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APOSTOLIC JOURNEY
OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II TO THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II
Banská Bystrica, Friday, 12 September 2003 |
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1. “My heart rejoices in the
Lord” (Resp. psalm). It is with deep joy and profound gratitude
to God that I join you in this square, dear Brothers and Sisters,
to celebrate today the memorial of the Holy Name of Mary.
The place where we are assembled is especially meaningful in the
history of your city. It calls to mind the respect and devotion
of your Ancestors towards Almighty God and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At the same time it recalls the attempt to profane this precious
inheritance, perpetrated by a bleak regime of not so many years
ago. To all of this the column of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a silent
witness.
I greet you all most affectionately: in the first place your Bishop,
the Most Reverend Rudolf Baláž, whom I thank for his
warm words of welcome. I greet the Auxiliary Bishop, the Most Reverend
Tomáš Gális. I also greet the priests, the men
and women religious, the seminarians and the laypeople who in different
fields of endeavour are the living strength of this Diocesan Church.
Finally I greet all who have come from neighbouring Dioceses and
countries.
With respectful cordiality my greeting goes to the President of
the Republic and to the civil and military authorities present.
I thank all for the invaluable help they have given in preparing
this journey of mine.
2. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38), says
Mary in the Gospel passage which we have just heard. She speaks
to the Angel Gabriel who communicates to her God’s call to
become the mother of his Son. The Incarnation of the Word is the
decisive moment in that “project” made known by God
from the beginning of human history, after the first sin. His will
is to communicate to mankind his very life, by calling men and women
to become his children. This call awaits the response of each person.
God does not impose salvation; he proposes it as an initiative of
love, to which one must reply by free choice, prompted by love.
The dialogue between the Angel and Mary, between heaven and earth,
is in this sense paradigmatic: let us draw from it some indications
for ourselves.
3. The Angel reveals God’s expectations for the future of
mankind. Mary replies by drawing attention responsibly to her present
situation: she is engaged to Joseph, promised as his spouse (cf.
Lk 1:34). Mary does not raise objections to the future prepared
by God; she asks for light on the present human circumstances in
which she is involved. God responds to her request by entering into
dialogue with her. He wishes to deal with persons who are responsible
and free.
In all this, what is the lesson for us? Mary shows us the path towards
a mature freedom. In our days, many baptised Christians have not
yet made the faith their own in an adult and conscious way. They
call themselves Christians and yet they do not respond in a fully
responsible way to the grace they have received; they still do not
know what they want and why they want it.
This is the lesson to be learned today: an education to freedom
is urgently needed. Especially in the family, parents must educate
their children to a correct freedom, so as to prepare them to respond
properly to God’s call. The family is the nursery where the
little plants, the new generations, are nurtured. In the family
the future of the Nation is forged.
From this perspective, I pray that the Diocesan Synod which you
are about to celebrate, will be a favourable occasion for relaunching
the pastoral ministry to families and for finding ever new ways
of proclaiming the Gospel to the new generations of this noble Land
of Slovakia.
4. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me
according to your word” (Lk 1:38). Mary believes and therefore
she says “yes”. Her faith becomes life; it becomes a
commitment to God, who fills her with himself through her divine
motherhood. It becomes a commitment to her neighbour, who awaits
her help in the person of her cousin Elisabeth (cf. Lk 1:39-56).
Mary abandons herself freely and consciously to God’s initiative,
which will achieve in her his “marvellous things”: mirabilia
Dei.
With the Virgin Mary’s example before us, we are invited to
reflect: God has a project for each of us, he “calls”
everyone. What is important is knowing how to recognise this call,
how to accept it and how to be faithful to it.
5. My dear Brothers and Sisters, let us make room for God! In the
variety and richness of diverse vocations, each one is called, like
Mary, to accept God into one’s own life and to travel along
the paths of the world with him, proclaiming his Gospel and bearing
witness to his love.
May this be the resolution that we all make together today and that
we place confidently in Mary’s maternal hands. May her intercession
obtain for us the gift of a strong faith that makes clear the scope
of our life and enlightens our mind, our spirit and our heart. Amen!
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