Pope’s Message for 2005 World Youth Day
Will Be Held in August
in Cologne, Germany
VATICAN CITY, AUG. 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).-
Here is the John Paul II’s message for the next World Youth Day which will
be held in Cologne, Germany, from Aug. 16-21, 2005, with the theme "We Have
Come to Worship Him" (Mt 2:2).
* * *
"We have come to worship him" (Mt 2:2)
My dear young people!
1. This year we have celebrated the 19th World Youth Day, meditating on the
desire expressed by some Greeks who had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover:
"We wish to see Jesus" (Jn 12:21). And here we are now, making our way to
Cologne where, in August 2005, the 20th World Youth Day is to be celebrated.
"We have come to worship him" (Mt 2:2): this is the theme of the next World
Youth Day. It is a theme that enables young people from every continent to
follow in spirit the path taken by the Magi whose relics, according to a
pious tradition, are venerated in this very city, and to meet, as they did,
the Messiah of all nations.
It is true to say that the light of Christ had already opened the minds and
the hearts of the Magi. "They went their way" (Mt 2:9), says the Evangelist,
setting out boldly along unknown paths on a long, and by no means easy,
journey. They did not hesitate to leave everything behind in order to follow
the star that they had seen in the East (cf Mt 2:2). Imitating the Magi, you
young people are also making preparations to set out on a "journey" from
every region of the world to go to Cologne. It is important for you not only
to concern yourselves with the practical arrangements for World Youth Day,
but first of all you must carefully prepare yourselves spiritually, in an
atmosphere of faith and listening to the Word of God.
2. "And the star... went before them, till it came to rest over the place
where the child was" (Mt 2:9). The Magi reached Bethlehem because they had
obediently allowed themselves to be guided by the star. Indeed, "When they
saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Mt 2:10). It is
important, my dear friends, to learn to observe the signs with which God is
calling us and guiding us. When we are conscious of being led by Him, our
heart experiences authentic and deep joy as well as a powerful desire to
meet Him and a persevering strength to follow Him obediently.
"And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother" (Mt
2:11). There is nothing extraordinary about this at first sight. Yet that
Child was different from any other: He is the only Son of God, yet He
emptied Himself of His glory (cf Phil 2:7) and came to earth to die on the
Cross. He came down among us and became poor in order to reveal to us His
divine glory, which we shall contemplate fully in heaven, our blessed home.
Who could have invented a greater sign of love? We are left in awe before
the mystery of a God who lowered himself to take on our human condition, to
the point of giving His life for us on the Cross (cf Phil 2:6-8). In His
poverty, - as Saint Paul reminds us - "though he was rich, yet for your sake
he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9),
and came to offer salvation to sinners. How can we give thanks to God for
such magnanimous goodness?
3. The Magi found Jesus at "Bęth-lehem" which means "house of bread". In the
humble stable in Bethlehem on some straw lay the "grain of wheat" who, by
dying, would bring forth "much fruit" (cf Jn 12:24). When speaking of
Himself and His saving mission in the course of His public life, Jesus would
later use the image of bread. He would say "I am the bread of life", "I am
the bread which came down from heaven", "the bread that I shall give for the
life of the world is my flesh". (Jn 6: 35.41.51).
Faithfully pursuing the path of our Redeemer from the poverty of the Crib to
His abandonment on the Cross we can better understand the mystery of His
love which redeems humanity. The Child, laid by Mary in the manger, is the
Man-God we shall see nailed to the Cross. The same Redeemer is present in
the sacrament of the Eucharist. In the stable at Bethlehem He allowed
himself to be worshipped under the humble outward appearances of a newborn
baby, by Mary, by Joseph and by the shepherds; in the consecrated Host we
adore Him sacramentally present in his body, blood, soul and godhead, and He
offers himself to us as the food of eternal life. The Mass then becomes a
truly loving encounter with the One who gave himself wholly for us. Do not
hesitate, my dear young friends, to respond to Him when He invites you "to
the wedding feast of the Lamb" (cf Rev 19:9). Listen to him, prepare
yourselves properly and draw close to the Sacrament of the Altar,
particularly in this Year of the Eucharist (October 2004-2005) which I have
proclaimed for the whole Church.
4. "They fell down and worshipped Him" (Mt 2:11). While the Magi
acknowledged and worshipped the baby that Mary cradled in her arms as the
One awaited by the nations and foretold by prophets, today we can also
worship Him in the Eucharist, and acknowledge Him as our Creator, our only
Lord and Savior.
"Opening their treasures they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and
myrrh" (Mt 2:11).
The gifts that the Magi offered the Messiah symbolized true worship. With
gold, they emphasized His Royal Godhead; with incense, they acknowledged Him
as the priest of the New Covenant; by offering Him myrrh, they celebrated
the prophet who would shed His own blood to reconcile humanity with the
Father.
My dear young people, you too offer to the Lord the gold of your lives,
namely, your freedom to follow Him out of love, responding faithfully to His
call; let the incense of your fervent prayer rise up to him, in praise of
His glory; offer Him your myrrh, that is your affection of total gratitude
to Him, true Man, who loved us to the point of dying as a criminal on
Golgotha.
5. Be worshippers of the only true God, giving Him pride of place in your
lives! Idolatry is an ever-present temptation. Sadly, there are those who
seek the solution to their problems in religious practices that are
incompatible with the Christian faith. There is a strong urge to believe in
the facile myths of success and power; it is dangerous to accept the
fleeting ideas of the sacred which present God in the form of cosmic energy,
or in any other manner that is inconsistent with Catholic teaching.
My dear young people, do not yield to false illusions and passing fads which
so frequently leave behind a tragic spiritual vacuum! Reject the seduction
of wealth, consumerism and the subtle violence sometimes used by the mass
media.
Worshipping the true God is an authentic act of resistance to all forms of
idolatry. Worship Christ: He is the Rock on which to build your future and a
world of greater justice and solidarity. Jesus is the Prince of peace: the
source of forgiveness and reconciliation, who can make brothers and sisters
of all the members of the human family.
6. "And they departed to their own country by another way" (Mt 2:12). The
Gospel tells us that after their meeting with Christ, the Magi returned home
"by another way". This change of route can symbolize the conversion to which
all those who encounter Jesus are called, in order to become the true
worshippers that He desires (cf Jn 4: 23-24). This entails imitating the way
He acted by becoming, as the apostle Paul writes, "a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God". The apostle then adds that we must not be conformed
to the mentality of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our
minds, to "prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect" (cf Rm 12: 1-2).
Listening to Christ and worshipping Him leads us to make courageous choices,
to take what are sometimes heroic decisions. Jesus is demanding, because He
wishes our genuine happiness. He calls some to give up everything to follow
Him in the priestly or consecrated life. Those who hear this invitation must
not be afraid to say "yes" and to generously set about following Him as His
disciples. But in addition to vocations to special forms of consecration
there is also the specific vocation of all baptized Christians: that is also
a vocation to that "high standard" of ordinary Christian living which is
expressed in holiness (cf Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). When we meet Christ
and accept His Gospel, life changes and we are driven to communicate our
experience to others.
There are so many of our contemporaries who do not yet know the love of God
or who are seeking to fill their hearts with trifling substitutes. It is
therefore urgently necessary for us to be witnesses to love contemplated in
Christ. The invitation to take part in World Youth Day is also extended to
you, dear friends, who are not baptized or who do not identify with the
Church. Are you not perhaps yearning for the Absolute and in search of
"something" to give a meaning to your lives? Turn to Christ and you will not
be let down.
7. Dear young people, the Church needs genuine witnesses for the new
evangelization: men and women whose lives have been transformed by meeting
with Jesus, men and women who are capable of communicating this experience
to others. The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy
people alone can renew humanity. Many have gone before us along this path of
Gospel heroism, and I urge you to turn often to them to pray for their
intercession. By meeting in Cologne you will learn to become better
acquainted with some of them, such as St Boniface, the apostle of Germany,
the Saints of Cologne, and in particular Ursula, Albert the Great, Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Blessed Adolph Kolping. Of these I
would like to specifically mention St Albert and Teresa Benedicta of the
Cross who, with the same interior attitude as the Magi, were passionate
seekers after the truth. They had no hesitation in placing their
intellectual abilities at the service of the faith, thereby demonstrating
that faith and reason are linked and seek each other.
My dear young people as you move forward in spirit towards Cologne, the Pope
will accompany you with his prayers. May Mary, "Eucharistic woman" and
Mother of Wisdom, support you along the way, enlighten your decisions, and
teach you to love what is true, good and beautiful. May she lead you all to
her Son, who alone can satisfy the innermost yearnings of the human mind and
heart.
Go with my blessing!
From Castel Gandolfo, August 6, 2004
IOANNES PAULUS II
[Original text: English]
Pontifical Council for the Laity
Presents Pope’s Message for World Youth Day 2005
VATICAN CITY, AUG.
26, 2004 (Zenit.org).-
Here is the press statement, published by the Pontifical Council for the
Laity on Thursday, which presents John Paul II's message for the next World
Youth Day which will be held in Cologne, Germany, from Aug. 16-21, 2005.
***
The Holy Father has addressed a message to the youth of the world as they
enter the last stage of preparation for the 20th World Youth Day that is
scheduled to take place in Cologne next year (16-21 August 2005). The
Message has been published one year in advance in order to be used in the
pastoral preparation in the dioceses of the world. Pope John Paul II tells
the young people: "It is important for you not only to concern yourselves
with the practical arrangements for World Youth Day, but first of all you
must carefully prepare yourselves spiritually, in an atmosphere of faith and
listening to the Word of God."
In this Message, the Holy Father develops the theme chosen for WYD in
Cologne "We have come to worship him" (Mt 2:2), and points out in the
introduction that this theme "enables young people from every continent to
follow in spirit the path taken by the Magi whose relics, according to a
pious tradition, are venerated in this very city, and to meet, as they did,
the Messiah of all nations." This explains why the Holy Father invites young
people from all regions of the earth to also set out on this path to make
the journey towards Cologne, and to discover the meaning of true adoration
by imitating the interior attitude of the Magi.
Adoration is, first of all, the recognition on our part of the magnificence
and beauty of the Mystery of the Incarnation. As we contemplate the child
laid to rest by Mary his Mother in the stable in Bethlehem, and "faithfully
pursuing the path of our Redeemer from the poverty of the Crib to His
abandonment on the Cross, we can better understand the mystery of His love
which redeems humanity." This mystery of love continues for us each day in
the sacrament of the Eucharist: "In the stable at Bethlehem He allowed
himself to be worshipped under the humble outward appearances of a newborn
baby, by Mary, by Joseph and by the shepherds; in the consecrated Host we
adore Him sacramentally present in his body, blood, soul and godhead, and He
offers himself to us as the food of eternal life." The Holy Father specifies
that, "today we can also worship Him in the Eucharist, and acknowledge Him
as our Creator, our only Lord and Savior ... Be worshippers of the only true
God, giving Him pride of place in your lives!"
Pope John Paul II then urges young people to reject idolatry in all its
forms in their lives: "Idolatry is an ever-present temptation ... My dear
young people, do not yield to false illusions and passing fads which so
frequently leave behind a tragic spiritual vacuum! Reject the seduction of
wealth, consumerism and the subtle violence sometimes used by the mass
media. Worshipping the true God is an authentic act of resistance to all
forms of idolatry.”
The fact that the Magi took a different way home, the Holy Father writes,
"can symbolize the conversion to which all those who encounter Jesus are
called, in order to become the true worshippers that He desires (cf Jn 4:
23-24)." He invites young people to respond generously to God's call and not
to be afraid of making "courageous choices, to take what are sometimes
heroic decisions", for it is God who "calls some to give up everything to
follow Him in the priestly or consecrated life." He reminds us that the
vocation of all the baptized is the call to holiness, and he emphasizes the
importance of witnessing.
As they go deeper into the theme of adoration during this year of
preparation for WYD in Cologne, the young people can have a more intensive
experience of the Year of the Eucharist that Pope John Paul II has
proclaimed for the whole Church (October 2004-2005).
