Homilies of the Holy Father John Paul II

[Scott1]

PILGRIMAGE​

OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO LOURDES ON THE OCCASION OF 150TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE PROMULGATION OF THE DOGMA
OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Prairie de la Ribère​

Sunday, 15 August 2004

1. "Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou". The words which Mary spoke to Bernadette on 25 March 1858 have a particular resonance this year, as the Church celebrates the 150th anniversary of the solemn definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Blessed Pius IX in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus.​

I have greatly wished to make this pilgrimage to Lourdes in order to celebrate an event which continues to give glory to the Triune God. Mary’s Immaculate Conception is the sign of the gracious love of the Father, the perfect expression of the redemption accomplished by the Son and the beginning of a life completely open to the working of the Spirit.​

2. Beneath the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin I offer a heartfelt greeting to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, as we gather before the Grotto of Massabielle to sing the praises of her whom all generations call blessed (cf. Lk 1:48).​

In particular I greet the French pilgrims and their Bishops, especially the President of the Episcopal Conference [name?] and Monsignor Jacques Perrier, the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, whom I thank for his kind words at the start of this celebration.​

I also greet the Minister of the Interior, who represents the French Government at today’s celebration, and the other civil and military authorities present.​

My thoughts and prayers go also to the pilgrims assembled here from different parts of Europe and from throughout the world, and to all those spiritually united with us by radio and television. With special affection I greet the sick and all who have come to this holy place to seek consolation and hope. May the Blessed Virgin enable you to sense her presence and give comfort to your hearts!​

3. "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country..." (Lk 1:39). The words of the Gospel story have once more brought before the eyes of our hearts the young maiden of Nazareth as she makes her way to that "city of Judah" where her kinswoman Elizabeth lived, in order to be of help to her.​

What strikes us about Mary is above all her loving concern for her elderly relative. Hers is a practical love, one which is not limited to words of understanding but is deeply and personally involved in giving help. The Blessed Virgin does not merely give her cousin something of herself; she gives her whole self, asking nothing in return. Mary understood perfectly that the gift she received from God is more than a privilege; it is a duty which obliges her to serve others with the selflessness proper to love.​

4. "My soul magnifies the Lord..." (Lk 1:46). Mary’s sentiments in her meeting with Elizabeth are forcefully expressed in the canticle of the Magnificat. Her words convey the hope-filled expectation of the "poor of the Lord" and at the same time an awareness that God has fulfilled his promises, for he "has remembered his mercy" (cf. Lk 1:54).​

This same awareness is the source of that joy of the Virgin Mary which pervades the whole canticle: joy in knowing that she has been "looked upon" by God despite her own "lowliness" (cf. Lk 1:48); joy in the "service" she is able to offer because of the "great things" to which the Almighty has called her (cf. Lk 1:49); joy in her foretaste of the eschatological blessedness promised to "those of low degree" and "the hungry" (cf. Lk 1:52-53).​

The Magnificat is followed by silence: nothing is said to us about the three months that Mary stayed with her kinswoman Elizabeth. Yet perhaps we are told the most important thing: that goodness works quietly, the power of love is expressed in the unassuming quietness of daily service.​

5. By her words and her silence the Virgin Mary stands before us as a model for our pilgrim way. It is not an easy way: as a result of the fall of our first parents, humanity is marked by the wounds of sin, whose consequences continue to be felt also among the redeemed. But evil and death will not have the last word! Mary confirms this by her whole life, for she is a living witness of the victory of Christ, our Passover.​

The faithful have understood this. That is why they throng to this grotto in order to hear the maternal counsels of the Blessed Virgin. In her they acknowledge "the woman clothed in the sun" (Rev 12:1), the Queen resplendent before the throne of God (cf. Responsorial Psalm), ever interceding on their behalf.​

6. Today the Church celebrates Mary’s glorious Assumption body and soul into Heaven. The two dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are closely related. Both proclaim the glory of Christ the Redeemer and the holiness of Mary, whose human destiny is even now perfectly and definitively realized in God.​

"When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (Jn 14: 3). Mary is the pledge of the fulfilment of Christ’s promise. Her Assumption thus becomes for us "a sign of sure hope and consolation" (cf. Lumen Gentium, 68).​

7. Dear brothers and sisters! From this grotto of Massabielle the Blessed Virgin speaks to us too, the Christians of the third millennium. Let us listen to her!​

Listen to her, young people who seek an answer capable of giving meaning to your lives. Here you can find that answer. It is a demanding one, yet it is the only answer which is genuinely satisfying. For it contains the secret of true joy and peace.​

From this grotto I issue a special call to women. Appearing here, Mary entrusted her message to a young girl, as if to emphasize the special mission of women in our own time, tempted as it is by materialism and secularism: to be in today’s society a witness of those essential values which are seen only with the eyes of the heart. To you, women, falls the task of being sentinels of the Invisible! I appeal urgently to all of you, dear brother and sisters, to do everything in your power to ensure that life, each and every life, will be respected from conception to its natural end. Life is a sacred gift, and no one can presume to be its master.​

Finally, Our Lady of Lourdes has a message for everyone. Be men and women of freedom! But remember: human freedom is a freedom wounded by sin. It is a freedom which itself needs to be set free. Christ is its liberator; he is the one who "for freedom has set us free" (cf. Gal 5:1). Defend that freedom!​

Dear friends, in this we know we can count on Mary, who, since she never yielded to sin, is the only creature who is perfectly free. I entrust you to her. Walk beside Mary as you journey towards the complete fulfilment of your humanity!​

 

[Scott1]

PRAYER OF THE HOLY FATHER ​

AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE ROSARY​

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(Esplanade of the Basilica of the Rosary, 14 August 2004)​

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Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,​

Blessed by the Most High!​

Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,​

We join in your song of praise,​

to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,​

to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom​

and the full liberation of humanity.​

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Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,​

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Glorious Mother of Christ!​

Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,​

Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,​

and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,​

attentive to his promptings in the depths of our conscience​

and to his manifestations in the events of history.​

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Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,​

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Mother of the living!​

Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,​

Be our guide along the paths of the world.​

Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,​

to stand with you before the innumerable crosses​

on which your Son is still crucified.​

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Hail Mary, woman of faith,​

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First of the disciples!​

Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always​

to account for the hope that is in us,​

with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.​

Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:​

in the depths of silence and prayer,​

in the joy of fraternal love,​

in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.​

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Holy Mary, Mother of believers,​

Our Lady of Lourdes,​

pray for us.​

Amen.​

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[Scott1]

AUDIENCE: WE WERE CREATED TO BE SAINTS OUT OF LOVE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 13, 2004 (VIS) - Today the Pope spoke about the canticle that opens the Letter to the Ephesians, "God my Savior," during the catechesis of the general audience which was held in St. Peter's Square.

John Paul II told the crowd of 16,000 that through this hymn "the faithful can contemplate and savor this great icon of Christ, heart of spirituality and Christian worship, but also the principle of unity and meaning of the universe and of all of history."

Referring to "the salvific work of the Son," he said this "starts from the eternal divine design that Christ is called to fulfill. In this design shines forth, above all, our being chosen (by God) to be 'holy and blameless people' ... in love. It is therefore, a holiness and a moral, existential and interior purity."

God our Father, he continued, "through Christ, destines us to accept the gift of filial dignity, becoming children in the Son and brothers of Jesus. . Through this path, the Father realizes a radical transformation in us: a complete liberation from evil, 'redemption through the blood' of Christ, the 'remission of sins' through the 'riches of His grace'. . We are transfigured creatures: our sin has been erased and we fully know the Lord," and this knowledge "introduces us to the 'mystery' of the divine will." The Pope concluded by emphasizing that this "'mystery' is a transcendent and perfect project; whose content is an admirable salvation plan: 'to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth."

 

[Scott1]

"Paths of Discovery Are Always Paths Towards Truth"

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 9, 2004 (Zenit) - Here is the text of the address John Paul II delivered Monday to the participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

1. It is with particular pleasure that I greet the distinguished members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. I thank your president, Professor Nicola Cabibbo, for the kind message of greetings and good wishes which he has offered me in your name.

The meetings of the Academy have always been an occasion of mutual enrichment and, in some cases, have resulted in studies of significant interest to the Church and the world of culture. These initiatives have contributed to a more fruitful dialogue between the Church and the scientific community. I trust that they will lead to an ever-deeper investigation of the truths of science and the truths of faith, truths which ultimately converge in that one Truth which believers acknowledge in its fullness in the face of Jesus Christ.

2. This year's plenary session, devoted to science and creativity, raises important questions deeply connected with the spiritual dimension of man. Through culture and creative activity, human beings have the capacity to transcend material reality and to "humanize" the world around us. Revelation teaches that men and women are created in the "image and likeness of God" (cf. Genesis 1:26) and thus possessed of a special dignity which enables them, by the work of their hands, to reflect God's own creative activity (cf. "Laborem Exercens," 4). In [a] real way, they are meant to be "co-creators" with God, using their knowledge and skill to shape a cosmos in which the divine plan constantly moves towards fulfillment (cf. "Gaudium et Spes," 34). This human creativity finds privileged expression in the pursuit of knowledge and scientific research. As a spiritual reality, such creativity must be responsibly exercised; it demands respect for the natural order and, above all, for the nature of each human being, inasmuch as man is its subject and end.

The creativity which inspires scientific progress is seen especially in the capacity to confront and solve ever-new issues and problems, many of which have planetary repercussions. Men and women of science are challenged to put this creativity more and more at the service of the human family, by working to improve the quality of life on our planet and by promoting an integral development of the human person, both materially and spiritually. If scientific creativity is to benefit authentic human progress, it must remain detached from every form of financial or ideological conditioning, so that it can be devoted solely to the dispassionate search for truth and the disinterested service of humanity. Creativity and new discoveries ought to bring both the scientific community and the world's peoples together, in a climate of cooperation which values the generous sharing of knowledge over competitiveness and individual interests.

3. The theme of your meeting invites renewed reflection on the "paths of discovery." There is in fact a profound inner logic to the process of discovery. Scientists approach nature with a conviction that they confront a reality which they have not created but received, a reality which slowly reveals itself to their patient questioning. They sense -- often only implicitly -- that nature contains a Logos which invites dialogue. The scientist seeks to ask the right questions of nature, while at the same time maintaining an attitude of humble receptivity and even of contemplation in its regard. The "wonder" which sparked the earliest philosophical reflection on nature and which gave rise to science itself, has in no way been diminished by new discoveries; indeed, it constantly increases and often inspires awe at the distance which separates our knowledge of creation from the fullness of its mystery and grandeur.

Contemporary scientists, faced with the explosion of new knowledge and discoveries, frequently feel that they are standing before a vast and infinite horizon. Indeed, the inexhaustible bounty of nature, with its promise of ever-new discoveries, can be seen as pointing beyond itself to the Creator who has given it to us as a gift whose secrets remain to be explored. In attempting to understand this gift and to use it wisely and well, science constantly encounters a reality which human beings "find." In every phase of scientific discovery, nature stands as something "given." For this reason, creativity and progress along the paths of discovery, as in all other human endeavors, are ultimately to be understood against the backdrop of the mystery of creation itself (cf. "Laborem Exercens," 12).

4. Dear members of the Academy, once again this year I offer my prayerful good wishes for your work on behalf of the advancement of knowledge and the benefit of the human family. May these days of reflection and discussion be a source of spiritual enrichment for all of you. Despite the uncertainties and the labor which every attempt to interpret reality entails -- not only in the sciences, but also in philosophy and theology -- the paths of discovery are always paths towards truth. And every seeker after truth, whether aware of it or not, is following a path which ultimately leads to God, who is Truth itself (cf. "Fides et Ratio," 16, 28). May your patient and humble dialogue with the world of nature bear fruit in ever-new discoveries and in a reverent appreciation of its untold marvels. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God's blessings of wisdom, joy and peace.

 

[Scott1]

Celebration Fully Expressed in Eucharist

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 15, 2004 (Zenit) - Here is a translation of John Paul II's Angelus address given at midday on Sunday with several thousand pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

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1. Today, in Italy, a Day of Thanksgiving to God is being celebrated, for the fruits of the earth harvested during the year.

The main celebration is taking place in Genoa, chosen this year as the "European Capital of Culture." I gladly unite myself to the prayer being raised by the Genoese ecclesial community and by all those who work in different capacities in the agricultural sector.

2. For us, Christians, thanksgiving is expressed fully in the Eucharist. In every Holy Mass, we bless the Lord, God of the universe, presenting to him the bread and wine, fruits "of the earth and of the work of man." To these simple foods, Christ has united his sacrificial oblation. United to Him, believers are also called to offer to God their lives and daily work.

3. May Mary, Mother of Divine Providence, teach us to be grateful to the Lord for all that nature and human effort produce for our sustenance, and make us ready to share our resources with all those who are in need.