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Homily and
words of farewell of Pope John Paul II at the World Youth Day Mass,
Sunday July 28, 2002 at Toronto, Ontario. |
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You are the salt
of the earth! You are the light of the world! (Matthew 5:13-14)
Dear young people
of the seventeenth World Youth Day, dear brothers and sisters:
On a hillside near
the lake of Galilee, Jesus's disciples listened to his gentle and
urgent voice; as gentle as the landscape of Galilee itself, as urgent
as a call to choose between life and death, between truth and
falsehood. The Lord spoke words of life that would echo forever in
the hearts of his followers.
Today he is
speaking the same words to you, the young people of Toronto and
Ontario, of the whole of Canada, of the United States, of the
Caribbean, of Spanish-speaking America and Portuguese-speaking
America, of Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Listen to the voice of
Jesus in the depths of your hearts! His words tell you who are as
Christians. They tell you what you must do to remain in his love.
But Jesus offers
one thing, and the "spirit of the world" offers another. In
today's reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul tells us
that Jesus leads us from darkness into light (Ephesians 5:8). Perhaps
the great apostle is thinking of the light that blinded him, the
persecutor of Christians, on the road to Damascus. When later he
recovered his sight, nothing was as before. He had been born anew and
nothing would ever take his new-found joy away from him.
You too are called
to be transformed. "Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and
Christ will give you light, (Ephesians 5:14)," says Saint Paul.
The "spirit
of the world" offers many false illusions and parodies of
happiness. There is perhaps no darkness deeper than the darkness that
enters young people's souls when false prophets extinguish in them
the light of faith and hope and love. The greatest deception, and the
deepest source of unhappiness, is the illusion of finding life by
excluding God, of finding freedom by excluding moral truths and
personal responsibility.
The Lord is
calling you to choose between these two voices competing for your
souls. That decision is the substance and challenge of World Youth
Day. Why have you come together from all parts of the world? To say
in your hearts: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life." (Jn 6:68). Jesus — the intimate friend of
every young person — has the words of life.
The world you are
inheriting is a world which desperately needs a new sense of
brotherhood and human solidarity. It is a world which needs to be
touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God's love. It needs
witnesses to that love. It needs you — to be the salt of the
earth and the light of the world.
Salt is used to
preserve and keep. As apostles for the Third Millennium, your task is
to preserve and keep alive the awareness of the presence of our
Savior Jesus Christ, especially in the celebration of the eucharist,
the memorial of his saving death and glorious resurrection. You must
keep alive the memory of the words of life which he spoke, the
marvellous works of mercy and goodness which he performed. You must
constantly remind the world of the "power of the Gospel to
save" (Romans 1:16). Salt seasons and improves the flavour of
food. Following Jesus, you have to change and improve the
"taste" of human history. With your faith, hope and love,
with your intelligence, courage and perseverance, you have to
humanize the world we live in. In the way that today's reading from
Isaiah indicates: "Loose the bonds of injustice . . . share your
bread with the hungry . . . remove the pointing of the finger, the
speaking of evil . . . Then your light shall rise in the
darkness" (Isaiah 58:6-10).
Even a tiny flame
lifts the heavy lid of night. How much more light will you make, all
together, if you bond as one in the communion of the church! If you
love Jesus, love the church! Do not be discouraged by the sins and
fallings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and
religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense
of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and
generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do
good! There are many priests, seminarians and consecrated persons
here today; be close to them and support them! And if, in the depths
of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or
consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road
of the cross! At difficult moments in the church's life, the pursuit
of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question
of age: It is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit, just as Kateri
Tekakwitha and so many other young people have done.
You are young and
the Pope is old and a bit tired. But he still fully identifies with
your hopes and aspirations. Although I have lived through much
darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough
evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so
great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal
in the hearts of the young.
Do not let that
hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our
weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us
and our real capacity to become the image of his son.
O Lord Jesus
Christ, keep these young people in your love. Let them hear your
voice and believe what you say, for you alone have the words of life.
Teach them how to profess their faith, bestow their love, and impart
their hope to others. Make them convincing witnesses to your Gospel
in a world so much in need of your saving grace. Make them the new
people of the Beatitudes, that they may be the salt of the earth and
the light of the worid at the beginning of the Third Christian
Millennium! Mary, Mother of the church, protect and guide these young
men and women of the 21st century. Keep us all close to your maternal
heart. Amen.
ANGELUS
We conclude this
splendid celebration of the eucharist with the angelus prayer to
Mary, mother of the redeemer.
To her I entrust
the fruits of this World Youth Day, that in time, with her help, they
may flourish. This World Youth Day must mark a reawakening of
pastoral attention to the young in Canada. May the enthusiasm of this
moment be the spark that is needed to launch a new era of powerful
witness to the gospel!
I wish formally to
announce that the next World Youth Day will take place in 2005, in
Cologne, Germany.
In the great
cathedral in Cologne are honoured the relics of the magi, the wise
men from the east who followed the star which led them to Christ. As
pilgrims, your spiritual journey to Cologne starts today. Christ
awaits you there for the 20th World Youth Day!
May the Virgin
Mary, our mother on our pilgrimage of faith, be with you on the way.
Angelus domini
nuniiavit Marias . . .
POSTANGELUS
I wish to thank
everyone who has helped to make the World Youth Day such a success:
the citizens of Toronto, the volunteers, the police, the fire
department, the mayor and the authorities at every level of the
Canadian government.
My heartfelt
greeting goes to the other Christian churches and communities
represented here, as well as to the followers of other religious traditions.
My wish for all of
you who are here is that the commitments you have made during these
days of faith and celebration will bring forth abundant fruits of
dedication and witness. May you always treasure the memory of Toronto!
I extend a special
word of gratitude to Cardinal Ambrozic, archbishop of Toronto, to the
Canadian Bishops Conference and to the organizing committee. My
thanks also go to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the person
of the president, Cardinal James Francis Stafford.
I greet the
cardinals and bishops who have come from other parts of the world;
and all the priests, deacons and religious who shared these days with
the young people.
As we prepare to
return home, I say, in the words of Saint Augustine; "We have
been happy together in the light we have shared. We have really
enjoyed being together. We have really rejoiced, but as we leave one
another, let us not leave Him" (In lo.ev. tr., 35,9).
Thanks to all the
Spanish-speaking young people. Do not be afraid to respond generously
to the lord's calling. Let your faith shine before the world. Let
your actions show your commitment to the saving message of the gospel!
Dear
Portuguese-speaking young people: The World Youth Day does not end
here; it will continue in your lives of fidelity to Christ. Be salt!
Be light for the world around you!
Dear Italian young
people: Keep alive the gift of faith which has sustained you in these
days. The Church needs your dedication. Arrivederci a Roma!
Dear
German-speaking friends: You in a special way have to keep alive the
spirit of the World Youth Day, in order to prepare for Cologne in
2005. Work to build a civilization of love and justice. Let your
light lead many others to Christ's kingdom of holiness, truth and justice.
My thoughts turn
to our Polish homeland, which I will soon visit again. Never lose
sight of your Christian heritage. It is there that you will find the
wisdom and courage you need to meet the great moral and ethical
challenges of our times. I entrust you all to the protection of Our
Lady of Jasna Gora. |
