APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI TO MADRID: 26th
WORLD YOUTH DAY Welcome Ceremony with Young People, Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid Full
text of the Holy Father 's homily on Thursday, 18 August 2011
Dear Friends, Thank
you for the kind words addressed to me by the young people representing the five continents.
And I salute with affection all of you gathered here, young people from Oceania, Africa,
America, Asia and Europe; and also those unable to be here. I always keep you very
much in my heart and pray for you. God has given me the grace to see and hear you
for myself and, as we gather together, to listen to his word. In the reading which
has just been proclaimed, we heard a passage from the Gospel which talks of welcoming
the words of Jesus and putting them into practice. There are words which serve only
to amuse, as fleeting as an empty breeze; others, to an extent, inform us; those of
Jesus, on the other hand, must reach our hearts, take root and bloom there all our
lives. If not, they remain empty and become ephemeral. They do not bring us to him
and, as a result, Christ stays remote, just one voice among the many others around
us which are so familiar. Furthermore, the Master who speaks teaches, not something
learned from others, but that which he himself is, the only one who truly knows the
path of man towards God, because he is the one who opened it up for us, he made it
so that we might have authentic lives, lives which are always worth living, in every
circumstance, and which not even death can destroy. The Gospel continues, explaining
these things with the evocative image of someone who builds on solid rock, resistant
to the onslaught of adversity, and in contrast to someone who builds on sand - we
would say today in what appears a paradise - but which collapses with the first gust
of wind and falls into ruins. Dear young people, listen closely to the words of
the Lord, that they may be for you “spirit and life” (Jn 6:63), roots which nourish
your being, a rule of life which likens us - poor in spirit, thirsting for justice,
merciful, pure in heart, lovers of peace - to the person of Christ. Listen regularly
every day as if he were the one friend who does not deceive, the one with whom we
wish to share the path of life. Of course, you know that when we do not walk beside
Christ our guide, we get lost on other paths, like the path of our blind and selfish
impulses, or the path of flattering but self-serving suggestions, deceiving and fickle,
which leave emptiness and frustration in their wake. Use these days to know
Christ better and to make sure that, rooted in him, your enthusiasm and happiness,
your desire to go further, to reach the heights, even God himself, always hold a sure
future, because the fullness of life has already been placed within you. Let that
life grow with divine grace, generously and without half-measures, as you remain steadfast
in your aim for holiness. And, in the face of our weaknesses which sometimes overwhelm
us, we can rely on the mercy of the Lord who is always ready to help us again and
who offers us pardon in the sacrament of Penance. If you build on solid rock, not
only your life will be solid and stable, but it will also help project the light of
Christ shining upon those of your own age and upon the whole of humanity, presenting
a valid alternative to all those who have fallen short, because the essentials in
their lives were inconsistent; to all those who are content to follow fashionable
ideas, they take shelter in the here and now, forgetting true justice, or they take
refuge in their own opinions instead of seeking the simple truth. Indeed, there
are many who, creating their own gods, believe they need no roots or foundations other
than themselves. They take it upon themselves to decide what is true or not, what
is good and evil, what is just and unjust; who should live and who can be sacrificed
in the interests of other preferences; leaving each step to chance, with no clear
path, letting themselves be led by the whim of each moment. These temptations are
always lying in wait. It is important not to give in to them because, in reality,
they lead to something so evanescent, like an existence with no horizons, a liberty
without God. We, on the other hand, know well that we have been created free, in
the image of God, precisely so that we might be in the forefront of the search for
truth and goodness, responsible for our actions, not mere blind executives, but creative
co-workers in the task of cultivating and beautifying the work of creation. God is
looking for a responsible interlocutor, someone who can dialogue with him and love
him. Through Christ we can truly succeed and, established in him, we give wings to
our freedom. Is this not the great reason for our joy? Isn’t this the firm ground
upon which to build the civilization of love and life, capable of humanizing all of
us? Dear friends: be prudent and wise, build your lives upon the firm foundation
which is Christ. This wisdom and prudence will guide your steps, nothing will make
you fear and peace will reign in your hearts. Then you will be blessed and happy
and your happiness will influence others. They will wonder what the secret of your
life is and they will discover that the rock which underpins the entire building and
upon which rests your whole existence is the very person of Christ, your friend, brother
and Lord, the Son of God incarnate, who gives meaning to all the universe. He
died for us all, rising that we might have life, and now, from the throne of the Father,
he accompanies all men and women, watching continually over each one of us. I
commend the fruits of this World Youth Day to the most holy Virgin Mary, who said
“Yes” to the will of God, and teaches us a unique example of fidelity to her divine
son, whom she followed to his death upon the Cross. Let us meditate upon this more
deeply in the Stations of the Cross. And let us pray that, like her, our “Yes” to
Christ today may also be an unconditional “Yes” to his friendship, both at the end
of this Day and throughout our entire lives. Thank you very much.