help our brothers and sisters to see the world transfigured by
God's eternal wisdom and love.
Forgiven and reconciled, be faithful to the Baptism which
you have received! Be witnesses to the Gospel! As active and responsible
members of the Church, be disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ who reveals
the Father! And abide always in the unity of the Spirit who is the giver
of life!
(©L'Osservatore Romano - Weekly edition in english
27 - 08 - 1997)
1. At the close of this World Youth Day in France, I wish to recall the great figure of St Theresa of Lisieux, who entered into Life 100 years ago.
This young Carmelite was entirely captivated by the love of God. She lived the radical offering of herself in response to that love. In the simplicity of daily life she also knew how to practise fraternal love. Imitating Jesus, she willingly sat at the table of sinners, her brothers and sisters, so that they might be purified by love, for she was animated by an ardent desire to see everyone "enlightened by the luminous torch of faith" (cf. Ms C, 6 r°).
Theresa was familiar with physical suffering and the testing of faith. But she remained faithful because in her great spiritual understanding she knew that God was just and merciful; she perceived that love is more something received from God than something given by man. In the depths of darkness, she placed her hope in Jesus, the suffering Servant who gave his life for many (cf. Is 53: 12).
2. Theresa always had the book of the Gospels at hand (cf. Letter 193). She penetrated its message with an extraordinary certainty of judgement. She understood that in the life of God, Father, Son and Spirit, "love and faithfulness meet" (Ps 85: 10). In a few years, she ran "a giant's course" (Ms A, 44 v°). She discovered that her vocation was to be love itself in the heart of the Church. Humble and poor, Theresa shows the "little way" of children who confide in the Father with "bold trust". The heart of her message, her spiritual attitude, is for all the faithful.
Theresa's teaching, a true science of love, is the luminous expression of her knowledge of the mystery of Christ and of her personal experience of grace; she helps the men and women of today, and she will help those of tomorrow, to be more aware of the gifts of God and to spread the Good News of his infinite love.
3. Carmelite and apostle, mistress of spiritual wisdom for many consecrated persons and lay people, patroness of the missions, St Theresa has a privileged place in the Church. Her eminent teaching deserves to be considered among the most fruitful.
In response to many requests, and after attentive study, I have the joy to announce that on Mission Sunday, 19 October 1997, in St Peter's Basilica in Rome, I will proclaim St Theresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face a doctor of the Church.
I have wished solemnly to announce this event here, because the message of St Theresa, a holy young woman so present to our times, is of particular interest to you, young people. In the school of the Gospel she indicates to you the path of Christian maturity. She calls you to an infinite generosity; she invites you remain in the heart of the Church as disciples and ardent witnesses of Christ's charity.
Let us invoke St Theresa so that she will lead the men and women of our times on the path of Truth and Life!
With Theresa let us turn to the Virgin Mary, whom she honoured and to whom she prayed with filial confidence throughout her life.
Before leading the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. To the English-speaking he said:
It is time for us to say goodbye! As you go back to your family and friends, in all the many countries from which you come, bring the joy and the light of Christ with you.
"Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, yesterday, today and forever" (cf. Heb 13: 8). He is the only true beacon of hope for the human family, called to overcome enormous challenges on the way to genuine freedom, justice and peace among peoples and nations. He is also the Teacher who sheds light on the path of each one of us. He is our courage and our strength.
The Pope invites you to entrust yourselves to him, to follow wherever he calls. May the Holy Spirit fill you with wisdom and courage. Do not be afraid! The victory already belongs to Christ. And each one of you is an important part of his mission and his victory. The grace of Christ be with you always!
At the end of his greetings the Holy Father said:
Dear young people, I am making an appointment with you for the next World Youth Day in Rome, during the summer of the Year 2000. I am sure that you will come in great numbers to this extraordinary meeting. During the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 we will share an experience of spiritual communion that will certainly leave its mark on your lives. Time will tell. Thank you for the splendid days in Paris. See you in Rome.
(©L'Osservatore Romano - Weekly edition in english 27 - 08 - 1997)
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Copyright ©1997 Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. All Rights Reserved. Comments to dom@bettnet.com Revised December 2, 1997. URL is: http://www.bettnet.com/wyd/popespeech.html |