© 2009-2011 Redemptoris Mater Seminary 26 Camboon Road, Morley, (Perth) Western Australia 6062
World Youth Day - Madrid 2011
Homily at the Mass of Pope Benedict XVI
Main points:
1. OPENING WORDS OF LOVE
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).
2. FAITH IS THE INITIATIVE OF GOD
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.
3. CHOOSE CHRIST – HE HAS POWER AND GIVES JOY
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".
4. CHRIST MAKES “HIS” CHURCH
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.
5. NOT BASED ON SELF ALONE
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 that 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.
6. LOVE THE CHURCH
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.
7. PARISHES, COMMUNITIES AND MOVEMENTS
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.
8. WITNESS TO YOUR FAITH
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.
