Holy Mass with the Australian Bishops, seminarians and novices (with the Consecration
of the new altar) at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. Homily of the Holy Father (excerpts)
Dear Brothers and
Sisters, In this noble cathedral I rejoice to greet my brother Bishops and priests,
and the deacons, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of Sydney. In a very special
way, my greeting goes to the seminarians and young religious who are present among
us, (…) they will have the task of building up the Lord’s house in the coming generation.
(…) H ow can we not think of all those ranks of priests, religious and faithful laity
who, each in his or her own way, contributed to the building up of the Church in Australia?
Our thoughts turn in particular to those settler families to whom Father Jeremiah
O’Flynn entrusted the Blessed Sacrament at his departure, a “small flock” which cherished
and preserved that precious treasure, passing it on to the succeeding generations
who raised this great tabernacle to the glory of God. Let us rejoice in their fidelity
and perseverance, and dedicate ourselves to carrying on their labours for the spread
of the Gospel, the conversion of hearts and the growth of the Church in holiness,
unity and charity! We are about to celebrate the dedication of the new altar of
this venerable cathedral. As its sculpted frontal powerfully reminds us, every altar
is a symbol of Jesus Christ, present in the midst of his Church as priest, altar and
victim (cf. Preface of Easter V). (…) In today’s liturgy the Church reminds us
that, like this altar, we too have been consecrated, set “apart” for the service of
God and the building up of his Kingdom. All too often, however, we find ourselves
immersed in a world that would set God “aside”. In the name of human freedom and
autonomy, God’s name is passed over in silence, religion is reduced to private devotion,
and faith is shunned in the public square. At times this mentality, so completely
at odds with the core of the Gospel, can even cloud our own understanding of the Church
and her mission. We too can be tempted to make the life of faith a matter of mere
sentiment, thus blunting its power to inspire a consistent vision of the world and
a rigorous dialogue with the many other visions competing for the minds and hearts
of our contemporaries. Yet history, including the history of our own time, shows
that the question of God will never be silenced, and that indifference to the religious
dimension of human existence ultimately diminishes and betrays man himself. (…)
Wherever man is diminished, the world around us is also diminished; it loses its ultimate
meaning and strays from its goal. What emerges is a culture, not of life, but of
death. How could this be considered “progress”? It is a backward step, a form of
regression which ultimately dries up the very sources of life for individuals and
all of society. We know that in the end – as Saint Ignatius of Loyola saw so
clearly – the only real “standard” against which all human reality can be measured
is the Cross and its message of an unmerited love which triumphs over evil, sin and
death, creating new life and unfading joy. The Cross reveals that we find ourselves
only by giving our lives away, receiving God’s love as an unmerited gift and working
to draw all men and women into the beauty of that love and the light of the truth
which alone brings salvation to the world. (…) Yet how difficult is this path
of consecration! It demands continual “conversion”, a sacrificial death to self which
is the condition for belonging fully to God, a change of mind and heart which brings
true freedom and a new breadth of vision. (…) All these rites invite us to re-live
our own consecration in Baptism. They invite us to reject sin and its false allure,
and to drink ever more deeply from the life-giving springs of God’s grace. Dear
friends, may this celebration, in the presence of the Successor of Peter, be a moment
of rededication and renewal for the whole Church in Australia! Here I would like
to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual
abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country. These misdeeds, which
constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have
caused great pain and have damaged the Church’s witness. I ask all of you to support
and assist your Bishops, and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims
should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be
brought to justice. It is an urgent priority to promote a safer and more wholesome
environment, especially for young people. In these days, (…) as the Church in Australia
continues, in the spirit of the Gospel, to address effectively this serious pastoral
challenge, I join you in praying that this time of purification will bring about healing,
reconciliation and ever greater fidelity to the moral demands of the Gospel. I
wish now to turn to the seminarians and young religious in our midst, with a special
word of affection and encouragement. Dear friends: with great generosity you have
set out on a particular path of consecration, grounded in your Baptism and undertaken
in response to the Lord’s personal call (…) In today’s Gospel, the Lord calls us
to “believe in the light” (Jn 12:36). These words have a special meaning for you,
dear young seminarians and religious. They are a summons to trust in the truth of
God’s word and to hope firmly in his promises. (…) Do not be afraid! Believe in
the light! Take to heart the truth which we have heard in today’s second reading:
“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and for ever” (Heb 13:8). The light of
Easter continues to dispel the darkness! The Lord also calls us to walk in the
light (cf. Jn 12:35). Each of you has embarked on the greatest and the most glorious
of all struggles, to be consecrated in truth, to grow in virtue, to achieve harmony
between your thoughts and ideals, and your words and actions. Enter sincerely and
deeply into the discipline and spirit of your programmes of formation. Walk in Christ’s
light daily through fidelity to personal and liturgical prayer, nourished by meditation
on the inspired word of God. The Fathers of the Church loved to see the Scriptures
as a spiritual Eden, a garden where we can walk freely with God, admiring the beauty
and harmony of his saving plan as it bears fruit in our own lives, in the life of
the Church and in all of history. Let prayer, then, and meditation on God’s word,
be the lamp which illumines, purifies and guides your steps along the path which the
Lord has marked out for you. Make the daily celebration of the Eucharist the centre
of your life. (…) By embracing the Lord’s call to follow him in chastity, poverty
and obedience, you have begun a journey of radical discipleship which will make you
“signs of contradiction” (cf. Lk 2:34) to many of your contemporaries. (…) Let
us ask Mary, Help of Christians, to sustain the Church in Australia in fidelity to
that grace by which the Crucified Lord even now “draws to himself” all creation and
every human heart (cf. Jn 12:32). May the power of his Holy Spirit consecrate the
faithful of this land in truth, and bring forth abundant fruits of holiness and justice
for the redemption of the world. May it guide all humanity into the fullness of life
around that Altar, where, in the glory of the heavenly liturgy, we are called to sing
God’s praises for ever. Amen.
The full text of the Holy Father's discourses
are available on the Holy See's website: www.vatian.va, and in the vatican newspaper
"L' Osservatore Romano"