Hundreds of thousands of young people attended a huge outdoor World Youth Day mass
presided by Pope Benedict XVI at Madrid's Cuatros Vientos airbase Sunday. Read the
text of the Holy Father's Homily below:
Dear Young People, In this celebration
of the Eucharist we have reached the high point of this World Youth Day. Seeing you
here, gathered in such great numbers from all parts of the world, fills my heart with
joy. I think of the special love with which Jesus is looking upon you. Yes, the
Lord loves you and calls you his friends (cf. Jn 15:15). He goes out to meet you
and he wants to accompany you on your journey, to open the door to a life of fulfilment
and to give you a share in his own closeness to the Father. For our part, we have
come to know the immensity of his love and we want to respond generously to his love
by sharing with others the joy we have received. Certainly, there are many people
today who feel attracted by the figure of Christ and want to know him better. They
realize that he is the answer to so many of our deepest concerns. But who is he really?
How can someone who lived on this earth so long ago have anything in common with me
today? The Gospel we have just heard (cf. Mt 16:13-20) suggests two different
ways of knowing Christ. The first is an impersonal knowledge, one based on current
opinion. When Jesus asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, the disciples
answer: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or
one of the prophets”. In other words, Christ is seen as yet another religious figure,
like those who came before him. Then Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them:
“But who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with what is the first confession
of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Faith is more than just
empirical or historical facts; it is an ability to grasp the mystery of Christ’s person
in all its depth. Yet faith is not the result of human effort, of human reasoning,
but rather a gift of God: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven”. Faith starts with God, who
opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life. Faith does
not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal
relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding,
will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation. So Jesus’ question: “But who do you
say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision
in his regard. Faith in Christ and discipleship are strictly interconnected. And,
since faith involves following the Master, it must become constantly stronger, deeper
and more mature, to the extent that it leads to a closer and more intense relationship
with Jesus. Peter and the other disciples also had to grow in this way, until their
encounter with the Risen Lord opened their eyes to the fullness of faith. Dear
young people, today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles:
“Who do you say that I am?” Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits
young hearts like your own. Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God,
who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by
your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole
life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy
which never leaves me”. Jesus’ responds to Peter’s confession by speaking of the
Church: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”.
What do these words mean? Jesus builds the Church on the rock of the faith of Peter,
who confesses that Christ is God. The Church, then, is not simply a human institution,
like any other. Rather, she is closely joined to God. Christ himself speaks of her
as “his” Church. Christ cannot be separated from the Church any more than the head
can be separated from the body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12). The Church does not draw her life
from herself, but from the Lord. Dear young friends, as the Successor of Peter,
let me urge you to strengthen this faith which has been handed down to us from the
time of the Apostles. Make Christ, the Son of God, the centre of your life. But
let me also remind you that following Jesus in faith means walking at his side in
the communion of the Church. We cannot follow Jesus on our own. Anyone who would
be tempted to do so “on his own”, or to approach the life of faith with kind of individualism
so prevalent today, will risk never truly encountering Jesus, or will end up following
a counterfeit Jesus. Having faith means drawing support from the faith of your
brothers and sisters, even as your own faith serves as a support for the faith of
others. I ask you, dear friends, to love the Church which brought you to birth in
the faith, which helped you to grow in the knowledge of Christ and which led you to
discover the beauty of his love. Growing in friendship with Christ necessarily means
recognizing the importance of joyful participation in the life of your parishes, communities
and movements, as well as the celebration of Sunday Mass, frequent reception of the
sacrament of Reconciliation, and the cultivation of personal prayer and meditation
on God’s word. Friendship with Jesus will also lead you to bear witness to the
faith wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference. We cannot
encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep Christ
to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith. The world needs the witness
of your faith, it surely needs God. I think that the presence here of so many young
people, coming from all over the world, is a wonderful proof of the fruitfulness of
Christ’s command to the Church: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to
the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). You too have been given the extraordinary task of
being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with
young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells
them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by
the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God. Dear young people,
I pray for you with heartfelt affection. I commend all of you to the Virgin Mary
and I ask her to accompany you always by her maternal intercession and to teach you
how to remain faithful to God’s word. I ask you to pray for the Pope, so that, as
the Successor of Peter, he may always confirm his brothers and sisters in the faith.
May all of us in the Church, pastors and faithful alike, draw closer to the Lord each
day. May we grow in holiness of life and be effective witnesses to the truth that
Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, the Saviour of all mankind and the living source
of our hope. Amen.