| Struggles as certain as God's
faithful love On Sunday, 20
July [2008], after presiding at the World Youth Day Mass at Randwick
Racecourse outside Sydney, the Holy Father led the Recitation of the
Angelus with the young people and after the Marian prayer said the
following words of "farewell" to them.
Dear Young Friends,
In the beautiful prayer that we are about to recite, we reflect on
Mary as a young woman, receiving the Lord’s summons to dedicate her life
to him in a very particular way, a way that would involve the generous
gift of herself, her womanhood, her motherhood. Imagine how she must
have felt. She was filled with apprehension, utterly overwhelmed at the
prospect that lay before her.
The angel understood her anxiety and immediately sought to reassure
her. “Do not be afraid, Mary …. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:30, 35). It was
the Spirit who gave her the strength and courage to respond to the
Lord’s call. It was the Spirit who helped her to understand the great
mystery that was to be accomplished through her. It was the Spirit who
enfolded her with his love and enabled her to conceive the Son of God in
her womb.
This scene is perhaps the pivotal moment in the history of God’s
relationship with his people. During the Old Testament, God revealed
himself partially, gradually, as we all do in our personal
relationships. It takes time to get to know and love another person. It
took time for the chosen people to develop their relationship with God.
The Covenant with Israel was like a period of courtship, a long
engagement. Then came the definitive moment, the moment of marriage, the
establishment of a new and everlasting covenant. As Mary stood before
the Lord, she represented the whole of humanity. In the angel’s message,
it was as if God made a marriage proposal to the human race. And in our
name, Mary said yes.
In fairy tales, the story ends there, and all “live happily ever
after”. In real life it is not so simple. For Mary there were many
struggles ahead, as she lived out the consequences of the “yes” that she
had given to the Lord. Simeon prophesied that a sword would pierce her
heart. When Jesus was twelve years old, she experienced every parent’s
worst nightmare when, for three days, the child went missing. And after
his public ministry, she suffered the agony of witnessing his
crucifixion and death. Throughout her trials she remained faithful to
her promise, sustained by the Spirit of fortitude. And she was
gloriously rewarded.
Dear young people, we too must remain faithful to the “yes” that we
have given to the Lord’s offer of friendship. We know that he will never
abandon us. We know that he will always sustain us through the gifts of
the Spirit. Mary accepted the Lord’s “proposal” in our name. So let us
turn to her and ask her to guide us as we struggle to remain faithful to
the life-giving relationship that God has established with each one of
us. She is our example and our inspiration, she intercedes for us with
her Son, and with a mother’s love she shields us from harm.
After the Angelus the Pope said:
Dear Friends,
The time has come for me to say good-bye
— or
rather, to say arrivederci! I thank you all for your
participation in World Youth Day 2008, here in Sydney, and I look
forward to seeing you again in three years' time. World youth Day 2011
will take place in Madrid, Spain. Until then, let us continue to pray
for one another, and let us joyfully bear witness to Christ before the
world. May God bless you all.
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