Pope: Faith and unity in Christ, America's hope for the future
New York (AsiaNews) - "Empowered by his Holy Spirit, let us work with renewed zeal for the spread of his Kingdom": with these words, the pope concluded the homily for his Mass in Yankee Stadium in New York, before tens of thousands of faithful gathered from all over America. The Mass was the last public act of Benedict XVI on this visit to the United States and to the United Nations, and was therefore a sort of final mandate.
The pope received an extraordinary welcome when he entered the stadium: long, sustained applause, colourful scarves and kerchiefs waved in greeting, flashing elecrtronic banners and slogans of friendship. Cardinal Egan thanked him, in English and Spanish, for his visit.
The pope had words of strength and hope for a Church that in recent years has suffered from moral impoverishment (and economic, with dioceses in bankruptcy) because of the scandal of paedophile priests. It is a Church that still has high numbers of participation at Mass, thanks above all to Hispanic immigrants. But according to some statistics from the Pew Forum, at least one third of adult Catholics have abandoned the faith of their childhood.
Today's Mass was a sort of balance sheet, taking into account the past, future, and present.
The 200 years of the dioceses, and young people
On the past, the pontiff recalled the 200th anniversary of the creation of the dioceses of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Louisville, and of the elevation of Baltimore to the status of a metropolitan diocese. The pope emphasises "the impressive growth which God has given to the Church in your country in the past two hundred years. From a small flock like that described in the first reading, the Church in America has been built up in fidelity to the twin commandment of love of God and love of neighbor. In this land of freedom and opportunity, the Church has united a widely diverse flock in the profession of the faith and, through her many educational, charitable and social works, has also contributed significantly to the growth of American society as a whole".
On the future, Benedict XVI recalled his meeting yesterday with young people and seminarians. "Yesterday, not far from here, I was moved by the joy, the hope and the generous love of Christ which I saw on the faces of the many young people assembled in Dunwoodie. They are the Church’s future, and they deserve all the prayer and support that you can give them".
Almost as if to signal the opening of a new chapter in the life of the American Church, Benedict XVI did not recall - neither yesterday with the young people, nor today in Yankee Stadium - the scandal, the "shame", the "pain" of sexual abuse, which had characterised almost all of his discourses to that point. Instead, today he presented to the young people the radical choice of consecrated life: "Young men and women of America, I urge you: open your hearts to the Lord’s call to follow him in the priesthood and the religious life. Can there be any greater mark of love than this: to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to lay down his life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13)?". When the pope addressed the young people, he quoted some of the words that John Paul II had spoken during a Mass celebrated years before in Yankee Stadium. At the name of the Polish pope, everyone applauded vigorously.
The heritage of the fathers
To the adults of today, he recalled the heroic actions of their predecessors: "In these two hundred years, the face of the Catholic community in your country has changed greatly. We think of the successive waves of immigrants whose traditions have so enriched the Church in America. We think of the strong faith which built up the network of churches, educational, healthcare and social institutions which have long been the hallmark of the Church in this land. We think also of those countless fathers and mothers who passed on the faith to their children, the steady ministry of the many priests who devoted their lives to the care of souls, and the incalculable contribution made by so many men and women religious, who not only taught generations of children how to read and write, but also inspired in them a lifelong desire to know God, to love him and to serve him. How many "spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God" have been offered up in these two centuries! In this land of religious liberty, Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to the public square and cooperating with their neighbors in shaping a vibrant, democratic society. Today’s celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of hope for coming generations".
And again: "Past generations have left you an impressive legacy. In our day too, the Catholic community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in your midst. On these solid foundations, the future of the Church in America must even now begin to rise!".
Renewed conversion
In order to have the strength for a new beginning, the pope asked for renewed conversion. Above all, to the unity of the Church, which "has no other basis than the Word of God, made flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord". This unity, Benedict XVI emphasises, is "'apostolic'. It is a visible unity, grounded in the Apostles" and the bishops. This unity "transcends the divisions arising from human limitations and weakness", because it "is God’s indefectible gift to his Church".
The second element of conversion is to true freedom. "The Gospel teaches us that true freedom, the freedom of the children of God, is found only in the self-surrender which is part of the mystery of love. Only by losing ourselves, the Lord tells us, do we truly find ourselves".
The third element is the overcoming of the division between faith and life, between faith and politics. This issue is of great concern in the United States, where faith is often at risk of being relegated to the private sphere and influenced by materialistic criteria of profit; where Catholic legislators openly support abortion and where a great debate is in progress on withholding communion from pro-choice politicians.
The pope asked Americans to "[overcome] every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false dichotomy between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican Council put it, "there is no human activity – even in secular affairs – which can be withdrawn from God’s dominion" (Lumen Gentium, 36). It means working to enrich American society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and never losing sight of that great hope which gives meaning and value to all the other hopes which inspire our lives".
"In today’s Gospel, the Lord promises his disciples that they will perform works even greater than his (cf. Jn 14:12). Dear friends, only God in his providence knows what works his grace has yet to bring forth in your lives and in the life of the Church in the United States".
At the end of the homily, for several minutes the crowd chanted "Ben-e-dict!" while clapping rhythmically, to the obvious embarrassment of the smiling pope, who wanted to resume the Mass.
PHOTO: USCCB
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