The cathedral of the Big Apple, one of the largest churches in the world, seemed tiny when crammed beyond imagination with cardinals, bishops, priests, and men and women religious for the celebration of the Eucharist together with Benedict XVI, on the third anniversary of his election as pontiff.He was welcomed with songs and with lengthy applause, in the procession that brought him to the altar: the pope had to work his way down through the nave of the church, crowded with priests and sisters of various ethnic backgrounds.
In his homily, the pontiff recalled the specific quality of the American Church: "In this country", he said, "the Church’s mission has always involved drawing people 'from every nation under heaven' (cf. Acts 2:5) into spiritual unity, and enriching the Body of Christ by the variety of their gifts. As we give thanks for past blessings, and look to the challenges of the future, let us implore from God the grace of a new Pentecost for the Church in America. May tongues of fire, combining burning love of God and neighbor with zeal for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom, descend on all present!".
The pope's homily centered on a continual symbolic passage from the construction and architecture of the Church of St Patrick to the Church as a community, which has in its consecrated personnel its "building material" for the construction of the body of Christ and the mission of the Church in the world and in America.
St Patrick's and Manhattan
"The spires of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral", he said, "are dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline, yet in the heart of this busy metropolis, they are a vivid reminder of the constant yearning of the human spirit to rise to God. As we celebrate this Eucharist, let us thank the Lord for allowing us to know him in the communion of the Church, to cooperate in building up his Mystical Body, and in bringing his saving word as good news to the men and women of our time. And when we leave this great church, let us go forth as heralds of hope in the midst of this city, and all those places where God’s grace has placed us. In this way, the Church in America will know a new springtime in the Spirit, and point the way to that other, greater city, the new Jerusalem, whose light is the Lamb (Rev 21:23). For there God is even now preparing for all people a banquet of unending joy and life".
The pope seemed to reinforce those present in continuing the mission entrusted to them: the heart of the new evangelisation is "The proclamation of life, life in abundance, must be the heart of the new evangelization. For true life – our salvation – can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God’s gracious gift. This is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and embody in a world where self-centeredness, greed, violence, and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people’s hearts . . . Perhaps we have lost sight of this: in a society where the Church seems legalistic and 'institutional' to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God’s love".
The windows and the darkness
The beautiful windows of the church also became a symbol: to look at the Church from the inside, in order to discover the richness of its mystery. "This is no easy task", the pope said, "in a world which can tend to look at the Church, like those stained glass windows, 'from the outside': a world which deeply senses a need for spirituality, yet finds it difficult to 'enter into' the mystery of the Church. Even for those of us within, the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the Church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members".
Here as well, as he has done at every moment during this trip to the United States, the pontiff recalled the scandal of paedophile priests, "the sexual abuse that has caused so much suffering". but the pope wants this drama to become a path of purification and healing, to respond "with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents".
The path for this healing is the unity between the bishops and clergy, and within the Christian community.
The unity of the Church
The pontiff recalled: "one of the great disappointments which followed the Second Vatican Council, with its call for a greater engagement in the Church’s mission to the world, has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family. We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions. Thus we can value the perspectives of others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately hear 'what the Spirit is saying' to us and to the Church (cf. Rev 2:7). In this way, we will move together towards that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen the Church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world. Was not this unity of vision and purpose – rooted in faith and a spirit of constant conversion and self-sacrifice – the secret of the impressive growth of the Church in this country?".
"The unity of a Gothic cathedral", the pope explained further, "we know, is not the static unity of a classical temple, but a unity born of the dynamic tension of diverse forces which impel the architecture upward, pointing it to heaven".
All consecrated persons contribute to this construction: "By your personal witness, and your fidelity to the ministry or apostolate entrusted to you, you prepare a path for the Spirit. For the Spirit never ceases to pour out his abundant gifts, to awaken new vocations and missions, and to guide the Church".
A final appeal called for help to be given to the poor, and for the support of vocations among the young: "Dear brothers and sisters, in the finest traditions of the Church in this country, may you also be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer. Act as beacons of hope, casting the light of Christ upon the world, and encouraging young people to discover the beauty of a life given completely to the Lord and his Church".
At the end of the Mass, before the blessing, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone saluted the pope on the occasion of the third anniversary of his pontificate. Before the final blessing, the pontiff emotionally expressed his thanks, calling himself "a man full of sins", but one who trusts in the prayer of the whole Church to carry out his ministry as successor of Peter.
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