Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Jezus daje Ducha Świętego przede wszystkim w tchnieniu przebaczenia. Jeśli uczniowie udzielą rozgrzeszenia skruszonym grzesznikom, sam Bóg ich usprawiedliwi.
Potężna władza, którą dotychczas dysponował sam Jezus, dostaje się teraz w ręce apostołów. Dlaczego? Przecież kilkadziesiąt godzin wcześniej zaparli się Go, pozostawili, zgrzeszyli ucieczką? Właśnie dlatego! Któż bowiem bardziej nadaje się na sędziego czynów ludzkich jak nie ten, kto był winowajcą, któremu darowano coś gorszego niż karę śmierci? Miłosierni są jedynie ci, którzy dogłębnie doznali miłosierdzia.
Piotr wyparł się Jezusa, chcąc uratować siebie (Mt 26,69–75). A jednak po zdradzie „wyszedł na zewnątrz i gorzko zapłakał”. Owo „na zewnątrz” (exo) w kilku miejscach w Biblii ma znaczenie wyrzeczenia się wszystkiego, utraty wszystkich dóbr, związków i szans życiowych, nawet potępienia w wiecznych ciemnościach. Oznacza miejsce kary i rozpaczy (Mt 5,13; Mt 8,12; Ap 22,15; Mt 25,30; Mt 22,13). BÓG JEDNAK WSZYSTKO PRZEKREŚLA za jednym zamachem ręki kapłana. Ruch ręki kapłana w konfesjonale można zinterpretować jako krzyż. Albo jakby Bóg chciał „machnąć ręką” na nasze grzechy. Nikt na świecie nie może machnąć ręką na nasze grzechy, tylko Bóg. Mieli rację faryzeusze, kiedy powiedzieli, że gdyby człowiek odpuszczał grzechy, toby bluźnił. Jak więc zrozumieć udzielnie tej władzy apostołom? Czyżby Jezus dopuścił do bluźnierstwa? W żadnym wypadku! To po prostu On sam, w Duchu Świętym, będzie udzielał rozgrzeszenia. Duch Święty, to obecność Boga w kapłanie.
W wydarzeniu uzdrowienia paralityka, Jezus mówi do niego: „Synu!”. Zanim przebaczył, nazwał go synem. Uczynił go dzieckiem Bożym, czyli kimś kochanym. Zanim go uleczył, najpierw go usynowił. Dlaczego? Ponieważ uczucia albo leczą, albo powodują choroby. Uczucia decydują o trzech czwartych naszych decyzji życiowych. Jeśli tak dużo zależy od uczuć, jeśli tak wiele zależy od miłości, to o ileż więcej od Tego, który jest samą Miłością; od Tego, który jest Kimś nieskończenie większym niż uczucia!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Gniazdo z połamanych gałęzi - Zesłanie Ducha Św.
Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Różne języki, ale ten sam ogień miłości Boga. Różnimy się między sobą, ale Bóg nas łączy. Jedność w Kościele jest skomponowana z naszej różnorodności. Bez Bożego ognia miłości nasza jedność stałaby się początkiem niechęci i wzajemnych oskarżeń.
Bóg dał Apostołom moc do przebaczania i jednania się, ponieważ trwali na jednym miejscu. Gdy po raz pierwszy Jezus tchnął w nich Ducha, aby byli zdolni odpuszczać grzechy, stało się to tam, gdzie przebywali razem. Bez Boga nie potrafimy sobie przebaczać, trwać w jedności mimo różnic. Kościół jest nam potrzebny, abyśmy mogli doświadczać pomocy Ducha Świętego, by ciągle sobie przebaczać i kochać się wzajemnie, mimo różnorodności.
Duch przychodzi, gdy wydaje się, że tracimy Jezusa. Duch Święty przyszedł do uczniów wtedy, gdy Jezus miał za sobą Golgotę i gdy wstąpił do nieba. Uczniom pozostała już tylko modlitwa. Kiedy po raz pierwszy stracili Go z oczu i został pochowany w grobie, została im świadomość beznadziejności. Byli przerażeni i ścigani. Drzwi były zamknięte z lęku przed ludźmi, przed represjami. Zamknięte drzwi to wymowny obraz odcięcia się od wszystkich, zawiedzenia się na życiu, rezygnacji z wychodzenia innym naprzeciw, wycofania. Gdy wojska wycofują się z frontu, wiadomo, że oznacza to klęskę. Wycofujemy się, gdy przeżyliśmy porażkę. Zamykamy drzwi, gdy chcemy uciec, bo wszyscy nas ranią i wszystko stało się pułapką budzącą naszą podejrzliwość. Zamknięte drzwi to zamknięty w sobie człowiek, który już nie wierzy w to, że cokolwiek w życiu mu się uda. W takich chwilach myślimy, że Bóg naprawdę umarł albo przestał się nami interesować, a my umarliśmy dla Niego albo nic dla Niego nie znaczymy.
Są więc takie chwile, gdy najwspanialsze nadzieje zostają ścięte jak olbrzymie drzewa, waląc się z hukiem na piaszczystą ziemię, rozpacz wylewa się jak ropa z rany, a ciemność jest namacalna niczym lepka smoła. Z lęku zamykamy się w sobie i stajemy się niedostępni jak wierzchołek skały. Nikomu nie pozwalamy się zbliżyć do siebie. Właśnie wtedy przybywa Duch Święty z pomocą, którą jest On sam! Ptaki przecież siadają na wierzchołkach gór, na niedostępnych miejscach! Jak gołębie układają gniazda z połamanych gałązek, tak Duch Święty bierze pod swoje skrzydła ludzi połamanych zwątpieniem, złamanych bólem – czyni w nich swoje gniazdo.
Jezus przyszedł mimo zabarykadowanych drzwi, mimo tego, że już nikt nie miał siły do nich się choćby zbliżyć ani ich otworzyć. Śmierć najdroższej im osoby, śmierć Jezusa, wydawała się być czymś nieodwracalnym. Nikt przecież dotąd nigdy nie powrócił z cmentarza. To stało się po raz pierwszy. Czy wierzysz, że Pan wskrzesza umarłych? Czy wierzysz, że wskrzesi umarłą nadzieję w tobie i umarłą odwagę życia? Bo przecież nie wiadomo, co bardziej przypominało mogiłę: Wieczernik, w którym zatrwożeni Apostołowie zamarli z lęku, czy grób Józefa z Arymatei, w którym spoczywało ciało Chrystusa?
Różne języki, ale ten sam ogień miłości Boga. Różnimy się między sobą, ale Bóg nas łączy. Jedność w Kościele jest skomponowana z naszej różnorodności. Bez Bożego ognia miłości nasza jedność stałaby się początkiem niechęci i wzajemnych oskarżeń.
Bóg dał Apostołom moc do przebaczania i jednania się, ponieważ trwali na jednym miejscu. Gdy po raz pierwszy Jezus tchnął w nich Ducha, aby byli zdolni odpuszczać grzechy, stało się to tam, gdzie przebywali razem. Bez Boga nie potrafimy sobie przebaczać, trwać w jedności mimo różnic. Kościół jest nam potrzebny, abyśmy mogli doświadczać pomocy Ducha Świętego, by ciągle sobie przebaczać i kochać się wzajemnie, mimo różnorodności.
Duch przychodzi, gdy wydaje się, że tracimy Jezusa. Duch Święty przyszedł do uczniów wtedy, gdy Jezus miał za sobą Golgotę i gdy wstąpił do nieba. Uczniom pozostała już tylko modlitwa. Kiedy po raz pierwszy stracili Go z oczu i został pochowany w grobie, została im świadomość beznadziejności. Byli przerażeni i ścigani. Drzwi były zamknięte z lęku przed ludźmi, przed represjami. Zamknięte drzwi to wymowny obraz odcięcia się od wszystkich, zawiedzenia się na życiu, rezygnacji z wychodzenia innym naprzeciw, wycofania. Gdy wojska wycofują się z frontu, wiadomo, że oznacza to klęskę. Wycofujemy się, gdy przeżyliśmy porażkę. Zamykamy drzwi, gdy chcemy uciec, bo wszyscy nas ranią i wszystko stało się pułapką budzącą naszą podejrzliwość. Zamknięte drzwi to zamknięty w sobie człowiek, który już nie wierzy w to, że cokolwiek w życiu mu się uda. W takich chwilach myślimy, że Bóg naprawdę umarł albo przestał się nami interesować, a my umarliśmy dla Niego albo nic dla Niego nie znaczymy.
Są więc takie chwile, gdy najwspanialsze nadzieje zostają ścięte jak olbrzymie drzewa, waląc się z hukiem na piaszczystą ziemię, rozpacz wylewa się jak ropa z rany, a ciemność jest namacalna niczym lepka smoła. Z lęku zamykamy się w sobie i stajemy się niedostępni jak wierzchołek skały. Nikomu nie pozwalamy się zbliżyć do siebie. Właśnie wtedy przybywa Duch Święty z pomocą, którą jest On sam! Ptaki przecież siadają na wierzchołkach gór, na niedostępnych miejscach! Jak gołębie układają gniazda z połamanych gałązek, tak Duch Święty bierze pod swoje skrzydła ludzi połamanych zwątpieniem, złamanych bólem – czyni w nich swoje gniazdo.
Jezus przyszedł mimo zabarykadowanych drzwi, mimo tego, że już nikt nie miał siły do nich się choćby zbliżyć ani ich otworzyć. Śmierć najdroższej im osoby, śmierć Jezusa, wydawała się być czymś nieodwracalnym. Nikt przecież dotąd nigdy nie powrócił z cmentarza. To stało się po raz pierwszy. Czy wierzysz, że Pan wskrzesza umarłych? Czy wierzysz, że wskrzesi umarłą nadzieję w tobie i umarłą odwagę życia? Bo przecież nie wiadomo, co bardziej przypominało mogiłę: Wieczernik, w którym zatrwożeni Apostołowie zamarli z lęku, czy grób Józefa z Arymatei, w którym spoczywało ciało Chrystusa?
Pamiętaj! - Zesłanie Ducha Św. C
Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Jezus powiedział oDuchu Świętym, żeprzypomni Apostołom wszystkie Jego słowa, gdy przyjdzie. Trzeba sobie więc przypomnieć, że Biblia pierwotnie nie była pismem, lecz powtarzaniem słów, które przetrwały tylko dzięki pamięci ludzi. W Księdze Wyjścia, przy opisie ucieczki z Egiptu, zapisane są wezwania do Izraelitów, aby słowa Boga umieścili sobie między oczami jako ozdobę i przypomnienie. Któż z nas nie widział, choćby na fotografii, tajemniczej skrzyneczki na czołach ortodoksyjnych żydów, w której są ukryte słowa objawionego wezwania do miłowania Boga. Ozdobą duszy jest pamięć o tym, co Bóg dla niej uczynił, aby ją wybawić z niewoli grzechu, śmierci i sił ciemności. Czy pamiętasz wszystko, czego dokonał Bóg w twoim życiu? Czy potrafiłbyś wymienić ciąg wydarzeń w twojej historii, które układają się w drogę wyjścia z Egiptu grzechów, głupoty, niewiary, zdeformowanych uczuć, skostniałych schematów myślowych, które kazały ci postrzegać świat w najciemniejszych barwach? Czy pamiętasz, w jaki sposób Jezus podawał ci rękę, aby podnieść cię z kolejnego upadku? Jak uwolnił cię z nałogów, do których powracałeś? Jak rozwiązał więzy uzależnień? Czy znasz i pamiętasz historię swojej rodziny? Każdy Izraelita znał na pamięć swoją genealogię i historię swojego narodu w zbawczej interpretacji. Czy potrafiłbyś zapisać historię swojego życia w formie siedemdziesiątej czwartej księgi biblijnej? Czy pamiętasz wydarzenia, słowa, uczucia, przeżycia, ludzi, sny i najdrobniejsze znaki, i to wszystko, co było interwencją aniołów albo wprost Ducha Świętego, aby zmienić bieg twojego życia w pomyślny i pełen nadziei?
W naszej religijności za mało jest rozpamiętywania tego, co się czyta w świętych księgach. Wielu ludzi zadowala się modlitwą, odmówieniem Różańca, przeczytaniem brewiarza, odczytaniem tekstów liturgicznych. Ale po co się to robi, jeśli nie towarzyszy temu odwołalnie do pamięci, do własnego życia? W Psalmie 49 czytamy: „Człowiek, co w dostatku żyje, ale się nie zastanawia, przyrównany jest do bydląt, które giną”. Bezmyślne wyrecytowanie tekstów, choćby najświętszych, niczego w nas nie zmienia, bo nie są to teksty magiczne, lecz ożywiające, i potrzeba żywego odczytania, rozpamiętywania, by ujawnił się w nich Duch Święty. Czytanie słów Jezusa nie jest deklamacją, ale rozpamiętywaniem czy też wewnętrznym porównywaniem z własnym życiem.
Jeśli mamy dziś prosić o przyjście Ducha Świętego do nas, to prośmy Go o to, byśmy uruchomili w sobie pamięć zbawienia. Mnie osobiście bardzo zdumiało, gdy czytałem po raz pierwszy Księgę Liczb, że zostały w niej zapisane wszystkie etapy drogi przez pustynię, nieraz z podaniem najdrobniejszych szczegółów. Nic nie jest bez znaczenia, gdy się podejmuje wysiłek drogi ku zbawieniu. Do takiego postrzegania świata i życia, które widzi Boże znaki na naszej drodze, potrzebna jest pamięć oświetlona światłością Ducha Świętego. Dzięki Niemu nie ulegamy sklerozie duchowej. Dzięki Niemu mamy wizję przyszłości, gdyż pamięć przeszłości jest korzeniem owocnej przyszłości.
Jezus powiedział oDuchu Świętym, żeprzypomni Apostołom wszystkie Jego słowa, gdy przyjdzie. Trzeba sobie więc przypomnieć, że Biblia pierwotnie nie była pismem, lecz powtarzaniem słów, które przetrwały tylko dzięki pamięci ludzi. W Księdze Wyjścia, przy opisie ucieczki z Egiptu, zapisane są wezwania do Izraelitów, aby słowa Boga umieścili sobie między oczami jako ozdobę i przypomnienie. Któż z nas nie widział, choćby na fotografii, tajemniczej skrzyneczki na czołach ortodoksyjnych żydów, w której są ukryte słowa objawionego wezwania do miłowania Boga. Ozdobą duszy jest pamięć o tym, co Bóg dla niej uczynił, aby ją wybawić z niewoli grzechu, śmierci i sił ciemności. Czy pamiętasz wszystko, czego dokonał Bóg w twoim życiu? Czy potrafiłbyś wymienić ciąg wydarzeń w twojej historii, które układają się w drogę wyjścia z Egiptu grzechów, głupoty, niewiary, zdeformowanych uczuć, skostniałych schematów myślowych, które kazały ci postrzegać świat w najciemniejszych barwach? Czy pamiętasz, w jaki sposób Jezus podawał ci rękę, aby podnieść cię z kolejnego upadku? Jak uwolnił cię z nałogów, do których powracałeś? Jak rozwiązał więzy uzależnień? Czy znasz i pamiętasz historię swojej rodziny? Każdy Izraelita znał na pamięć swoją genealogię i historię swojego narodu w zbawczej interpretacji. Czy potrafiłbyś zapisać historię swojego życia w formie siedemdziesiątej czwartej księgi biblijnej? Czy pamiętasz wydarzenia, słowa, uczucia, przeżycia, ludzi, sny i najdrobniejsze znaki, i to wszystko, co było interwencją aniołów albo wprost Ducha Świętego, aby zmienić bieg twojego życia w pomyślny i pełen nadziei?
W naszej religijności za mało jest rozpamiętywania tego, co się czyta w świętych księgach. Wielu ludzi zadowala się modlitwą, odmówieniem Różańca, przeczytaniem brewiarza, odczytaniem tekstów liturgicznych. Ale po co się to robi, jeśli nie towarzyszy temu odwołalnie do pamięci, do własnego życia? W Psalmie 49 czytamy: „Człowiek, co w dostatku żyje, ale się nie zastanawia, przyrównany jest do bydląt, które giną”. Bezmyślne wyrecytowanie tekstów, choćby najświętszych, niczego w nas nie zmienia, bo nie są to teksty magiczne, lecz ożywiające, i potrzeba żywego odczytania, rozpamiętywania, by ujawnił się w nich Duch Święty. Czytanie słów Jezusa nie jest deklamacją, ale rozpamiętywaniem czy też wewnętrznym porównywaniem z własnym życiem.
Jeśli mamy dziś prosić o przyjście Ducha Świętego do nas, to prośmy Go o to, byśmy uruchomili w sobie pamięć zbawienia. Mnie osobiście bardzo zdumiało, gdy czytałem po raz pierwszy Księgę Liczb, że zostały w niej zapisane wszystkie etapy drogi przez pustynię, nieraz z podaniem najdrobniejszych szczegółów. Nic nie jest bez znaczenia, gdy się podejmuje wysiłek drogi ku zbawieniu. Do takiego postrzegania świata i życia, które widzi Boże znaki na naszej drodze, potrzebna jest pamięć oświetlona światłością Ducha Świętego. Dzięki Niemu nie ulegamy sklerozie duchowej. Dzięki Niemu mamy wizję przyszłości, gdyż pamięć przeszłości jest korzeniem owocnej przyszłości.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Papal Homily at Ordination Mass
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Presbyterate,
Dear Ordinandi,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter traditionally known as "Good Shepherd Sunday", has a special significance for us who are gathered in this Vatican Basilica. It is an absolutely unique day especially for you, dear deacons, upon whom, as Bishop and Pastor of Rome, I am pleased to confer priestly Ordination. In this way you join our "presbyterium".
Together with the Cardinal Vicar, the Auxiliary Bishops and the priests of the Diocese, I thank the Lord for the gift of your priesthood which enriches our Community with 22 new Pastors.
The theological density of the brief Gospel passage which has just been proclaimed helps us to perceive better the meaning and value of this solemn Celebration.
Jesus speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd who gives eternal life to his sheep (cf. Jn 10:28). This image of the shepherd is deeply rooted in the Old Testament and dear to Christian tradition. The Prophets attributed to David the title: "Shepherd of Israel", which hence possesses an indisputable messianic importance (cf. Ex 34:23).
Jesus is the true Shepherd of Israel, since he is the Son of Man who desired to share the condition of human beings to give them new life and lead them to salvation.
Significantly, the Evangelist adds to the term "shepherd" the adjective kalós, good, which he only uses with reference to Jesus and his mission. In the account of the Wedding at Cana, the adjective kalós is also used twice to signify the wine offered by Jesus, and it is easy to see it as a symbol of the good wine of messianic times (cf. 2:10).
"I give them (that is, to my sheep) eternal life and they shall never perish" (Jn 10:28). These are the words of Jesus, who had said a little earlier, "the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep" (cf. Jn 10:11).
John uses the verb tithénai -- to offer, which he repeats in the following verses (cf. 15,17,18). We find the same verb in the Last Supper narrative when Jesus "laid aside his garments" in order to "take" them back later (cf. Jn 13:4,12).
Thus, it is clear that the intention is to affirm that the Redeemer has absolute freedom to do with his life as he chooses and thereby give it up or take it back freely.
Christ is the true Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep, for us, sacrificing himself on the Cross. He knows his sheep and his sheep know him, just as the Father knows him and he knows the Father (cf. Jn 10:14-15).
This is not a matter of mere intellectual knowledge but of a profound, personal relationship: a knowledge of the heart, of one who loves and one who is loved; of one who is faithful and one who knows how to be trustworthy.
It is a knowledge of love, by virtue of which the Pastor invites his sheep to follow him and which is fully manifest in the gift of eternal life that he offers to them (cf. Jn 10:27-28).
Dear Ordinandi, may the certainty that Christ does not abandon us and that no obstacle can prevent the accomplishment of his universal plan of salvation be a cause of constant consolation -- also in difficulties -- and steadfast hope for you. The Lord's goodness is always with you, and it is powerful.
The Sacrament of Orders, which you are about to receive, will make you sharers in the very mission of Christ; you will be called to scatter the seed of his Word, the seed that carries in itself the Kingdom of God; to dispense divine mercy and to nourish the faithful at the table of his Body and Blood.
To be his worthy ministers, you must ceaselessly nourish yourselves with the Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life.
In approaching the altar, your daily school of holiness, of communion with Jesus, of the way of entering into his sentiments in order to renew the sacrifice of the Cross, you will increasingly discover the richness and tenderness of the love of the divine Teacher, who today is calling you to a closer friendship with him.
If you listen docilely to him, if you follow him faithfully, you will learn to express in your life and in your pastoral ministry his love and his passion for the salvation of souls.
With Jesus' help, dear Ordinandi, each one of you will become a Good Shepherd, ready, if necessary, to lay down your life for him.
Thus it was at the beginning of Christianity with the first disciples, while as we heard in the First Reading the Gospel continued to be disseminated amid consolations and difficulties.
It is worth stressing the last words in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles which we have heard: "The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (13:52).
Despite the misunderstandings and disagreements, about which we have heard, the apostle of Christ does not lose joy; indeed, he is a witness of that joy which flows from being with the Lord and from love for him and for the brothers and sisters.
On today's World Day of Prayer for Vocations, whose theme this year is: "The vocation to the service of the Church as communion", let us pray that all who are chosen to such a lofty mission may be accompanied by the prayerful communion of all the faithful
Let us pray that in every parish and Christian community attention to vocations and to the formation of priests will increase: it begins in the family, continues at the seminary and involves all who have at heart the salvation of souls.
Dear brothers and sisters who are taking part in this evocative celebration, and in the first place you, relatives, family members and friends of these 22 deacons who will shortly be ordained priests!
Let us surround these brothers of ours in the Lord with our spiritual solidarity. Let us pray that they may be faithful to the mission to which the Lord is calling them today and ready to renew their "yes" to God, their "here I am", every day without reserve.
And let us ask the Lord of the harvest on this Day for Vocations to continue to bring forth many holy priests who are totally dedicated to the service of the Christian people.
At this most solemn and important moment of your life, dear Ordinandi, I once again address you with affection. On this day Jesus repeats to you: "I no longer call you servants, but friends". Welcome and nurture this divine friendship with "Eucharistic love"!
May Mary, the heavenly Mother of priests, accompany you. May she who beneath the Cross united herself with the Sacrifice of her Son and after the Resurrection accepted together with the other disciples the gift of the Spirit, help you and each one of us, dear brothers in the priesthood, to allow ourselves to be inwardly transformed by God's grace.
Only in this way is it possible to be faithful images of the Good Shepherd; only in this way can we carry out joyfully the mission of knowing, guiding and loving the flock which Jesus acquired at the price of his blood. Amen.
Dear Ordinandi,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter traditionally known as "Good Shepherd Sunday", has a special significance for us who are gathered in this Vatican Basilica. It is an absolutely unique day especially for you, dear deacons, upon whom, as Bishop and Pastor of Rome, I am pleased to confer priestly Ordination. In this way you join our "presbyterium".
Together with the Cardinal Vicar, the Auxiliary Bishops and the priests of the Diocese, I thank the Lord for the gift of your priesthood which enriches our Community with 22 new Pastors.
The theological density of the brief Gospel passage which has just been proclaimed helps us to perceive better the meaning and value of this solemn Celebration.
Jesus speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd who gives eternal life to his sheep (cf. Jn 10:28). This image of the shepherd is deeply rooted in the Old Testament and dear to Christian tradition. The Prophets attributed to David the title: "Shepherd of Israel", which hence possesses an indisputable messianic importance (cf. Ex 34:23).
Jesus is the true Shepherd of Israel, since he is the Son of Man who desired to share the condition of human beings to give them new life and lead them to salvation.
Significantly, the Evangelist adds to the term "shepherd" the adjective kalós, good, which he only uses with reference to Jesus and his mission. In the account of the Wedding at Cana, the adjective kalós is also used twice to signify the wine offered by Jesus, and it is easy to see it as a symbol of the good wine of messianic times (cf. 2:10).
"I give them (that is, to my sheep) eternal life and they shall never perish" (Jn 10:28). These are the words of Jesus, who had said a little earlier, "the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep" (cf. Jn 10:11).
John uses the verb tithénai -- to offer, which he repeats in the following verses (cf. 15,17,18). We find the same verb in the Last Supper narrative when Jesus "laid aside his garments" in order to "take" them back later (cf. Jn 13:4,12).
Thus, it is clear that the intention is to affirm that the Redeemer has absolute freedom to do with his life as he chooses and thereby give it up or take it back freely.
Christ is the true Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep, for us, sacrificing himself on the Cross. He knows his sheep and his sheep know him, just as the Father knows him and he knows the Father (cf. Jn 10:14-15).
This is not a matter of mere intellectual knowledge but of a profound, personal relationship: a knowledge of the heart, of one who loves and one who is loved; of one who is faithful and one who knows how to be trustworthy.
It is a knowledge of love, by virtue of which the Pastor invites his sheep to follow him and which is fully manifest in the gift of eternal life that he offers to them (cf. Jn 10:27-28).
Dear Ordinandi, may the certainty that Christ does not abandon us and that no obstacle can prevent the accomplishment of his universal plan of salvation be a cause of constant consolation -- also in difficulties -- and steadfast hope for you. The Lord's goodness is always with you, and it is powerful.
The Sacrament of Orders, which you are about to receive, will make you sharers in the very mission of Christ; you will be called to scatter the seed of his Word, the seed that carries in itself the Kingdom of God; to dispense divine mercy and to nourish the faithful at the table of his Body and Blood.
To be his worthy ministers, you must ceaselessly nourish yourselves with the Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life.
In approaching the altar, your daily school of holiness, of communion with Jesus, of the way of entering into his sentiments in order to renew the sacrifice of the Cross, you will increasingly discover the richness and tenderness of the love of the divine Teacher, who today is calling you to a closer friendship with him.
If you listen docilely to him, if you follow him faithfully, you will learn to express in your life and in your pastoral ministry his love and his passion for the salvation of souls.
With Jesus' help, dear Ordinandi, each one of you will become a Good Shepherd, ready, if necessary, to lay down your life for him.
Thus it was at the beginning of Christianity with the first disciples, while as we heard in the First Reading the Gospel continued to be disseminated amid consolations and difficulties.
It is worth stressing the last words in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles which we have heard: "The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (13:52).
Despite the misunderstandings and disagreements, about which we have heard, the apostle of Christ does not lose joy; indeed, he is a witness of that joy which flows from being with the Lord and from love for him and for the brothers and sisters.
On today's World Day of Prayer for Vocations, whose theme this year is: "The vocation to the service of the Church as communion", let us pray that all who are chosen to such a lofty mission may be accompanied by the prayerful communion of all the faithful
Let us pray that in every parish and Christian community attention to vocations and to the formation of priests will increase: it begins in the family, continues at the seminary and involves all who have at heart the salvation of souls.
Dear brothers and sisters who are taking part in this evocative celebration, and in the first place you, relatives, family members and friends of these 22 deacons who will shortly be ordained priests!
Let us surround these brothers of ours in the Lord with our spiritual solidarity. Let us pray that they may be faithful to the mission to which the Lord is calling them today and ready to renew their "yes" to God, their "here I am", every day without reserve.
And let us ask the Lord of the harvest on this Day for Vocations to continue to bring forth many holy priests who are totally dedicated to the service of the Christian people.
At this most solemn and important moment of your life, dear Ordinandi, I once again address you with affection. On this day Jesus repeats to you: "I no longer call you servants, but friends". Welcome and nurture this divine friendship with "Eucharistic love"!
May Mary, the heavenly Mother of priests, accompany you. May she who beneath the Cross united herself with the Sacrifice of her Son and after the Resurrection accepted together with the other disciples the gift of the Spirit, help you and each one of us, dear brothers in the priesthood, to allow ourselves to be inwardly transformed by God's grace.
Only in this way is it possible to be faithful images of the Good Shepherd; only in this way can we carry out joyfully the mission of knowing, guiding and loving the flock which Jesus acquired at the price of his blood. Amen.
Papal Address to Youth of Brazil
My dear young friends!
"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor … and come, follow me" (Mt 19:21).
1. I was particularly eager to include a meeting with you during this my first journey to Latin America. I have come to inaugurate the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America which, according to my wish, will take place at Aparecida, here in Brazil, at the Shrine of Our Lady. It is she who leads us to the feet of Jesus so that we can learn his teachings about the Kingdom, and it is she who stirs us up to be his missionaries so that the people of this "Continent of Hope" may have full life in him.
In their General Assembly last year, your Bishops here in Brazil reflected on the theme of the evangelization of youth and they placed a document into your hands. They asked you to receive that document and add your own reflections to it in the course of the year. At their most recent Assembly, the Bishops returned to the theme, enriched now by your collaboration, in the hope that the reflections and guidelines proposed therein would serve as a stimulus and a beacon for your journey. The words offered by the Archbishop of São Paulo and the Director of Pastoral Care for Young People, both of whom I thank, confirm the spirit that moves your hearts.
While flying over the land of Brazil yesterday evening, I was already anticipating our encounter here in the Stadium of Pacaembu, anxious to extend to all of you a warm Brazilian embrace and to share with you the sentiments which I carry in the depths of my heart, and which are very appropriately indicated to us in today's Gospel.
I have always felt a very special joy at these encounters. I remember especially the Twentieth World Youth Day at which I was able to preside two years ago in Germany. Some of you gathered here today were also present! It is an emotional memory for me on account of the abundant fruits of the Lord's grace poured out upon those who were there. Among the many fruits which I could point to, there is little doubt that the first was the exemplary sense of fraternity that stood as a clear witness to the Church's perennial vitality throughout the world.
2. For this reason, my dear friends, I am certain that today the same impressions I received in Germany will be renewed here. In 1991, during his visit to Mato Grosso, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, of venerable memory, said that "youth are the first protagonists of the third millennium … they are the ones who will be charged with the destiny of this new phase in human history" (16 October 1991). Today, I feel moved to make the same observation regarding all of you.
The Christian life you lead in numerous parishes and small ecclesial communities, in universities, colleges and schools, and most of all, in places of work both in the city and in the countryside, is undoubtedly pleasing to the Lord. But it is necessary to go even further. We can never say "enough", because the love of God is infinite, and the Lord asks us -- or better --requires us to open our hearts wider so that there will be room for even more love, goodness, and understanding for our brothers and sisters, and for the problems which concern not only the human community, but also the effective preservation and protection of the natural environment of which we are all a part. "Our forests have more life": do not allow this flame of hope which your National Hymn places on your lips to die out. The devastation of the environment in the Amazon Basin and the threats against the human dignity of peoples living within that region call for greater commitment in the different areas of activity than society tends to recognize.
3. Today I would like to reflect on the text we have just heard from Saint Matthew (cf. 19:16-22). It speaks of a young man who ran to see Jesus. His impatience merits special attention. In this young man I see all of you young people of Brazil and Latin America. You have "run" here from various regions of this Continent for this meeting of ours. You want to listen to the words of Jesus himself -- spoken through the voice of the Pope.
You have a crucial question -- a question that appears in this Gospel -- to put to him. It is the same question posed by the young man who ran to see Jesus: What good deed must I do, to have eternal life? I would like to take a deeper look at this question with you. It has to do with life. A life which -- in all of you -- is exuberant and beautiful. What are you to do with it? How can you live it to the full?
We see at once that in the very formulation of the question, the "here" and "now" are not enough; to put it another way, we cannot limit our life within the confines of space and time, however much we might try to broaden their horizons. Life transcends them. In other words: we want to live, not die. We have a sense of something telling us that life is eternal and that we must apply ourselves to reach it. In short, it rests in our hands and is dependent, in a certain way, on our own decision.
The question in the Gospel does not regard only the future. It does not regard only a question about what will happen after death. On the contrary, it exists as a task in the present, in the "here" and "now", which must guarantee authenticity and consequently the future. In short, the young man's question raises the issue of life's meaning. It can therefore be formulated in this way: what must I do so that my life has meaning? How must I live so as to reap the full fruits of life? Or again: what must I do so that my life is not wasted?
Jesus alone can give us the answer, because he alone can guarantee us eternal life. He alone, therefore, can show us the meaning of this present life and give it fullness.
4. But before giving his response, Jesus asks about a very important aspect of the young man's enquiry: why do you ask me about what is good? In this question, we find the key to the answer. This young man perceives that Jesus is good and that he is a teacher -- a teacher who does not deceive. We are here because we have the very same conviction: Jesus is good. It may be that we do not know how to explain fully the reason for this perception, but it undoubtedly draws us to him and opens us up to his teaching: he is a good teacher. To recognize the good means to love. And whoever loves -- to use a felicitous expression of Saint John -- knows God (cf. 1 Jn 4:7). The young man in the Gospel has perceived God in Jesus Christ.
Jesus assures us that God alone is good. To be open to goodness means to receive God. In this way, he invites us to see God in all things and in everything that happens, even where most people see only God's absence. When we see the beauty of creation and recognize the goodness present there, it is impossible not to believe in God and to experience his saving and reassuring presence. If we came to see all the good that exists in the world -- and moreover, experience the good that comes from God himself -- we would never cease to approach him, praise him, and thank him. He continually fills us with joy and good things. His joy is our strength.
But we can only know in an imperfect, partial way. To understand what is good, we need help, which the Church offers us on many occasions, especially through catechesis. Jesus himself shows what is good for us by giving us the first element in his catechesis: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:17). He begins with the knowledge that the young man has surely already acquired from his family and from the synagogue: he knows the commandments. These lead to life, which means that they guarantee our authenticity. They are the great signs which lead us along the right path. Whoever keeps the commandments is on the way that leads to God.
It is not enough, however, simply to know them. Witness is even more important than knowledge; or rather, it is applied knowledge. The commandments are not imposed upon us from without; they do not diminish our freedom. On the contrary: they are strong internal incentives leading us to act in a certain way. At the heart of them we find both grace and nature, which do not allow us to stay still. We must walk. We are motivated to do something in order fulfil our potential. To find fulfilment through action is, in reality, to become real. To a large extent, from the time of our youth, we are whatever we want to be. We are, so to speak, the work of our own hands.
5. At this point, I turn once more to you, young people, because I want to hear you give the same response that the young man in the Gospel gave: all these I have observed from my youth. The young man in the Gospel was good. He kept the commandments. He was walking along the way of God. Jesus, therefore, gazing at him, loved him. By recognizing that Jesus was good, he showed that he too was good. He had an experience of goodness, and therefore of God. And you, young people of Brazil and Latin America, have you already discovered what is good? Do you follow the Lord's commandments? Have you discovered that this is the one true road to happiness?
These years of your life are the years which will prepare you for your future. Your "tomorrow" depends much on how you are living the "today" of your youth. Stretching out in front of you, my dear young friends, is a life that all of us hope will be long; yet it is only one life, it is unique: do not let it pass it vain; do not squander it. Live it with enthusiasm and with joy, but most of all, with a sense of responsibility.
Many times, we who are pastors feel a sense of trepidation as we take stock of the situation in today's world. We hear talk of the fears of today's youth. These fears reveal an enormous lack of hope: a fear of death, at the very moment when life is blossoming and the young are searching to find how to fulfil their potential; fear of failure, through not having discovered the meaning of life; fear of remaining detached in the face of a disconcerting acceleration of events and communications. We see the high death rate among young people, the threat of violence, the deplorable proliferation of drugs which strike at the deepest roots of youth today. For these reasons, we hear talk of a "lost youth".
But as I gaze at you young people here present -- you who radiate so much joy and enthusiasm -- I see you as Christ sees you: with a gaze of love and trust, in the certainty that you have found the true way. You are the youth of the Church. I send you out, therefore, on the great mission of evangelizing young men and women who have gone astray in this world like sheep without a shepherd. Be apostles of youth. Invite them to walk with you, to have the same experience of faith, hope, and love; to encounter Jesus so that they may feel truly loved, accepted, able to realize their full potential. May they too may discover the sure ways of the commandments, and, by following them, come to God.
You can be the builders of a new society if you seek to put into practice a conduct inspired by universal moral values, but also a personal commitment to a vitally important human and spiritual formation. Men and women who are ill-prepared for the real challenges presented by a correct interpretation of the Christian life in their own surroundings will easily fall prey to all the assaults of materialism and secularism, which are more and more active at all levels.
Be men and women who are free and responsible; make the family a centre that radiates peace and joy; be promoters of life, from its beginning to its natural end; protect the elderly, since they deserve respect and admiration for the good they have done. The Pope also expects young people to seek to sanctify their work, carrying it out with technical skill and diligence, so as to contribute to the progress of all their brothers and sisters, and to shed the light of the Word upon all human activities (cf. Lumen Gentium, 36). But above all, the Pope wants them to set about building a more just and fraternal society, fulfilling their duties towards the State: respecting its laws; not allowing themselves to be swept along by hatred and violence; seeking to be an example of Christian conduct in their professional and social milieu, distinguishing themselves by the integrity of their social and professional relationships. They should remember that excessive ambition for wealth and power leads to corruption of oneself and others; there are no valid motives that would justify attempting to impose one's own worldly aspirations -- economic or political -- through fraud and deceit.
There exists, in the final analysis, an immense panorama of action in which questions of a social, economic and political nature take on particular importance, as long as they draw their inspiration from the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church. This includes building a more just and fraternal society, reconciled and at peace, it includes the commitment to reduce violence, initiatives to promote the fullness of life, the democratic order and the common good and especially initiatives aimed at eliminating certain forms of discrimination existing in Latin American societies: avoiding exclusion, for the sake of mutual enrichment.
Above all, have great respect for the institution of the sacrament of Matrimony. There cannot be true domestic happiness unless, at the same time, there is fidelity between spouses. Marriage is an institution of natural law, which has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament; it is a great gift that God has given to mankind: respect it and honour it. At the same time, God calls you to respect one another when you fall in love and become engaged, since conjugal life, reserved by divine ordinance to married couples, will bring happiness and peace only to the extent that you are able to build your future hopes upon chastity, both within and outside marriage. I repeat here to all of you that "eros tends to rise . . . towards the Divine, to lead us beyond ourselves; yet for this very reason it calls for a path of ascent, renunciation, purification and healing" (Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est , 5). To put it briefly, it requires a spirit of sacrifice and renunciation for the sake of a greater good, namely the love of God above all things. Seek to resist forcefully the snares of evil that are found in many contexts, driving you towards a dissolute and paradoxically empty life, causing you to lose the precious gift of your freedom and your true happiness. True love "increasingly seeks the happiness of the other, is concerned more and more with the beloved, bestows itself and wants to 'be there for' the other" (ibid., 7) and therefore will always grow in faithfulness, indissolubility and fruitfulness.
In all these things, count upon the help of Jesus Christ who will make them possible through his grace (cf. Mt 19:26). The life of faith and prayer will lead you along the paths of intimacy with God, helping you to understand the greatness of his plans for every person. "For the sake of the kingdom of heaven" ( Mt 19:12), some are called to a total and definitive self-giving, by consecrating themselves to God in the religious life -- an "exceptional gift of grace", as the Second Vatican Council expressed it (cf. Decree Perfectae Caritatis, 12). Consecrated persons, by giving themselves totally to God, prompted by the Holy Spirit, participate in the Church's mission, bearing witness before all people to their hope in the heavenly Kingdom. I therefore bless and invoke divine protection upon all those religious who have dedicated themselves to Christ and to their brothers and sisters within the vineyard of the Lord. Consecrated persons truly deserve the gratitude of the ecclesial community: monks and nuns, contemplative men and women, religious men and women dedicated to apostolic works, members of Secular Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, hermits and consecrated virgins. "Their existence witnesses to their love for Christ as they walk the path proposed in the Gospel and with deep joy commit themselves to the same style of life which he chose for himself" (Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, Instruction Starting Afresh from Christ, 5). I pray that in this moment of grace and profound communion in Christ, the Holy Spirit will awaken in the hearts of many young people an impassioned love, prompting them to follow and imitate Jesus Christ, chaste, poor and obedient, totally devoted to the glory of the Father and to love for their brothers and sisters.
6. The Gospel assures us that the young man who went to meet Jesus was very rich. We may understand this wealth not only on the material level. Youth itself is a singular treasure. We have to discover it and to value it. Jesus appreciated it so much that he went on to invite the young man to participate in his saving mission. He had great potential and could have accomplished great things.
But the Gospel goes on to say that this young man, having heard the invitation, was saddened. He went away downcast and sad. This episode causes us to reflect further on the treasure of youth. It is not, in the first place, a question of material wealth, but of life itself, and the values inherent in youth. This wealth is inherited from two sources: life, transmitted from generation to generation, at the ultimate origin of which we find God, full of wisdom and love; and upbringing, which locates us within a culture, to such an extent that we might almost say we are more children of culture and therefore of faith, than of nature. From life springs freedom, which manifests itself, especially in this phase, as responsibility. There comes the great moment of decision, in a twofold choice: firstly, concerning one's state of life, and secondly concerning one's profession. It is about providing an answer to the question: what do I do with my life?
In other words, youth appears as a form of wealth because it leads to the discovery of life as a gift and a task. The young man in the Gospel understood that his youth was itself a treasure. He went to Jesus, the good Teacher, in order to seek some direction. At the moment of the great decision, however, he lacked the courage to wager everything on Jesus Christ. In consequence, he went away sad and downcast. This is what happens whenever our decisions waver and become cowardly and self-seeking. He understood that what he lacked was generosity, and this did not allow him to realize his full potential. He withdrew to his riches, turning them to selfishness.
Jesus regretted the sadness and the cowardice of the young man who had come to seek him out. The Apostles, like all of you here today, filled the vacuum left by that young man who went away sad and downcast. They, and we, are happy, because we know the one in whom we believe (cf. 2 Tim 1:12). We know and we bear witness with our lives that he alone has the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68). Therefore, we can exclaim with Saint Paul: Rejoice always in the Lord! (cf. Phil 4:4).
7. My appeal to you today, young people present at this gathering, is this: do not waste your youth. Do not seek to escape from it. Live it intensely. Consecrate it to the high ideals of faith and human solidarity.
You, young people, are not just the future of the Church and of humanity, as if we could somehow run away from the present. On the contrary: you are that young man now; you are that young man in the Church and in humanity today. You are his young face. The Church needs you, as young people, to manifest to the world the face of Jesus Christ, visible in the Christian community. Without this young face, the Church would appear disfigured.
My dear young people, soon I shall inaugurate the Fifth Conference of the Bishops of Latin America. I ask you to follow its deliberations attentively; to participate in its discussions; to receive its fruits. As was the case with earlier Conferences, the present one will also leave a significant mark on the next ten years of evangelization in Latin America and the Caribbean. No one must stay on the sidelines or remain indifferent in the face of this ecclesial initiative, least of all you young people. You are full members of the Church, which represents the face of Jesus Christ for Latin America and the Caribbean.
I greet the French speakers who live on the Latin American continent, and I invite them to be witnesses of the Gospel, and to be actively engaged in the life of the Church. My prayer is addressed to you young people in a particular way: you are called to build your lives on Christ and on fundamental human values. Everyone should feel invited to work together in order to build a world of justice and peace.
My dear young friends, like the young man in the Gospel who asked Jesus: "What good deed must I do, to have eternal life?", you are all seeking ways to respond generously to God's call. I pray that you may listen to his saving words and that you may become his witnesses for the peoples of today. May God pour out upon all of you his blessings of peace and joy.
My dear young people, Christ is calling you to be saints. He himself is inviting you and wants to walk with you, in order to enliven with his Spirit the steps that Brazil is taking at the beginning of this third millennium of the Christian era. I ask the Senhora Aparecida to guide you with her maternal help and to accompany you throughout your lives.
Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ!
"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor … and come, follow me" (Mt 19:21).
1. I was particularly eager to include a meeting with you during this my first journey to Latin America. I have come to inaugurate the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America which, according to my wish, will take place at Aparecida, here in Brazil, at the Shrine of Our Lady. It is she who leads us to the feet of Jesus so that we can learn his teachings about the Kingdom, and it is she who stirs us up to be his missionaries so that the people of this "Continent of Hope" may have full life in him.
In their General Assembly last year, your Bishops here in Brazil reflected on the theme of the evangelization of youth and they placed a document into your hands. They asked you to receive that document and add your own reflections to it in the course of the year. At their most recent Assembly, the Bishops returned to the theme, enriched now by your collaboration, in the hope that the reflections and guidelines proposed therein would serve as a stimulus and a beacon for your journey. The words offered by the Archbishop of São Paulo and the Director of Pastoral Care for Young People, both of whom I thank, confirm the spirit that moves your hearts.
While flying over the land of Brazil yesterday evening, I was already anticipating our encounter here in the Stadium of Pacaembu, anxious to extend to all of you a warm Brazilian embrace and to share with you the sentiments which I carry in the depths of my heart, and which are very appropriately indicated to us in today's Gospel.
I have always felt a very special joy at these encounters. I remember especially the Twentieth World Youth Day at which I was able to preside two years ago in Germany. Some of you gathered here today were also present! It is an emotional memory for me on account of the abundant fruits of the Lord's grace poured out upon those who were there. Among the many fruits which I could point to, there is little doubt that the first was the exemplary sense of fraternity that stood as a clear witness to the Church's perennial vitality throughout the world.
2. For this reason, my dear friends, I am certain that today the same impressions I received in Germany will be renewed here. In 1991, during his visit to Mato Grosso, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, of venerable memory, said that "youth are the first protagonists of the third millennium … they are the ones who will be charged with the destiny of this new phase in human history" (16 October 1991). Today, I feel moved to make the same observation regarding all of you.
The Christian life you lead in numerous parishes and small ecclesial communities, in universities, colleges and schools, and most of all, in places of work both in the city and in the countryside, is undoubtedly pleasing to the Lord. But it is necessary to go even further. We can never say "enough", because the love of God is infinite, and the Lord asks us -- or better --requires us to open our hearts wider so that there will be room for even more love, goodness, and understanding for our brothers and sisters, and for the problems which concern not only the human community, but also the effective preservation and protection of the natural environment of which we are all a part. "Our forests have more life": do not allow this flame of hope which your National Hymn places on your lips to die out. The devastation of the environment in the Amazon Basin and the threats against the human dignity of peoples living within that region call for greater commitment in the different areas of activity than society tends to recognize.
3. Today I would like to reflect on the text we have just heard from Saint Matthew (cf. 19:16-22). It speaks of a young man who ran to see Jesus. His impatience merits special attention. In this young man I see all of you young people of Brazil and Latin America. You have "run" here from various regions of this Continent for this meeting of ours. You want to listen to the words of Jesus himself -- spoken through the voice of the Pope.
You have a crucial question -- a question that appears in this Gospel -- to put to him. It is the same question posed by the young man who ran to see Jesus: What good deed must I do, to have eternal life? I would like to take a deeper look at this question with you. It has to do with life. A life which -- in all of you -- is exuberant and beautiful. What are you to do with it? How can you live it to the full?
We see at once that in the very formulation of the question, the "here" and "now" are not enough; to put it another way, we cannot limit our life within the confines of space and time, however much we might try to broaden their horizons. Life transcends them. In other words: we want to live, not die. We have a sense of something telling us that life is eternal and that we must apply ourselves to reach it. In short, it rests in our hands and is dependent, in a certain way, on our own decision.
The question in the Gospel does not regard only the future. It does not regard only a question about what will happen after death. On the contrary, it exists as a task in the present, in the "here" and "now", which must guarantee authenticity and consequently the future. In short, the young man's question raises the issue of life's meaning. It can therefore be formulated in this way: what must I do so that my life has meaning? How must I live so as to reap the full fruits of life? Or again: what must I do so that my life is not wasted?
Jesus alone can give us the answer, because he alone can guarantee us eternal life. He alone, therefore, can show us the meaning of this present life and give it fullness.
4. But before giving his response, Jesus asks about a very important aspect of the young man's enquiry: why do you ask me about what is good? In this question, we find the key to the answer. This young man perceives that Jesus is good and that he is a teacher -- a teacher who does not deceive. We are here because we have the very same conviction: Jesus is good. It may be that we do not know how to explain fully the reason for this perception, but it undoubtedly draws us to him and opens us up to his teaching: he is a good teacher. To recognize the good means to love. And whoever loves -- to use a felicitous expression of Saint John -- knows God (cf. 1 Jn 4:7). The young man in the Gospel has perceived God in Jesus Christ.
Jesus assures us that God alone is good. To be open to goodness means to receive God. In this way, he invites us to see God in all things and in everything that happens, even where most people see only God's absence. When we see the beauty of creation and recognize the goodness present there, it is impossible not to believe in God and to experience his saving and reassuring presence. If we came to see all the good that exists in the world -- and moreover, experience the good that comes from God himself -- we would never cease to approach him, praise him, and thank him. He continually fills us with joy and good things. His joy is our strength.
But we can only know in an imperfect, partial way. To understand what is good, we need help, which the Church offers us on many occasions, especially through catechesis. Jesus himself shows what is good for us by giving us the first element in his catechesis: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:17). He begins with the knowledge that the young man has surely already acquired from his family and from the synagogue: he knows the commandments. These lead to life, which means that they guarantee our authenticity. They are the great signs which lead us along the right path. Whoever keeps the commandments is on the way that leads to God.
It is not enough, however, simply to know them. Witness is even more important than knowledge; or rather, it is applied knowledge. The commandments are not imposed upon us from without; they do not diminish our freedom. On the contrary: they are strong internal incentives leading us to act in a certain way. At the heart of them we find both grace and nature, which do not allow us to stay still. We must walk. We are motivated to do something in order fulfil our potential. To find fulfilment through action is, in reality, to become real. To a large extent, from the time of our youth, we are whatever we want to be. We are, so to speak, the work of our own hands.
5. At this point, I turn once more to you, young people, because I want to hear you give the same response that the young man in the Gospel gave: all these I have observed from my youth. The young man in the Gospel was good. He kept the commandments. He was walking along the way of God. Jesus, therefore, gazing at him, loved him. By recognizing that Jesus was good, he showed that he too was good. He had an experience of goodness, and therefore of God. And you, young people of Brazil and Latin America, have you already discovered what is good? Do you follow the Lord's commandments? Have you discovered that this is the one true road to happiness?
These years of your life are the years which will prepare you for your future. Your "tomorrow" depends much on how you are living the "today" of your youth. Stretching out in front of you, my dear young friends, is a life that all of us hope will be long; yet it is only one life, it is unique: do not let it pass it vain; do not squander it. Live it with enthusiasm and with joy, but most of all, with a sense of responsibility.
Many times, we who are pastors feel a sense of trepidation as we take stock of the situation in today's world. We hear talk of the fears of today's youth. These fears reveal an enormous lack of hope: a fear of death, at the very moment when life is blossoming and the young are searching to find how to fulfil their potential; fear of failure, through not having discovered the meaning of life; fear of remaining detached in the face of a disconcerting acceleration of events and communications. We see the high death rate among young people, the threat of violence, the deplorable proliferation of drugs which strike at the deepest roots of youth today. For these reasons, we hear talk of a "lost youth".
But as I gaze at you young people here present -- you who radiate so much joy and enthusiasm -- I see you as Christ sees you: with a gaze of love and trust, in the certainty that you have found the true way. You are the youth of the Church. I send you out, therefore, on the great mission of evangelizing young men and women who have gone astray in this world like sheep without a shepherd. Be apostles of youth. Invite them to walk with you, to have the same experience of faith, hope, and love; to encounter Jesus so that they may feel truly loved, accepted, able to realize their full potential. May they too may discover the sure ways of the commandments, and, by following them, come to God.
You can be the builders of a new society if you seek to put into practice a conduct inspired by universal moral values, but also a personal commitment to a vitally important human and spiritual formation. Men and women who are ill-prepared for the real challenges presented by a correct interpretation of the Christian life in their own surroundings will easily fall prey to all the assaults of materialism and secularism, which are more and more active at all levels.
Be men and women who are free and responsible; make the family a centre that radiates peace and joy; be promoters of life, from its beginning to its natural end; protect the elderly, since they deserve respect and admiration for the good they have done. The Pope also expects young people to seek to sanctify their work, carrying it out with technical skill and diligence, so as to contribute to the progress of all their brothers and sisters, and to shed the light of the Word upon all human activities (cf. Lumen Gentium, 36). But above all, the Pope wants them to set about building a more just and fraternal society, fulfilling their duties towards the State: respecting its laws; not allowing themselves to be swept along by hatred and violence; seeking to be an example of Christian conduct in their professional and social milieu, distinguishing themselves by the integrity of their social and professional relationships. They should remember that excessive ambition for wealth and power leads to corruption of oneself and others; there are no valid motives that would justify attempting to impose one's own worldly aspirations -- economic or political -- through fraud and deceit.
There exists, in the final analysis, an immense panorama of action in which questions of a social, economic and political nature take on particular importance, as long as they draw their inspiration from the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church. This includes building a more just and fraternal society, reconciled and at peace, it includes the commitment to reduce violence, initiatives to promote the fullness of life, the democratic order and the common good and especially initiatives aimed at eliminating certain forms of discrimination existing in Latin American societies: avoiding exclusion, for the sake of mutual enrichment.
Above all, have great respect for the institution of the sacrament of Matrimony. There cannot be true domestic happiness unless, at the same time, there is fidelity between spouses. Marriage is an institution of natural law, which has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament; it is a great gift that God has given to mankind: respect it and honour it. At the same time, God calls you to respect one another when you fall in love and become engaged, since conjugal life, reserved by divine ordinance to married couples, will bring happiness and peace only to the extent that you are able to build your future hopes upon chastity, both within and outside marriage. I repeat here to all of you that "eros tends to rise . . . towards the Divine, to lead us beyond ourselves; yet for this very reason it calls for a path of ascent, renunciation, purification and healing" (Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est , 5). To put it briefly, it requires a spirit of sacrifice and renunciation for the sake of a greater good, namely the love of God above all things. Seek to resist forcefully the snares of evil that are found in many contexts, driving you towards a dissolute and paradoxically empty life, causing you to lose the precious gift of your freedom and your true happiness. True love "increasingly seeks the happiness of the other, is concerned more and more with the beloved, bestows itself and wants to 'be there for' the other" (ibid., 7) and therefore will always grow in faithfulness, indissolubility and fruitfulness.
In all these things, count upon the help of Jesus Christ who will make them possible through his grace (cf. Mt 19:26). The life of faith and prayer will lead you along the paths of intimacy with God, helping you to understand the greatness of his plans for every person. "For the sake of the kingdom of heaven" ( Mt 19:12), some are called to a total and definitive self-giving, by consecrating themselves to God in the religious life -- an "exceptional gift of grace", as the Second Vatican Council expressed it (cf. Decree Perfectae Caritatis, 12). Consecrated persons, by giving themselves totally to God, prompted by the Holy Spirit, participate in the Church's mission, bearing witness before all people to their hope in the heavenly Kingdom. I therefore bless and invoke divine protection upon all those religious who have dedicated themselves to Christ and to their brothers and sisters within the vineyard of the Lord. Consecrated persons truly deserve the gratitude of the ecclesial community: monks and nuns, contemplative men and women, religious men and women dedicated to apostolic works, members of Secular Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, hermits and consecrated virgins. "Their existence witnesses to their love for Christ as they walk the path proposed in the Gospel and with deep joy commit themselves to the same style of life which he chose for himself" (Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, Instruction Starting Afresh from Christ, 5). I pray that in this moment of grace and profound communion in Christ, the Holy Spirit will awaken in the hearts of many young people an impassioned love, prompting them to follow and imitate Jesus Christ, chaste, poor and obedient, totally devoted to the glory of the Father and to love for their brothers and sisters.
6. The Gospel assures us that the young man who went to meet Jesus was very rich. We may understand this wealth not only on the material level. Youth itself is a singular treasure. We have to discover it and to value it. Jesus appreciated it so much that he went on to invite the young man to participate in his saving mission. He had great potential and could have accomplished great things.
But the Gospel goes on to say that this young man, having heard the invitation, was saddened. He went away downcast and sad. This episode causes us to reflect further on the treasure of youth. It is not, in the first place, a question of material wealth, but of life itself, and the values inherent in youth. This wealth is inherited from two sources: life, transmitted from generation to generation, at the ultimate origin of which we find God, full of wisdom and love; and upbringing, which locates us within a culture, to such an extent that we might almost say we are more children of culture and therefore of faith, than of nature. From life springs freedom, which manifests itself, especially in this phase, as responsibility. There comes the great moment of decision, in a twofold choice: firstly, concerning one's state of life, and secondly concerning one's profession. It is about providing an answer to the question: what do I do with my life?
In other words, youth appears as a form of wealth because it leads to the discovery of life as a gift and a task. The young man in the Gospel understood that his youth was itself a treasure. He went to Jesus, the good Teacher, in order to seek some direction. At the moment of the great decision, however, he lacked the courage to wager everything on Jesus Christ. In consequence, he went away sad and downcast. This is what happens whenever our decisions waver and become cowardly and self-seeking. He understood that what he lacked was generosity, and this did not allow him to realize his full potential. He withdrew to his riches, turning them to selfishness.
Jesus regretted the sadness and the cowardice of the young man who had come to seek him out. The Apostles, like all of you here today, filled the vacuum left by that young man who went away sad and downcast. They, and we, are happy, because we know the one in whom we believe (cf. 2 Tim 1:12). We know and we bear witness with our lives that he alone has the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68). Therefore, we can exclaim with Saint Paul: Rejoice always in the Lord! (cf. Phil 4:4).
7. My appeal to you today, young people present at this gathering, is this: do not waste your youth. Do not seek to escape from it. Live it intensely. Consecrate it to the high ideals of faith and human solidarity.
You, young people, are not just the future of the Church and of humanity, as if we could somehow run away from the present. On the contrary: you are that young man now; you are that young man in the Church and in humanity today. You are his young face. The Church needs you, as young people, to manifest to the world the face of Jesus Christ, visible in the Christian community. Without this young face, the Church would appear disfigured.
My dear young people, soon I shall inaugurate the Fifth Conference of the Bishops of Latin America. I ask you to follow its deliberations attentively; to participate in its discussions; to receive its fruits. As was the case with earlier Conferences, the present one will also leave a significant mark on the next ten years of evangelization in Latin America and the Caribbean. No one must stay on the sidelines or remain indifferent in the face of this ecclesial initiative, least of all you young people. You are full members of the Church, which represents the face of Jesus Christ for Latin America and the Caribbean.
I greet the French speakers who live on the Latin American continent, and I invite them to be witnesses of the Gospel, and to be actively engaged in the life of the Church. My prayer is addressed to you young people in a particular way: you are called to build your lives on Christ and on fundamental human values. Everyone should feel invited to work together in order to build a world of justice and peace.
My dear young friends, like the young man in the Gospel who asked Jesus: "What good deed must I do, to have eternal life?", you are all seeking ways to respond generously to God's call. I pray that you may listen to his saving words and that you may become his witnesses for the peoples of today. May God pour out upon all of you his blessings of peace and joy.
My dear young people, Christ is calling you to be saints. He himself is inviting you and wants to walk with you, in order to enliven with his Spirit the steps that Brazil is taking at the beginning of this third millennium of the Christian era. I ask the Senhora Aparecida to guide you with her maternal help and to accompany you throughout your lives.
Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ!
Papal Homily on Augustine's Conversions
During the Easter Season, the Church presents to us, Sunday after Sunday, some passages from the preaching with which, after Easter, the Apostles, particularly Peter, invited Israel to have faith in Jesus Christ, the Risen One, thereby founding the Church.
In today's reading, the Apostles stand before the Sanhedrin -- before that institution which, having sentenced Jesus to death, could not tolerate that this same Jesus was now beginning to be active again through the Apostles' preaching. They could not tolerate that his saving power was once more making itself felt and that his Name was attracting people who believed in him as the promised Redeemer.
They accused the Apostles. Their accusation is: "You want to make us responsible for that man's blood".
Peter, however, reacted to this accusation with a brief catechesis on the essence of Christian faith: "No, we do not want to make you responsible for his blood. The effect of the death and Resurrection of Jesus is quite different. God has exalted him as "'Head and Saviour' of all, and of you, too, his People of Israel". And where will this "Head" lead us? What does this "Saviour" bring?
He leads us, St Peter tells us, to conversion -- creates for us the leeway and opportunity to mend our ways and repent, begin again. And he offers us forgiveness for our sins: he introduces us into the proper relationship with God, hence, into the proper relationship of each individual with himself or herself and with others.
Peter's brief catechesis did not only apply to the Sanhedrin. It speaks to us all, for Jesus, the Risen One, is also alive today. And for all generations, for all men and women, he is the "Head" who shows us the way and the "Saviour" who straightens out our lives.
The two terms: "conversion" and "forgiveness of sins", which correspond to the titles of Christ "Head", archegòs in Greek, and "Saviour", are the key words of Peter's catechesis, words intended to move our hearts too, here and now. And what do they mean?
The path we must take -- the path that Jesus points out to us -- is called "conversion". But what is it? What must we do? In every life conversion has its own form, because every human being is something new and no one is merely a copy of another.
But in the course of history, the Lord has sent us models of conversion to whom we can look to find guidance. We could thus look at Peter himself to whom the Lord said at the Last Supper: "[W]hen you have turned again, strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22: 32).
We could look at Paul as a great convert. The City of Pavia speaks of one of the greatest converts in the history of the Church: St Aurelius Augustine. He died on 28 August in 430 in the port town of Hippo, in Africa, at that time surrounded and besieged by the Vandals.
After the considerable turmoil of a turbulent history, the King of the Longobards acquired Augustine's remains for the City of Pavia so that today they belong to this City in a special way, and, in it and from it, have something special to say to all of us, to humanity, but to all of us here in particular.
In his book, Confessions, Augustine touchingly described the development of his conversion which achieved its goal with Baptism, administered to him by Bishop Ambrose in the Cathedral of Milan. Readers of his Confessions can share in the journey that Augustine had to make in a long inner struggle to receive at last, at the baptismal font on the night before Easter 387, the Sacrament which marked the great turning point in his life.
A careful examination of the course of St Augustine's life enables one to perceive that his conversion was not an event of a single moment but, precisely, a journey. And one can see that this journey did not end at the baptismal font.
Just as prior to his baptism Augustine's life was a journey of conversion, after it too, although differently, his life continued to be a journey of conversion -- until his last illness, when he had the penitential Psalms hung on the walls so that he might have them always before his eyes, and when he excluded himself from receiving the Eucharist in order to go back once again over the path of his repentance and receive salvation from Christ's hands as a gift of God's mercy.
Thus, we can rightly speak of Augustine's "conversions", which actually consisted of one important conversion in his quest for the Face of Christ and then in the journeying on with him.
I would like to mention briefly three important landmarks in this process of conversion, three "conversions".
The first fundamental conversion was the inner march towards Christianity, towards the "yes" of the faith and of Baptism. What was the essential aspect of this journey?
On the one hand, Augustine was a son of his time, deeply conditioned by the customs and passions prevalent then as well as by all the questions and problems that beset any young man. He lived like all the others, yet with a difference: he continued to be a person constantly seeking. He was never satisfied with life as it presented itself and as so many people lived it.
The question of the truth tormented him ceaselessly. He longed to discover truth. He wanted to succeed in knowing what man is; where we ourselves come from, where we are going and how we can find true life.
He desired to find the life that was right and not merely to live blindly, without meaning or purpose.
Passion for truth is the true key phrase of his life. Passion for the truth truly guided him.
There is a further peculiarity: anything that did not bear Christ's Name did not suffice for him. Love for this Name, he tells us, he had tasted from his mother's milk (cf. Confessions, 3, 4, 8). And he always believed -- sometimes rather vaguely, at other times, more clearly -- that God exists and takes care of us (cf. Confessions, 6, 5, 8).
But to truly know this God and to become really familiar with this Jesus Christ and reach the point of saying "yes" to him with all its consequences -- this was the great interior struggle of his youthful years.
St Augustine tells us that through Platonic philosophy he learned and recognized that "in the beginning was the Word" -- the Logos, creative reason. But philosophy, which showed him that the beginning of all things was creative reason, did not show him any path on which to reach it; this Logos remained remote and intangible.
Only through faith in the Church did he later find the second essential truth: the Word, the Logos, was made flesh.
Thus, he touches us and we touch him. The humility of God's Incarnation -- this is the important step -- must be equalled by the humility of our faith, which lays down its self-important pride and bows upon entering the community of Christ's Body; which lives with the Church and through her alone can enter into concrete and bodily communion with the living God.
I do not have to say how deeply all this concerns us: to remain seekers; to refuse to be satisfied with what everyone else says and does; to keep our gaze fixed on the eternal God and on Jesus Christ; to learn the humility of faith in the corporeal Church of Jesus Christ, of the Logos Incarnate.
Augustine described his second conversion at the end of the 10th book of his Confessions with the words: "Terrified by my sins and the pile of my misery, I had racked my heart and had meditated, taking flight to live in solitude. But you forbade me and comforted me, saying: "That is why Christ died for all, so that those who live should not live for themselves, but for him who died for them' (2 Corinthians 5:15)"; Confessions, 10, 43, 70).
What had happened? After his baptism, Augustine had decided to return to Africa and with some of his friends had founded a small monastery there. His life was then to be totally dedicated to conversation with God and reflection on and contemplation of the beauty and truth of his Word.
Thus, he spent three happy years in which he believed he had achieved the goal of his life; in that period, a series of valuable philosophical and theological works came into being.
In 391, four years after his baptism, he went to the port town of Hippo to meet a friend whom he desired to win over for his monastery. But he was recognized at the Sunday liturgy in the cathedral in which he took part.
It was not by chance that the Bishop of the city, a man of Greek origin who was not fluent in Latin and found preaching rather a struggle, said in his homily that he was hoping to find a priest to whom he could entrust the task of preaching.
People instantly grabbed hold of Augustine and forced him forward to be ordained a priest to serve the city.
Immediately after his forced ordination, Augustine wrote to Bishop Valerius: "I was constrained ... to accept second place at the helm, when as yet I knew not how to handle an oar. ... And from this derived the tears which some of my brethren perceived me shedding in the city at the time of my ordination" (cf. Letter 21, 1ff.).
Augustine's beautiful dream of a contemplative life had vanished. As a result, his life had fundamentally changed. He could now no longer dedicate himself solely to meditation in solitude. He had to live with Christ for everyone. He had to express his sublime knowledge and thoughts in the thoughts and language of the simple people in his city. The great philosophical work of an entire lifetime, of which he had dreamed, was to remain unwritten.
Instead, however, we have been given something far more precious: the Gospel translated into the language of everyday life and of his sufferings.
These were now part of his daily life, which he described as the following: "reprimanding the undisciplined, comforting the faint-hearted, supporting the weak, refuting opponents ... encouraging the negligent, soothing the quarrelsome, helping the needy, liberating the oppressed, expressing approval to the good, tolerating the wicked and loving all" (Sermon 340, 3).
"Continuously preaching, arguing, rebuking, building God's house, having to manage for everyone -- who would not shrink from such a heavy burden?" (Sermon 339, 4).
This was the second conversion which this man, struggling and suffering, was constantly obliged to make: to be available to everyone, time and again, and not for his own perfection; time and again, to lay down his life with Christ so that others might find him, true Life.
Further, there was a third, decisive phase in the journey of conversion of St Augustine. After his Ordination to the priesthood he had requested a vacation period to study the Sacred Scriptures in greater detail.
His first series of homilies, after this pause for reflection, were on the Sermon on the Mount; he explained the way to an upright life, "the perfect life", pointed out by Christ in a new way. He presented it as a pilgrimage to the holy mountain of the Word of God. In these homilies it is possible to further perceive all the enthusiasm of faith newly discovered and lived; his firm conviction that the baptized, in living totally in accordance with Christ's message, can precisely be "perfect" in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount.
Approximately 20 years later, Augustine wrote a book called the Retractations, in which he critically reviewed all the works he had thus far written, adding corrections wherever he had in the meantime learned something new.
With regard to the ideal of perfection in his homilies on the Sermon on the Mount, he noted: "In the meantime, I have understood that one alone is truly perfect and that the words of the Sermon on the Mount are totally fulfilled in one alone: Jesus Christ himself.
"The whole Church, on the other hand -- all of us, including the Apostles -- must pray every day: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" (cf. Retract. I 19, 1-3).
Augustine had learned a further degree of humility -- not only the humility of integrating his great thought into the humble faith of the Church, not only the humility of translating his great knowledge into the simplicity of announcement, but also the humility of recognizing that he himself and the entire pilgrim Church needed and continually need the merciful goodness of a God who forgives every day.
And we, he added, liken ourselves to Christ, the only Perfect One, to the greatest possible extent when we become, like him, people of mercy.
Let us now thank God for the great light that shines out from St Augustine's wisdom and humility and pray the Lord to give to us all, day after day, the conversion we need, and thus lead us toward true life. Amen.
In today's reading, the Apostles stand before the Sanhedrin -- before that institution which, having sentenced Jesus to death, could not tolerate that this same Jesus was now beginning to be active again through the Apostles' preaching. They could not tolerate that his saving power was once more making itself felt and that his Name was attracting people who believed in him as the promised Redeemer.
They accused the Apostles. Their accusation is: "You want to make us responsible for that man's blood".
Peter, however, reacted to this accusation with a brief catechesis on the essence of Christian faith: "No, we do not want to make you responsible for his blood. The effect of the death and Resurrection of Jesus is quite different. God has exalted him as "'Head and Saviour' of all, and of you, too, his People of Israel". And where will this "Head" lead us? What does this "Saviour" bring?
He leads us, St Peter tells us, to conversion -- creates for us the leeway and opportunity to mend our ways and repent, begin again. And he offers us forgiveness for our sins: he introduces us into the proper relationship with God, hence, into the proper relationship of each individual with himself or herself and with others.
Peter's brief catechesis did not only apply to the Sanhedrin. It speaks to us all, for Jesus, the Risen One, is also alive today. And for all generations, for all men and women, he is the "Head" who shows us the way and the "Saviour" who straightens out our lives.
The two terms: "conversion" and "forgiveness of sins", which correspond to the titles of Christ "Head", archegòs in Greek, and "Saviour", are the key words of Peter's catechesis, words intended to move our hearts too, here and now. And what do they mean?
The path we must take -- the path that Jesus points out to us -- is called "conversion". But what is it? What must we do? In every life conversion has its own form, because every human being is something new and no one is merely a copy of another.
But in the course of history, the Lord has sent us models of conversion to whom we can look to find guidance. We could thus look at Peter himself to whom the Lord said at the Last Supper: "[W]hen you have turned again, strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22: 32).
We could look at Paul as a great convert. The City of Pavia speaks of one of the greatest converts in the history of the Church: St Aurelius Augustine. He died on 28 August in 430 in the port town of Hippo, in Africa, at that time surrounded and besieged by the Vandals.
After the considerable turmoil of a turbulent history, the King of the Longobards acquired Augustine's remains for the City of Pavia so that today they belong to this City in a special way, and, in it and from it, have something special to say to all of us, to humanity, but to all of us here in particular.
In his book, Confessions, Augustine touchingly described the development of his conversion which achieved its goal with Baptism, administered to him by Bishop Ambrose in the Cathedral of Milan. Readers of his Confessions can share in the journey that Augustine had to make in a long inner struggle to receive at last, at the baptismal font on the night before Easter 387, the Sacrament which marked the great turning point in his life.
A careful examination of the course of St Augustine's life enables one to perceive that his conversion was not an event of a single moment but, precisely, a journey. And one can see that this journey did not end at the baptismal font.
Just as prior to his baptism Augustine's life was a journey of conversion, after it too, although differently, his life continued to be a journey of conversion -- until his last illness, when he had the penitential Psalms hung on the walls so that he might have them always before his eyes, and when he excluded himself from receiving the Eucharist in order to go back once again over the path of his repentance and receive salvation from Christ's hands as a gift of God's mercy.
Thus, we can rightly speak of Augustine's "conversions", which actually consisted of one important conversion in his quest for the Face of Christ and then in the journeying on with him.
I would like to mention briefly three important landmarks in this process of conversion, three "conversions".
The first fundamental conversion was the inner march towards Christianity, towards the "yes" of the faith and of Baptism. What was the essential aspect of this journey?
On the one hand, Augustine was a son of his time, deeply conditioned by the customs and passions prevalent then as well as by all the questions and problems that beset any young man. He lived like all the others, yet with a difference: he continued to be a person constantly seeking. He was never satisfied with life as it presented itself and as so many people lived it.
The question of the truth tormented him ceaselessly. He longed to discover truth. He wanted to succeed in knowing what man is; where we ourselves come from, where we are going and how we can find true life.
He desired to find the life that was right and not merely to live blindly, without meaning or purpose.
Passion for truth is the true key phrase of his life. Passion for the truth truly guided him.
There is a further peculiarity: anything that did not bear Christ's Name did not suffice for him. Love for this Name, he tells us, he had tasted from his mother's milk (cf. Confessions, 3, 4, 8). And he always believed -- sometimes rather vaguely, at other times, more clearly -- that God exists and takes care of us (cf. Confessions, 6, 5, 8).
But to truly know this God and to become really familiar with this Jesus Christ and reach the point of saying "yes" to him with all its consequences -- this was the great interior struggle of his youthful years.
St Augustine tells us that through Platonic philosophy he learned and recognized that "in the beginning was the Word" -- the Logos, creative reason. But philosophy, which showed him that the beginning of all things was creative reason, did not show him any path on which to reach it; this Logos remained remote and intangible.
Only through faith in the Church did he later find the second essential truth: the Word, the Logos, was made flesh.
Thus, he touches us and we touch him. The humility of God's Incarnation -- this is the important step -- must be equalled by the humility of our faith, which lays down its self-important pride and bows upon entering the community of Christ's Body; which lives with the Church and through her alone can enter into concrete and bodily communion with the living God.
I do not have to say how deeply all this concerns us: to remain seekers; to refuse to be satisfied with what everyone else says and does; to keep our gaze fixed on the eternal God and on Jesus Christ; to learn the humility of faith in the corporeal Church of Jesus Christ, of the Logos Incarnate.
Augustine described his second conversion at the end of the 10th book of his Confessions with the words: "Terrified by my sins and the pile of my misery, I had racked my heart and had meditated, taking flight to live in solitude. But you forbade me and comforted me, saying: "That is why Christ died for all, so that those who live should not live for themselves, but for him who died for them' (2 Corinthians 5:15)"; Confessions, 10, 43, 70).
What had happened? After his baptism, Augustine had decided to return to Africa and with some of his friends had founded a small monastery there. His life was then to be totally dedicated to conversation with God and reflection on and contemplation of the beauty and truth of his Word.
Thus, he spent three happy years in which he believed he had achieved the goal of his life; in that period, a series of valuable philosophical and theological works came into being.
In 391, four years after his baptism, he went to the port town of Hippo to meet a friend whom he desired to win over for his monastery. But he was recognized at the Sunday liturgy in the cathedral in which he took part.
It was not by chance that the Bishop of the city, a man of Greek origin who was not fluent in Latin and found preaching rather a struggle, said in his homily that he was hoping to find a priest to whom he could entrust the task of preaching.
People instantly grabbed hold of Augustine and forced him forward to be ordained a priest to serve the city.
Immediately after his forced ordination, Augustine wrote to Bishop Valerius: "I was constrained ... to accept second place at the helm, when as yet I knew not how to handle an oar. ... And from this derived the tears which some of my brethren perceived me shedding in the city at the time of my ordination" (cf. Letter 21, 1ff.).
Augustine's beautiful dream of a contemplative life had vanished. As a result, his life had fundamentally changed. He could now no longer dedicate himself solely to meditation in solitude. He had to live with Christ for everyone. He had to express his sublime knowledge and thoughts in the thoughts and language of the simple people in his city. The great philosophical work of an entire lifetime, of which he had dreamed, was to remain unwritten.
Instead, however, we have been given something far more precious: the Gospel translated into the language of everyday life and of his sufferings.
These were now part of his daily life, which he described as the following: "reprimanding the undisciplined, comforting the faint-hearted, supporting the weak, refuting opponents ... encouraging the negligent, soothing the quarrelsome, helping the needy, liberating the oppressed, expressing approval to the good, tolerating the wicked and loving all" (Sermon 340, 3).
"Continuously preaching, arguing, rebuking, building God's house, having to manage for everyone -- who would not shrink from such a heavy burden?" (Sermon 339, 4).
This was the second conversion which this man, struggling and suffering, was constantly obliged to make: to be available to everyone, time and again, and not for his own perfection; time and again, to lay down his life with Christ so that others might find him, true Life.
Further, there was a third, decisive phase in the journey of conversion of St Augustine. After his Ordination to the priesthood he had requested a vacation period to study the Sacred Scriptures in greater detail.
His first series of homilies, after this pause for reflection, were on the Sermon on the Mount; he explained the way to an upright life, "the perfect life", pointed out by Christ in a new way. He presented it as a pilgrimage to the holy mountain of the Word of God. In these homilies it is possible to further perceive all the enthusiasm of faith newly discovered and lived; his firm conviction that the baptized, in living totally in accordance with Christ's message, can precisely be "perfect" in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount.
Approximately 20 years later, Augustine wrote a book called the Retractations, in which he critically reviewed all the works he had thus far written, adding corrections wherever he had in the meantime learned something new.
With regard to the ideal of perfection in his homilies on the Sermon on the Mount, he noted: "In the meantime, I have understood that one alone is truly perfect and that the words of the Sermon on the Mount are totally fulfilled in one alone: Jesus Christ himself.
"The whole Church, on the other hand -- all of us, including the Apostles -- must pray every day: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" (cf. Retract. I 19, 1-3).
Augustine had learned a further degree of humility -- not only the humility of integrating his great thought into the humble faith of the Church, not only the humility of translating his great knowledge into the simplicity of announcement, but also the humility of recognizing that he himself and the entire pilgrim Church needed and continually need the merciful goodness of a God who forgives every day.
And we, he added, liken ourselves to Christ, the only Perfect One, to the greatest possible extent when we become, like him, people of mercy.
Let us now thank God for the great light that shines out from St Augustine's wisdom and humility and pray the Lord to give to us all, day after day, the conversion we need, and thus lead us toward true life. Amen.
Nursing a Sexually Wounded Culture by Christopher West
There have been various stories in the news lately about breast-feeding mothers being escorted off airplanes or out of shopping malls for “indecent exposure.” In a similar vein, a few months ago a well-known parenting magazine caused a stir because its front cover pictured a baby at the breast. Letters to the magazine varied from “how beautiful,” to “that’s gross,” to “that’s pornographic.”
In conversations I’ve had with Catholics about the issue, I’ve received varying responses as well. Most Catholics, having a deep sense of the sacredness of a mother’s love, would not respond by concluding that breast-feeding is “gross” or “pornographic” (thank God!). Still, others get more than a bit uncomfortable with the idea of breast-feeding in public.
I’m not advocating that nursing mother’s should indiscreetly expose themselves in public places. But I do think it could be a good exercise to ask why something as innocent as breast-feeding can cause such discomfort in us. Why should women be made to feel as if they were doing something shameful – even criminal – when they feed their babies at the breast? This is not the case in other parts of the world.
I remember attending the Second World Meeting of John Paul II with Families in Brazil in 1997. Nursing mothers were a common sight at this international gathering. What I found intriguing, however, was that women from “first-world” nations tended to drape themselves and sit off in a corner, while women from other nations seemed to have no qualms whatsoever about feeding their babies in full view of others. I remember one woman unabashedly roaming the crowd passing all manner of bishops and cardinals with her breast fully exposed while her child held on to it with both hands happily feeding. The only people flinching seemed to be those from the northern hemisphere.
Isn’t it interesting that the part of the world producing the most pornography and exporting it to the rest of the globe has seemed to lose all sense of the true meaning of the human breast? What a commentary on the sad state of our sexually wounded culture! Breasts have been so “pornified” that we can fall into thinking that even their proper use is shameful. In other words, we have been so conditioned to see a woman’s body through the prism of lust that we find it very difficult to recognize the purity and innocence of breast-feeding.
St. Paul hit the nail on the head when he said, “To the pure all things are pure, but to the impure nothing is pure” (Ti 1:15). It is a tragically impure world that labels the purity of a baby at the breast as “gross.” For those with the purity to see it, a nursing mother is one of the most precious, most beautiful, and most holy of all possible images of woman. It is an image that should inspire – and throughout Christian history has inspired – the most lofty of sentiments. In fact, it is a heavenly image. Isaiah 66 describes heaven as that place where we will all drink from the abundant breast of the new Jerusalem and find comfort in her overflowing milk.
John Paul II observed in his theology of the body that the “whole exterior constitution of woman’s body, its particular look [is] in strict union with motherhood.” Since the body reveals the person, John Paul believes that this speaks volumes, not only about feminine biology, but about the dignity and nature of woman as a person. This is why he takes special care to note that “the Bible (and the liturgy following it) honors and praises throughout the centuries ‘the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you sucked milk’ (Lk 11:27). These words,” he continues, “are a eulogy of motherhood, of femininity, of the feminine body in its typical expression of creative love” (TOB 21:5).
Sweet Jesus, please free us from the pornographic lies that distort the true meaning of our bodies! And Mary, Mother of God, pray for us that we would see in every nursing mother an image of you feeding the Christ child.
In conversations I’ve had with Catholics about the issue, I’ve received varying responses as well. Most Catholics, having a deep sense of the sacredness of a mother’s love, would not respond by concluding that breast-feeding is “gross” or “pornographic” (thank God!). Still, others get more than a bit uncomfortable with the idea of breast-feeding in public.
I’m not advocating that nursing mother’s should indiscreetly expose themselves in public places. But I do think it could be a good exercise to ask why something as innocent as breast-feeding can cause such discomfort in us. Why should women be made to feel as if they were doing something shameful – even criminal – when they feed their babies at the breast? This is not the case in other parts of the world.
I remember attending the Second World Meeting of John Paul II with Families in Brazil in 1997. Nursing mothers were a common sight at this international gathering. What I found intriguing, however, was that women from “first-world” nations tended to drape themselves and sit off in a corner, while women from other nations seemed to have no qualms whatsoever about feeding their babies in full view of others. I remember one woman unabashedly roaming the crowd passing all manner of bishops and cardinals with her breast fully exposed while her child held on to it with both hands happily feeding. The only people flinching seemed to be those from the northern hemisphere.
Isn’t it interesting that the part of the world producing the most pornography and exporting it to the rest of the globe has seemed to lose all sense of the true meaning of the human breast? What a commentary on the sad state of our sexually wounded culture! Breasts have been so “pornified” that we can fall into thinking that even their proper use is shameful. In other words, we have been so conditioned to see a woman’s body through the prism of lust that we find it very difficult to recognize the purity and innocence of breast-feeding.
St. Paul hit the nail on the head when he said, “To the pure all things are pure, but to the impure nothing is pure” (Ti 1:15). It is a tragically impure world that labels the purity of a baby at the breast as “gross.” For those with the purity to see it, a nursing mother is one of the most precious, most beautiful, and most holy of all possible images of woman. It is an image that should inspire – and throughout Christian history has inspired – the most lofty of sentiments. In fact, it is a heavenly image. Isaiah 66 describes heaven as that place where we will all drink from the abundant breast of the new Jerusalem and find comfort in her overflowing milk.
John Paul II observed in his theology of the body that the “whole exterior constitution of woman’s body, its particular look [is] in strict union with motherhood.” Since the body reveals the person, John Paul believes that this speaks volumes, not only about feminine biology, but about the dignity and nature of woman as a person. This is why he takes special care to note that “the Bible (and the liturgy following it) honors and praises throughout the centuries ‘the womb that bore you and the breasts from which you sucked milk’ (Lk 11:27). These words,” he continues, “are a eulogy of motherhood, of femininity, of the feminine body in its typical expression of creative love” (TOB 21:5).
Sweet Jesus, please free us from the pornographic lies that distort the true meaning of our bodies! And Mary, Mother of God, pray for us that we would see in every nursing mother an image of you feeding the Christ child.
Christ’s Spousal Gift on the Cross by Christopher West
Having recently celebrated Holy Week, I thought it fitting to reflect anew on the mystery of Christ’s body “given up for us” on the cross. I’d like to take an angle familiar to the mystics of our tradition, but sadly unfamiliar to most Catholics in the pew. It is an idea that, if we meditate prayerfully on it, can help us reclaim the holiness of the body and of marital union. It is the idea of the cross as Christ’s “marriage bed” – the place where he consummates his love for his Bride, the Church.
While this imagery might raise some eyebrows, it needn’t be cause for scandal if we properly understand the spousal symbolism of the Bible. As the Catechism observes, “The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism ...is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist” (CCC 1617). We might also recall Christ’s final words of love uttered for his Bride from the cross: “It is consummated” (see Jn 19:30).
St. Augustine wrote, “Like a bridegroom Christ went forth from his chamber.... He came to the marriage-bed of the cross, and there in mounting it, he consummated his marriage. And when he perceived the sighs of the creature, he lovingly gave himself up to the torment in place of his bride, and joined himself to [her] forever” (On the Good of Marriage). Saint Mechtilde, a German mystic of the 13th century, echoed the same idea when he wrote that Christ’s “noble nuptial bed was the very hard wood of the Cross on which he leaped with more joy and ardor then a delighted bridegroom” (cited by Blaise Arminjon in The Cantata of Love).
I first heard this idea of the cross as a “marriage bed” from the late Bishop Fulton Sheen in a recorded lecture I listened to some years ago. Sheen’s booming voice still echoes in my mind: “Do you know what is happening at the foot of the cross?” he asked. “Nuptials, I tell you! Nuptials!” Like Augustine, he then described the cross as Christ’s “marriage bed” which he mounted not in pleasure, but in pain in order to unite himself forever to his Bride.
The good bishop went on to explain that whenever Jesus calls Mary “woman” (such as at the Wedding in Cana and at the cross), he is speaking as the new Adam to the new Eve, the Bridegroom to the Bride. Here, of course, the relationships are outside the realm of blood. The fact that Christ’s mother is “the woman” symbolizing his “Bride” needn’t trouble us. The marriage of the new Adam and new Eve consummated at the cross is mystical and virginal. The Catechism, itself, refers to this “woman” (Mary) as “the Bride of the Lamb” (CCC 1138).
Contemplating this spousal symbolism opens up treasures for us. Just as the first Adam was put into a deep sleep and Eve came from his side, so the new Adam accepts the slumber of death and the new Eve is born of his side (see CCC 766). This is often portrayed artistically by an image of “the woman” (Mary) holding a chalice – or sometimes a large jug reminiscent of Cana – at the foot of the cross receiving the flow of blood and water from Christ’s side. The blood and water, of course, symbolize the “nuptial bath” of Baptism and the “wedding feast” of the Eucharist.
But there’s still more to this! The mystical union of the new Adam and the new Eve has already borne supernatural fruit. “‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” (Jn 19:26-27). One might also render Christ’s words as follows, “Woman, behold your giving birth to a new son.” Mary’s sorrows at the foot of the cross are her labor pains in giving birth to all the children of the Church. Here the beloved disciple (John) represents the offspring “born anew not of perishable seed, but of imperishable” (1 Pt 1:23), “not of blood, ...but of God” (Jn 1:13).
St. Paul wasn’t kidding when he described the union of spouses as “a great mystery” that refers to Christ and the Church (see Eph 5:31-32). Jesus, open our hearts ever anew to this “great mystery” revealed through your body given up for us on the “marriage bed” of the cross. Amen.
Lessons from Spiderman 3 by Christopher West
I took my two older boys to see Spiderman 3 this past weekend. Watching all that jam-packed action had the same effect on them as would a 2-liter bottle of Coke. After their “sugar-high” subsided and they could actually speak, we had some great father-son chats about the movie’s many moral lessons.
I’ve been milking the moral lessons from Spiderman 2 for almost three years now. Doc Oc, the eight-armed supervillain from that installment, was an image of the passions gone wild. When our passions are out of control, humanity – as the movie memorably demonstrated – is on a train bound for destruction. Only Spiderman, here a Christ-figure sacrificing himself in cruciform, can save us.
Now with the release of Spidey 3, I’ve got lots of new material to draw from with my kids. It’s a multi-layered morality tale. One of the main questions this movie addresses is what do we do with the hurt we feel when other people cause us pain? “Revenge,” Aunt May tells Peter, “is like a poison. Before you know it, it can turn you into something ugly.” And it does. When the man who murdered Peter’s uncle escapes from prison, Peter chooses revenge and Spidey’s alter ego emerges, overtaken by black-alien-parasitic goo. These nasty symbiotes, Peter learns from his college professor, bind to their host, and “when they bind, they can be hard to unbind.” Uhuh.
It is very rare to see lust portrayed as something evil in a Hollywood movie. But here, Peter Parker’s lusty prance down main street is a clear indication that he is no longer “your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.” His respect for women has gone out the window. Peter only wises up when he sees how he has wounded his beloved Mary Jane. “I hurt her, Aunt May. I don’t know what to do.” “You start by doing the hardest thing,” she says. “You forgive yourself.”
Peter, in a fit of merciless rage, had already told a fellow-photographer who had cheated him out of a job at the Daily Bugle, “You want forgiveness? Get religion.” It was a sign of things to come. Where does Peter go to do battle with that diabolic goop that had overtaken him? To a church – a Catholic church. The cross atop the spire offers Spidey – and the audience – hope. In a grand image of what battling with sin often feels like, Parker breaks free from his oppression with the help of the victorious tones of the church-bell. In the next scene, we see Peter washed clean in a (baptismal) shower.
From then on, Peter learns how to forgive himself – and others. For three movies now we’ve been feeling Peter’s rage toward his Uncle’s murderer. [If you don’t want me to hear the ending of the movie, stop reading now]. At the end of this installment, having tried unsuccessfully to avenge his Uncle’s death earlier in the movie, Peter faces his Uncle’s killer. The killer tries to excuse himself, “I had no choice,” he insists. Peter calmly replies, “We always have a choice.” Then, as the murderer confesses what happened that fateful night, Peter shows compassion and utters those liberating words, “I forgive you.”
The movie ends with this bit of wisdom: “Whatever comes our way, whatever battle, we always have a choice. It’s our choices that make us who we are and we can always choose what’s right.” When others have hurt us, we can always choose forgiveness. As the Catechism teaches, “It is not in our power not to feel or to forget on offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession” (CCC 2843).
In it’s own way, this is the message of Spiderman 3: hurt can be transformed into something positive. Forgiveness is the only path that brings true resolution to our pain. The alternative is to be possessed by the black-parasitic goo of bitterness and revenge. It’s our choice.Sunday, May 20, 2007
Wszyscy jesteśmy tacy sami - Wniebowstąpienie Pańskie C
Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Wpismach Nowego Testamentu greckie dynamis oznacza moc cudotwórczą, uzdrawiającą albo uwalniającą, która emanowała z osoby Jezusa. Po kuszeniu na pustyni Jezus wrócił do Galilei w mocy Ducha, a była to taka potęga duchowa, że mógł uzdrawiać. Tłum starał się Go dotknąć, ponieważ moc z Niego wychodziła i uzdrawiał wszystkich. Ta sama moc Ducha Świętego osłoniła Miriam w dniu zwiastowania. Mocy tej doświadczyła kobieta, która uchwyciwszy się szat Jezusa, doznała uzdrowienia z krwawienia. Moc Ducha zstąpiła na Apostołów, gdy szli w pierwszą misję. Mieli moc uwalniania i uzdrawiania, stąpania po wężach i skorpionach. W pełni ta moc objawi się w ponownym przyjściu Jezusa.
Dla nas najważniejsze jest to, by nie zapominać, że ta moc doskonali się w słabościach. Najpiękniejszą stroną słabości człowieka jest pokora, uniżenie się! Jest ono dogłębnym poznaniem prawdy o sobie i jej przyjęciem. Kiedy człowiek ma taką postawę, wtedy najchętniej nawiedza go Duch Święty. Jeśli Bóg ma w nas być wszystkim, my musimy stać się niczym. Zgoda na własną nędzę i bezsilność nie jest łatwa. Poznanie swojej nędzy może wywołać w nas bunt i niepogodzenie się z samym sobą, złość czy załamanie. Prawda może nas zmiażdżyć. Potrzeba w tym doświadczeniu miłości do siebie samego, a nie zgorszenia sobą. Św. Augustyn pisał: „Byleś dał łaskę do wypełnienia tego, co nakazujesz – nakazuj, co chcesz”. Już synod w Orange w 529 roku, potępiając herezję pelagiańską, stwierdził, iż człowiek sam z siebie nic nie może. Oczywiście nic w sprawie zbawienia, bo potrzebuje łaski Jezusa Chrystusa, a więc mocy Ducha Świętego. Ujawnienie się takiej Bożej mocy potrzebuje tylko jednego warunku: prawdy o sobie samym, czyli świadomości nędzy i bezsilności. Tylko totalne ubóstwo duchowe, czyli rezygnacja z mniemania o sobie, że jest się zdolnym do podniesienia się ze zła i jego skutków na mocy własnych dobrych chęci i wysiłków, sprowadza wszechmoc Ducha Świętego. W pewnym sensie rozpacz Sartre’a była zrozumiała, gdy mówił: „Człowiek może był kiedyś dobry, ale z pewnością było to bardzo dawno”. Tak, był, ale przesiąkł złem i bez wybawienia w Chrystusie może tylko marzyć lub łudzić się, że jest dobry.
Dlatego nie załamuj się swoją bezsilnością, nie zamartwiaj nieudolnością, nie osądzaj się, że nic ci nie wychodzi. Jezus to przewidział. Nie bądź zgorszony sobą, gdy widzisz, że stać cię tylko na podłość grzechu. Niech cię nie dziwi twoja kondycja duchowa, tylko moc Ducha, który z kogoś takiego jak ty jest w stanie uczynić świętego. Zniechęcanie się jest oznaką zaufania do siebie, a nie do Ducha Świętego. Święty Jakub mówi, że wszyscy (a nie niektórzy!) często upadamy (Jk 3,2). Dlatego nie myśl, że ktoś jest lepszy od ciebie. Wszyscy jesteśmy tacy sami.
Wpismach Nowego Testamentu greckie dynamis oznacza moc cudotwórczą, uzdrawiającą albo uwalniającą, która emanowała z osoby Jezusa. Po kuszeniu na pustyni Jezus wrócił do Galilei w mocy Ducha, a była to taka potęga duchowa, że mógł uzdrawiać. Tłum starał się Go dotknąć, ponieważ moc z Niego wychodziła i uzdrawiał wszystkich. Ta sama moc Ducha Świętego osłoniła Miriam w dniu zwiastowania. Mocy tej doświadczyła kobieta, która uchwyciwszy się szat Jezusa, doznała uzdrowienia z krwawienia. Moc Ducha zstąpiła na Apostołów, gdy szli w pierwszą misję. Mieli moc uwalniania i uzdrawiania, stąpania po wężach i skorpionach. W pełni ta moc objawi się w ponownym przyjściu Jezusa.
Dla nas najważniejsze jest to, by nie zapominać, że ta moc doskonali się w słabościach. Najpiękniejszą stroną słabości człowieka jest pokora, uniżenie się! Jest ono dogłębnym poznaniem prawdy o sobie i jej przyjęciem. Kiedy człowiek ma taką postawę, wtedy najchętniej nawiedza go Duch Święty. Jeśli Bóg ma w nas być wszystkim, my musimy stać się niczym. Zgoda na własną nędzę i bezsilność nie jest łatwa. Poznanie swojej nędzy może wywołać w nas bunt i niepogodzenie się z samym sobą, złość czy załamanie. Prawda może nas zmiażdżyć. Potrzeba w tym doświadczeniu miłości do siebie samego, a nie zgorszenia sobą. Św. Augustyn pisał: „Byleś dał łaskę do wypełnienia tego, co nakazujesz – nakazuj, co chcesz”. Już synod w Orange w 529 roku, potępiając herezję pelagiańską, stwierdził, iż człowiek sam z siebie nic nie może. Oczywiście nic w sprawie zbawienia, bo potrzebuje łaski Jezusa Chrystusa, a więc mocy Ducha Świętego. Ujawnienie się takiej Bożej mocy potrzebuje tylko jednego warunku: prawdy o sobie samym, czyli świadomości nędzy i bezsilności. Tylko totalne ubóstwo duchowe, czyli rezygnacja z mniemania o sobie, że jest się zdolnym do podniesienia się ze zła i jego skutków na mocy własnych dobrych chęci i wysiłków, sprowadza wszechmoc Ducha Świętego. W pewnym sensie rozpacz Sartre’a była zrozumiała, gdy mówił: „Człowiek może był kiedyś dobry, ale z pewnością było to bardzo dawno”. Tak, był, ale przesiąkł złem i bez wybawienia w Chrystusie może tylko marzyć lub łudzić się, że jest dobry.
Dlatego nie załamuj się swoją bezsilnością, nie zamartwiaj nieudolnością, nie osądzaj się, że nic ci nie wychodzi. Jezus to przewidział. Nie bądź zgorszony sobą, gdy widzisz, że stać cię tylko na podłość grzechu. Niech cię nie dziwi twoja kondycja duchowa, tylko moc Ducha, który z kogoś takiego jak ty jest w stanie uczynić świętego. Zniechęcanie się jest oznaką zaufania do siebie, a nie do Ducha Świętego. Święty Jakub mówi, że wszyscy (a nie niektórzy!) często upadamy (Jk 3,2). Dlatego nie myśl, że ktoś jest lepszy od ciebie. Wszyscy jesteśmy tacy sami.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Daj nam święty pokój - Wielkanoc 6C
Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Jezus odchodzi, aby mógł przyjść Duch Święty. Bóg odchodzi tylko po to, by przyjść jeszcze bliżej nas. Dlatego Jego odejście jest pokojem. Mówi zwykłe słowa o pokoju, posługuje się codziennym żydowskim pozdrowieniem, ale w tym kontekście i w Jego ustach wszystko nabiera zupełnie innego wymiaru. Kiedy więc mówi, że zostawia Apostołom pokój, to nie jest to jedynie życzenie dobrego dnia. Pokój Jezusa nie oznaczał jedynie czegoś w rodzaju uciszenia ich rozmów albo uspokojenia ich podnieconych emocji. Pokój, który daje Chrystus, jest darem doprowadzającym człowieka do szczęścia. Pokój ten ma moc całkowitego posklejania na nowo popękanego, a nieraz rozbitego na kawałki człowieka. Wyobraźmy sobie naczynie porcelanowe, które rozbiło się na drobne kawałeczki. I nagle ktoś nakazuje tym setkom rozbitych cząsteczek stać się na nowo całością, i to nieskalaną nawet jedną rysą! To właśnie jest pokój Chrystusa.
Jego słowa nie są życzeniami. Mają moc rozkazu, któremu nic nie może się sprzeciwić. Kiedy Jezus mówi, że daje uczniom pokój, oni doświadczają tego nie jako efektu ich osobistego wzięcia się w garść, ale jako interwencji odpowiadającej mocy stworzenia. EIRENE to dar wewnętrznej zgody na siebie, która staje się pogodzeniem ze wszystkim, co może spotkać na zewnątrz. On ich nie poprosił, by sami się uspokoili, lecz dał im ten pokój. „W tym jednym słowie, wypowiedzianym właśnie przez Jezusa, stojącego tu, pośród nich, jest więcej, niż człowiek może oczekiwać” (J. M. Lustiger). Pokój Jezusa pozbawia lęku i trwogi, integruje wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie ludzkie istnienie. Jest też słowem, które w starożytności oznaczało szczęście. Hebrajskie SZALOM znaczyło również wybawienie przez Mesjasza.
Niezwykła moc ukrywa się w zwykłych słowach Biblii. Być może jakaś iskra tego pokoju przepływa do kogoś, komu po prostu z miłością mówisz słowa codziennego pozdrowienia? Niezwykłą świętość Bóg umieścił w sercach zwykłych ludzi. Jezus tak usilnie prosił o pokój nie dla siebie, tylko dla innych. To mnie bardzo dotyka, gdyż najczęściej modlę się tylko o własne uspokojenie nerwów. Odkrywam w sobie tak mało troski o pokój dla innych, i to nie jakiś święty spokój, uspokojenie emocji czy uciszenie płaczu, ale o pokój, który jest zharmonizowaniem, odtworzeniem w Duchu Świętym, wybawianiem z chaosu. Czuję teraz zachętę do tego, by więcej modlić się za innych, z większą usilnością, z błaganiem, aby nikt z tych, których spotkałem, nie był pozbawiony pokoju Chrystusa.
Moi bracia i siostry potrzebują tego pokoju od Ciebie, Jezu. Pokoju, który jest bardziej nieustraszony niż odwaga bohatera. Gdy się ma Twój pokój, już się nie przeżywa lęku czy zmieszania. Ten pokój przynosi PARAKLET, Duch Święty, wszak pokój Jego trzecim owocem, jak zapisał Paweł w Liście do Galatów. Duch Święty jest jak wiatr, który nie rozrzuca, ale układa, nie przewraca, ale podnosi, nie gasi, ale rozpala, nie trwoży, ale dodaje pewności.
Jezus odchodzi, aby mógł przyjść Duch Święty. Bóg odchodzi tylko po to, by przyjść jeszcze bliżej nas. Dlatego Jego odejście jest pokojem. Mówi zwykłe słowa o pokoju, posługuje się codziennym żydowskim pozdrowieniem, ale w tym kontekście i w Jego ustach wszystko nabiera zupełnie innego wymiaru. Kiedy więc mówi, że zostawia Apostołom pokój, to nie jest to jedynie życzenie dobrego dnia. Pokój Jezusa nie oznaczał jedynie czegoś w rodzaju uciszenia ich rozmów albo uspokojenia ich podnieconych emocji. Pokój, który daje Chrystus, jest darem doprowadzającym człowieka do szczęścia. Pokój ten ma moc całkowitego posklejania na nowo popękanego, a nieraz rozbitego na kawałki człowieka. Wyobraźmy sobie naczynie porcelanowe, które rozbiło się na drobne kawałeczki. I nagle ktoś nakazuje tym setkom rozbitych cząsteczek stać się na nowo całością, i to nieskalaną nawet jedną rysą! To właśnie jest pokój Chrystusa.
Jego słowa nie są życzeniami. Mają moc rozkazu, któremu nic nie może się sprzeciwić. Kiedy Jezus mówi, że daje uczniom pokój, oni doświadczają tego nie jako efektu ich osobistego wzięcia się w garść, ale jako interwencji odpowiadającej mocy stworzenia. EIRENE to dar wewnętrznej zgody na siebie, która staje się pogodzeniem ze wszystkim, co może spotkać na zewnątrz. On ich nie poprosił, by sami się uspokoili, lecz dał im ten pokój. „W tym jednym słowie, wypowiedzianym właśnie przez Jezusa, stojącego tu, pośród nich, jest więcej, niż człowiek może oczekiwać” (J. M. Lustiger). Pokój Jezusa pozbawia lęku i trwogi, integruje wewnętrznie i zewnętrznie ludzkie istnienie. Jest też słowem, które w starożytności oznaczało szczęście. Hebrajskie SZALOM znaczyło również wybawienie przez Mesjasza.
Niezwykła moc ukrywa się w zwykłych słowach Biblii. Być może jakaś iskra tego pokoju przepływa do kogoś, komu po prostu z miłością mówisz słowa codziennego pozdrowienia? Niezwykłą świętość Bóg umieścił w sercach zwykłych ludzi. Jezus tak usilnie prosił o pokój nie dla siebie, tylko dla innych. To mnie bardzo dotyka, gdyż najczęściej modlę się tylko o własne uspokojenie nerwów. Odkrywam w sobie tak mało troski o pokój dla innych, i to nie jakiś święty spokój, uspokojenie emocji czy uciszenie płaczu, ale o pokój, który jest zharmonizowaniem, odtworzeniem w Duchu Świętym, wybawianiem z chaosu. Czuję teraz zachętę do tego, by więcej modlić się za innych, z większą usilnością, z błaganiem, aby nikt z tych, których spotkałem, nie był pozbawiony pokoju Chrystusa.
Moi bracia i siostry potrzebują tego pokoju od Ciebie, Jezu. Pokoju, który jest bardziej nieustraszony niż odwaga bohatera. Gdy się ma Twój pokój, już się nie przeżywa lęku czy zmieszania. Ten pokój przynosi PARAKLET, Duch Święty, wszak pokój Jego trzecim owocem, jak zapisał Paweł w Liście do Galatów. Duch Święty jest jak wiatr, który nie rozrzuca, ale układa, nie przewraca, ale podnosi, nie gasi, ale rozpala, nie trwoży, ale dodaje pewności.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Bóg jest Żywicielem - Wielkanoc 5C
Augustyn Pelanowski OSPPE
Jezus im bliżej był krzyża, tym usilniej objawiał swoją miłość do uczniów. Przez najczystsze gesty, ale też przez długie mowy i wyjaśnienia, w których ze wzruszeniem i nieustępliwą wolą zachęcał słuchających do miłości. Czas się kurczył. Odejście było coraz bliżej, dlatego starał się mówić o tym, co najważniejsze.
Ludzie w naszej epoce już nie szukają dowodów na istnienie lub nieistnienie Boga. Szukają prawdziwej i wytrwałej miłości. Ewangelia jest skutecznie i prawdziwie głoszona jedynie wtedy, gdy uczniowie Jezusa, którzy ją obwieszczają, mają siłę nie tylko kochać, ale i być kochanymi. Mają siłę do wzajemnej miłości. Trzeba większej odwagi do tego, by być kochanym, niż do tego, by kochać. Gdy ja kocham, to jeszcze mam wolność do wycofania się, zamknięcia się, zwątpienia, ucieczki albo po prostu udawania. Ale gdy pozwalam innym mnie kochać, to decyduję się na to, by inni mnie emocjonalnie i duchowo „skonsumowali”.
Tych, którzy nie spożywają Komunii świętej, na pewno zdziwi to, co napisałem. Gorszą się ci, którzy zazdroszczą, ale nie mają odwagi przyznać się do tego. Mnie nigdy nie zgorszyły Jezusa słowa o spożywaniu Jego Ciała i piciu Jego Krwi. Tak, daje nam życie wieczne, gdy nam się daje „zjeść”! Niektórzy jednak z uczniów zgorszyli się takimi słowami i już nie chodzili z Jezusem. Jest o tym mowa w 66. wierszu 6. rozdziału Jana. Znamienna liczba! Matka karmi dziecko swoim mlekiem i nikt się tym nie gorszy, a Bóg karmi Ciałem i Krwią, więc dlaczego miałoby to być zgorszeniem?
C.S. Lewis napisał: „Bóg jest ŻYWICIELEM, który rozmyślnie stwarza własne pasożyty, powołując nas do życia, byśmy mogli Go wyzyskać. To jest miłość”. Tak, to jest wzór samej miłości i wszystkich miłości. Co myśleć więc o Jego wezwaniu, gdy mówi, żebyśmy się nawzajem tak kochali, jak On nas pokochał? A jak On nas pokochał? Pokochał tak, że dał z siebie ostatnią kroplę krwi, choć wystarczyła jedna do zbawienia, jak powiedziała św. Teresa z Lisieux. Drżę, kiedy zaczynam zdawać sobie sprawę z tego, z jakim Bogiem związałem się na całe życie. Drżę, bo kochać jak ON, oznacza tak samo jak On dać się wykorzystać, oszukać, zdradzić, dać się zmiażdżyć jak kęs chleba w ustach. Dać się pogryźć, a ja nie lubię, gdy inni mnie kąsają! Dać życie tym, którzy mnie go pozbawią, i jeszcze uczynić to z miłości, a nie tłumiąc nienawiść i mściwość. To mnie przerasta. Rozumiem słowa Jezusa, jakie skierował do swych uczniów, posyłając ich na misję, gdy kazał im iść jak owce między wilki… na pożarcie! Ktoś powie, że to nie miłość, tylko jakieś szaleństwo. Ale czy miłość, która nie przekracza granic tego, co opłacalne, korzystne, rozsądne i wykalkulowane, jest jeszcze miłością? Miłość nie jest wyrachowaną strategią liczącą na jakiś posag, tylko zatraceniem siebie dla zbawienia innych, po prostu poświęceniem. Miłości nauczyli mnie tylko ci, którzy mnie wykorzystali. Żałuję, że nie miałem wytrwałej miłości do tych, od których uciekłem, próbując uratować siebie.
Jezus im bliżej był krzyża, tym usilniej objawiał swoją miłość do uczniów. Przez najczystsze gesty, ale też przez długie mowy i wyjaśnienia, w których ze wzruszeniem i nieustępliwą wolą zachęcał słuchających do miłości. Czas się kurczył. Odejście było coraz bliżej, dlatego starał się mówić o tym, co najważniejsze.
Ludzie w naszej epoce już nie szukają dowodów na istnienie lub nieistnienie Boga. Szukają prawdziwej i wytrwałej miłości. Ewangelia jest skutecznie i prawdziwie głoszona jedynie wtedy, gdy uczniowie Jezusa, którzy ją obwieszczają, mają siłę nie tylko kochać, ale i być kochanymi. Mają siłę do wzajemnej miłości. Trzeba większej odwagi do tego, by być kochanym, niż do tego, by kochać. Gdy ja kocham, to jeszcze mam wolność do wycofania się, zamknięcia się, zwątpienia, ucieczki albo po prostu udawania. Ale gdy pozwalam innym mnie kochać, to decyduję się na to, by inni mnie emocjonalnie i duchowo „skonsumowali”.
Tych, którzy nie spożywają Komunii świętej, na pewno zdziwi to, co napisałem. Gorszą się ci, którzy zazdroszczą, ale nie mają odwagi przyznać się do tego. Mnie nigdy nie zgorszyły Jezusa słowa o spożywaniu Jego Ciała i piciu Jego Krwi. Tak, daje nam życie wieczne, gdy nam się daje „zjeść”! Niektórzy jednak z uczniów zgorszyli się takimi słowami i już nie chodzili z Jezusem. Jest o tym mowa w 66. wierszu 6. rozdziału Jana. Znamienna liczba! Matka karmi dziecko swoim mlekiem i nikt się tym nie gorszy, a Bóg karmi Ciałem i Krwią, więc dlaczego miałoby to być zgorszeniem?
C.S. Lewis napisał: „Bóg jest ŻYWICIELEM, który rozmyślnie stwarza własne pasożyty, powołując nas do życia, byśmy mogli Go wyzyskać. To jest miłość”. Tak, to jest wzór samej miłości i wszystkich miłości. Co myśleć więc o Jego wezwaniu, gdy mówi, żebyśmy się nawzajem tak kochali, jak On nas pokochał? A jak On nas pokochał? Pokochał tak, że dał z siebie ostatnią kroplę krwi, choć wystarczyła jedna do zbawienia, jak powiedziała św. Teresa z Lisieux. Drżę, kiedy zaczynam zdawać sobie sprawę z tego, z jakim Bogiem związałem się na całe życie. Drżę, bo kochać jak ON, oznacza tak samo jak On dać się wykorzystać, oszukać, zdradzić, dać się zmiażdżyć jak kęs chleba w ustach. Dać się pogryźć, a ja nie lubię, gdy inni mnie kąsają! Dać życie tym, którzy mnie go pozbawią, i jeszcze uczynić to z miłości, a nie tłumiąc nienawiść i mściwość. To mnie przerasta. Rozumiem słowa Jezusa, jakie skierował do swych uczniów, posyłając ich na misję, gdy kazał im iść jak owce między wilki… na pożarcie! Ktoś powie, że to nie miłość, tylko jakieś szaleństwo. Ale czy miłość, która nie przekracza granic tego, co opłacalne, korzystne, rozsądne i wykalkulowane, jest jeszcze miłością? Miłość nie jest wyrachowaną strategią liczącą na jakiś posag, tylko zatraceniem siebie dla zbawienia innych, po prostu poświęceniem. Miłości nauczyli mnie tylko ci, którzy mnie wykorzystali. Żałuję, że nie miałem wytrwałej miłości do tych, od których uciekłem, próbując uratować siebie.
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