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Step forward into Christ's loving embrace; recognize the
church as your home
On
Thursday, 17 July [2008], after visiting Government House, the Holy
Father stopped briefly to pray at the Mary MacKillop Memorial Chapel in
north Sydney.
Mary
MacKillop (1842-1909), the first Australian Blessed, ministered to the
poor and illiterate and co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph. Her shrine
welcomed the World Youth Day Cross and the Icon of Our Lady
Salus Populi Romani
on their arrival in Australia and served as the point of departure of
the pilgrimage to the Southern Cross Precinct for the vigil and
conclusive Holy Mass with the Pope.
The next
item on the Holy Father's agenda was a courtesy Visit to Major-General
Michael Jeffery, Governor-General of Australia, who is also
Representative of Queen Elizabeth II, at Admiralty House, his official
residence. The Pope also had a 20-minute private meeting here with the
Hon. Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister, and his family, before returning to
Cathedral house for lunch in private.
In the
early afternoon, the Pope was greeted at Rose Bay Wharf with traditional
aboriginal dancing and songs at a welcome ceremony offered by the chiefs
of Australia's Aborigine Community.
Together
with Cardinal Bertone, S.D.B., Cardinal Pell and Cardinal Ryłko, the
Holy Father then embarked on the ferry "Sydney 2000", that took them to
Barangaroo Wharf in East Darling Harbour. A fleet of small boats
escorted the "Papal boat" and a live television broadcast of the event
was relayed on giant screens. About 45 minutes later the Holy Father
landed at Barangaroo Wharf and the Pope made an extended tour in the
popemobile prior to the welcome celebration with the young people who
greeted him singing "Tu es Petrus", "You are Peter". The following is
the Holy Father's Address to the young people.
Dear Young People,
What a delight it is to greet you here at Barangaroo, on the shores of
the magnificent Sydney harbour, with its famous bridge and Opera House.
Many of you are local, from the outback or the dynamic multicultural
communities of Australian cities. Others of you have come from the
scattered islands of Oceania, and others still from Asia, the Middle
East, Africa and the Americas. Some of you, indeed, have come from as
far as I have, Europe! Wherever we are from, we are here at last in
Sydney. And together we stand in our world as God’s family, disciples of
Christ, empowered by his Spirit to be witnesses of his love and truth
for everyone!
I wish firstly to thank the Aboriginal Elders who welcomed me prior to
my boarding the boat at Rose Bay. I am deeply moved to stand on your
land, knowing the suffering and injustices it has borne, but aware too
of the healing and hope that are now at work, rightly bringing pride to
all Australian citizens. To the young indigenous
— Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders
— and the Tokelauans, I express my thanks for your
stirring welcome. Through you, I send heartfelt greetings to your
peoples.
Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Wilson, I thank you for your warm words of
welcome. I know that your sentiments resonate in the hearts of the young
gathered here this evening, and so I thank you all. Standing before me I
see a vibrant image of the universal Church. The variety of nations and
cultures from which you hail shows that indeed Christ’s Good News is for
everyone; it has reached the ends of the earth. Yet I know too that a
good number of you are still seeking a spiritual homeland. Some of you,
most welcome among us, are not Catholic or Christian. Others of you
perhaps hover at the edge of parish and Church life. To you I wish to
offer encouragement: step forward into Christ’s loving embrace;
recognize the Church as your home. No one need remain on the outside,
for from the day of Pentecost the Church has been one and universal.
This evening I wish also to include those who are not present among us.
I am thinking especially of the sick or mentally ill, young people in
prison, those struggling on the margins of our societies, and those who
for whatever reason feel alienated from the Church. To them I say: Jesus
is close to you! Feel his healing embrace, his compassion and mercy!
Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostles, gathered in the upper room
together with Mary and some faithful women, were filled with the Holy
Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:4). At that extraordinary moment, which gave
birth to the Church, the confusion and fear that had gripped Christ’s
disciples were transformed into a vigorous conviction and sense of
purpose. They felt impelled to speak of their encounter with the risen
Jesus whom they had come to call affectionately, the Lord.
The Holy Spirit moves in the Apostolic Church
In many ways,
the Apostles were ordinary. None could claim to be the perfect disciple.
They failed to recognize Christ (cf. Lk 24:13-32), felt ashamed of their
own ambition (cf. Lk 22:24-27), and had even denied him (cf. Lk
22:54-62). Yet, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they were transfixed
by the truth of Christ’s Gospel and inspired to proclaim it fearlessly.
Emboldened, they exclaimed: repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit
(cf. Acts 2:37-38)! Grounded in the Apostles’ teaching, in fellowship,
and in the breaking of the bread and prayer (cf. Acts 2:42), the young
Christian community moved forward to oppose the perversity in the
culture around them (cf. Acts 2:40), to care for one another (cf. Acts
2:44-47), to defend their belief in Jesus in the face of hostility (cf
Acts 4:33), and to heal the sick (cf. Acts 5:12-16).
And in obedience to
Christ’s own command, they set forth, bearing witness to the greatest
story ever: that God has become one of us, that the divine has entered
human history in order to transform it, and that we are called to
immerse ourselves in Christ’s saving love which triumphs over evil and
death.
Saint Paul, in his famous speech to the Areopagus, introduced the
message in this way: "God gives everything
— including life and breath
—
to everyone … so that all nations might seek God and, by feeling their
way towards him, succeed in finding him. In fact he is not far from any
of us, since it is in him that we live and move and have our being"
(Acts 17: 25-28).
And ever since, men and women have set out to tell the same story,
witnessing to Christ’s truth and love, and contributing to the Church’s
mission. Today, we think of those pioneering Priests, Sisters and
Brothers who came to these shores, and to other parts of the Pacific,
from Ireland, France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
The great
majority were young
— some still in their late teens
— and when they
bade farewell to their parents, brothers and sisters, and friends, they
knew they were unlikely ever to return home. Their whole lives were a
selfless Christian witness. They became the humble but tenacious
builders of so much of the social and spiritual heritage which still
today brings goodness, compassion and purpose to these nations. And they
went on to inspire another generation. We think immediately of the faith
which sustained Blessed Mary MacKillop in her sheer determination to
educate especially the poor, and Blessed Peter To Rot in his steadfast
resolution that community leadership must always include the Gospel.
Think also of your own grandparents and parents, your first teachers in
faith. They too have made countless sacrifices of time and energy, out
of love for you. Supported by your parish priests and teachers, they
have the task, not always easy but greatly satisfying, of guiding you
towards all that is good and true, through their own witness
— their
teaching and living of our Christian faith.
A wonderful world defaced
Today, it is my turn. For some of us, it might seem like we have come to
the end of the world! For people of your age, however, any flight is an
exciting prospect. But for me, this one was somewhat daunting! Yet the
views afforded of our planet from the air were truly wondrous. The
sparkle of the Mediterranean, the grandeur of the north African desert,
the lushness of Asia’s forestation, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean,
the horizon upon which the sun rose and set, and the majestic splendour
of Australia’s natural beauty which I have been able to enjoy these last
couple of days; these all evoke a profound sense of awe. It is as though
one catches glimpses of the Genesis creation story
— light and darkness,
the sun and the moon, the waters, the earth, and living creatures; all
of which are "good" in God’s eyes (cf. Gen 1:1 - 2:4). Immersed in such
beauty, who could not echo the words of the Psalmist in praise of the
Creator: "how majestic is your name in all the earth?" (Ps 8:1).
And there is more
— something hardly perceivable from the sky
— men and
women, made in nothing less than God’s own image and likeness (cf. Gen
1:26). At the heart of the marvel of creation are you and I, the human
family "crowned with glory and honour" (Ps 8:5). How astounding! With
the Psalmist we whisper: "what is man that you are mindful of him?" (Ps
8:4). And drawn into silence, into a spirit of thanksgiving, into the
power of holiness, we ponder.
What do we discover? Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that
there are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion,
deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean
resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption. Some of you come
from island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising water
levels; others from nations suffering the effects of devastating
drought. God’s wondrous creation is sometimes experienced as almost
hostile to its stewards, even something dangerous. How can what is
"good" appear so threatening?
And there is more. What of man, the apex of God’s creation? Every day we
encounter the genius of human achievement. From advances in medical
sciences and the wise application of technology, to the creativity
reflected in the arts, the quality and enjoyment of people’s lives in
many ways are steadily rising. Among yourselves there is a readiness to
take up the plentiful opportunities offered to you. Some of you excel in
studies, sport, music, or dance and drama, others of you have a keen
sense of social justice and ethics, and many of you take up service and
voluntary work. All of us, young and old, have those moments when the
innate goodness of the human person
— perhaps glimpsed in the gesture of
a little child or an adult’s readiness to forgive
— fills us with
profound joy and gratitude.
Yet such moments do not last. So again, we ponder. And we discover that
not only the natural but also the social environment
— the habitat we
fashion for ourselves
— has its scars; wounds indicating that something
is amiss.
Something sinister running amuck
Here too, in our personal lives and in our communities, we can
encounter a hostility, something dangerous; a poison which threatens to
corrode what is good, reshape who we are, and distort the purpose for
which we have been created. Examples abound, as you yourselves know.
Among the more prevalent are alcohol and drug abuse, and the exaltation
of violence and sexual degradation, often presented through television
and the internet as entertainment. I ask myself, could anyone standing
face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual
exploitation "explain" that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form,
are considered merely "entertainment"?
There is also something sinister which stems from the fact that freedom
and tolerance are so often separated from truth. This is fuelled by the
notion, widely held today, that there are no absolute truths to guide
our lives. Relativism, by indiscriminately giving value to practically
everything, has made "experience" all-important. Yet, experiences,
detached from any consideration of what is good or true, can lead, not
to genuine freedom, but to moral or intellectual confusion, to a
lowering of standards, to a loss of self-respect, and even to despair.
Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your
very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (cf.
Gen 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences,
helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good
and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for
this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this
— in truth, in
goodness, and in beauty
— that we find happiness and joy. Do not be
fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of
undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good,
novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.
Christ offers more! Indeed he offers everything! Only he who is the
Truth can be the Way and hence also the Life. Thus the "way" which the
Apostles brought to the ends of the earth is life in Christ. This is the
life of the Church. And the entrance to this life, to the Christian way,
is Baptism.
This evening I wish therefore to recall briefly something of our
understanding of Baptism before tomorrow considering the Holy Spirit. On
the day of your Baptism, God drew you into his holiness (cf. 2 Pet 1:4).
You were adopted as a son or daughter of the Father. You were
incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit
(cf. 1 Cor 6:19). Baptism is neither an achievement, nor a reward. It is
a grace; it is God’s work. Indeed, towards the conclusion of your
Baptism, the priest turned to your parents and those gathered and,
calling you by your name said: "you have become a new creation" (Rite of
Baptism, 99).
Dear friends, in your homes, schools and universities, in your places of
work and recreation, remember that you are a new creation! Not only do
you stand before the Creator in awe, rejoicing at his works, you also
realize that the sure foundation of humanity’s solidarity lies in the
common origin of every person, the high-point of God’s creative design
for the world. As Christians you stand in this world knowing that God
has a human face
— Jesus Christ
— the "way" who satisfies all human
yearning, and the "life" to which we are called to bear witness, walking
always in his light (cf. ibid., 100).
The task of witness is not easy. There are many today who claim that God
should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine
for individuals, should either be excluded from the public forum
altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals.
Human ingenuity as folly
This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society
with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as
neutral, impartial and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, like every
ideology, secularism imposes a world-view. If God is irrelevant to
public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image.
When God is
eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the
"good" begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity
soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation. And so
we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the
delicate complexity of God’s world.
But what of our social environment? Are we equally alert to the signs of
turning our back on the moral structure with which God has endowed
humanity (cf. 2007 World Day of Peace Message, 8)? Do we recognize that
the innate dignity of every individual rests on his or her deepest
identity — as image of the Creator
— and therefore that human rights are
universal, based on the natural law, and not something dependent upon
negotiation or patronage, let alone compromise?
And so we are led to
reflect on what place the poor and the elderly, immigrants and the
voiceless, have in our societies. How can it be that domestic violence
torments so many mothers and children? How can it be that the most
wondrous and sacred human space
— the womb
— has become a place of
unutterable violence?
My dear friends, God’s creation is one and it is good. The concerns for
non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for
our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot,
however, be understood apart from a profound reflection upon the innate
dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity
conferred by God himself and thus inviolable.
Our world has grown weary
of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and
piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and
minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts
are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth,
and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of
the Holy Spirit! This is the hope held out by the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. It is to bear witness to this reality that you were created anew
at Baptism and strengthened through the gifts of the Spirit at
Confirmation. Let this be the message that you bring from Sydney to the
world!
[Greeting in Italian:
Mi rivolgo ora con affetto ai giovani di lingua
italiana. Cari amici, anche questa volta avete risposto numerosi al mio
invito, nonostante le difficoltà dovute alla distanza. Vi ringrazio, e
voglio salutare anche i vostri coetanei che dall’Italia sono
spiritualmente uniti a noi. Vi invito a vivere con grande impegno
interiore queste giornate: aprite il cuore al dono dello Spirito Santo,
per essere rafforzati nella fede e nella capacità di rendere
testimonianza al Signore risorto. Arrivederci!]
I now address the Italian-speaking young
people with affection. Dear friends, also this time many of you have
accepted my invitation, despite the difficulties due to the distance. I
thank you and I also want to greet your peers in Italy who are
spiritually united with us. I ask you to live these days with a deep
inner commitment; open your hearts to the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be
strengthened in your faith and in your ability to witness to the Risen
Lord. Good-bye!
[French:
Chers jeunes francophones, poussés par le désir d’approfondir
votre foi, vous êtes venus des extrémités de la terre pour vivre à
Sydney l’expérience unique et communautaire d’une rencontre privilégiée
avec le Seigneur. C’est l’Esprit Saint qui vous a rassemblés ici. Puisse-t-Il
vous permettre de expérimenter sa présence dans votre cœur et vous
pousser à rendre témoignage avec ardeur de Jésus-Christ mort et
ressuscité pour vous!]
Dear French-speaking young people,
impelled by the desire to deepen your faith you have come from the ends
of the earth to live in Sydney the unique community experience of a
privileged encounter with the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who has
gathered you here. May he enable you to experience his presence in your
hearts and spur you to bear ardent witness to Jesus Christ who died and
was raised for you!
[German:
Liebe Freunde, die ihr mich in meiner Muttersprache versteht,
von Herzen grüße ich euch alle. Erweist euch überall als freudige Zeugen
der frohmachenden Botschaft Jesu! Sprecht mutig von eurem Glauben, auch
wenn ihr zuweilen auf Widerspruch stößt und das Kreuz der Ablehnung
erfährt. Der Herr, der für uns ein größeres Kreuz getragen hat, wird
euch beistehen. Gott schenke euch eine gute, gesegnete Zeit hier in
Australien.]
Dear friends who understand me in my
mother tongue, I offer you all my heartfelt greetings. Be everywhere
joyful witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus that gives joy! Speak with
courage of your faith even if you sometimes meet with resistence, and
even if the Cross is rejected. The Lord who for our sake carried a
greater Cross will be beside you. May God grant you a good and blessed
stay here in Australia.
[Spanish:
Queridos jóvenes de lengua española, la misión de ser
testigos del Señor en todos los lugares de la tierra es una apasionante
tarea, que exige acoger su Palabra e identificarse con Él, compartiendo
con los demás la alegría de haber encontrado al verdadero amigo que
nunca defrauda. Que este reto agrande vuestra generosidad. Un saludo muy
cordial a todos.]
Dear Spanish-speaking young people, the
mission to be witnesses of the Lord in every corner of the earth is a
thrilling task that requires you to accept his Word and to identify with
him, sharing with others the joy of having encountered the true friend
who never lets you down. May this challenge increase your generosity. A
very cordial greeting to you all!
[Portuguese:
Queridos amigos dos vários países de língua oficial portuguesa,
bem-vindos a Sidney! A todos saúdo com afecto: os de perto e os de longe.
Lá, na vossa Pátria, tereis ouvido Jesus segredar-vos: «Sereis minhas
testemunhas… até aos confins do mundo» (Act 1, 8). A viagem mais ou
menos longa que enfrentastes para chegar até aqui, à Austrália ou
— de seu nome cristão completo
— «Terra Austral do Espírito Santo», não
deixou em vós a sensação de terdes chegado aos confins do mundo? Pois
bem! É com grande alegria que o Papa vos acolhe para vos confirmar como
testemunhas de Jesus, por Ele acreditadas com o dom do seu próprio
Espírito.]
Dear friends from various countries
whose official language is Portuguese, welcome to Sydney! I greet you
all with affection, those who are here and those who are far away. Back
in your homeland you heard Jesus whisper to you: "You shall be my
witnesses... to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Did not the longer or
shorter journey that you faced to arrive here in Australia or — to give
it its full Christian name — "The Great South Land of the Holy Spirit",
leave you with the feeling that you had arrived at the end of the earth?
Good! The Pope welcomes you with great joy, to strengthen you as
witnesses of Jesus, enriched by him with the gift of his own Spirit.
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