|
Holy Spirit guides, unifies
Church
'Let unifying
love be your measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your
mission!'
On Saturday afternoon, 19 July
[2008], the Holy Father was driven from Cathedral House to Randwick, the
largest racecourse in Australia, which has a capacity of about 300,000.
It is where Pope John Paul II presided at Holy Mass for the
beatification of Sr Mary MacKillop in 1995.
The Vigil began at 7:00 p.m. without
stage lighting. Light was brought onto the podium by dancers who mimed
the Holy Spirit. The World Youth Day Cross and icon were then set up and
the Holy Father entered accompanied by 12 pilgrims with lamps which were
lit by an Aborigine woman, while the Assembly sang the hymn: "Our Lady
of the Southern Cross". Following the Pope's Discourse, (printed below),
24 candidates for Confirmation during the World Youth Day Mass were
presented. After adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Cardinal Stanislaw
Ryłko, President of
the Pontifical Council for the Laity, concluded the Vigil with a final
greeting. The Vigil continued with Eucharistic adoration throughout the
night with periods of silent and guided prayer in preparation for the
concluding Mass on Sunday, 20 July.
Pope
Benedict XVI dwelt on the Holy Spirit and his gifts and how to become
witnesses of Christ.
Dear Young People,
Once again this evening we have heard Christ’s great promise – "you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". And we have heard
his summons – "be my witnesses throughout the world" – (Acts 1:8). These
were the very last words which Jesus spoke before his Ascension into
heaven. How the Apostles felt upon hearing them, we can only imagine.
But we do know that their deep love for Jesus, and their trust in his
word, prompted them to gather and to wait; to wait not aimlessly, but
together, united in prayer, with the women and Mary in the Upper Room
(cf. Acts 1:14). Tonight, we do the same. Gathered before our
much-travelled Cross and the icon of Mary, and under the magnificent
constellation of the Southern Cross, we pray. Tonight, I am praying for
you and for young people throughout the world. Be inspired by the
example of your Patrons! Accept into your hearts and minds the sevenfold
gift of the Holy Spirit! Recognize and believe in the power of the
Spirit in your lives!
Yesterday we talked of the unity and harmony of God’s creation and our
place within it. We recalled how in the great gift of baptism we, who
are made in God’s image and likeness, have been reborn, we have become
God’s adopted children, a new creation. And so it is as children of
Christ’s light – symbolized by the lit candles you now hold – that we
bear witness in our world to the radiance no darkness can overcome (cf.
Jn 1:5).
Tonight we focus our attention on how to become witnesses. We need to
understand the person of the Holy Spirit and his vivifying presence in
our lives. This is not easy to comprehend. Indeed the variety of images
found in scripture referring to the Spirit – wind, fire, breath –
indicate our struggle to articulate an understanding of him. Yet we do
know that it is the Holy Spirit who, though silent and unseen, gives
direction and definition to our witness to Jesus Christ.
You are already well aware that our Christian witness is offered to a
world which in many ways is fragile. The unity of God’s creation is
weakened by wounds which run particularly deep when social relations
break apart, or when the human spirit is all but crushed through the
exploitation and abuse of persons. Indeed, society today is being
fragmented by a way of thinking that is inherently short-sighted,
because it disregards the full horizon of truth– the truth about God and
about us. By its nature, relativism fails to see the whole picture. It
ignores the very principles which enable us to live and flourish in
unity, order and harmony.
What is our response, as Christian witnesses, to a divided and
fragmented world? How can we offer the hope of peace, healing and
harmony to those "stations" of conflict, suffering, and tension through
which you have chosen to march with this World Youth Day Cross? Unity
and reconciliation cannot be achieved through our efforts alone. God has
made us for one another (cf. Gen 2:24) and only in God and his Church
can we find the unity we seek. Yet, in the face of imperfections and
disappointments – both individual and institutional – we are sometimes
tempted to construct artificially a "perfect" community. That temptation
is not new. The history of the Church includes many examples of attempts
to bypass or override human weaknesses or failures in order to create a
perfect unity, a spiritual utopia.
Such attempts to construct unity in fact undermine it! To separate the
Holy Spirit from Christ present in the Church’s institutional structure
would compromise the unity of the Christian community, which is
precisely the Spirit’s gift! It would betray the nature of the Church as
the living temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 3:16). It is the Spirit,
in fact, who guides the Church in the way of all truth and unifies her
in communion and in the works of ministry (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4).
Unfortunately the temptation to "go it alone" persists. Some today
portray their local community as somehow separate from the so-called
institutional Church, by speaking of the former as flexible and open to
the Spirit and the latter as rigid and devoid of the Spirit.
Unity is of the essence of the Church (cf. Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 813); it is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let
us pray for the resolve to nurture unity: contribute to it! resist any
temptation to walk away! For it is precisely the comprehensiveness, the
vast vision, of our faith – solid yet open, consistent yet dynamic, true
yet constantly growing in insight – that we can offer our world.
Humanity cries for unity
Dear
young people, is it not because of your faith that friends in difficulty
or seeking meaning in their lives have turned to you? Be watchful!
Listen! Through the dissonance and division of our world, can you hear
the concordant voice of humanity? From the forlorn child in a Darfur
camp, or a troubled teenager, or an anxious parent in any suburb, or
perhaps even now from the depth of your own heart, there emerges the
same human cry for recognition, for belonging, for unity. Who satisfies
that essential human yearning to be one, to be immersed in communion, to
be built up, to be led to truth? The Holy Spirit! This is the Spirit’s
role: to bring Christ’s work to fulfilment. Enriched with the Spirit’s
gifts, you will have the power to move beyond the piecemeal, the hollow
utopia, the fleeting, to offer the consistency and certainty of
Christian witness!
Friends, when reciting the Creed we state: "We believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life". The "Creator Spirit" is the power
of God giving life to all creation and the source of new and abundant
life in Christ. The Spirit sustains the Church in union with the Lord
and in fidelity to the apostolic Tradition. He inspired the Sacred
Scriptures and he guides God’s People into the fullness of truth (cf. Jn
16:13) In all these ways the Spirit is the "giver of life", leading us
into the very heart of God. So, the more we allow the Spirit to direct
us, the more perfect will be our configuration to Christ and the deeper
our immersion in the life of the Triune God.
This sharing in God’s nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4) occurs in the unfolding of
the everyday moments of our lives where he is always present (cf. Bar
3:38). There are times, however, when we might be tempted to seek a
certain fulfilment apart from God. Jesus himself asked the Twelve: "do
you also wish to go away?" Such drifting away perhaps offers the
illusion of freedom. But where does it lead? To whom would we go? For in
our hearts we know that it is the Lord who has "the words of eternal
life" (Jn 6:67-68). To turn away from him is only a futile attempt to
escape from ourselves (cf. Saint Augustine, Confessions VIII, 7). God is
with us in the reality of life, not the fantasy! It is embrace, not
escape, that we seek! So the Holy Spirit gently but surely steers us
back to what is real, what is lasting, what is true. It is the Spirit
who leads us back into the communion of the Blessed Trinity!
The Holy Spirit has been in some ways the neglected person of the
Blessed Trinity. A clear understanding of the Spirit almost seems beyond
our reach. Yet, when I was a small boy, my parents, like yours, taught
me the Sign of the Cross. So, I soon came to realize that there is one
God in three Persons, and that the Trinity is the centre of our
Christian faith and life. While I grew up to have some understanding of
God the Father and the Son – the names already conveyed much – my
understanding of the third person of the Trinity remained incomplete.
So, as a young priest teaching theology, I decided to study the
outstanding witnesses to the Spirit in the Church’s history. It was on
this journey that I found myself reading, among others, the great Saint
Augustine.
Augustine’s understanding of the Holy Spirit evolved gradually; it was a
struggle. As a young man he had followed Manichaeism - one of those
attempts I mentioned earlier, to create a spiritual utopia by radically
separating the things of the spirit from the things of the flesh. Hence
he was at first suspicious of the Christian teaching that God had become
man.
Abiding love, giving, gift
Yet his experience of the love of God present in the Church led him
to investigate its source in the life of the Triune God. This led him to
three particular insights about the Holy Spirit as the bond of unity
within the Blessed Trinity: unity as communion, unity as abiding love,
and unity as giving and gift. These three insights are not just
theoretical. They help explain how the Spirit works. In a world where
both individuals and communities often suffer from an absence of unity
or cohesion, these insights help us remain attuned to the Spirit and to
extend and clarify the scope of our witness.
So, with Augustine’s help, let us illustrate something of the Holy
Spirit’s work. He noted that the two words "Holy" and "Spirit" refer to
what is divine about God; in other words what is shared by the Father
and the Son – their communion. So, if the distinguishing characteristic
of the Holy Spirit is to be what is shared by the Father and the Son,
Augustine concluded that the Spirit’s particular quality is unity. It is
a unity of lived communion: a unity of persons in a relationship of
constant giving, the Father and the Son giving themselves to each other.
We begin to glimpse, I think, how illuminating is this understanding of
the Holy Spirit as unity, as communion. True unity could never be
founded upon relationships which deny the equal dignity of other
persons. Nor is unity simply the sum total of the groups through which
we sometimes attempt to "define" ourselves. In fact, only in the life of
communion is unity sustained and human identity fulfilled: we recognize
the common need for God, we respond to the unifying presence of the Holy
Spirit, and we give ourselves to one another in service.
Augustine’s second insight – the Holy Spirit as abiding love – comes
from his study of the First Letter of Saint John. John tells us that
"God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). Augustine suggests that while these words
refer to the Trinity as a whole they express a particular characteristic
of the Holy Spirit. Reflecting on the lasting nature of love - "whoever
abides in love remains in God and God in him" (ibid.) - he wondered: is
it love or the Holy Spirit which grants the abiding? This is the
conclusion he reaches: "The Holy Spirit makes us remain in God and God
in us; yet it is love that effects this. The Spirit therefore is God as
love!" (De Trinitate, 15.17.31). It is a beautiful explanation: God
shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit. What further understanding
might we gain from this insight? Love is the sign of the presence of the
Holy Spirit! Ideas or voices which lack love – even if they seem
sophisticated or knowledgeable – cannot be "of the Spirit". Furthermore,
love has a particular trait: far from being indulgent or fickle, it has
a task or purpose to fulfil: to abide. By its nature love is enduring.
Again, dear friends, we catch a further glimpse of how much the Holy
Spirit offers our world: love which dispels uncertainty; love which
overcomes the fear of betrayal; love which carries eternity within; the
true love which draws us into a unity that abides!
The third insight – the Holy Spirit as gift – Augustine derived from
meditating on a Gospel passage we all know and love: Christ’s
conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Here Jesus reveals
himself as the giver of the living water (cf. Jn 4:10) which later is
explained as the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 7:39; 1 Cor 12:13). The Spirit is
"God’s gift" (Jn 4:10) - the internal spring (cf. Jn 4:14), who truly
satisfies our deepest thirst and leads us to the Father. From this
observation Augustine concludes that God sharing himself with us as gift
is the Holy Spirit (cf. De Trinitate, 15, 18, 32). Friends, again we
catch a glimpse of the Trinity at work: the Holy Spirit is God eternally
giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours forth nothing less
than himself. In view of this ceaseless gift, we come to see the
limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset.
We begin to understand why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatisfied
and wanting. Are we not looking for an eternal gift? The spring that
will never run dry? With the Samaritan woman, let us exclaim: give me
this water that I may thirst no more! (cf. Jn 4:15).
Accept God's gift
Dear young people, we have seen that it is the Holy Spirit who brings
about the wonderful communion of believers in Jesus Christ. True to his
nature as giver and gift alike, he is even now working through you.
Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine: let unifying love be your
measure; abiding love your challenge; self-giving love your mission!
Tomorrow, that same gift of the Spirit will be solemnly conferred upon
our confirmation candidates. I shall pray: "give them the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the
spirit of knowledge and reverence … and fill them with the spirit of
wonder and awe". These gifts of the Spirit – each of which, as Saint
Francis de Sales reminds us, is a way to participate in the one love of
God – are neither prizes nor rewards. They are freely given (cf. 1 Cor
12:11). And they require only one response on the part of the receiver:
I accept! Here we sense something of the deep mystery of being
Christian. What constitutes our faith is not primarily what we do but
what we receive. After all, many generous people who are not Christian
may well achieve far more than we do. Friends, do you accept being drawn
into God’s Trinitarian life? Do you accept being drawn into his
communion of love?
The Spirit’s gifts working within us give direction and definition to
our witness. Directed to unity, the gifts of the Spirit bind us more
closely to the whole Body of Christ (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), equipping
us better to build up the Church in order to serve the world (cf. Eph
4:13). They call us to active and joyful participation in the life of
the Church: in parishes and ecclesial movements, in religious education
classes, in university chaplaincies and other catholic organizations.
Yes, the Church must grow in unity, must be strengthened in holiness,
must be rejuvenated, must be constantly renewed (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4).
But according to whose standard? The Holy Spirit’s! Turn to him, dear
young people, and you will find the true meaning of renewal.
Tonight, gathered under the beauty of the night sky, our hearts and
minds are filled with gratitude to God for the great gift of our
Trinitarian faith. We recall our parents and grandparents who walked
alongside us when we, as children, were taking our first steps in our
pilgrim journey of faith. Now many years later, you have gathered as
young adults with the Successor of Peter. I am filled with deep joy to
be with you. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God’s
works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape
you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so
too you are called to exercise the Spirit’s gifts amidst the ups and
downs of your daily life. Let your faith mature through your studies,
work, sport, music and art. Let it be sustained by prayer and nurtured
by the sacraments, and thus be a source of inspiration and help to those
around you. In the end, life is not about accumulation. It is much more
than success. To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open
to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit
you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free
the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of
greatness!
[Italian:
Cari giovani italiani! Un saluto speciale a tutti voi!
Custodite la fiamma che lo Spirito Santo ha acceso nei vostri cuori,
perché non abbia a spegnersi, ma anzi arda sempre più e diffonda luce e
calore a chi incontrerete sulla vostra strada, specialmente a quanti
hanno smarrito la fede e la speranza. La Vergine Maria vegli su di voi
in questa notte ed ogni giorno della vostra vita.]
Dear young Italians, a
special greeting to you all! Keep alight the flame the Holy Spirit has
kindled in your hearts so that it will not be extinguished but on the
contrary burn ever brighter and spread light and warmth to those whom
you meet on your way, especially those who have lost their faith and
hope. May the Virgin Mary watch over you tonight and on every day of
your life.
[French:
Chers jeunes de langue française, vous êtes venus prier ce
soir l’Esprit-Saint. Sa présence silencieuse en votre cœur vous fera
comprendre peu à peu le dessein de Dieu sur vous. Puisse-t-Il vous
accompagner dans votre vie quotidienne et vous conduire vers une
meilleure connaissance de Dieu et de votre prochain! C’est Lui qui du
plus profond de votre être vous pousse vers l’unique Vérité divine et
vous fait vivre authentiquement en frères.]
Dear young French-speaking
people, this evening you have come to pray to the Holy Spirit. His
silent presence in your heart will make you gradually understand God's
plan for you. May he accompany you in your daily life and lead you to a
better knowledge of God and your neighbour! It is he who from the very
depths of your being impels you towards the one divine Truth and makes
you live authentically as brothers and sisters.
[German:
Einen frohen Gruß richte ich an euch, liebe junge Christen aus
den Ländern deutscher Sprache. Der Heilige Geist, der Botschafter der
göttlichen Liebe, will in euren Herzen wohnen. Gebt ihm Raum in euch im
Hören auf Gottes Wort, im Gebet und in eurer Solidarität mit den Armen
und Leidenden. Bringt den Geist des Friedens und der Versöhnung zu den
Menschen. Gott, von dem alles Gute kommt, vollende jedes gute Werk, das
ihr zu seiner Ehre tut.]
A cordial greeting to you,
dear young Christians from German-speaking countries. The Holy Spirit,
herald of divine love, wants to dwell in your hearts. Make room for him
within you, in listening to the Word of God, in prayer and in your
solidarity for the poor and the suffering. Bring the spirit of peace and
reconciliation to all. May God, from whom all good comes, bring to
completion every good work that you do in his honour.
[Spanish:
Queridos amigos, el Espíritu Santo dirige nuestros pasos para
seguir a Jesucristo en el mundo de hoy, que espera de los cristianos una
palabra de aliento y un testimonio de vida que inviten a mirar
confiadamente hacia el futuro. Os encomiendo en mis plegarias, para que
respondáis generosamente a lo que el Señor os pide y a lo que todos los
hombres anhelan. Que Dios os bendiga.]
Dear Friends, the Holy
Spirit directs our steps in order to follow Jesus Christ in the
contemporary world which expects of Christians a word of encouragement
and a witness to life that are an invitation to look confidently to the
future. I commend you in my prayers so that you may respond generously
to what the Lord asks of you and what all human beings yearn for. May
God bless You.
[Portuguese:
Meus queridos amigos, recebei o Espírito Santo, para
serdes Igreja! Igreja quer dizer todos nós unidos como um corpo que
recebe o seu influxo vital de Jesus ressuscitado. Este dom é maior que
os nossos corações, porque brota das entranhas da Santíssima Trindade.
Fruto e condição: sentir-se parte uns dos outros, viver em comunhão.
Para isso, jovens caríssimos, acolhei dentro de vós a força de vida que
há em Jesus. Deixai-O entrar no vosso coração. Deixai-vos plasmar pelo
Espírito Santo.]
Dear friends, receive the
Holy Spirit so that you may be Church! Church means all of us united as
one body that receives the vital infusion of the Risen Jesus Christ.
This gift is greater than our hearts because it originates in the Most
Blessed Trinity. Its fruit and condition: to be part of one another, to
live in communion. For this, dear young people, welcome within you the
power of life that is in Jesus. Let him enter your heart. Let yourselves
be moulded by the Holy Spirit.
And now, as we move towards adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, in
stillness and expectation, I echo to you the words spoken by Blessed
Mary MacKillop when she was just 26 years old: "Believe in the
whisperings of God to your heart!". Believe in him! Believe in the power
of the Spirit of Love!
|