NEW YORK - 21 April 2008 - 510 words
New
York: Pope calls Church to communicate the joy of faith
In New York City, on Saturday morning, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated
Mass in the city's neo-Gothic St.Patrick's Cathedral. As he arrived,
the Holy Father was greeted by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop
of New York, Mgr Robert T Ritchie, rector of the cathedral, and
Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor.
The celebration of Mass for the Universal Church, which coincided
with the third anniversary of Benedict XVI's election to the pontifical
throne, was dedicated to clergy and religious of US east coast
dioceses, where New York is located.
In his homily, the Holy Father said: "In this country the
Church's mission has always involved drawing people 'from every
nation under heaven' into spiritual unity, and enriching the Body
of Christ by the variety of their gifts. As we give thanks for
past blessings, and look to the challenges of the future, let
us implore from God the grace of a new Pentecost for the Church
in America".
The Church, he went on, "is called to proclaim the gift of
life, to serve life, and to promote a culture of life. ... The
proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of
the new evangelisation. For true life - our salvation - can only
be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God's
gracious gift.
"This is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and
embody in a world where self-centredness, greed, violence, and
cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in
people's hearts. ... Perhaps we have lost sight of this: in a
society where the Church seems legalistic and 'institutional'
to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the
joy born of faith and the experience of God's love".
Benedict XVI then dwelt on some features of the cathedral building
itself, associating them with the mission of priests and religious
within the Church.
"The first has to do with the stained glass windows. ...
From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary.
But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting
the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendour.
... It follows", he explained, "that we, who live the
life of grace within the Church's communion, are called to draw
all people into this mystery of light.
"This is no easy task in a world which can tend to look at
the Church, like those stained glass windows, 'from the outside':
a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds
it difficult to 'enter into' the mystery of the Church. Even for
those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine,
and the splendour of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses
of her members. It can be dimmed too, by the obstacles encountered
in a society which sometimes seems to have forgotten God and to
resent even the most elementary demands of Christian morality".
"Yet the word of God reminds us that, in faith, we see the
heavens opened, and the grace of the Holy Spirit lighting up the
Church and bringing sure hope to our world".
The second feature the Pope considered was the architecture of
the cathedral, "like all Gothic cathedrals, a highly complex
structure, whose exact and harmonious proportions symbolise the
unity of God's creation. ... Does this not bring to mind our need
to see all things with the eyes of faith, and thus to grasp them
in their truest perspective, in the unity of God's eternal plan?
This requires, as we know, constant conversion, and a commitment
to acquiring 'a fresh, spiritual way of thinking'. ... Is not
this ongoing 'intellectual' conversion", he asked, "as
necessary as 'moral' conversion for our own growth in faith, our
discernment of the signs of the times, and our personal contribution
to the Church's life and mission?".
In this context, Pope Benedict expressed the view that "one
of the great disappointments which followed Vatican Council II,
with its call for a greater engagement in the Church's mission
to the world, has been the experience of division between different
groups, different generations, different members of the same religious
family. We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together
to Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom
and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which
may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions. ...
In this way, we will move together towards that true spiritual
renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen
the Church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective
proclamation of the Gospel in today's world".
"Here, within the context of our need for the perspective
given by faith, and for unity and co-operation in the work of
building up the Church, I would like say a word about the sexual
abuse that has caused so much suffering. I have already had occasion
to speak of this, and of the resulting damage to the community
of the faithful. Here I simply wish to assure you, dear priests
and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond
with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation
presents. I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification
for each and every particular Church and religious community,
and a time for healing".
"The unity of a Gothic cathedral, we know, is not the static
unity of a classical temple, but a unity born of the dynamic tension
of diverse forces which impel the architecture upward, pointing
it to heaven. Here too, we can see a symbol of the Church's unity,
which is the unity ... of a living body composed of many different
members, each with its own role and purpose".
"Certainly within the Church's divinely-willed structure
there is a distinction to be made between hierarchical and charismatic
gifts. Yet the very variety and richness of the graces bestowed
by the Spirit invite us constantly to discern how these gifts
are to be rightly ordered in the service of the Church's mission".
"In the finest traditions of the Church in this country",
the Pope concluded, addressing the priests and religious, "may
you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger,
the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the
light of Christ upon the world, and encouraging young people to
discover the beauty of a life given completely to the Lord and
His Church".
At the conclusion of Mass the Holy Father made some off-the-cuff
remarks concerning his Petrine ministry:
"At this moment I can only thank you for your love of the
Church and Our Lord, and for the love which you show to the poor
Successor of St. Peter. I will try to do all that is possible
to be a worthy successor of the great Apostle, who also was a
man with faults and sins, but remained in the end the rock for
the Church. And so I too, with all my spiritual poverty,
can be for this time, in virtue of the Lord's grace, the Successor
of Peter. It is also your prayers and your love which give me
the certainty that the Lord will help me in this my ministry.
I am therefore deeply grateful for your love and for your prayers.
My response now for all that you have given to me during this
visit is my blessing, which I impart to you at the conclusion
of this beautiful celebration".
Source: VIS
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