| Through you may the Spirit
renew the earth
Sealed with the Spirit's power make a real difference now and for
eternity
On Sunday, 20 July [2008], the Holy
Father travelled by helicopter over Centennial Park that surrounds
Randwick racecourse on his way to the Racecourse to celebrate the World
Youth Day Mass. On landing, the Pope was driven in the popemobile
through the park and racecourse where several thousand young people were
waiting for him. During Holy Mass, the Holy Father administered the
Sacrament of Confirmation to 24 young people and at the end of the
celebration asked the youth to take the Gospel to the world. The
following is the Pope's Homily.
Dear Friends,
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts
1:8). We have seen this promise fulfilled! On the day of Pentecost, as
we heard in the first reading, the Risen Lord, seated at the right hand
of the Father, sent the Spirit upon the disciples gathered in the Upper
Room. In the power of that Spirit, Peter and the Apostles went forth to
preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In every age, and in every
language, the Church throughout the world continues to proclaim the
marvels of God and to call all nations and peoples to faith, hope and
new life in Christ.
In these days I too have come, as the Successor of Saint Peter, to
this magnificent land of Australia. I have come to confirm you, my young
brothers and sisters, in your faith and to encourage you to open your
hearts to the power of Christ’s Spirit and the richness of his gifts. I
pray that this great assembly, which unites young people “from every
nation under heaven” (cf. Acts 2:5), will be a new Upper Room. May the
fire of God’s love descend to fill your hearts, unite you ever more
fully to the Lord and his Church, and send you forth, a new generation
of apostles, to bring the world to Christ!
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”. These
words of the Risen Lord have a special meaning for those young people
who will be confirmed, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, at
today’s Mass. But they are also addressed to each of us – to all those
who have received the Spirit’s gift of reconciliation and new life at
Baptism, who have welcomed him into their hearts as their helper and
guide at Confirmation, and who daily grow in his gifts of grace through
the Holy Eucharist. At each Mass, in fact, the Holy Spirit descends
anew, invoked by the solemn prayer of the Church, not only to transform
our gifts of bread and wine into the Lord’s body and blood, but also to
transform our lives, to make us, in his power, “one body, one spirit in
Christ”.
But what is this “power” of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God’s
life! It is the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at
the dawn of creation and who, in the fullness of time, raised Jesus from
the dead. It is the power which points us, and our world, towards the
coming of the Kingdom of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that a
new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all
humanity (cf. Lk 4:21). He himself came among us to bring us that
Spirit. As the source of our new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit is
also, in a very real way, the soul of the Church, the love which binds
us to the Lord and one another, and the light which opens our eyes to
see all around us the wonders of God’s grace.
Here in Australia, this “great south land of the Holy Spirit”, all of
us have had an unforgettable experience of the Spirit’s presence and
power in the beauty of nature. Our eyes have been opened to see the
world around us as it truly is: “charged”, as the poet says, “with the
grandeur of God”, filled with the glory of his creative love. Here too,
in this great assembly of young Christians from all over the world, we
have had a vivid experience of the Spirit’s presence and power in the
life of the Church. We have seen the Church for what she truly is: the
Body of Christ, a living community of love, embracing people of every
race, nation and tongue, of every time and place, in the unity born of
our faith in the Risen Lord.
The power of the Spirit never ceases to fill the Church with life!
Through the grace of the Church’s sacraments, that power also flows deep
within us, like an underground river which nourishes our spirit and
draws us ever nearer to the source of our true life, which is Christ.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who died a martyr in Rome at the beginning of
the second century, has left us a splendid description of the Spirit’s
power dwelling within us. He spoke of the Spirit as a fountain of living
water springing up within his heart and whispering: “Come, come to the
Father” (cf. Ad Rom., 6:1-9).
Yet this power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can
merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only
unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have
to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our
spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age.
Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest
desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private
prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and
liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church. Prayer is pure receptivity
to God’s grace, love in action, communion with the Spirit who dwells
within us, leading us, through Jesus, to our heavenly Father. In the
power of his Spirit, Jesus is always present in our hearts, quietly
waiting for us to be still with him, to hear his voice, to abide in his
love, and to receive “power from on high”, enabling us to be salt and
light for our world.
Pass on the faith: make a difference
At his Ascension, the Risen Lord told his disciples: “You will be my
witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Here, in Australia,
let us thank the Lord for the gift of faith, which has come down to us
like a treasure passed on from generation to generation in the communion
of the Church. Here, in Oceania, let us give thanks in a special way for
all those heroic missionaries, dedicated priests and religious,
Christian parents and grandparents, teachers and catechists who built up
the Church in these lands – witnesses like Blessed Mary MacKillop, Saint
Peter Chanel, Blessed Peter To Rot, and so many others! The power of the
Spirit, revealed in their lives, is still at work in the good they left
behind, in the society which they shaped and which is being handed on to
you.
Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave
to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations,
building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way
that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to
forget God, or even rejects him in the name of a falsely-conceived
freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the “power”
which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you? What
legacy will you leave to young people yet to come? What difference will
you make?
The power of the Holy Spirit does not only enlighten and console us.
It also points us to the future, to the coming of God’s Kingdom. What a
magnificent vision of a humanity redeemed and renewed we see in the new
age promised by today’s Gospel! Saint Luke tells us that Jesus Christ is
the fulfilment of all God’s promises, the Messiah who fully possesses
the Holy Spirit in order to bestow that gift upon all mankind. The
outpouring of Christ’s Spirit upon humanity is a pledge of hope and
deliverance from everything that impoverishes us. It gives the blind new
sight; it sets the downtrodden free, and it creates unity in and through
diversity (cf. Lk 4:18-19; Is 61:1-2). This power can create a new
world: it can “renew the face of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30)!
Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new
generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which
God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished – not rejected,
feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy
or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others,
respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and
beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness,
apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our
relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets
of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father
and building a future of hope for all humanity.
The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by
side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an
interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many
of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns (cf. Jer
2:13) in a desperate search for meaning – the ultimate meaning that only
love can give? This is the great and liberating gift which the Gospel
brings: it reveals our dignity as men and women created in the image and
likeness of God. It reveals humanity’s sublime calling, which is to find
fulfilment in love. It discloses the truth about man and the truth about
life.
The Church also needs this renewal! She needs your faith, your
idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the
Spirit (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4)! In today’s second reading, the Apostle
Paul reminds us that each and every Christian has received a gift meant
for building up the Body of Christ. The Church especially needs the
gifts of young people, all young people. She needs to grow in the power
of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to
serve the Lord with gladness.
Be 'sealed with the Spirit'
Open your hearts to that power! I address
this plea in a special way to those of you whom the Lord is calling to
the priesthood and the consecrated life. Do not be afraid to say “yes”
to Jesus, to find your joy in doing his will, giving yourself completely
to the pursuit of holiness, and using all your talents in the service of
others!
In a few moments, we will celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation.
The Holy Spirit will descend upon the confirmands; they will be “sealed”
with the gift of the Spirit and sent forth to be Christ’s witnesses.
What does it mean to receive the “seal” of the Holy Spirit? It means
being indelibly marked, inalterably changed, a new creation. For those
who have received this gift, nothing can ever be the same! Being
“baptized” in the one Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13) means being set on fire
with the love of God. Being “given to drink” of the Spirit means being
refreshed by the beauty of the Lord’s plan for us and for the world, and
becoming in turn a source of spiritual refreshment for others. Being
“sealed with the Spirit” means not being afraid to stand up for Christ,
letting the truth of the Gospel permeate the way we see, think and act,
as we work for the triumph of the civilization of love.
As we pray for the confirmands, let us ask that the power of the Holy
Spirit will revive the grace of our own Confirmation. May he pour out
his gifts in abundance on all present, on this city of Sydney, on this
land of Australia and on all its people! May each of us be renewed in
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement
and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of wonder
and awe in God’s presence!
Through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, may
this Twenty-third World Youth Day be experienced as a new Upper Room,
from which all of us, burning with the fire and love of the Holy Spirit,
go forth to proclaim the Risen Christ and to draw every heart to him!
Amen.
[Continuing in Italian:
Saluto di cuore i giovani di lingua italiana,
ed estendo il mio affettuoso pensiero a quanti sono originari
dell’Italia e vivono in Australia. Al termine di questa straordinaria
esperienza di Chiesa, che ci ha fatto vivere una rinnovata Pentecoste,
tornate a casa rinvigoriti dalla forza dello Spirito Santo. Siate
testimoni di Cristo risorto, speranza dei giovani e dell’intera famiglia
umana!]
I greet from my heart the.
Italian-speaking youth, and extend my affectionate thoughts to all who
are of Italian origin and live in Australia. At the end of this
extraordinary experience of Church that has let us live a renewed
Pentecost, return home invigorated by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Be witnesses of the Risen Christ, hope of young people and of the
entire human family.
[French:
Chers jeunes francophones, l’Esprit Saint est la source du
message de Jésus-Christ et de son action salvifique. Il parle au cœur de
chacun le langage qu’il comprend. La diversité des dons de l’Esprit vous
fait comprendre la richesse de grâces qui est en Dieu. Puissiez-vous
vous ouvrir à son souffle ! Puissiez-vous permettre son action en vous
et autour de vous ! Vous vivrez ainsi en Dieu et vous témoignerez que le
Christ est le Sauveur que le monde espère.]
Dear French-speaking young people, the
Holy Spirit is the source of the Message of Jesus Christ and his saving
action. He speaks to the heart of each one in the language he
understands. The diversity of the gifts of the Spirit enables you to
understand the riches of grace which are in God. May you open yourselves
to his breath! May you let him act within you and around you! Thus you
will live in God and witness that Christ is the Saviour for whom the
world waits.
[German:
Auch euch, liebe junge Freunde deutscher Sprache, gilt mein
herzlicher Gruß. Der Heilige Geist ist ein Geist der Gemeinschaft und
wirkt Verständigung und Kommunikation. Sprecht mit anderen über eure
Hoffnungen und Ideale, und sprecht von Gott und mit Gott! Glücklich ist
der Mensch, der in der Liebe Gottes und in der Liebe zum Nächsten lebt.
Gottes Geist führe euch auf Wegen des Friedens!]
Dear young German-speaking friends, I
also offer my affectionate greeting to you! The Holy Spirit is a spirit
of communion and makes understanding and communication possible. Speak
to others of your hopes and ideals and speak of God and with God! Happy
is the person who lives in love of God and love of neighbour. May God's
Spirit guide you along paths of peace!
[Spanish:
Queridos jóvenes, en Cristo se cumplen todas las promesas
de salvación verdadera para la humanidad. Él tiene para cada uno de
vosotros un proyecto de amor en el que se encuentra el sentido y la
plenitud de la vida, y espera de todos vosotros que hagáis fructificar
los dones que os ha dado, siendo sus testigos de palabra y con el propio
ejemplo. No lo defraudéis.]
Dear young people, in Christ all the
promises of true salvation for humanity come true. He has a plan of love
for each one of you in which the meaning and fullness of life are to be
found, and expects that you will all bring to fruition the gifts that he
has given to you, as his witnesses with your words and your example. Do
not disappoint him.
[Portuguese:
Amados jovens de língua portuguesa, queridos amigos em
Cristo! Sabeis que Jesus não vos quer sozinhos; disse Ele: «Eu rogarei
ao Pai e Ele vos dará outro Consolador para estar convosco para sempre,
o Espírito da verdade (…) que vós conheceis, porque habita convosco e
está em vós» (Jo 14, 16-17). É verdade! Sobre vós desceu uma língua de
fogo do Pentecostes: é a vossa marca de cristãos. Mas não foi para a
guardardes só para vós, porque «a manifestação do Espírito é dada a cada
um para proveito comum» (1 Cor 12, 7). Levai este Fogo santo a todos os
cantos da terra. Nada e ninguém O poderá apagar, porque desceu do céu.
Tal é a vossa força, caros jovens amigos! Por isso, vivei do Espírito e
para o Espírito!]
Beloved youth of the Portuguese language, dear
friends in Christ! You know that Jesus does not want to leave you on
your own. He says: "I will pray the Father, and he will give you another
Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.... you
know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (Jn 14:16-17). It
is true! A tongue of fire from the Pentecost has descended upon you: it
is your hallmark as Christians. But you must not keep it exclusively for
yourselves because "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for
the common good" (1 Cor 12:7). Take this holy Fire to all the corners of
the earth. Nothing and no one will be able to extinguish it, because it
came down from Heaven. This is your strength, dear young friends! For
this reason, live in the Spirit and for the Spirit!
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