Pope at World Youth Day: \"Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and great\"
18 August, 2005
GERMANY - WYD
Pope: Take up John Paul's legacy and commit yourselves to serve Christ
Benedict XVI succeeds Pope John Paul II as young people's guide. He
reserves
special greetings for the youth of Asia.
Cologne (AsiaNews) - In his first speech to the youth gathered for
World
Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI called on them to make a radical
commitment to
Christ and announce Him to the whole world, pledging that only in His
face
can true happiness be found.
Sitting on the bridge of a big boat at berth on the Poller Rheinwiesen
dock,
Benedict XVI met young people representing the four corners of the
earth,
dressed in their traditional national costumes.
Smiling, he greeted each one of them, exchanging a few words and
shaking
hands. Some of them patted him as if he were family.
Formal greetings by some of young people and Card Karl Lehmann,
chairman of
the Bishops' Conference of Germany, were followed by the staged reading
of
the Gospel of Matthew telling the story of the arrival of the
Magi-"Where is
the King of the Jews Who has been born" was read in several languages
by
several young people.
A priest then asked the hundreds of thousands of youths gathered on the
left
bank of the Rhine River cheering and waving multicolour flags for quiet
so
that the Pontiff could speak.
In his speech, Benedict XVI took up the legacy bequeathed by Pope John
Paul
II and called on youth to carry that same legacy but in a commitment
that
was less sentimental and more focused on faith and mission.
"That great Pope understood the challenges faced by young people
today,"
Benedict XVI said, "and, as a sign of his trust in them, he did not
hesitate
to spur them on to be courageous heralds of the Gospel and intrepid
builders
of the civilization of truth, love and peace.
In his greetings, the Holy Father singled out the youth of Asia, both
Christian and non Christian.
"My particular greeting goes to those who, like the Magi, have come
from the
East. You are the representatives of so many of our brothers and
sisters who
are waiting, without realizing it, for the star to rise in their skies
and
lead them to Christ, Light of the Nations, in whom they will find the
fullest response to their hearts' deepest desires. I also greet with
affection those among you who have not been baptized, and those of you
who
do not yet know Christ or have not yet found a home in his Church.
He told the crowd that "these days I encourage you to commit yourselves
without reserve to serving Christ, whatever the cost."
The Pope's boat was escorted by five ships to represent the five
continents
and the universal mission of the "barque of St Peter".
The Cross of World Youth Day was on the Pope's boat. It was repaired
after a
gust of wind broke it.
Here is the Pope's speech at the welcoming ceremony. His speech was
delivered in different languages as the text indicates.
Dear Young People,
I am delighted to meet you here in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine!
You
have come from various parts of Germany, Europe and the rest of the
world as
pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi. Following their route, you too
want
to find Jesus. Like them, you have begun this journey in order to
contemplate, both personally and with others, the face of God revealed
by
the Child in the manger. Like yourselves, I too have set out to join
you in
kneeling before the consecrated white Host in which the eyes of faith
recognize the real presence of the Saviour of the world. Together, we
will
continue to meditate on the theme of this World Youth Day: "We Have
Come To
Worship Him" (Mt, 2:2).
[in English]
With great joy I welcome you, dear young people. You have come here
from
near and far, walking the streets of the world and the pathways of
life. My
particular greeting goes to those who, like the Magi, have come from
the
East. You are the representatives of so many of our brothers and
sisters who
are waiting, without realizing it, for the star to rise in their skies
and
lead them to Christ, Light of the Nations, in whom they will find the
fullest response to their hearts' deepest desires. I also greet with
affection those among you who have not been baptized, and those of you
who
do not yet know Christ or have not yet found a home in his Church. Pope
John
Paul II had invited you in particular to come to this gathering; I
thank you
for deciding to come to Cologne. Some of you might perhaps describe
your
adolescence in the words with which Edith Stein, who later lived in the
Carmel in Cologne, described her own: "I consciously and deliberately
lost
the habit of praying". During these days, you can once again have a
moving
experience of prayer as dialogue with God, the God who we know loves us
and
whom we in turn wish to love. To all of you I appeal: Open wide your
hearts
to God! Let yourselves be surprised by Christ! Let him have "the right
of
free speech" during these days! Open the doors of your freedom to his
merciful love! Share your joys and pains with Christ, and let him
enlighten
your minds with his light and touch your hearts with his grace. In
these
days blessed with sharing and joy, may you have a liberating experience
of
the Church as the place where God's merciful love reaches out to all
people.
In the Church and through the Church you will meet Christ, who is
waiting
for you.
[in French]
Today, as I arrived in Cologne to take part with you in the Twentieth
World
Youth Day, I naturally recall with deep gratitude the Servant of God so
greatly loved by us all, Pope John Paul II, who had the inspired idea
of
calling young people from all over the world to join in celebrating
Christ,
the one Redeemer of the human race. Thanks to the profound dialogue
which
developed over more than twenty years between the Pope and young
people,
many of them were able to deepen their faith, forge bonds of communion,
develop a love for the Good News of salvation in Christ and a desire to
proclaim it throughout the world. That great Pope understood the
challenges
faced by young people today and, as a sign of his trust in them, he did
not
hesitate to spur them on to be courageous heralds of the Gospel and
intrepid
builders of the civilization of truth, love and peace.
Today it is my turn to take up this extraordinary spiritual legacy
bequeathed to us by Pope John Paul II. He loved you - you realized that
and
you returned his love with all your youthful enthusiasm. Now all of us
together have to put his teaching into practice. It is this commitment
which
has brought us here to Cologne, as pilgrims in the footsteps of the
Magi.
According to tradition, the names of the Magi in Greek were Melchior,
Gaspar
and Balthasar. Matthew, in his Gospel, tells of the question which
burned in
the hearts of the Magi: "Where is the infant king of the Jews?" (Mt
2:2). It
was in order to search for him that they set out on the long journey to
Jerusalem. This was why they withstood hardships and sacrifices, and
never
yielded to discouragement or the temptation to give up and go home. Now
that
they were close to their goal, they had no other question than this. We
too
have come to Cologne because in our hearts we have the same urgent
question
that prompted the Magi from the East to set out on their journey, even
if it
is differently expressed. It is true that today we are no longer
looking for
a king, but we are concerned for the state of the world and we are
asking:
"Where do I find standards to live by, what are the criteria that
govern
responsible co-operation in building the present and the future of our
world? On whom can I rely? To whom shall I entrust myself? Where is the
One
who can offer me the response capable of satisfying my heart's deepest
desires?" The fact that we ask questions like these means that we
realize
our journey is not over until we meet the One who has the power to
establish
that universal Kingdom of justice and peace to which all people aspire
but
which they are unable to build by themselves. Asking such questions
also
means searching for Someone who can neither deceive nor be deceived,
and who
therefore can offer a certainty so solid that we can live for it and,
if
need be, even die for it.
[in Spanish]
Dear friends, when questions like these appear on the horizon of life,
we
must be able to make the necessary choices. It is like finding
ourselves at
a crossroads: which direction do we take? The one prompted by the
passions
or the one indicated by the star which shines in your conscience? The
Magi
heard the answer: "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the
prophet" (Mt 2:5), and, enlightened by these words, they chose to press
forward to the very end. From Jerusalem they went on to Bethlehem. In
other
words, they went from the word which showed them where to find the King
of
the Jews whom they were seeking, all the way to the end, to an
encounter
with the King who was at the same time the Lamb of God who takes away
the
sins of the world. Those words are also spoken for us. We too have a
choice
to make. If we think about it, this is precisely our experience when we
share in the Eucharist. For in every Mass the liturgy of the Word
introduces
us to our participation in the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection of
Christ and hence introduces us to the Eucharistic Meal, to union with
Christ. Present on the altar is the One whom the Magi saw lying in the
manger: Christ, the living Bread who came down from heaven to give life
to
the world, the true Lamb who gives his own life for the salvation of
humanity. Enlightened by the Word, it is in Bethlehem - the "House of
Bread" - that we can always encounter the inconceivable greatness of a
God
who humbled himself even to appearing in a manger, to giving himself as
food
on the altar.
We can imagine the awe which the Magi experienced before the Child in
swaddling clothes. Only faith enabled them to recognize in the face of
that
Child the King whom they were seeking, the God to whom the star had
guided
them. In him, crossing the abyss between the finite and the infinite,
the
visible and the invisible, the Eternal entered time, the Mystery became
known by entrusting himself to us in the frail body of a small child.
"The
Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in
heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the
One
whom the entire world cannot contain" (Saint Peter Chrysologus, Serm.
160,
No. 2). In these days, during this "Year of the Eucharist", we will
turn
with the same awe to Christ present in the Tabernacle of mercy, in the
Sacrament of the Altar.
[in Italian]
Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you
have a
right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden
in the
Eucharist. Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity! With Mary,
say
your own "yes" to God, for he wishes to give himself to you. I repeat
today
what I said at the beginning of my Pontificate: "If we let Christ into
our
lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life
free,
beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life
opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human
existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience
beauty
and liberation" (Homily at the Mass of Inauguration, 24 April 2005). Be
completely convinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is
beautiful and great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory
of
God, the happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world.
In these days I encourage you to commit yourselves without reserve to
serving Christ, whatever the cost. The encounter with Jesus Christ will
allow you to experience in your hearts the joy of his living and
life-giving
presence, and enable you to bear witness to it before others. Let your
presence in this city be the first sign and proclamation of the Gospel,
thanks to the witness of your actions and your joy. Let us raise our
hearts
in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the many
blessings he
has given us and for the gift of faith which we will celebrate
together,
making it manifest to the world from this land in the heart of Europe,
a
Europe which owes so much to the Gospel and its witnesses down the
centuries.
[in German]
And now I shall go as a pilgrim to the Cathedral of Cologne, to
venerate the
relics of the holy Magi who left everything to follow the star which
was
guiding them to the Saviour of the human race. You too, dear young
people,
have already had, or will have, the opportunity to make the same
pilgrimage.
These relics are only the poor and frail sign of what those men were
and
what they experienced so many centuries ago. The relics direct us
towards
God himself: it is he who, by the power of his grace, grants to weak
human
beings the courage to bear witness to him before the world. By inviting
us
to venerate the mortal remains of the martyrs and saints, the Church
does
not forget that, in the end, these are indeed just human bones, but
they are
bones that belonged to individuals touched by the transcendent power of
God.
The relics of the saints are traces of that invisible but real presence
which sheds light upon the shadows of the world and reveals the Kingdom
of
Heaven in our midst. They cry out with us and for us: "Maranatha!" -
"Come
Lord Jesus!" My dear friends, I make these words my farewell, and I
invite
you to the Saturday evening Vigil. I shall see you then!